Title: I am a minor (14), and my guidance counselor called CPS on my parents. I love my parents, my school, my family, my school, all to death.

Question:
Here's the rundown of my situation

I have two divorced parents, my mom, whose on probation since she was caught straw buying, unbeknownst to her (she works in real estate), and my dad who works in the same field, with no real issue with the law that i know of.

This Sunday, my dad got quite angry at the three of my same aged siblings (i'm a triplet), and since i was the one who talked back the most, he yelled at me. All he really did was shove me into my room, and yell at me, nothing serious at all. I think nothing of it the rest of the week.

Today comes. I come home from school and I find a envelope, crudely taped to my door. Open it up, and lo and behold, social workers. My mom started crying since she knew what the repercussions were. My brother also started crying, since he was the one who alerted the school guidance counselor about the situation on Sunday. Things have cooled, despite my father not really caring and just walking out of the door to work, which i find really strange of him.

Since then, my mom and I have cleaned the house a bit, and she told us about what could potentially happen.

I really, really hate that I don't really have a choice in this, but so is life. I'm really uneducated on the subject, and i would love the situation explained to me by someone with a better grasp on such a situation. I love my family, friends, school and I don't want to have to leave any of it behind. I'm pretty scared.

I don't really know the posting guidelines of this sub so tell me if i did anything wrong, thank you.
Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer:
 If, in fact, nothing is wrong, then a visit from social workers just means that they will see that nothing is wrong, talk to you and your parents a bit to confirm that, and move on. This is an investigative measure to _confirm_ that you are safe, not a punitive measure,a t this point.

However, I'll note that physical confrontation with a child, of any kind, can be against the law. Your father, who is responsible for your safety and legally barred from battering you, "just" shoved you into your room because he was mad at you. That absolutely does merit closer inspection, whether you realize it or not.

What is it, specifically, you are concerned with?


Title: Teacher won't let me use the bathroom [California]

Question: Last semester I used to go to the bathroom basically every time when I had this teacher, as I drank a large amount of water on a consistent basis (for cross country). This semester, he has outright banned me, and only me, from using the restroom. Is he legally allowed to do this? What are my options?

Answer: Have you complained to the school administration?


Title: [CA] Is it legal to manipulate a DOM to remove a modal that blocks content?

Question: I'm hoping your a cyber attorney (if that's a thing) if you made it past my question. I'm relatively new to programming and just discovered DOM manipulation through Google Chrome's inspector. A website I visit but am not a member of (God that sounds like porn, its not) has member content blocked behind a modal that blurs the background and asks for money to see it. I discovered you can remove the modal element and cancel the blur to see the site. I closed it faster than a kid with his hand in the cookie jar, but is that legal to do?

Answer:
 >is that legal to do?

Completely legal.  The website is sending you all of the content, and you're free to look at any of the data that has been sent to you.  It's actually similar to blocking ads in that respect.  You can choose to view or not view any of the content that the web server delivers to you.Answer #2: Yes.   You request data; they send data.   How you choose to render the data it is up to you.


Title: My boss laid me off due to slow sales. Now he won't discuss the wages he owes me.

Question:
So, I've had 4 paychecks returned NSF now; the 1st check the ex-employer made good with cash; the others he won't talk about. He gets irate, blames the economy, and changes the subject.  This is a restaurant in Alaska. I think I'll have to take him to small claims court for the $3000 he owes me.

So, One; never been to court before and have no idea how to start. What sort of evidence do I need? -have the NSF checks.

Two: what happens if I win the wages case? -how do I collect? Will it take a year to get the wages owed?

and: do I need a lawyer? At a loss here, need an ELI5 I guess.

Answer: why not file a [wage claim](http://labor.alaska.gov/lss/forms/wageclaim.PDF)?


Title: Avoiding future litigation for noise induced hearing loss...at church.

Question:
Greetings,

I'm concerned about really excessive volume at my church during their contemporary worship service.  My ears are still ringing and I (seriously) watched two water bottles vibrate their way across the stage during worship from the monitors.

Now, I know my attendance is voluntary but there are young people with babies in the service and the sound level is really like a rock concert.

Considering that it is so easy to empirically measure decibel levels and that there are recognized  medical threshold levels beyond which cause permanent hearing loss, is my church likely to be liable in the future for claims of NIHL from victims having received the damage while minors?

What I'm looking for is precedence to avoid this in the future but presenting a good argument now that is not dismissed  as thee cranky rant from some ancient old (over thirty?) man.   Have movie theaters, football stadiums, or other venues that routinely host entertainment well beyond 100 decibels ever been sued?

Thanks for your consideration ye good hearted Reddit legal experts!

Answer:
 Have you tried talking to the pastor or some other senior members of the church about this? What you mentioned is one reason I don't care for the more modern styles, other than they all seem to be the same there songs or lines on repeat with a different tune.

What I would recommend would be to do some research on your own for now related to hearing loss from excessive noise and present it to the pastor a/o senior staff member or praise team leader and keep copies of your own and documentation that you met with them. Try and change it that way. Other than that, it is up to how far you want to rock the boat in church if they ignore you and you could try and get a popular movement going among members to have the volume lowered. You may need to switch churches if you try the second option.

Best advice I can give right now is get some ear protection and wear it. Good luck and I hope it all works out for you. Answer #2: Sound tech here. Get the band on in ear monitors, get the drums in an enclosure and put the amps for the guitars in another room or behind a baffle. They're having to crank the PA mains to get over the stage volume. Get the stage volume down and it'll make it so they can bring the mains down.Answer #3: Pick up a decimal meter and check your levels. Speaking voice is typically 50-60 dB. If you’re 85 or over you’re causing permanent hearing loss.


Question:
https://youtu.be/8xybIU2rw-w?t=72

Why would this tweet be bad for legal reasons?

Answer: Nobody is going to watch a 20 minute talk on YouTube to answer that. Can you please post the tweet and necessary backstory instead? You can leave the link up, just explain what you're wondering about.


Title: [WA] Employer trying to misclassify me as an independent contractor

Question:
I'm not sure if this is in the right place.

I work for a small call center (less than 100 employees) and have been an employee there for over a year. They have the option to work remotely and I had been taking advantage of that lately. I made a decision to move to a different state and gave 2 weeks notice of my intent to move.

The operations manager requested to speak with me and advised that they would need to ensure that my move would not have any issues legally speaking and that I would need to acquire a small business license to continue working. When asked why, I was advised that they would need to make me an independent contractor because I would be working across state lines.

They sent me a contract to sign that pretty much indicated that I would be a contractor and would waive my rights to benefits because I wouldn't be an employee. But this makes no sense to me and, after doing some searching online for relevant information in Washington I found that what they're doing is most likely illegal because nothing in my job is changing except my location and what they believe they will be classifying me as. My responsibilities, evaluations, pay, hours, all that will stay the same. I have all this in writing.

I have stalled and brought my concerns to them. They indicated they would get back to me. When they did get back to me, they sent me a w9 form to fill out instead of a license, according to them.

Now my question is not whether this is legal. At this point it appears they are definitely up to something. I suspect that I should be contacting an employment lawyer for this matter.

My questions are: 1) Is this going to be costly to fight? 2) Is it worth it to fight this or would I be better off just abandoning the employer and finding other work?

Answer:
 Having employees in different states is a logistical puzzle for companies. They have to follow all labor and tax laws from the state you're moving to. It doesn't sound like you would be an independent contractor, but you have no grounds to force them to continue employing you if you move.Answer #2: Moving to a different state is the problem. Different laws they suddenly need to follow. Making you a contractor gets rid of that burden. I can understand that change for a smaller company.

> I would be a contractor and would waive my rights to benefits because I wouldn't be an employee.

...

> My responsibilities, evaluations, pay, hours, all that will stay the same

That's the bad part. Your pay needs to go up *at least* 2x your current pay to cover your new contractor costs.  You'll need to cover the taxes your employer pays today (easily another 15%) and pay for all benefits in full (add another 30-40%). Plus you no longer get vacations or any perks from being an employee (free coffee, AC, computer).

The evaluations part is also wrong, as you'll be bound to a contract now. But the pay issue is more concerning.


Title: Does my online store have to charge sales tax?

Question:
I want to open a flower delivery service in another country (let's say Indonesia). I will get in touch with different local flower shops and sell their flowers on my website. When people order, these shops will deliver the flowers (within Indonesia). There is no physical presence in the U.S., except my bank account is of course located in the U.S.

Do I need to charge sales tax or not? If yes, is it for the U.S. or Indonesia? And how many % should it be? I'm currently in GA.

Answer:
 You need a small business attorney. Seriously don't try to set up an international business without legal advice. You probably want an attorney in the country you're doing business in as well.

Not an attorney myself.


Title: My friends Daughter (10) had a gun pulled on her at recess.

Question: She was on recess and some older kids waking by that weren't in school stopped and pulled a gun out telling her they were going to shoot her. The school did not contact my friend or his wife about the incident. They had to hear it from their daughter. My friend is asking if this was illegal by the school and there was nothing filed by the school with law enforcement. See what legaladvice thinks about this. Thank you.

Answer:
 Contact the school board or other school administrators. Answer #2: It's not illegal that the school did not inform the parents or law enforcement. But, they should have at least told the parent. This is something that the parent should complain about to the administration and to the school district.Answer #3: I think probably the most important thing you need to clarify, and other people have touched on it, is did the school know about the incident?

You say the incident happened, and they then heard about it from their daughter.  Did the daughter report it to anyone?  Are you just assuming the school is intentionally not informing the parents? Is it possible the reason the school didn't inform anyone is because the school didn't know?


Title: Friend is hiding from her parents

Question: My friend is an international student and goes to school at a university in the US (Indiana). She's been attending for a few semesters, then while visiting home, her parents told her she would not be going back to school in the US. She got on a flight back here anyway and her parents want to physically take her back home with them. She's not a minor. I doubt she will be able to convince her parents to let her stay here, so what are her legal options? Would it be possible for her to hide from her parents?

Answer:
 She's an adult. As long as she's here on the proper visa, I think it'd be pretty hard for them to force her to leave. Answer #2: Her parent's wishes don't matter. Her visa status does.

If her parents approach her she can tell them to piss right off.


Title: [British Columbia, Canada]My friend and his wife is getting their PR application rejected because their child is not talking much at the age of 3 years. Is there anything they can do?

Question:
He has been staying there for the last 2 years. The guy is somewhat rich and he doesn't have to use Canadian services for helping his child which is exactly the Canadian govt's worry.

The thing is he has got him dream job and doesn't want to lose it now. Also he is loving Canada, who wouldn't lol.

Is there anything they can do for getting their PR?

Edit: he is meeting with a lawyer tomorrow. Thanks for the help all.

Answer:
 This is lawyer territory. PR is complicated with several steps and you don't mention if the application is already rejected or if they just think it's 'going to be'. It is worth spending the money on someone with experience to avoid losing their jobs and ability to stay in the country. Answer #2: It's happened, and there've been decisions both ways in similar cases:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/programs/metromorning/costa-rica-down-syndrome-1.3489120

(As always, don't read the comments.)

Your friend wants an immigration lawyer yesterday. Getting an MP involved wouldn't be terrible either; it's what they're for

Answer #3: Is the child in speech therapy already and getting services already?


Title: Should I take a drug test for work? (NC)

Question: They just started doing random drug tests at work and if I get tested in the next few days I'm not going to pass. Is it better to refuse the test or to fail it?

Answer: Either way they can fire you. Start polishing your resume. There's almost 0 chance of criminal prosecution if you take the test and fail though.


Title: [TX] My (22F) psychotic ex-BF (34M) with prior burglary history kicked down my door and assaulted me. What charges can he be held responsible for and what should I do?

Question:
Hi /r/legaladvice. I’m hoping you can help me. I’m very scared right now about what to expect, having never experienced anything like this. Scroll for TL;DR.

——

**About me:**

22F, college student at UT Dallas (post-bacc). I have no family and my closest friends are in Houston. I am very poor being in college and it took every penny I had to get here. I work very late nights to support myself alone. No criminal history. I’m 5’5, 110 lb. Small female. I started dating this guy around late August 2016.

**About him:**

34M, college student at UT Dallas (undergraduate). Lives with his mentally disabled mother. No education. Background in selling drugs, check/bank fraud, and a prior offense for Burglary of a Habitation with Intent to Commit Theft (F2) in the state of Texas in 2001. He received deferred adjudication. He has been physically and emotionally abusive but financially supportive. He constantly accused me of cheating. I’ve been trying to leave him for awhile. He’s 5’11, 220 lb. Does steroids. Not a small guy.

——

**The situation:**

I got off work at 4AM this Sunday. My on/off BF calls and demands to see me. I don’t want to see him, tell him I’m tired, and end the conversation. He texts me insisting on coming over. He has a spare key (I gave it to him); I text him EXPLICITLY that my spare key came with rules, one of them being that he is ONLY here with my consent, and that I do NOT give him consent. I text him EXPLICITLY that I do not feel safe with him at my apartment, that I am afraid he will not leave if I allow him over, and that I am of sound mind/body, I just want to go to bed. Cue him going off on me, blaming me for things, accusing me of having someone else over, etc.. Conversation ends with him texting “Fine. Suffer alone then.” and me, “Thank you for understanding. Goodnight. I love you.” I fall asleep at about 6 AM.

At 7:20 AM I wake up to knocking on my door. Check my phone. He turned off Location Services at 7 AM, which he has never done. I believe he did this so that I wouldn’t know he was approaching my apartment. He begins banging on the door, I don’t answer. I hear the lock click. He used the spare key to try and open my door, but I have it deadbolted. He goes around to my 1st floor balcony, climbs the railing, and begins banging on that window. He tries to open the balcony door, but the window is streetside and I think he wants to avoid attention. I can hear him getting angrier. He circles back to my front door. The pounding gets more forceful. I can hear him slamming up against the door. 4 huge booms. The wood splinters. He has kicked the door down. I have my phone in one hand dialing 911 and a crowbar in the other and run downstairs to see him coming toward me. He has one hand in his shoulder bag and I don’t know what his hand is holding. I yell “did you just kick my door down?! What are you doing here? Get out! Get out of my house!” He comes at me until I scream “I’m calling the police!” and hold my phone up. I take several swings at his direction to fend him off. I do not injure him. He flees, gets in his car, and speeds off. The whole thing took about 4 minutes. I can't describe the look on his face... he looked furious. But so calm. So collected. It caught him completely off-guard to see only little me with a crowbar and not some other guy in the house. I genuinely believe he thought I was cheating and came to hurt me or someone else.

He text-bombs me saying how sorry he is, it was an accident, he was “just worried” about me, he wants to keep this “between us” and not involve anyone else, offers to pay to have my door fixed, etc..

I wasn’t injured as I used the crowbar to keep him away from me physically, but the police filed this under Family Violence and Burglary of a Habitation with Intent to Commit Assault, since it was clear he wasn’t there to steal anything. Investigators took pictures of my door. The frame is solid wood and took WORK to break through. They can see his foot and handprints on the door. It’s clear this wasn’t an accident. I know for a fact that he had become paranoid and possessive because I would not see him, and busted the door down either prepared to hurt me or hurt someone he thought was here with me.

He’s being served an affidavit and court date for 2 weeks from now for the Order of Protection. He’s also been formally charged with Burglary of a Habitation with Intent to Commit Assault. His defense is that he broke my door down because he was “worried” about me, despite me explicitly stating over text that I was fine, that I felt scared of him, and that I did not want him to come to my home.

He can’t say that his entry was unintentional since he used the key AND broke my deadbolted door down, and he can’t say that it was wanted because of my texts to him telling him I was scared and didn’t want him to be there. I’m thinking that he will try and talk it down to Criminal Trespass and strike out the intent to assault. Do I have to prove he was going to hurt me? How? **His name was not, at any point, on the lease of this apartment. He does not live here. He has no property here. Not even a toothbrush.**

——

**Additional details that may be of importance:**

I have documented PTSD from a prior traumatic experience. As luck would have it, I switched to a psychiatrist in the area after moving here and received an official diagnosis letter (again) from this new Dr roughly 2 weeks ago, so I have proof that the diagnosis is recent. Reading the Texas Penal Code, does this qualify for Injury to a Child, Elderly Individual, or Disabled Individual? My ex knows explicitly that I have PTSD. He often took great delight in triggering it, actually.

He is banned from our college campus currently except for when I'm not on campus for class, which is the most they can do until a Title IX (college) investigation moves forward. According to the Dean of Students, he already attempted to tell her that we were "living together" and that he "paid my bills" and had a spare key and that *I* am "abusive." He is already attempting to justify his actions, so I am preparing for him to lie in court. The school is doing everything they can in the meantime. They issued him a No Contact Order, which means he's not allowed to contact me under penalty of suspension/expulsion.

——

**TL;DR: Ex broke into my home after I expressly forbade his entry, attempted assault, and fled. He has prior burglary offense (F2), and is being charged with burglary with intent to assault (F1). His defense is that he was doing a “wellness check” and breaking my door down was an “accident.” Do I have to prove his “intent” to assault?**

Answer:
 Regardless of what he pleads to, get a protection order against him.

I would also suggest making the local police aware and ask them to do periodic patrols around your apartment if possible.

You don't have to prove anything.  The district attorney's office and the police do.  Make sure you give them all of the evidence you have and fully cooperate with their investigation.

Another thing you can do is look into domestic violence survivor support groups (on or off campus).


Title: [MI] Postal carrier keeps dumping mail on the floor, have photos, next step?

Question:
I live in a apartment with a locked front door. You use a key to get into the foyer and the mailboxes are right there. Several times I have come out to find mail all over the floor. The neighbors mail and my mail all mixed together. This has happened at least 3 times in the past couple months.

I have photos, this isn't junk mail either, checks and bills are included in the big pile of mail.

I can't seem to get through to the local post office, no matter how many times I call it is busy. I can't find an email address to send the post master the photos.

Thank you.

Answer: Complain to the postmaster.  Write a letter, put POSTMASTER and your zip code on the front of it and put it in a letterbox.  No need for postage or even a return address.


Title: I've been dealing with a terrible landlord. I just found out that the lease I signed isn't legally binding and never went into effect. What are my options?

Question:
There is miles of backstory here, but I'm going to sum it up like this:

I rented a house with two other guys from a landlord who doesn't really know what he is doing. This is his first rental property. He promised a bunch of renovations when we signed the lease that he never followed through on. The two guys I was living with are irresponsible and don't care about the situation at all.

Security Deposit: $1375. A third of this is mine.

---

Over a month ago I approached my landlord about ending the lease early. He said I can't do this and suggested I do a roommate release form, which needs to be signed by all parties on the lease (tenants). One of my roommates refused to sign thinking that I was screwing him over somehow. This didn't end up working so I moved on. Our original lease was set to go through June 15th. Seeing that I was graduating and moving out of the house in the middle of May, I was hoping that I could *somehow* end the lease early. I wanted this because I didn't trust the other roommates to not completely trash the place while I was gone. I spoke to my landlord and he agreed that the lease should end on May 31st, 2015.

Yesterday I receive a text from my landlord saying that he was unable to rent the house out on June 1st, so he is no longer letting us end our lease early. He also told us that he will need extra time to calculate the security deposit. This was confusing to me because all three of us moved out by May 18th (They both left months ago because they dropped out of school, but I was out on May 18th.) On this date the house was spotless, up to their standards, etc.

So now I am running into the issue of him not returning my security deposit. I've been going back and forth with him about this and he is not able to come to a civil resolution. I was carefully reading over my lease and I found this line:

    This Lease agreement does not become a legal contract between parties until the rental application is approved and this lease is signed by management.

The problem is, however, that the land lord never signed this document! I called him yesterday and asked him to send me a scanned copy of the lease in his possession. I have received this scan and his copy is not signed by him either!

Now I assume the following, but would like clarification:
* The document is not a legally binding contract, therefore I am not required to pay any kind of rent.
* He is legally not allowed to keep the money I sent him as a security deposit.

What grounds do I have here? One of the roommates did destroy his own room (he started going through some mental health issues). I was in contact with the landlords constantly. Pictures, detailed texts, etc. The mother of the guy who trashed his room has agreed to pay for the damages, yet he is still holding my security deposit.

I feel like I have some grounds considering this lease never went into effect, but I don't want to make any assumptions when it comes to this. Anything would be helpful!

Answer:
 Absent a lease in writing, you default to a month-to-month lease. I don't have the absolute legal terms, but since you both intended to have an active lease, I'd presume your security deposit is indeed a security deposit.

You also owe rent every month or he'll just evict you next month.

You are one of the tenants on a joint lease, even if it's just month-to-month. You'd still be responsible for property damage because that's how it works. I can't show up to your house and break a window and say "Hah! I never signed anything saying I'd pay for that!"


Title: My time sheet

Question:
Work is slow, nothing to do,

manager wants me - no pay no work,

employer did not say anything.

I have no access to employer,

most communication is through manager.

&#x200B;

manager always act difficult to me.

he enjoys the power to control me.

&#x200B;

I am full time hourly pay employee.

manager does not approve my time sheet,

my time sheet directly go to accounting.

&#x200B;

I am remote employee, not see manager and boss.

&#x200B;

should I disregard what my manager said?

continue to put 8 hours a day,

as stand by?

what is your suggestion?

Answer: Can you write this out as an actual question and not a couplet?


Title: I feel conflicted about how to react to the situation if I should react at all.

Question: I am administrator in a hospital in Texas. I am the IT guy that runs the computers specifically for the School within the hospital. Sometimes I have to sit in on the classrooms to maintain ratios. There is one child a little girl, whom I will not disclose any identifying information, has started to bother me. It is not that she is annoying it is the fact that she reeks of smoke. Everything she brings reeks of smoke (im talking like going over to your chainsmoking grandparents house smell) and also she smells of specific illegal(super skunky) substances so much so that we had to move one child who is allergic to smoke out of the room because she was causing a reaction to him. This child is a little past the age of 2 and is unable to walk or stand and cannot speak relative to her peers. She is the oldest in the classroom but is the most behind developmentally speaking. I do not know if she has been diagnosed with any sort of Developmental issue. Her mother happens to work at the hospital and the conversations I have overheard are always about about illicit drug use. A couple weeks ago she, the child, had to be removed due to severe bronchitis and upper respiratory infections( Gee i wonder where she got that). So my issue is whether or not to report it. Is it even a reportable situation? I am technically a mandated reporter so I feel obligated to do so. However, I am pretty libertarian on the issue and feel that this intrusion may cause more harm to the family than good. I am not a parent nor is my specialty childcare. I work with databases and servers.  Im torn.

Answer:
 Consider your greater obligation to the rest of the class, the mission statement of your employer, and the further livelihood of that child.  You are a mandatory reporter because it is impossible for that innocent, harmless child to advocate for themselves.

"A burden" on the mother is the *smallest* price she should have to pay for conduct like this.  You can't let your potential temporary discomfort quash a lifetime of well-being for another human being.Answer #2: If you are ever in doubt, make the report. CPS has the obligation to investigate and make the appropriate determination. They are in the business of keeping kids healthy and safe, not destroying lives. Be sure you only report facts, however. For example, say “The child smells so strongly of smoke we have to move other children away. She has had x number of respiratory infections in the past two months. I have heard Mom say x, y, and z about drugs.” Do not make statements such as “I think..., she shouldn’t be..., Mom might be...” etc.

Thank you for looking out for the child. Someone has to be her voice. Answer #3: Yeah I would report it. Theres a huge difference from having the option to smoke pot in your own household and putting a child in danger because of smoke inhilation and possible developmental delay. It doesn't hurt to have someone check in for the child's safety.


Title: [OK] Is my husband within his rights to have me pick up his daughter on his time to have her?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: She can refuse to give you the child. That is legal. It is not your custody time.


Title: CA - Update to the update - Crazy HOA Pres sending harassing letters about brown lawns during a water ban.

Question:
Last thread - https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3a5x8z/very_pleasing_update_hoa_threatening_to_sue_if_i/

Get out your justice lube for your justice boners:

As /u/uhenchman17 correctly predicted, he's done as President of the HOA.  The property management company has the ability to forcibly remove any board member if it serves the community's interests.  According to our property manager, this is the first time in nearly 20 years of existence that they have had to do this.

I, alongside several other neighbors got up and ranted about the harassment, how we feel the current president is incompetent, etc.  The board + the property management company voted on the spot to out him.  The property manager is acting as a stand in president until a special election in September.  All major budgetary decisions have been put on hold until then.

In a private conversation with the property manager, they are considering suing the guy, but are likely to just drop the issue all together.  They will be having one of their lawyers draft him a very nasty letter telling him to never impersonate the company again and if he does, to expect a lot of legal pain.

That's pretty much it, nothing more to say.

No, I do not want to be the president again.  I do not have the time to do it, but I will be making a recommendation to the board, and I am going to hope that they encourage this person to run.

Answer:
 [Original](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/39xesx/orange_county_southern_california_very/) - HOA sending out penalty letters to residents with brown grass during California drought

[1st followup](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3a5x8z/very_pleasing_update_hoa_threatening_to_sue_if_i/) - Original letter was not from HOA, but from reinstated president with power issues. Management is upset with him and would like OP to come back and take the position. Brown lawns are OK with them due to drought.Answer #2: It's always nice to hear about petty despots getting their comeuppance. Good job, OP.Answer #3: Was the deposed Prez there for all of this?  How many shades of red and purple did he turn?  Could the spittle from his enraged counter attack have turned your lawn green again?Answer #4: Woo hoo for an update!  This sub loves 'em.

The only thing more "woo hoo" than him being deposed is that the nasty letter he'll be getting.

LEGAL SPANKING: INITIATE.Answer #5: Nice update. Always hard to take any real joy in these situations because you know the offender hasn't actually learned any sort of lesson; there's no doubt he believes it's some sort of conspiracy to oust him from his righteous throne.


Title: Will this false charge get thrown out in court?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Only a judge can tell you that. But you need a lawyer now.


Title: I inherited a gun from my grandpa who passed away in March. Is there anything I need to do as far a registering it in my name? (UT)

Question: My grandpa was in both the Army and Air Force as well as a Deputy for the Sheriff’s Department, needless to say the man was a true American hero, and loved guns owning maybe a dozen of them. My grandmother has been cleaning out the house preparing to sell in a year or so and is giving things to members of the family and wanted me to have on of his hand guns. To be clear i do not yet have the gun. I have never owned a gun but am qualified (meaning above the legal age, trained in firearm safety, experienced in shooting, etc.) I want to own this gun as a reminder of my grandpa, but want to know what I need to do as far as the law is concerned to legally own this. Is there anything that I need to do first like a background check or mental health examination? Not that I find that likely in Utah as it seems nearly anyone can own a gun here, but wanted to check to avoid any issues with this in the future. Any information or even direction to a source of information is appreciated!

Answer: No. No gun registration. Nothing you need to do.Answer #2: Utah doesnt have much other than your can't have a machine gun until you are 18 and can't carry concealed without a permit


Title: How much unused vacation pay am I owed if there is no accrual policy specified in my employment contract?

Question:
I'm in New York and I know that my employer is legally obligated to pay any unused vacation days I have if I quit or am fired. What I'm unsure about is whether there is some kind of default accrual policy in the absence of one being specified in my employment contract? This is literally the only sentence related to vacation days in my contract:

>(e) Vacation. The Employee shall be entitled to an annual paid vacation equal to two (2) weeks annually subject to approval.

I assume this to mean that I have 14 days of vacation that resets at the beginning of each year? Is that an accurate assumption to make in this case? And would this mean that I would be owed full pay for all 14 days if I haven't used any of it, even if I quit in the beginning of the year?

Answer: I would assume is two work weeks which would be ten days, not fourteen days.


Title: What are my rights when a restaurant cannot accept my payment but doesn't want me to leave? (TX)

Question:
I was at a restaurant with a couple friends and the restaurant's POS system went down. We didn't have our check yet and when we asked for it they said it would be a few minutes while the system rebooted, apologized the the inconvenience, and comped us a few desserts.

About 20 minutes later we were getting agitated because some of us had kids to get home to, babysitters to relieve, etc. But the restaurant said the POS was rebooting and that they couldn't print a check for us. We insisted we needed to leave and they were adamant that we needed to wait so they could print a check and we could pay for our food.

We thought about just leaving a bunch of cash on the table and walking out, but they didn't want us to do that because they didn't have the ticket pulled up, didn't know what all we had eaten/drank, etc.

At that point some of us started to talk about just walking out, and the manager got agitated and thus started talking about calling the police. At this point, it was an hour after we had first asked for our check, so we told him he'd better go ahead and call them because we were not going to wait around all night for them to resolve their IT problems. Eventually they got it back online and we paid and left.

What should happen in this situation? If we've already consumed goods, but they're not able to accept our payment at the time and want us to wait until they can, are we required to? Could we have written down our name/address, said to bill us for the meal, and walked out if they could not take our payment when we wanted to pay/leave?

Answer:
 Didn't we have one of these on this sub before where the restaurant manager really did lock all the customers in the place and the police had to come get them out?Answer #2: Wouldn't it be ok (much like you had offered to do) to get a menu, calculate your own totals (including liquor, sales tax, etc.) and leave the proper amount in cash with an itemized receipt? Just because they are unwilling to do the math, does that mean the customer can't either?

Advice for budding restauranteurs: your POS *will* go down during service one day. Every restaurant should have a crash kit: A manual credit card imprinter and credit card slips (yes, they still make those), calculator and a small card indicating when and how to apply taxes. Encourage your servers to in some fashion take note of their orders outside of punching it in the POS. It will save you from getting a whole restaurant full of bad reviews one day.Answer #3: I think after the free dessert I'd have asked for the check again.  If they couldn't give it to me, I'd have started (obviously and openly) recording on my cell phone and ask again for a check.  When they told me they couldn't give me one, I'd leave my name, address, and phone number (all recorded) and leave.

In any case, leave a truthful review somewhere.  Even if the POS system is dead, they should have someone who can do basic math and make a handwritten bill.  They should also have a way to accept credit cards either manually or by phone.


Title: Legality of Charging a Subtenant Rent when I have that month rent-free?

Question:
I know it’s not the most moral thing but I’m wondering if I could get into any legal trouble. I’m in Canada by the way.

I rent a 2 bedroom apartment and I’m renting out the second bedroom. The subtenant isn’t on the master lease, but instead a separate lease just with me (that does refer to the master lease). My landlords made it clear that it’s my risk/responsibility to get a roommate. When I signed up for a year lease, I got a lease incentive that gives me a month rent-free. This incentive isn’t included on the lease, but I have an email confirming that I won’t be paying rent that certain month.

Is it legal for me to still charge my roommate / subtenant rent that month even if I’m not paying the landlord rent? They’ll be signing a month-to-month lease and potentially would never even meet my landlords.

Morally I feel like it’s a pretty mean thing to do, but I’m getting a roommate to save money. Additionally, the rent free month is the month that the subtenant is moving out so it would be their last month of rent, not sure if that makes a difference at all. Would this be illegal in any way?

Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 Of course. They are your subtenant.

Nothing illegal about that at all.


Title: If you're pulled over by a cop and you're buzzed, what can you do for the best possible outcome?

Question: I've heard to just refuse the breathalyzer. In another instance I've heard to just toss the keys into a bush and claim you weren't driving. What is the best thing to do in this kind of situation? Also idk if the state is relevant to this question but I'm in Florida.

Answer:
 >I've heard to just refuse the breathalyzer.

You can refuse the test at the roadside but you'll almost certainly be arrested and tested at the station, which you normally can't refuse.

>In another instance I've heard to just toss the keys into a bush and claim you weren't driving.

That's the dumbest thing I've heard today. Answer #2: Best thing? Dont drink buzzed. If you have enough money to go to a bar and pay marked up prices then you have enough money to get a cab or a nice sober friend to drive.

As for once you're stopped? Depends on the state, but usually refusal to do SFSTs (with other things) can add to the PC for an arrest for DUI. At the station if you refuse to take a chemical test (Breath, Blood, Urine or a combination of them) then your license is usually suspended for 1 year regardless of guilt (driving is a privilege not a right).


Title: Lawsuit for extreme negative effects due to medical malpractice/negligence. (Mississippi, with ties in Louisiana)

Question: On May first of this uear (2016) I was admitted to the ICU in Southwest Mississippi Regional medical center, with the diagnosis of severe septic shock. I stayed in ICU for 19 days, of which the first 13 were spent unconscious on the ventilator. On the 19th, once transferred to the regular inpatient floor, the nurse from the ICU told my new nurse on the floor that I had some redness but no issues on my backside, which I had been complaining of pain from. Shortly after, the floor nurse had me roll over to get a look at it, only to discover that I had three large black dead spots, which turned out to be three severe pressure ulcers, aka bed sores, one stage 2, one 3, & one 4. On the 21st, emergency surgery was performed to get.the dead rotten ingredients tissue off, which  exposed a horrific sight. The stage 4 wound actually went to the bone. It is now nearly Christmas and I still have the remnants of the stage four ulcer, this entire time being terribly painfull, especially the first few months. I did not get released from the hospital until September 6th. Please note that after May 23, I spent the remainder in various other hospitals, all in a continuous set. I've missed out on a lot and it has been replaced by pain. I have been through hell and back, and would like to pursue a lawsuit for this. Any advice would be welcomed.

Answer:
 You need to speak with a lawyer. If the hospital has the same policy as the 3 I've worked out , they absorb the costs of the pressure ulcers because you didn't have them on admission. Since none of those costs will be monetary damages (since the hospital will be paying) I would imagine that would impact the damages you could ask for in a lawsuit.

 From a medical standpoint, this is one of the few posts I've seen on this website regarding medical malpractice where I have thought "yeah, op has a pretty decent case."


Title: Distant Uncle won't let anyone read or see an ancestors journal because he wants to sell it/ make a movie or book...can we stop him? California and Maine.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So what's your claim to it anymore than his if it was never in the will?  He's her son. You're her grandson. He next of kin and you aren't.

>  could we fight it or make our own with the items I possess?

Nothing he does limits your ability to write a historical fiction about your grandmother.


Title: Boss is stealing hours off my paycheck.

Question:
Sorry if this is in the wrong subreddit. I'm new to Reddit so If I am in the wrong place, please let me know where to go.

I've been working at this place for almost a year and me and a couple coworkers have been getting more and more hours taken off our checks. I work 12 hours a day, 5 days a week. I sometimes work less but that's usually the normal schedule.

The boss has been known for doing this. People have quit for this exact reason before. I'm just wondering what I can legally do, if anything. Thanks.

Edit: Sorry guys, I'm in Texas.

Answer: You need to provide your location.Answer #2: Congratulations, your boss is committing theft. The Texas Workforce Commission will be very upset with your boss. Let them know, keep as accurate a record as you can of the hours you're missing and submit it all to them. Urge your coworkers to do the same.Answer #3: You don't state your location, but generally you could file a wage claim with the state to have your hours paid out if you can prove them, IE kept logs/time stamps etc. the best thing you can do for yourself is to find a new job or be searching for one while you pursue this, as it will likely make work life strained. Best of luck


Title: [California] My friend appeared on a "prank" youtube video but they never asked her for permission to use her in the video. Does this violate the audio recording privacy laws?

Question:
This is a smaller prank channel (around 40k subscribers) so the video has not received that many views yet. My friend (Sam) was approached by one of the youtube guys and they talked to her for about 5 minutes then left.

My other friend loves prank videos and recognized Sam in one of them. Sam was a little upset that they didn't ask her for permission to be in their video (it was a hidden camera thing where the guy had his camera phone recording in his pocket).

I think i read somewhere that it is illegal in California to record conversations with consent from both parties.

Answer:
 > Sam was a little upset that they didn't ask her for permission to be in their video

Tell her to report the video on YouTube under that thing which says something along the lines of "I appear in this video without permission". They will get the video removed when they fail to present that Sam consented to appear in the video. (The only way it wont get removed is if the uploader, has Sam on video, verbally saying that she doesn't mind being on video)

> I think I read somewhere that it is illegal in California to record conversations without consent from both parties.

Two-party consent law only applies in places where you should expect your own privacy.

Edit: [Here](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/142443) is where she can report it.Answer #2: Was it in a public place? If so they can legally record your friend.

California is a two party consent state, but only in places that you would reasonably expect privacy.


Title: Compliance officer stopped by my work today.(VA)

Question: So a virginia state compliance officer stopped my my bosses office today and droped off a business card asking to verify if I worked there. Should I be worried? Do I need a lawyer?

Answer: With so little information its impossible to have any idea why this person wants to talk to you or if there is anything to be worried about.


Title: Ticket for expired car plate sticker

Question:
I forgot to renew my plate in advance (expired in September) to have my sticker arriving before the last one expired, but I paid for my plate renewal technically still on time (October 1st) and because of that I wasn’t even charged a late fee.
So I was nervously waiting this week to get my sticker in the mail and I finally got it today. However when I arrived to place my new sticker on my car plate it was too late, because someone left me a ticket for the lack of sticker just a few hours earlier.
I know it’s my fault that I forgot to arrange everything on time, but could I still contest this ticket?
Thanks in advance!
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Bring the updated registration/proof of sticker with you to court and they will likely dismiss it.


Title: (Virginia) My principal (boss) forwarded an email from me to other administrators. It had confidential medical information in it.

Question:
I'm a teacher and I'm seeking accommodations from my principal. I sent her an email telling her about what I've been diagnosed with, what accommodations I would like, and why I think I need them. She forwarded it to our assistant principal, one of her supervisors, and some HR people asking for advice. I just happen to know one of the HR people which is the only reason I know about this (and now they know a lot about me).

As a teacher, I'm allowed to share confidential student medical information with everyone in the building who has a genuine reason for knowing. Is it the same for adults? Was she justified in sharing this information since it was in pursuit of doing her job?

I'm more curious than mad. Thank you!

Answer: This is how things work in the world. The principal forwarded the email to the people that can make the changes you requested.


Title: Possible reversal of a conviction?

Question:
Hi guys,

Basically back in June my friend had lost a bag of weed in my car and after I had dropped him home the police stopped my car and searched it. A small amount of weed (literally not enough to fill a bowl or a joint) was recovered by the police in a bag. I argued that it wasn't mine and my finger prints would not be on it. The police man told me that we would get round to sorting out the bag to be finger printed. I was placed in the back of the police car for a roadside interview for what they had found and was offered to ring a lawyer, which I declined. The police then told me by admitting the bag of weed was mine they would be able to help me and make the punishment less harsh making it easier on me. This (possibly stupidly) convinced me to take ownership for the bag of weed, even though it genuinely wasn't mine and my DNA would not be on the bag. I was then sent to court a received a court fine. I live in Northern Ireland so this means that the conviction will stay on my record for 5 years. This has affected me massively as it has cut my chances of getting full time employment, has hindered my chances of migrating to Australia and visiting the United States, sent my car insurance up in price and most of all could ruin a relationship with my parents. I am just wondering if the police would still have the bag as evidence and if I could appeal to have the bag finger printed to prove that it wasn't mine, or the fact I was by myself will mean I have to take responsibility?

Serious answers only please.

Thanks :)

Answer: So a bag of weed was found in your car, you stupidly admitted that it was yours, then pled guilty in court, and now you're hoping that 5 months later, after the case is long over, the police have kept one of thousands of dimebags they seize as evidence every year, and that if they have, you can persuade them to do DNA and fingerprint testing, which could not possible "prove you innocent" anyway, and which the police never do for low level cases like this, and that the lack of your fingerprints or DNA on the bag will overcome the fact that it was in your car, you confessed, and you pled guilty, and allow you to overturn a closed case? Good luck with that.


Title: How to “un-register to vote”

Question: This is happening in New York. I am currently being harassed by my neighbors because I’m a registered Democrat in an apartment with apparently majority are “republican”. I have no idea how they found out my political party. But I’ve gotten harassing letters in my mailbox and knocks at my door. So far the people coming to my door have been old ladies telling me about pro-life and what not. I just want this to end. Is there a way for me to just “un-register” and just be done with everything?

Answer:
 Not voting is exactly what they want you to do. They're trying to harass and scare you into abandoning your beliefs and to not vote against theirs in the upcoming elevations. Don't do it. At a moment when our country is so polarized everyone needs to have their voices heard, no matter their political affiliation or beliefs. Shut the door in their faces and don't even listen to them. Answer #2: IANAL but you shouldn’t let them bully you into giving up your right to vote. If you want them to leave you alone just tell them you switched parties to Republican and can they please stop coming by to talk politics— and then on November 6th, with no regard whatsoever to the way they want you to think, please go out and vote your conscience! Answer #3: You could just stand up for yourself and tell your neighbors to mind their own business.

"Unregistering" isn't going to stop mail for this current cycle, so it will be of no immediate help to you.Answer #4: Call the cops if they are harassing and threatening you. It's not like they are going to look back to see if you changed your registration or not. Even if they do, they know you did it just to shut them up and will still vote Dem. At this point, call authorities


Title: Can I get in trouble for driving a friend somewhere if they have a warrant?

Question:
I just turned 18 yesterday.
My friend has a warrant for something like battery on a LEO or something like that, I don't know the whole story. But he needs someone to drive him to Miami to see his grandmother who's sick. I actually do want to help him but I'm not sure if I could get in trouble for driving someone with a warrant around.
We would be driving from Tampa, FL to Miami, FL and back.

tldr: Title.

Answer: Ever been a part of a felony stop? Ever seen cops arrest somebody with a warrant out for assaulting an officer? They're not gentle, and they're not friendly. You don't want to be anywhere *near* him when he gets busted.


Title: Renters insurance.. Do I need it or would it be redundant?

Question:
I am a college student. I rent a house in my home state, Missouri, a couple hours from my parents house. My drivers license lists my permanent address as my parents house. It is my understanding that as long as this is listed as my permanent address, I am covered under their homeowners insurance policy and this would act as my renters insurance. My parents are not guarantuors on my lease. Am I covered in the event of theft or damage to my property at my rented house or do I need my own insurance policy? If I am covered, does this protection expire only after I list a different permanent address or does it expire after I turn a certain age?

Thanks!

Answer:
 >  It is my understanding that as long as this is listed as my permanent address, I am covered under their homeowners insurance policy

You better get that 100% verified. I promise you your parent's homeowners isn't covering the place you rent. Shit, your landlord's property insurance isn't even covering damage that happens there. The coverage is $10/month. Get it.


Title: Can I get a child molester harsher punishment?

Question:
Hello legal community,

I don’t have all the details because it’s traumatic for my bf to talk about, but when he was 14 years old he was groomed by his mentor at his internship and he was molested. The child molester preformed oral sex on him unwillingly. He went to trial and his sentencing, in mine and my bf’s opinion, was incredibly weak. He received no prison time and was not jailed for more than 30 days. Later it came out that this child molester had molested an Autistic boy and received harsher sentencing for that case. My bf believes that they were not stand alone cases and that there were other boys who had been groomed as well, but wouldn’t come forward because of the stigma. He is now soon turning 24 and after just finding out this information I feel the justice system has failed. My bf has faced long term consequences like battling with mental illness, having to go to therapy, having adverse affects on his sexuality, and having anxiety that the perpetrator will come and get him(he bought a shotgun that he keeps under the bed because he fears for his life). I want to know if there is a way for the case to be retried so that a harsher sentencing can be given, especially now that time has passed and the affects of his molestation are prevalent. Any and all advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Edit: Located in California and crime took place in California
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: No. A case can’t be retried because of double jeopardy. The justice system is not without its flaws and this happens more than you would think. Your boyfriend needs to look into getting care for his mental health if he hasn’t already to cope with the trauma. That’s the only option.


Title: Trampoline in back yard- do I ask parents to sign a waiver in case their kids get hurt?

Question:
I live in Indiana. I am moving to a new house in 2 weeks (rental) which has a 6 foot privacy fence with locks. I will have a kids trampoline as well as a dome climber in the back yard. I have renters insurance with a $100,000 liability on it for the very reason if someone does end up getting hurt on either play activity.

Should I also have parents sign something that says the kids are allowed to play on them? I don’t want to discourage kids from coming to play with my children in my yard, but I also don’t want a kid to get hurt and the parent then claim they never gave permission or didn’t know about these.

Landlord is aware I have these and asked for the $100,000 liability on my renters insurance.

Here’s what I’m talking about : https://www.amazon.com/Lovely-Snail-Trampoline-Hoop-Trampoline-Kids-Green-5/dp/B07G5BMXTK/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=kid+trampoline&qid=1557250053&s=gateway&sr=8-9

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002XULJDW?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image

Answer: Does your insurance agent know about the trampoline? Insurance carriers typically HATE trampolines...


Title: Some one broke my laser ($600) after being told not to touch it and are not willing to pay for it.

Question: What should i do? I can provide more detailed info if needed. Ny, US. I brought my 1.5w laser to my friends house. Their parents came home later in the night drunk. I told them not to touch. The mother proceeds to hold it and take the batteries out. Looks at the battery puts it back in backwards and it starts to spark and smoke and catch on fire. The next day i called them and they said all they could give me is $100

Answer:
 You can try suing the mother in small claims court for the value of the laser provided you can prove she broke it after you told her not to touch it.

However, take note of the can of worms you're about to open. I am very familiar with powerful handheld lasers. If I were the judge, I would immediately ask why you thought it was a smart idea to bring a 1.5W Class IV laser to a friend's house. I would then ask why you didn't immediately grab it instead of telling your friend's drunk parents to simply not touch it, especially when they weren't wearing OD4 safety glasses. Do you have any idea how much shit you would be in if they blinded themselves or your friend in their drunken state? Does your laser even have a redundant safety switch installed so it can't be inadvertently activated? Answer #2: Was it attached to a shark? Are they trying to blame Mr. Bigglesworth?

Seriously though you need to provide a location and a little more detail.


Title: Things I've learned on this amazing sub.

Question:
This is probably the most helpful sub on reddit, great community, etc.  Can't thank the contributors enough.  To that end, wanted to compile a list of conventional board wisdom. Top ten:

1. If there is a material amount of money and/or complexity involved, you should contact a competent attorney in your state.  Your state's bar association will have a referral service.

2. Use your insurance company when you can; they will provide you with guidance/representation if you need it.  That is why you pay them.

3. Read your lease; it will typically control.

4. Yes, you can be sued for anything; veiled legal threats do not constitute an obligation to respond to angry idiots. Wait until you're served.

5. Yes, in absence of an employment contract/union agreement you can be fired in an at will state for any reason at any time unless you are a member of a protected class AND being fired for being a member of that class.

6. Clerical errors do not invalidate tickets/citations.  They can and will be reissued.

7. You do not have to voluntarily speak with police if they "suggest" you come down to the station and clear things up.  Call an attorney; they will advise you on whether or not to go down/what to say if you do.

8. Wills and Trusts are complicated.  Hiring an attorney may cost something up front, but will save you countless hours/$$$ on the back end.

9.  Owning a trampoline is an awful idea.

10.  Read before signing.  If you don't understand consult an expert who does.  GET/KEEP A COPY OF WHAT YOU SIGN.

Others?

CA, USA for the bot.

Answer:
 Common sense goes a long way. Sometimes you should consult it before consulting a lawyer.

Lynn L knows her shit. Answer #2: Yep! This subreddit gave me the confidence to take my former landlord to court. I collected double on an unrefunded security deposit. Further, it was removed to civil court from small claims.

It was certainly a fun ride, and profitable to boot!


Title: Employer forcing retroactive pay cut, or get fired. Need some advice

Question:
**TX/TN/MD based company.**

Today, Thursday 1/14/16 the whole company was handed papers to begin a 15% pay cut and required to *retro-date* the document to Monday 1/11/16 effectively changing the wages for the 4 days already booked, with **ZERO** notice.

On Monday 1/11/16 we all received an email at 2 p.m. CST outlining the pay cuts. Below are the two paragraphs that talk about the pay reduction:

> ...To avoid further layoffs, the decision has been made to ask all US-based employees to accept a 15% pay cut beginning with the payroll paid on 1-29. (the next payroll 1-15 will be as usual). Executives will be taking a 25% pay cut. This is expected to last until [company] regains and maintains profitable operations for a period of one fiscal quarter.
>
> Once we are “over the hump” we will increase non-executive base pay by 17%.
>
> For those with commission sales, the cut only applies to your base pay and not commissions.
>
> Additionally, effective today, hourly employees without chargeable project work that will be invoiced and paid or on approved training will be taken off the clock to a minimum of 10 hours per week. For those receiving health benefits from the company, the company contribution will be paid regardless of the number of hours worked. Salaried in a field/billable role must ensure they have adequate chargeable hours to cover their costs and burden, otherwise they may be transitioned to hourly and subject to the hourly policy noted herein.

**Gist:**

* Less than zero notice given, as the email oddly states that the pay cuts begin hours before the email was sent.
* <$20/hr no hourly pay reduction but only 10 non billable hours per week
* >$20/hr 15% hourly pay reduction & only 10 non billable hours per week
* Salary positions 15% salary reduction - and if things do not improve salary positions will be relegated to hourly (meaning a 75% reduction in effective pay)
* This will last at least 4 months

**The Problem**

We are paid 1 week in arrears, and the line from the email about "ask all US-based employees to accept a 15% pay cut beginning with the payroll paid on 1-29." is a **VERY** odd way of saying that 'this pay cut starts 5 hours before this email was sent'. I, and everyone else read that to mean that the 1-29 payroll would be the pay reduction begin date - but actually (at the time the email was sent) we were already 5 hours (and the east coast office 6/7 hours) into the new pay period (1/10 - 1/23).

Today, they required us to date the pay reduction forms *retroactively* to 1/11/16. It did not seem right, and no one was questioning why the retro-date was required. No explanation was given nor offered to explain that we were retroactively agreeing to dock our pay rates for the 4 days already booked.

It wasn't until after I signed that document that I realized this and demanded the documents back. No one else in the office understood that signing those documents is changing their pay for the hours they already worked, even a VP. I told them that this was wrong because they **KNOW** that no one in the office understood that they are changing their pay for hours already worked - and this needed to be explained to them before they submitted the documents to the payroll company.

**Questions**

* Is this legal to force retroactive pay cut for time already worked, or else get fired?

* Since the email is "asking" for the pay reduction, is this their way of tricking us into believing it is required - when it's really not?

* Can I/anyone be fired for refusing to take a pay cut in Texas, Tennessee, or Maryland?

Answer:
 Not legal advice.  Your company is circling the drain.  Dust off your resume and start looking for a new job, because it's likely you won't be there much longer.

Generally, it's legal to have pay reduced, so long as it's equal to your state's minimum wage.  Warning is not required.


Title: Arrested for marijuana possession. No Miranda rights?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 No.  Miranda rights are only required if the police intend to interrogate you while you're in custody and plan to use anything you say against you in court.  They don't apply when, as happened here, you openly confessed before being arrested.

Plead not guilty and hire yourself a good attorney.


Title: Biological father keeps making unwanted, inappropriate advances during visitation. Help?

Question:
Good morning, legaladvice!

I'm so sorry in advance if this gets a little confusing but I'll try to explain my situation as best I can.

Five years ago I had my son. The first two months after he was born his biological father and I dated(we hadn't before he was born and he had disappeared during my pregnancy), he only came over to visit a handful of times and each time he got sexually suggestive with me and showed no interest in taking care of kiddo or helping me in any way. After I ended things with him I tried so hard to get him to help me in whatever way I could even though we weren't together(asking him to take care of our son while I was at work, buying clothes, anything) to no avail. It was always a 'I'll see what I can do', or 'I'll do my best'. He ignored my requests and shut my son and I out because his ex wife and other children had no idea about us and he was too involved with them. It was apparent he wanted to keep us under the rug. Within those first few months he had suggested that he sign his rights away to my boyfriend at the time(Who ended up raising my son with me to this day, and who my son sees now as his dad) and he'd flip flop between that possibility.
When my son was about a year and a half I took bio dad to court for child support because I needed help. He came at me furious, saying I shouldn't have involved the courts, it was a stupid thing to do, ect. Needless to say he was ordered to pay back support and that he could expect to have his tax return garnished as well(bio dad ended up asking me to return it to him as soon as I recieved it to which I said no). Five months went by, then I got a text from him saying that he's changed, wants to see kiddo, no excuses this time. I set up visitation at our apartment(mine and my boyfriend who helped me with my son), and made sure to let bio dad know that boyfriend would be in the other room during visitation because I didn't want to be alone with him and he agreed. When he came over my son did nothing but cling to my boyfriend(son was sick at the time and didn't want to be held by anyone else). This made bio dad very uncomfortable and angry although I'm not sure what he expected since he had been absent for two years of our sons life. Visit ended when I walked into the living room to find bio dad standing with his hand around my dogs throat(we had a boistrous puppy that I should have put in a separate room), and I told him he needed to leave. Couple days after that he sent me a text saying we should meet up to talk and I agreed. I ended up meeting with him and asking him if he'd consider signing his rights over as he had suggested several times before, he said he wouldn't and threatened to take me to court to get my rights taken away if I suggested it again. I walked out after that and we didn't hear from him again for almost a year after that. The next time he texted it was a very short check in and then another year or so went by before I heard from him again. Skip to around July of this year when he sent me a text saying he wanted to get involved and that he was sorry for all the things he's put us through. I believe he has some sort of ulterior motive for reaching out again like he has but he's shown up for every visitation I've set up with him since July. Every visitation time I have with him he gets romantically suggestive, recalling 'good times' we've had or positive moments and keeps insinuating us being together. I've shut him down time and time again and I've asked him to stop. I'm at my wits end because I know based on what we've been through that he's just using my son to get to me. Is there anything I can do to remove myself from ever having to see him during visits? Boyfriend has offered to take kiddo on visits if need be so I wouldn't have to be around bio dad but I'm not sure if we're allowed to do that. I feel as though if I were removed from the equation that he'd end up leaving again as he obviously doesn't seem to care much about my son.

I know this was probably longer than it should have been but I wanted to paint the most accurate picture of what type of person I'm dealing with and what might be the best thing for me to do from here. Please feel free to ask absolutely any questions.

TL;DR: Deadbeat dad coming around demanding visitation with son he doesn't care about. Keeps getting suggestive with me and I want to remove myself from having to see or put up with his unwanted, inappropriate advances.

Edit: We live in the midwest, USA

Answer: Paralegal here, lawyer will have to give legal advice, however one resolution might be, since you're in court system, to file for visitation schedule. This will not only lock in the specific days he's allowed, but you can request supervised visitation  (you'll need to make an argument why) and where it's to be held. On a more personal level, it will either prove he wants to genuinely see his son or it's just a ploy.Answer #2: You can ask that boyfriend supervise if you have no orders to the contrary.  There are places that arrange supervised visitation that he can pay for as well.


Title: [WA, USA] Can I get in trouble for avoiding sales tax?

Question:
I've recently moved to Washington State from Oregon. Now there's no sales tax in Oregon but there is in Washington, so Washington allows retailers to not charge sales tax to those with an Oregon Driver's License. Considering the fact that I no longer have a car, I don't see a real reason to get a new ID. Am I legally safe continuing to use this ID to have sales tax taken off my purchases?

Additionally, I've found that when I purchase things online with my debit card with the billing address still in Oregon (my parent's place) I don't get charged sales tax. Again, am I safe in keeping the billing address for one of my checking accounts in Oregon that way I can avoid sales tax online?

Thanks!

Answer: You are illegally avoiding a tax that you owe. Stop doing that.


Title: Fired real estate agent wants a conference call-Now what? PA

Question:
PA resident here.  We cancelled a buyer's agreement contract with a realtor 9/30/16.  Before cancelling the arrangement, we spoke with a realtor relative that said cancellations happen all of the time and there's no need to worry - just to request the cancellation form.
On 2/21/17, we signed an agreement to buy new construction with another agent.  Original realtor did meet us and the builder at this development in late August 2016, but we weren't financially or logistically ready to buy.
This week, we received an email from the original agent that she and her manager want a 10 minute phone call with us regarding the buyers agreement.  I'm concerned that they're trying to have us compensate original agent since she was with us for one meeting at the new home location.
Do we do this call? Do we need an attorney?  Do they even have any recourse when it's been over 2 years?

Answer: If the fired agent was the one who initially showed you this development and introduced you to the builder, they may very well have a valid procuring cause claim. Answer #2: What does the buyers agreement that you signed say about commissions after cancellation?


Question:
Does your ISP have to answer you if they have been subpoenaed about your info?

&#x200B;

Location USA

Answer: No, and in some cases they may be prohibited from telling you


Title: (Georgia) Will getting it in writing from the HOA protect me from leadership changes for the crazy?

Question:
I'm about to buy a house/start new construction in an HOA area. Normally I would be incredibly hostile to the idea but my wife likes the area and her parents, who already live under the HOA, have had no problems with the HOA.

So I tell myself, maybe I can get this to work. I hatched a little scheme that goes like this. Before signing anything with the lender and the builder, I will be asking the HOA for a number of things in writing that fall under two broad categories.

*Green stuff*

1) Blanket permission to establish and modify a food garden as we please. Said garden may include (but not limited to) a chicken coop (no roosters), rainwater collection devices, and composting structures.
2) Blanket permission to make ecologically minded improvements to the property to include (but not limited to) solar panels, geothermal heating.

*Protections for military deployment and medical disability*

3) This agreement is transferable to future owners of the home.
4) For any violation of HOA rules, the owner of the home must be reached in person before any fines or liens can be issued against the property, or any foreclosure proceedings be initiated. Additionally, the HOA must make a good faith effort to resolve any alleged rules violations before taking action against the owner.
6) If at anytime the owner is incapacitated or unavailable because of employment obligations, the HOA must give the owner 30 days after he or she is no longer unavailable or incapacitated to resolve alleged rules violations before issuing fines or liens. If the owner changes, the same 30-day requirement applies.

7) At no point will changes to HOA rules affect this agreement. The HOA may not issue fines, issue liens or foreclose on the property because of future HOA rules that contradict this agreement.

----

Hokay, so that's what I want from the HOA. So my actual questions. A) If I get everything I want, how well getting something like this in writing protect me? My nightmare scenario is getting deployed, getting blown up and coming home to find the locks changed because the HOA decided to take advantage of my absence. B) Who is legally empowered to make this kind of agreement for the HOA? The president? A vote of the board? C) If someone signs off for the HOA that wasn't actually empowered, is the agreement invalidated? i.e. Could someone sign something to make me go away and then maliciously come after me later? Do I have any recourse besides suing the bastard that defrauded me? D) Can an agreement like this be permanently enduring like I want in #3 & #7?

Answer:
 I'd be shocked if the hoa actually agreed to any of that.  99% of hoa's will tell you my way or the highway.  What you're trying to do is modify the hoa's covenants and restrictions.  The hoa won't agree to that beforehand. That's something you'll have to work to get changed with the hoa's procedures later down the line (after you've already bought your home and became a member).

At any rate,  if they do agree to anything in writing,  and then reneg later,  assuming the contract is valid and enforceable you will have to sue them for breach of contract.


Title: (USA, CA) Is it illegal for minors to write/ read erotic fiction?

Answer:
 Under federal law, obscenity is determined under the three part *Miller* test. It will be very difficult to show that the erotic fiction possesses no literary or artistic value (after all, I'd make that claim about *50 Shades*, but most people wouldn't agree). This is why people are almost never jailed for erotica. There is one notable exception, but that involved literary descriptions of sexual abuse of children, and that case was overturned on appeal before it got to the Supreme Court. And as mentioned below, mere possession is constitutionally protected, even if it was considered obscene.

Read more [here](http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1602&context=wmborj)Answer #2: It shouldn't be. The laws about porn and minors generally prohibits the sale or any other transfer of porn to a minor. The crime is committed by the person who gave the porn to the kid. The possession of porn by a minor is usually legal. Only child porn is illegal to possess.

Distributing the porn could be problematic. If you sell or give it to other minors, you might be on the hook for giving porn to a minor.


Title: Drunken liability

Question:
Canada

Hello all,

I have the worst/best talent with alcohol and drugs in that I can just pound them like no tomorrow and have little repercussion (I get no hangovers ever). However, about every six to twelve months (roughly) I have a night where I drink less than normal but black-out instantly. This wouldn't be so bad except that nobody knows I'm blacked out and in some cases nobody knows that I'm even drunk because I'm not slurring, stumbling, or doing anything that would indicate intoxication. I've blacked out for up to twelve hours. This has made me very wary of drinking anywhere but at home.

My question is, if I went into one of my black out states in public and did something incredibly illegal, such as drive drunk and crash, steal something, or hurt someone, how liable would I be? My black outs are extremely random. And they are FULL black outs. No memory. Nothing. It's really turned me off drinking, but sometimes I want to let loose. Should I just give up on the intoxicants to save myself a lot of pain in the future?

Edit:

Anyone that assumes I think it's "cool" to black out is incredibly wrong. It's terrifying. Because it happens so randomly I have no idea what will cause it or how much alcohol will bring it on. I have fully blacked out on as little as a bottle of wine, while most nights I can drink a 2-6. It's not me "bragging" about consumption.

I guess this sub doesn't understand what I'm asking. Nevermind then.

Also, I specifically said that nobody knows I'm blacked out. There is nobody taking care of me because nobody can tell I'm even drunk. If you don't comprehend how scary that is, especially for a woman, then don't answer.

Answer:
 Not legal advice - you're an alcoholic.  Stop drinking.

Legal answer - of course you're going to be liable for what you do in a blacked out state.  Answer #2: You're responsible for your actions.  Nobody over the age of 20 is impressed.Answer #3: >Should I just give up on the intoxicants to save myself a lot of pain in the future?

Yes.

NALAnswer #4: You'd be 100% liable and the fact that you even have to ask combined with your general tone lead me to believe that you frequently put yourself and others in danger with little regard for consequence. Turn your life around, I won't say please. Answer #5: You would be 100% liable unless someone else drugged you without your consent.


Title: Amazon shipped a hard disk full of copyright games and other pirated material to me instead of a new, empty hard disk

Question:
Hi all, not sure where I stand here. I purchased [this](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008YAHW6I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) hard drive from Amazon UK, and it arrived the next day, despite free shipping. After installing the hard drive, it is clearly set up into partitions, has evidently been used over the past year (active timestamps date back to March '14), and contains tens of thousands of unauthorised ROMs and emulators/frontends to play these ROMs. It also contains two movies (Ice Age and Indiana Jones) in avi format and about a dozen mp3s.

From what I can tell, it's probably someone who's ordered one of these: http://www.hyperspin-systems.com/products/internal-hard-drive-2tb-with-hyperspin-85-systems-emulated and has tinkered with it/used it for a bit. However, somehow it has worked it's way into Amazon stock as a *new* hard drive?

I have made a complaint to Amazon about the hard drive and I anticipate them replacing it. I assume Amazon wouldn't intentionally sell used or refurbished hard drives as new. However I'm left with a situation where I am aware of illegal material present on a device I technically own.

Where do I stand legally if the hard drive were seized and the contents were declared as my property?

Thanks all

Edit: Amazon update, they replied to the complaint within hours (on a Sunday) and have already dispatched a replacement and free postage on the return. Pretty good result, just such a weird thing to happen. Thanks all for the advice

Answer: Are you asking if the police care about ROMs like they would care about child pornography? They don't. Agents are not headed to your location at this very moment. Answer #2: It's not illegal to possess copyrighted material, only to distribute or copy it. So technically Amazon could conceivably be found liable for sending the hard drive to you -- if the copyright owner both knew and cared, which I guarantee you they don't.


Title: MD - First traffic ticket with a NY license, could use some help!

Question:
Hey Legal Advice, long story short, I'm an international student, driving with a NY license, got in an accident while on a road trip in Maryland, received a "payable fine". (It was not a speeding ticket but a "failure to control vehicle to avoid collision" citation, if that makes a difference.)

After some discussing, both a friend and my dad are telling me, as long as I don't visit (or get caught by the police in) Maryland in the future, I shouldn't pay the fine, as the ticket will be local to MD. It shouldn't affect my visa status now or in the future, and if I ever do plan to visit MD, I can just pay the ticket then which should not have accumulated any late fees as there are no late fees.

Can anyone confirm this? Is there no late fee for not paying on time (30 days from the incident)? From the Googling I've done, it says speeding tickets in MD can occur late fees, license suspensions, etc. if the fine is not paid on time.
But since A) my ticket is not for speeding, and B) my license is from NY, these would not be applicable, for me. Correct?

I couldn't find any info that goes over late fees or license suspensions for my ticket or for someone with a license outside MD.

Thanks in advance and feel free to ask me to clarify anything!

Answer:
 > After some discussing, both a friend and my dad are telling me, as long as I don't visit (or get caught by the police in) Maryland in the future, I shouldn't pay the fine, as the ticket will be local to MD.

Oh good fucking Lord, stop listening to people who tell you that court charges are **optional**.

If you don't pay your fine, your New York license will suffer and can be suspended.  And you'd be pants-on-head-stupid to risk your international status over a traffic fine.

Either challenge your ticket(not recommended if you don't have a defense) or pay your fine.


Title: A classmate of my daughter (13) sent her an extremely sexually aggressive and inappropriate message via facebook messenger and I need some advice.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Do not wait until monday, and go straight to the police now.  School administration needs to know, but they are not equipped to handle it. Answer #2: Yikes. Police.  Now.  This is not a wait until Monday and schedule a meeting situation in my view.


Title: HYPOTHETICAL - POTUS Succession Question

Question:
If the speaker of the House is only 30 years old, is he/she no longer 3rd in line for the Presidency?

(To appease the location bot, I'm in Maryland, US.)
Topic:
Constitution

Answer:
 Yup. It isn't uncommon for people in the line to be skipped if they aren't eligible. Madeleine Albright is a popular example, and Sally Jewel (the current Secretary of the Interior) is another.Answer #2: The order of succession is statutorily determined after the Vice President (the constitution specifically allows for congress to pass such a law regarding succession order)

The current relevant Succession Act language regarding the speaker of the house is

3 U.S. Code § 19

> (b) If, at the time when under subsection (a) of this section a Speaker is to begin the discharge of the powers and duties of the office of President, there is no Speaker, **or the Speaker fails to qualify as Acting President,** then the President pro tempore of the Senate shall, upon his resignation as President pro tempore and as Senator, act as President.

So the same legislation that makes the speaker third in line also requires that they "qualify" ie, meet the constitutional requirements to serve as president.


Title: Judge denied transfer of custody case.

Question:
Virginia

Link to original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4gon0g/custody_case_was_supposed_to_be_moved_to_another/

Okay so my wife and her ex came to a custody agreement. The mediator contacted them yesterday and said she was in the town we live in and if they had come to an agreement then they could give that to her and she would submit it to the judge and add a note to have the case transferred. Which if you read the original post you will see was already supposed to happen multiple times.

So the mediator calls my wife today and leaves her a message stating that the judge denied the transfer. My wife hasn't had a chance to call her back yet (she just started a new job today) but I can't think of a reason for it to be denied.

The judge who last oversaw the custody case in that county requested that the case be transferred. It never was. I've called TWICE and they told me it was being transferred. It never was. And now the judge has denied the transfer?! No one lives in that county. What could the reason be?!

Answer: I'm probably wrong, but how does a judge in another county have any say over it?


Title: CA, Leasing office keeps signing the community up for services the community isn't asking for, charging us for those services, and not providing an "opt out" option

Question:
The first such instance of this was a trash pick up service. Apparently some residents of our rather large (300 plus) apartment complex had trouble finding trash chutes, and were leaving their kitchen trash bags around the complex in community trash bins. Hence, they signed us all up for this service, which comes between certain hours to pick up the trash right outside your door. They are charging us $25 a month for this service according to our lease agreement. There was no opt-out option listed on the lease.

The second instance happened much more recently with the installation of package lockers. Previously, the leasing office would hold our packages for us, and we had certain hours we could come down and pick them up. I understand them wanting to limit their liability when it comes to holding our packages, I really do. But it wasn't until after the the package lockers were installed that we were informed that they would be charging us $5 a month for this service once our leases are renewed, and again, no opt-out option. I'm not arguing that the lockers aren't more convenient, they really are. However, charging us money to get our own packages seems a little beyond the pale to me. If we wanted to do that, we could easily set up a PO box with the post office.

Aside from moving when our lease is up, and maybe getting a petition started from the residents concerning these issues...my question is, is my leasing office doing anything illegal by forcing us into services that we didn't ask for? Especially the lockers service, as that is not yet listed in our current leases? If so, what can be done about it?

Answer:
 > we were informed that they would be charging us $5 a month for this service once our leases are renewed

Then they are doing things correctly and legally.Answer #2: > charging us $5 a month for this service once our leases are renewed

They can throw that into a *new* lease if they want. Or hell, tell you the service is free and just tack on an additional $5.Answer #3: So long as they are not adding these fees to your existing lease, they are completely in the clear to add them to new/renewed leases.

Your options are exactly what you listed - attempt to get a petition to have these new amenities removed, or not renew your lease and move to a new complex with amenities you approve of.


Title: Being threatened with criminal charges for flipping someone off a couple times.

Question:
There's a long back story to this that I don't want to go through but to sum it all up my mom's brother (my uncle) and his wife live next door to my mother. They have done some unforgivable things to me and my family causing us not only to cut all contact with them but to also consider bringing charges against them. We declined since we I was pregnant with my second child and my granny (who lives with my mother) was dealing with some health issues.
Since what they did brought so much drama to our family already I decided not to pursue it. That doesn't mean I've gotten over it though and while I've never spoken a word to them since. I sometimes see them on their front porch when I'm driving to my mom's house though and sometimes when I do I flip them off.
They are now trying to say that they are going to bring criminal charges against me. They haven't told me that but they've told some other family members who have in turn told me.

So I'm wondering if there is any way that they would be able to actually do that or are they just trying to intimate me?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
>I sometimes see them on their front porch when I'm driving to my mom's house though and sometimes when I do I flip them off.
They are now trying to say that they are going to bring criminal charges against me. They haven't told me that but they've told some other family members who have in turn told me.

First off, I'd stop doing this, its absolutely protected expression, but it's just going to antagonize them.

As for "charges", you're not going go get charged with giving them the finger, but it could be considered harassment if this is a continuing thing under certain circumstances.

Also to clarify, this person doesn't "bring charges" or "file charges" or "press charges" no layperson does. They will give a police report about what happened and a detective will investigate if warranted. If there is probable cause that a crime was a committed, it will be referred to a prosecutor who will then review the evidence and they are the one who will decide to bring charges or alternatively they can seek an indictment from a grand jury, those are the only two bodies who bring charges against someone.


Title: [US] Is there any way to obtain a criminal background check on yourself for free?

Question:
> In addition, all consumers are entitled to one free disclosure every 12 months upon request from each nationwide credit bureau and from nationwide specialty consumer reporting agencies. See www.consumerfinance.gov/learnmore for additional information.

So after doing some research I was able to find out that I can obtain information about my credit report for free once a year and employers tend to look at that, but what about other information that a company might have on me. How do I know if the information they have is accurate or inaccurate and is there anyway to get a free report? A lot of websites online charge money to pull up that information but is there some way to get that information for free since it is technically my information? I'm also more concerned about the companies that employers would be using to do a criminal background check. Is there anyway to find out what information they have on me?

EDIT: Should have included my state. I'm in New Jersey. Thanks everyone!!!

Answer: There's no reputable free criminal background check service that I'm aware of. For a criminal background check there are a great many databases that need to be searched; federal, state, and local. The information being searched for is largely public, but not easily accessible. The process is time intensive and anyone doing this needs to know how to separate signal from noise.


Title: [NM] Question about FERPA - Does it block the school from telling me the names of those bulling my son?

Question:
**Background:** I just got back from a meeting at my son's middle school.  I had the meeting because this was the second time that my son had called me from the school stating that other kids were slapping him on the back. The first time he called me was Nov 16th. A day or two before this, I had emailed the school and told them that this was going on. My son is mildly autistic, and also in his IEP it states that he has trouble advocating for himself, and one of his goals is to be more self-advocating. As such, he does not know the names of the other students that are hitting him.

**So my question:**  In the meeting, I asked for followup on what was going on, including the names of the other students when they find out, as this has been happening for more then a month. **They stated that because of FERPA - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act - they cannot release the names of the students, is this true?**

In my research about FERPA, I found that a teacher could inform a student's parents the names of students they personally observed bulling. - [See Slide 42](https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/ptac/pdf/slides.pdf) - but would this extend to items that was not personally observed by a teacher?

Answer:
 > teacher could inform

Yes, a teach **can** inform, but is not legally required to.

To be crude, when my wife tells me she has a "headache" before bed, she could have a headache or she could be saying something else. There's nothing illegal about that. Answer #2: Even if it's not a FERPA violation they still don't have to tell you. They could just say they won't tell you because they don't want to or because it's not their policy.


Title: Must surrender my social media user names and passwords for pleading guilty to an OWI in Iowa. What?

Question: Do I really have to do this?

Answer: If that was court ordered, yes.


Title: Used a gmail account for work related emails and after leaving they want my email password

Question: The company recently switched to @insertcompany.com emails for some people, but i always used a gmail account i was told i had to create to use for work emails. Now i'm told i need to give up my password so they can set up a permanent vacation responder and close the account. I'm perfectly capable of doing that. Any advice? This is in Wisconsin if it matters.

Answer:
 > a gmail account i was told i had to create to use for work emails

So you were directed to open it for work and now they want access to what you did for them, and were paid by them for doing. Sounds reasonable on their part.


Title: (CA) Can a retiree take a full-time job?

Question: I called attempting to interview a possible employee.  They told me they are interested.  I said the job was full time.  They stated they could work full time through the end of the year, but come January they will need to go down to 19 hours a week because they are a retiree.  They can only work 19 hours a week but hasn't worked all year so the hours compile at the end of the year.  This didn't sound completely legit.  I couldn't find anything online about it so id thought id throw it out here and see what sticks.  Thanks.

Answer:
 They are likely talking about this:

For the year 2015, this limit on earned income is $15,720 ($1,310 per month). The amount goes up each year. If you are collecting Social Security retirement benefits before full retirement age, your benefits are reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn over the limit.


Title: Hotel robbed @ Venetian Las Vegas

Question:
Mid July my sister stayed at the Venetian in Las Vegas and while out someone broke into her room, trashed the place. And got about $3000 worth of her belongings including designer clothing, a business laptop and a cell phone. She immediately called hotel security and filed a police report. Security examined the situation and tells her that it looked as if her door was broken prior to the robbery which allowed someone to walk right in. My sister complained to manager to have her items reimbursed and was told they were investigation...she heard back. Investigation closed and there's nothing they can do because the burglars did not use the key card to come in there's no proof she was robbed. She wrote a review online and turns out this happened to two other groups of women the same weekend!

We've reached out on twitter & Facebook and was told we would be contacted almost 2 weeks ago and haven't heard a word. I have never heard of a hotel so unwilling to help! Legal, are they liable for this? Should my sister hire a lawyer?

Answer: Check with your home or renter's insurance. Some policies cover theft while traveling.


Title: Cryptocurrency Asset Management Company

Question:
Hey everyone,

I've been trading cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, ethereum, etc), full time for about a year and would like to expand my services and offer them to clients.

As of now, cryptocurrencies are classified by the IRS as property (NOT as securities), in a similar ways to gold, art, cars, sports cars, etc (although that may change with future legislation).

Do I need any licensing to start something like this besides registering as an LLC?

If I had clients give me money to invest in art (or any other non registered asset that isn’t a security, on their behalf), what kind of licensing would I need to run a business like that?

Thanks so much for the help in advance!

edit: located in Philadelphia, PA

Answer: You need to talk to a lawyer. Managing investments for other people requires more than just an LLC.