Title: Question about bathroom use on company time.

Question:
I'm located in South Carolina.

Whether it's #1 or #2, shouldn't an employee be able to use the restroom for however long he/she needs to?  I work in an office environment with just a handful of coworkers.  Some of us will pick on each other for fun.  I can dish it and take it, but only when the time is right.

For the past few days, while I'm taking care of business (going #2) the same coworker comes in to use the restroom and calls me out for taking too long.  I may only be taking 5 - 10 minutes, but every time, I get harassed.  "You need to do that on your own time."  "You eat the food on your time, you can take a dump before 8 and after 5."  "You can read the paper when you're not at work."  Not knowing if it was playful fun or if coworker was serious, I've responded with "I've only been here for five minutes" or "I just sat down".  More recently, I told the coworker that I would dock my time on my time sheet for the minutes spent on the toilet just to see what response I'd get, but I didn't get one.  My responses didn't seem to change a thing, so today when it happened, I said "You're going to have to tear down this bathroom if I'm not allowed to take a shit on company time" (I don't swear much around coworkers so I was hoping this approach would relay a serious attitude). The response was similar to earlier responses, encouraging me to not go #2 on company time.  I then said "Then what are these toilets here for?"  Coworker said something like "Those are for level 1 employees.  You have to be level 1 to use it."  At this point, I'm getting so frustrated that I don't care if coworker is joking around.  It's ridiculous.  Coworker kept saying a few things, but I didn't respond and coworker eventually left.

I'd appreciate any kind of advice, legal or not, for addressing this issue.  I'll post this on /r/offmychest too.. it might be better suited for that sub.
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 Life Advice:

Somewhere in your building, or maybe the adjacent building there is a restroom hardly anyone uses. Fewer people even know about it. It may be a ladies, it may be a mens, it may be a handicap bath. Seek it out. Shit only there. No one will know. It will be your Secret Shitter
. Answer #2: Is anyone actually doing anything to you, or are they just saying things?Answer #3: If you are being harassed by a coworker go to HR, or to your supervisor.  This isn't a legal question, you don't have to take bullying in the workplace, and your boss doesn't expect you to.


Title: My fiance is trying to get me to sign a sticky note that says "I will vacuum on 12/28/15" Should I sign it if I'm kinda drunk (7 shots in)?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 If you're drunk, the contract is not legally binding.

If you're smart, you'll sign it and vacuum and get laid for 5 minutes of work.


Title: (US) My daughters mother is in contempt of the parenting plan, essentially abandoning my daughter with me. Advice?

Question: I figured I would try this one last time, seeing as the last two posts resulted in people commenting who had no idea what they were talking about. Since 2015, her mother has done nothing but disregard the parenting plan. This September, prior to her starting school, we were supposed to go to mediation to figure out a schedule moving forward. I had this parenting plan out in place by an attorney, so I do not know what I’m doing legally to enforce this parenting plan. As it stands, her mother left her with me two weeks ago and has kept pushing out the pick up date, eventually stating that I can “just take full custody”. I want to do what’s right for my daughter, but she (5f) seems a little distraught that her mother hasn’t seen her or even bothered to call her in months, and she’s really starting to question why she can’t see her mom. I can’t maintain communication with her mom as she goes off on personal rants about “how could you be so cruel to me when we were together, you don’t ever do anything for your daughter”, and doesn’t confirm any of the times she says she wants to pick her up. I’m in limbo with no idea what her mom will do or say next and so is my daughter. I realize this is very one sided, but I don’t have anyone to confide in for advice. Someone with some experience in this area, feel free to drop a comment on where I should turn.

Answer:
 Unfortunately, You can't force her to be a parent. You can, however, document the fact that she declines her parenting time and use that to get child support. Answer #2: As a divorced parent consider yourself lucky. If it was the opposite you’d be in a living hell and stuck where you are for eternity.

File an ex parte hearing for full custody and get on with your life. No dealing with another parent with wildly different rules than you. No child support. If you meet the love of your life and want to move to Samoa you can. If you get your dream job and want to move to Dubai go for it. Having sole custody and being a single parent is a way better option than being stuck coparenting with an asshole.

When the judge said I had sole custody and could leave the state I got my life back. It’s not easy but once you find a rhythm it’s great.

Your daughter will recover eventually. That part was really hard and my kids were messed up but at least they weren’t going to grow up with a tweeker dad. And your daughter won’t grow up with an obviously horrible cold hearted mother.

You can go to the court house. They have free legal services to help guide you. Say you want to file an ex parte hearing to get sole custody of your daughter and no support of any kind for her mother.

It can allow for peaceable visits if you want to leave that door open.

Oh ya!! Ask for child support.


Title: Wells Fargo lost my deposit

Question:
Hello,

I want to know what options are available to me. I went into Wells Fargo branch to make a deposit in person (~$1500 of cash and check), with a bank teller, but the money is does not shown up in my account. I called their customer service and filed a claim. The customer service rep told me that she see no record of my deposit in their system.

Usually, I always choose the option of "Email my receipt". However this time, for some reason, I clicked the "Print receipt" instead, and tossed the receipt away.

When you go to their branch to make deposit, you have to swipe your debit card so that the transaction can be processed by the bank teller. Then there had to be a record of my transaction that tied to my account.

They must have video surveillance too that show me being there making a deposit with one of the bank tellers.

I have not heard back anything from Wells Fargo since the claim was filed. Let's say if they did not resolve my claim, can someone tell me what are my available options are to get my money back?

Thank you.

EDIT - Branch location: Old St. Anthony, Minneapolis, Minnesota. It has been 3 days since I filed the claim.

EDIT - [Oct 14th] - So I came back to the branch again, and ask to talk to the branch manager. She looked up the amount, and turned out the teller on that day deposited my money into the previous person in line! She apology, and deposited the said amount back into my account. I asked her why she can see the transactions, but not the customer service rep. She said only the branch can see its own transactions, and likewise she can't view the transactions of another branch. And yes, this is the same manager that emailed me and ask me to call a 800 number to file a claim!

Lesson learned: always email your deposit receipt. Since my money was deposited into someone else account, I wonder what my receipt would've look like on that day.

Answer: How long has it been?Answer #2: This thread should be a shining example to people that don't keep receipts.Answer #3: File a complaint with the [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau](http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/). They're specifically designed to deal with things like this.


Title: Partner wants to lower my equity in an app we developed even after we both paid 50/50 of the down payment. Is he able to so that?

Question: [Alberta Canada] My partner and I developed an app, and we both agreed upon 50/50. He now wants to lower me to 10%, even after I already paid my down payment. There is no wayIi am agreeing to that, and I am wondering if he can do that if I already paid my share? I also did all the work for the app in terms of designing, marketing, and coming up with the majority of the idea. I have documents of my sketches, as well as layouts on my computer. Even though we do not have contracts signed, there are text messages saying that we each hold 50/50. So would this hold up in court? can he take away equity if I don't agree upon it?

Answer: Why would he be able to? Your text agreement might hold up, depends on what all has transpired since then and what else you may have agreed to, division of work, etc.


Title: Is lying to the police about not doing something illegal protected by fifth amendment?

Question: If a cop stops me and asks me if I'm high/drunk or if I was fighting, etc, and I say I wasn't even though I was, then is that legal? Since if I admit to having been fighting or having been high, and then they arrest me, and then I want to plead *not* guilty, then they would use that against me. So basically, is it legal for me to lie to the police if telling the truth would be self incrimination?

Answer:
 The long answer can be complicated, but the short answer to the question you're really asking is that there are legal risks to lying in that situation.

It's a lot less likely to happen with local cops, but it's a common tactic for federal investigators to ask lots of questions they know the answers to in the hopes that the person being investigated will say something untrue, so they can charge the person with obstruction of justice even if they can't get a conviction for the underlying investigation. (This is, for instance, what Martha Stewart actually went to jail for.)

If you're tempted to lie, you should consider remaining silent or asking for a lawyer.


Title: Being sued by state of Missouri, need help!

Question:
As I said in the title I live in the US, in the state of Missouri. I live on a few acres in a neighborhood with about 30 houses. There is a pond at the rear of my neighbors house and it extends through the property of 5 more neighbors. My property is close to the pond (about 30 feet) but it never touches the pond. I never use the pond, in fact I can not even see it from my house due to the woods.
The dam to the pond has deteriorated and is in danger of failing. If it does fail, it could cause damage to a highway and other property. All the property owners that touch the dam and/or water are being sued by the state for repairs. I am listed in the suit as a property owner that owns property that touches the water. This is just not true. I have two different aerial maps, one from the county and one from the title company, that clearly shows I do not own any part of the pond.
I called and spoke with the assistant AG this morning that filed the suit. She agreed that I do not own any part of the lake. She said I was included in the suit so that I could give input if I wanted to try and prevent the dam from being drained. I told her I have no opinion on what happens to the pond. She said I could just file a response to the summons and I would be removed from the suit. How do I go about answering this summons on my own? I am trying to avoid the cost of a lawyer. I really can't afford it at this time. Is there a template I could follow? Thanks in advance for any help!
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 The person you called has no idea what she's talking about - you're named on the suit because the state wants money from you, no other reason or explanation. Retain a lawyer and make sure you respond/show up for any court dates, otherwise they'll likely win by default and you'll be stuck with one hell of a bill.Answer #2: You need to hire a lawyer. If you don't handle this right you will have a huge bill from the State. Answer #3: >This is just not true. I have two different aerial maps, one from the county and one from the title company, that clearly shows I do not own any part of the pond.

They may have had a survey that pin pointed the property line closer than you expect.  Also they may be considering certain parts of the shoreline on your property or something.


Title: Recording phone conversation with the Surgeon General about the Warning Label on cigarette packages

Question:
Is it legal to record the conversation regardless of whether you're in a one-party or two-parties consent state?

Is it always legal to record, without asking for permission, a conversation with a government official or employee if that person is acting within the scope of her responsibilities, that is, doing her job?

Answer: No, that's the point of two party consent laws.


Title: [IL] Legality of Cleaning bathrooms

Question:
Hi,
I am a minor working for a restaurant in Illinois.  My question is am I allowed to clean the bathrooms at the end of the day even though I am a minor?  Thank you for any advice.

Answer: What? Why wouldn't you be allowed? Welcome to the workforce.


Title: Got Sold a Lemon Car

Question:
Two days ago I bought a 1999 Subaru Forester with 160k miles for $3,000. The seller (a mechanic here in town) told me they had replaced the head gaskets and changed put the water pump. They only other issues I could find were a broken headlight and broken power mirrors.
After negotiation, we agreed that I would pay $2,000 at time of purchase, and the remaining $1,000 after two months provided they fix the remaining problems.
The day after I purchased the vehicle, I brought it to a friend of my parents who is also a mechanic. He informed me that there are multiple MAJOR mechanical issues with the car, including an oil leak, cracked piston heads (or something like that), failing brakes and many other major problems to name a few.
The seller did not disclose any of this before the purchase and refused to answer my calls or text. Do I have any legal recourse?
This is in Alaska
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer: You probably should have had a mechanic look at it before you bought it. Private sales are as-is. That's like the first rule of buying a used car.


Title: Worried about safety [mn]

Question:
I am the person that this post (https://np.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/66ow4v/friend_broke_into_my_house/) is talking about me and I wanted to clear my name and ask for some advice. He lied about many things in that post and now I am worried about my safety. Today in school he was walking around with a knife and has been very aggressive towards me and I don't know what to do (he's a scrawny little kid so I could easily beat his ass but I'm worried about the knife). Should I tell administrators about it? Or what can I do legally?

Edit: I told administrators and they said they would look into it and keep me anonymous

Answer:
 You both sound like shitheads.

You can report your safety concerns to an administrator at the school.


Title: Mandatory volunteer work

Question: My GF works for a company in Ohio and has been told that she must "volunteer" for a city function and has to use a PTO day to do so? Is this legal? What kind of action can she take?

Answer: Not do it?


Title: Juror Ethical Question

Question:
Just wrapped up being a juror on a murder trial. We all quickly found the defendant guilty. One problem, we all saw and used one piece of evidence (documents from detective) that was not presented or admitted in court (or at least that any of us remember). I think the evidence was objected to by the defense, was sustained by the judge, but still found its way to the deliberation room.

The defendant ended up getting a more severe punishment than I agree with.

Given that I think this person is guilty, but his sentence was 20+ years too long, should I bring this fact up to the court?

Edit: I am in Texas.

Edit 2: Yup, I caused a miss trail by revealing this info to the court. The reason this question is posed as ethical is because I do not wan't to waste state funds on another trial and I do not want this guy walking the streets. But I also want our judicial system working properly, so I told the court. And although other jurors knew this evidence was not legally admitted I am the ONLY one who did the right thing.

Answer:
 This begs the question why this was never brought up to the court when it was first uncovered in evidence. Appeals are based primarily on errors of law, and certainly allowing a jury to see and consider excluded evidence (if that happened) is an error (not of the interpretation of law, but of its application).

Personally I would inform both the court and the defense. I would consider it unethical not to. But also understand that this disclosure might not achieve anything. It might, but it might not. Answer #2: A juror can't (shouldn't) be expected to know what's fair in a given situation.  Disclose EVERYTHING to the court and let them decide what's material and what's not.


Title: NJ - I was inside an asian message parlor when it was busted. What trouble am I in?

Question: New Jersey here.  I was inside an Asian message parlor when cops came in.  I had more or less just got there and didn't do any funny business.  While I was inside room, cops were talking to the girls and asking for ID.  I was eventually asked to leave by one of the workers.  Cops never spoke to me or got my name.  Was not issue a ticket or summons at the time. However, I saw one cop taking pics of my plate with his phone as I walked out.  What should I expect in terms of follow up from the police?

Answer: Probably nothing. But don't answer any questions without an attorney present.


Title: Roommate keeps cutting wire fence to get his car in and out of driveway

Question:
So here's a quick summary, my boyfriend had a roommate for about a year. Said roommate quit paying rent, my boyfriend didn't really mind. His parents own the property and manage it, and they didn't know he was there or anything. My boyfriend let him stay there for way less than what they would charge the guy, and my boyfriend just used the money for essentials like laundry soap, toilet paper, etc.

Any way, this guy was on parole, couldn't smoke and stuff so he was pretty chill. A little messy, but that's about it. When he got off parole, he started smoking Mary j, getting drugs like shroomies, and later got into meth. He lost his job, wrecked his car, then some people he got involved with smashed the front and two side windows in. (Just a little look into the kind of people he's gotten involved with).

I clean the place regularly, I grew up in a really chaotic home so I try to keep where ever I'm staying very clean. I didn't mind cleaning dirty dishes here and there, but when it came to fecal matter and a condom on the bathroom counter, that's when I started getting angry. This guy kept throwing parties in his room, growing marijuana in the garage, everything. Mess everywhere. Bringing things like broken ovens into the yard, scrapes of rusty metal, etc.

Any way, my boyfriend finally got his parents involved. They decided to evict the whole house, because it's cheaper. (We don't know who he keeps in there, and legally they would have rights after 30 days). They then are going to sign another rental agreement with him, and change the locks same day.

Any way, this guy has done an immense amount of damage, but recently, he's been cutting the wire fence where I put a lock, for his buddies to come in and out of the yard. Today he drove his pos car out, I dragged the fence back over and locked it again.

If he cuts it again, is there legally anything I can do? He tried to fight my boyfriend when he went out to examine the fence, after he noticed it open.

Please help. This guy is an a hole.

** We live in Northern California

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 > They then are going to sign another rental agreement with him, and change the locks same day.

I assume that's "the same day the sheriff's department performs the eviction, subsequent to a court judgement, or the same day he voluntarily vacates, whichever comes first." You can't lock out a tenant. Not even one whose tenancy is properly over. You have to go through the courts to evict.

Cutting the fence - destroying the landlord's property - likely justifies shorter notice to cure or quit ("fix the fence or get out"), but your boyfriend's parents still have to go through the courts if he decides to do neither.

If he assaults your boyfriend or starts smashing the place up, call the police. He can't cause trouble if he's in jail. However, you're going to want to get the pot plants out of the garage: the police may construe that all of the residents are constructively in possession of them if they're somewhere openly available to all tenants.Answer #2: Call his parole officer and tell him/her of the criminal activity of roommate.


Title: US citizen in Iraq

Question:
(Iraq)
Beginning in July of last year, my family deceived me into staying in Iraq for a month. I found out my ticket was one way and a month turned into a year.
This was linked to disciplinary action (for harmless youthful behavior) by my parents and older family members. I am in a precarious situation that involves family reputation, the protection of my identity, and leaving clandestinely with the aide of the embassy—who have been reluctant to help. I have a few specific questions about the legality of what has happened here and appreciate help.

Right now the embassy has offered to help pay for my ticket back to the US but will not offer transportation for me from where my family’s house is. It’s 4 hours by car in over 100 degree weather. The embassy has chalked the situation up to being a family affair.

What rights do I have as a US citizen in Iraq?
What rights have already been violated just by being lead here under false pretenses?
How much is the embassy obligated to do? Right now the embassy has offered to help pay for my ticket back to the US but will not offer transportation for me from where my family’s house is. It’s 4 hours by car in over 100 degree weather. The embassy has chalked the situation up to being a family affair.
As a side note, I am a dual citizen if that makes any difference.

My father has built a house here and his intention seems to be long term settling for the whole family. I am eager to return to my life in America. If there is a more appropriate place for me to put this please let me know.

Thank you

Answer:
 >What rights do I have as a US citizen in Iraq?

Well, you follow Iraqi law while in Iraq.  The embassy has offered to help you get to the States, you just need to get to them.

> What rights have already been violated just by being lead here under false pretenses?

There is no way we can answer that without you giving us specifics on what actually happened.  Also your age would be helpful, if you are a minor, things are very very different.

> How much is the embassy obligated to do?

It sounds like they will help you, as long as you get to them.  So find a way to get to them.


Title: My father attempted suicide and now we can't access his information (Arizona, USA)

Question:
(Arizona) My father attempted suicide last night and is now being hospitalized. He doesn't have a phone & has signed forms to opt out of the hospital sharing anything about his condition/whereabouts. No one is allowed to see him, talk to him, or know any info. Is there anything I can do to access any information or contact him? I am very worried that as soon as he is released, he will hurt himself again.

I don't know much about HIPAA but it seems like there isn't much I can do. Would a lawyer be able to help at all? Can I dispute his signing the opt-out forms?

*I am also out of state, living in Kentucky for college, if that makes any difference.

Answer: He is well within his rights to keep his medical information to himself.


Title: My college is shady and May have cheated me out of 4,000 dollars. Should I see a lawyer?

Question:
I'm a post 9/11 gi bill recipient. I live in virginia but my college is in maryland. Because of that I have to pay out of state tuition. Gi bill covers in state tuition for public institutions. So here's where it doesn't add up.
The school has 3 tiers. In county is $100 a credit hour, in state at $185 a credit hour, and Out of state is $280 a credit hour.  They charged the va for in county, this semester was $2,632. For in state it should have been 4,162. So basically I'm out of pocket covering $180 per credit instead of $95 a credit.  It seems to have happened last semester too. So for the 2 semesters it's a total of 2,830 dollars.
Now in addition to that, they had us start class on the 5th of January. I have a schedule to prove that's when class started. The school registered us for starting jan. 20th. For the gi bill we get housing allowance based on amount of the month we spend in class. The difference between being in school on the 5th and 20th is $1,200. I asked my program director about it and she yelled at me. When I walked away she followed me into the parking lot and yelled some more. So I was pretty intimidated and figured I'd just get through the program, report it to the VA after I graduated and suck it up that I lost $1200. But with the other thing, idk if I should push the issue.
what I would like to know, does this sound solid enough to get them to give me the money I was entitled to? Is $4,000 too little to go through the trouble and have to pay lawyer fees? Where should I start?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 I'm not able to give legal advice but you can make a complaint to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Here: http://www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/Feedback.asp

and here for the State VA people you should also notify: http://www.nasaa-vetseducation.com/Contacts.aspx

Might get this resolved faster than through a lawyer.


Title: Legality of suicide

Question:
Moving this from /r/legaladvide because I forgot that /r/legaladviceofftopic exists...

My gf is in a psychology course focused on psychology-related law, which is being taught by a lawyer. In a recent assignment, they were asked to discuss involuntary hospitalization. My gf discussed suicide risk as a reason for involuntary hospitalization, since this is one criterion in many jurisdictions. In doing so, she uses the term *completed* suicide as opposed to *committed* because *committed* implies criminality, which does not help with the already powerful stigma of a suicide.

In response to this, the instructor stated the following:

> Suicide is against the law in most if not all states. The rationale for this is that the government owns all of us, and elimination of a taxpayer is against the law.

This sounds like nonsense to me. A cursory Google search seems to indicate that the instructor is wrong, but I am curious if anyone knows of some legal basis for this that I am unaware of.

The instructor is licensed as an attorney in IL, but I would be interested in information about other states as well.

As a long-time lurker in this sub, my first thought when hearing about this was to ask you guys. Any thoughts?

Answer:
 > the government owns all of us

Your psych prof should be embarassed to think this: the Thirteenth amendment makes it quite clear that the government _cannot_ own people.

> Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

"The government secretly owns everyone" is perilously close to sovereign citizen thinking; does your psych prof also believe that drivers' licenses are optional or that taxes can be discharged by writing a draft against a secret bank account maintained by the government?

> and elimination of a taxpayer is against the law.

There is nowhere where that's directly true. Various kinds of wrongful death are illegal (or are civilly actionable), but the victim's status as a taxpayer is irrelevant to all of them. If you want to engage with crazy, ask your prof for a citation on this - the [statute on murder](http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=072000050K9-1) doesn't include any such language.

> Suicide is against the law in most if not all states

Not true either. Suicide is legal in the United States of America. Laws allowing police officers and medical doctors to detain people on the basis that they are a danger to themselves do not operate through criminal prosecution - they operate using systems in place to allow vulnerable people to be placed under court-ordered guardianship, or using legislation crafted specifically for the purpose of allowing doctors to intervene when a patient goes through a psychological crisis.Answer #2: > This sounds like nonsense to me.

Oh.  That's because it totally is.Answer #3: That is embarrassingly ignorant for an actual licensed attorney.


Title: Serious crime not disclosed in property sale

Question:
My firm (based in upstate NY) recently made a large purchase of a number of properties across the Midwest. These were intended for relatively quick resale or redevelopment, depending on category, for a variety of reasons.

One such property, located in the city of Ashland, Ohio, was the site of a serious crime that garnered much local attention. This was never disclosed during the sale process. As the result of this, it is unlikely that this site will prove suitable for any of our plans - and I can’t imagine that the local market will be as blind as we were to the site’s fairly recent history.

Are there any stipulations that were violated in unloading this property onto our firm without disclosing the events that occurred there? Honestly, I’m hoping we can turn back the clock on this particular property. Not worth the headache. What should be our next steps?

Answer:
 This is a question for the real estate attorney that you hired for the purchase of this property, or even your general business attorney.   We haven’t read your contract, so we have no way to know what stipulations may or not may not exist.

But generally, you have no recourse.  It’s not the sellers fault you didn’t do your research.


Title: Wrongfully Accused - Red Light Ticket

Question:
A red light camera caught a car committing the crime of turning left through a red light. The problem is that no one in my family owns this car or the license plate attached to it. The picture is clear enough to determine that someone made a mistake in interpreting it and sent the ticket to the wrong person.

The car in the video on the site is both the wrong car and the wrong color. It can also be proven by looking at the photo seeing that the license plate pictured is obviously incorrect and by witnesses that the car was nowhere near that intersection on that date and time.

Is the only thing that can be done is to contest the ticket in court at the specified date? What are the chances that they will dismiss this ticket with this overwhelming and ironclad evidence that the ticket is 100% wrong?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice that can be provided.

Edit: Thanks /u/Bob_Sconce for the advice, the ticket has been dismissed, /u/spdorsey for defending my honor, and /u/thepatman for the lolz.

Answer:
 > Is the only thing that can be done is to contest the ticket in court at the specified date?

Yeah, that's generally how one defends oneself against an improper ticket.  What other option did you think there was?Answer #2: You didn't say where, but it's not the only thing -- you can probably call up the company who did this and point out their error.

A friend's mom had been dead for 3 days when she got one of those tickets -- the photo looked like they had deliberately photoshopped out 1/2 of the number, with the other 1/2 matching the mom's plate.  Except, the mom's plate number was centered and the one in the photo (after the photoshop) was on the left.  A quick call to the service center fixed it up.  (Depending on where you are, you might not have a service center.)


Title: [WY] my mother needs time off from work and is being told that if she is, she needs to pay the substitutes wages out of her pocket.

Question:
My mother is a lunch server at a school in Wyoming and my sister is having a child this week (in another state). She took time off for this week to help my sister out and is being told that the only sick day she'll get paid for is the day my sister has the baby. As it happened later than she thought it would, my mother wants to potentially stay for another week. And they said that if she does, she will need to pay for this out of her pocket (and is afraid that if she doesn't it will get docked from her pay.

How legal is any of this?

Answer: WTF? That's ridiculous. If this was enforced they'd basically be getting free labor. What makes them think they don't have to pay their employees?Answer #2: Are you sure there isn't a misunderstanding here? For someone to request this is outright ridiculous and horribly illegal. How far up the ladder has she gone with this issue? Clearly whoever she is talking to is not at all familiar with labor laws.Answer #3: Are you certain that's what they said/meant? Could it be that they said her time off would be out of her own pocket meaning unpaid time off/no vacation or sick pay?Answer #4: First off, she may be eligible for time off under FMLA. Is she actually employed by the school district or is she a contractor? Does the company she works for have at least 50 employees and has she worked at least 1250 hrs (at least 25 hrs/week) in the past year? If so, FMLA guarantees her 12 weeks per year of unpaid time off to care for a family member, a newborn, or a newly adopted child. If they make her pay to take FMLA leave, she can contact the labor standards board.


Title: [USA, PA] Emotional Support Animals

Question:
We have submitted an ESA letter to our landlord. She sent us a verification form to be filled out by a Therapist or an MD. We have our ESA letter written by a social worker. Is the Landlord allow to ask for additional documentation other than the ESA letter? I called HUD and the lady on the phone was difficult to understand but I gathered that the landlord was not allowed to ask for anything other than the ESA letter. I asked her to email the Landlord and to cc us on the email explaining this to the landlord. She said that she would send it before the day was up. We never got an email.

The landlord said that she must receive the verification form by Monday. She sent us the email on Friday afternoon. Even if she is allowed to ask for the form how can the landlord expect us to get an MD or therapist to fill it out on a Friday afternoon?

I believe ESA are protected under the fair housing act and that she can not request any additional info but sources online are saying she can while the HUD lady is saying she can not. Whos right? Should I go to a lawyer?

Answer:
 You keep repeating that someone at HUD said a social worker is acceptable, but I will explain the confusion.

In PA, an LCSW who is a therapist can write an ESA letter, provided they are part of a practice under a clinical psychologist or physician who is involved in that patient's care. LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker, but is the formal title of a clinical therapist.

If it is just a social worker,, counsellor, or LCSW not in a practice with an involved diagnostic provider overseeing patient care (or any other social worker,) then no - that is not adequate. There are instances where "social worker" as a title is allowed; not all people with that title are qualified.

\*Anyone\* who signs such a recommendation must be actively and currently treating the tenant as a patient in their practice.

Who exactly, and what is your relationship with, the person who you had write the letter?Answer #2: A social worker is not a mental health professional. You claim you need an ESA. What mental health professional has told you this?Answer #3: Your landord can request verification that you have a disability and require the animal as an accomodation. Do you have a disability? If so, who is treating it because a social worker is generally not qualified to treat mental illness.


Title: CT - publishing voicemail

Question:
In Connecticut.

A company using deceptive sales tactics called my company (which is in the same industry, but is not a competitor per se) and left a voicemail that illustrates their deception. Is it legal for my company to publish that voicemail in a blog post that addresses how and what is deceptive about these kind of calls?

We post articles warning of scams as part of our core work, so this isn't a one-off, if that matters.

We'll probably put in a call to our business lawyer, too, but sometimes it takes a few days to hear back on minor stuff.

Answer:
 You should not proceed along this path without having a conversation with your own attorney who will deal with anything that arises from it.

In the broadest terms, someone leaving a message for you is knowingly making a recording and it would be generally legal to use that recording.  It might be more complicated if the message were left for someone else.


Title: Is this discrimination? (workplace)

Question:
I don’t usually post on Reddit, so sorry if this is in the wrong place.

The company I work for sent out a memo that states all male employees will be required to work an extra shift in order to perform some manual labor they need done at another facility.  To quote, “All male staff members will be required to assist with this project.  Female staff members are welcome to attend but not required.”

(This is not something that is in any of the employees’ job descriptions, if that’s relevant.)

The memo then goes on to say that this is a “draft” and “not optional,” and that any man unable to attend will need a documented excuse.  (This was sent out with two days notice.)

This seems discriminatory to me.  Can any of you legal types weigh in?

Answer:
 I can definitely see that as problematic.  They would be a lot safer saying, "all employees hired to these positions:" Followed by a list of positions who's job duties include the type of work the project entails.

Answer #2: Wow, this is blatant discrimination.  You can either report it to the EEOC, or get a lawyer to send them a strongly worded letter and they will probably back down really quickly.

Answer #3: Yeah that is discrimination.

You should bring that to your supervisors or HR's attention. Do this via e-mail. BCC your personal e-mail address as well. Answer #4: Probably.   If you complain, they'll make the women attend to.  They won't let the men out of it.  Answer #5: Straight up gender disrimination

The second it gets out they should back down or make the women go too

Otherwise easy lawsuit


Title: Pawn shop question

Question: I work at a pawn shop in Virginia.  We buy visa gift cards at 50% value. We then scan the cards in our credit card machine for full value so it goes into the bank account for the shop. Is this illegal or what?

Answer: I don't see why that would be illegal, except in the way that if people want half the cash more than the full value of a card they can use pretty much anywhere the chances that the cards are stolen is relatively high.


Title: Any liability in offering HDD wiping services in Michigan?

Question:
I've been looking for ways to earn more income outside of work, and I've been considering doing data recovery and data protection from home.

One specific thing I had in mind is offering a safe, discreet data wipe for hard drives and other PC storage. DoD-spec 3-pass wipes can be done with lots of free software, but it takes a *loooooonnnnnnnggggggg* time to complete and most computer owners aren't tech-savvy enough to do this on their own. Since I can do these time-intensive tasks on my own, I thought about offering to wipe devices for a fee.

My question is, before I even get into a DBA license and a Tax ID, what liabilities might I face if I wipe a drive for someone? What if that drive doesn't legally belong to them, and/or contains illegal content? I know I wouldn't *know* what is on it, but am I still legally liable if I delete stolen or illegal content for a third party?

Answer:
 What I suggest is that you meet with an attorney who specializes in tech start up businesses.  They will be able to answer your specific questions and help you properly and legally set up such a business.

With that being said, some general thoughts...

>What if that drive doesn't legally belong to them

Well, assuming you did not take proper steps to verify this (or perhaps even if you did), you'd be negligent.  Just like if someone stole my car and had it painted, and the paint shop did not verify that the car was not stolen (memo to car thieves: Please steal my car, have it painted, and return it. No questions asked).  You could be sued for that.

>and/or contains illegal content? I know I wouldn't know what is on it, but am I still legally liable if I delete stolen or illegal content for a third party?

There is a HUGE body of law on this, and it's very, very, fact-specific.  Meaning the answer is "it depends," and the second answer is "go meet with that attorney so you can get a real answer you can rely upon."


Title: Is 16 legally acceptable minimum for my website?

Question:
Hello, I'm the founder of [Cuddle Comfort](http://www.cuddlecomfort.com), a slightly unusual website, and would really appreciate your opinion on something.

The website defines itself as a social network with the purpose of encouraging people to meet-up and essentially be physically intimate with each other but only in an innocent non-sexual way. At least, that's our intent.

Facebook's minimum age is 13 but given the intended purpose of Cuddle Comfort, can anyone see 16 being legally unacceptable?

I also must carefully consider the ethical aspect of this but I guess this isn't the place for such a discussion.

Any help is much appreciated, thanks in advance!

Answer:
 >can anyone see 16 being legally unacceptable in the United States?

In no way shape or form would I allow minors to engage in a "cuddle comfort" website.  18 and up only.Answer #2: >We’ll find you a cuddle buddy so you can start a friendship based on cuddling without any expectations of something more.
And it’s completely free.

I can imagine a parent being curious as to why a 16 year old would be looking for a 'cuddle buddy'.Answer #3: I think that setting a minimum age of less than 18 is asking for massive legal problems and terrible press, and is certainly not worth the minimal business you'd miss out on from excluding 16 and 17 year olds.

Answer #4: "Tonight on the 11pm local news - Shocking allegations against a local business owner and his website that facilitates and encourages meet-ups between adults and minors where they attend "cuddle parties" or meet one-on-one at each other's homes.  Many of these cuddle meetups happen after dark and participants are encouraged to wear comfortable/evening time relaxing clothing."

Do you want that to be blasted on the news?  Because, that's what will happen.  Strictly 18 and over, no matter what.


Title: Towed car, driver was drunk and now the tow truck driver is extorting them.

Question:
Hi,

So my uncle lives in Ontario, Canada and he was drunk (alcoholic, has dui's and no license) last night, hit a curb and fell asleep. A tow truck driver offered to tow his car and drop him home. My uncle has no idea who this guy is or his contact number, he was not supposed to be driving his wife's car.

Now the tow trunk driver is saying he will only disclose the location of the car and hand over the keys if my uncle pays him $1000. The driver said he'll pick up the money at their house. This seems like extortion to me because why won't he meet them where the car is and have them pay him, he's also not willing to give them any info like name or company he works for.

The driver refuses to meet them at the cars location.

What should they do?

Answer: Call the police.


Title: How mich trouble is my friend in?

Question:
Throwaway. We live in PA.

I have a friend who is currently facing charges for hindering her husband. He is already in jail for violating his parole. He stole something and she was also charged for this because she was there and drove him home. She did not know he had stolen anything. That was the first time she had ever been charged with anything.

The police came to her house looking for her husband. He ran. She opened the door and let them in. They asked her if he was there, and she said no, while pointing to where he was hiding, because she didn't want him to know she was giving him up. She had also called the police to tell him her husband was there.

So now she is charged with hindering. Her lawyer said that she could take a plea and get house arrest, but she would rather go to court because she feels she is innocent. She also says she's going to divorce her husband due to all of the trouble he's caused without so much as a "sorry". I suggested she get her phone records from that night to prove she called the police.

How much trouble is she in? How likely is it she will be found guilty? Is there anything more she can do?

Answer: She should follow her lawyer's advice.


Title: Just got arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior in Wisconsin

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Hire a criminal defense attorney, lewd and lascivious behavior is a class A misdemeanor in Wisconsin. Class A misdemeanors in WA can carry a hefty fine and up to 9 months in jail along with the conviction on your criminal record.


Title: How does military child support work?

Question: I’m in the military and currently stationed in a high cost of living state, thus getting higher BAH (Basic allowance for housing). For those that aren’t familiar, the military gives you an amount basically for rent depending on the cost of living in that area. The courts include this BAH in total income. I’m leaving this duty station and going elsewhere where I’ll be receiving less than half the BAH I got here. Can I go about lowering child support payments? How do I go about doing this? I’m paying $600 a month and there’s no way I can do that with my next income. Thanks in advance.

Answer: You go back to Court as ask for a new calculation based on changed circumstances. In my state of the new calculation is at least 15% lower or higher than previous, the court will enter a new order.


Title: [Michigan] My dad died and the only will that has been found is 30 years old and doesn't include me in it. How do I make sure I get a share of the inheritance?

Question:
Hello, 4 days ago on January 8th my father passed away. I just turned 18 this month, and I am in high school. My dad and mother have been divorced for years and my father never remarried. Yesterday my family and I started the process of dividing out his assets and we learned that he had over $500,000 in different banks accounts and investment accounts (not including his home and car). We were able to get into his safety deposit box and find a will he wrote in the late 80's before I was born that only explicitly mentions my three older sisters (from his first marriage) and one of my Uncles, who I will refer to as "John" in this post, as his heirs. This will also names my uncle "George" as the will's trustee. I'm afraid that my half sisters will use this will to cut me out of the inheritance. My uncle "John" (Uncle who is included in the old will) told me that my dad came up with a more recent will that splits his money 25% with my sisters and I, but we cannot find it, and there is no proof that it exists other than my uncle's word.

I don't really know what steps I need to take to get a fair share of my Dad's money. I currently don't have money to hire a lawyer ,but my uncle "George" (who is included on the old will from the 80's as trustee) told me he would speak to a lawyer regarding the estate. Any advice you can give me will be appreciated. Thank you

Answer:
 If your dad used an attorney, call that attorney to see if he has a copy of a will.  If your dad did all of this himself, you'll likely have to make a challenge to the estate in probate.

You're what's called a pretermitted heir, which is an heir that wasn't known to exist when the will was written, but would normally stand to inherit.  The general rule when that happens is that the pretermitted heir can make a claim to an intestate share (i.e. if you're one of 4 kids, you'd get 25% of the estate).  Answer #2: > I currently don't have money to hire a lawyer

You're looking at inheriting over $100k. Go meet with some lawyers.Answer #3: See [MCL 700.2302](http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-700-2302). Subsection (1)(b)(ii) says that an after-born child (such as you) gets an equal share with all the other children. There are caveats and conditions, but that's the general idea.Answer #4: Pretermitted heir.  Get an attorney.


Title: Medical Negligence at Phoenix Children Hospital

Question:
I need advice on steps to complete to report medical malpractice at Phoenix Children’s hospital. My 4 year old niece was taken to the ER from bad tummy aches, fever and vomiting. After hours of waiting with no attention, my nieve started hallucinating. Nurses ignored my nieces needs saying she was just a brat causing a scene. We had to call 911 from the emergency room in order to receive assistance. They ran test and could not find anything and that her appendix was fine. Her condition worsen they gave her morphine for pain which lead to seizures. At the second round of test almost 24 hours later she was rushed for emergency surgery because her appendix had burst. After surgery her legs and one arm were stuck and we were told she would need therapy to help her walk agin after the seizures she had. My niece did not fully wake up after surgery. She would cry and would not open her eyes or mouth. About 8 hours later they rushed her back for surgery on her brain because of an infection her appendix caused. She just came out and they are telling us we have a long road ahead of us. She will need therapy to move and speak again. One of the surgeons came out after the first surgery and suggested we summit a complain. But this has gotten way more serious. And we don’t know what to do.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 Call a medical malpractice lawyer in your area! Usually they will give free consults. Don’t let the hospital know you are meeting with lawyers. Your lawyers will obtain all the medical records needed for your case and help guide you on what complaints need to be made.

I can’t even begin to imagine what your family is dealing with in this situation and I hope your niece has a smooth recovery.Answer #2: Consult with an attorney immediately. The bar association in your city may help with a referral. Find a large law firm (they have more resources to deal with a hospital and complex cases) that specializes in medical malpractice.Answer #3: Request her full medical records (the lawyer will want this and it takes time to get, so getting the ball rolling is good)

Contact the hospitals or your states oversight agency

Contact the patient liaison for the hospital.

Contact a med mal attorney.

Remove this and do not post anything else with any explicit names or information (such as the hospital name)

I have played this game before. Leave this to the lawyers who know this sort of law. Most will do free consults. Many work on contingency.

While it is still fresh in your mind, write your timeline. Have other family members do the same. Every name, every complaint, every comment, anything that happened. Concise facts, no emotions. Your lawyer will need this and the longer you wait the more details you will loose.


Title: [CA] Neighbor Parks Across Driveway and Prevents Entry/Exit

Question:
Here is a crudely drawn paint image of my situation: [https://i.imgur.com/p8fagBz.png](https://i.imgur.com/p8fagBz.png)

I am located at House #1, and the photo illustrates our back driveway situation**\***.

&#x200B;

On several occasions, our neighbor parks across our driveway on a narrow street. It's narrow enough so that one car can tightly pass through if a car is parked on one side. For this reason, the left side of the road has a sign posted for "No Parking." Our driveway is up against a brick wall (which marks where the street ends). If this wall wasn't here, I would probably manage a 6-point turn to get out of my driveway even if my neighbor decides to park across it. But this situation doesn't allow for that. It is physically impossible for me to enter/exit my driveway when a car is parked (please see the "Car parks here" noted in red text).

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The neighbor at House #2 has ample space for parking. They have a driveway that leads to 4 car garage parking, and there is space between that entryway on the street too (see orange text).

&#x200B;

I've asked my neighbors to move their car many times which they kindly obliged; however, they continue to park there even though they know I won't be able to move my car.

&#x200B;

It's Christmas Eve. I couldn't get out of my driveway and was forced to call Uber. I was advised to call local law enforcement if my neighbors were *blocking* my driveway. But, it's the holidays! I don't want them to get a ticket, and I couldn't reach them at their doors today. I left a letter letting them know about the situation and that I would call law enforcement next time.

&#x200B;

Was this the right thing to do? I'm not even sure if law enforcement can do anything about this... Neighbor hadn't "blocked" my driveway but it's a narrow enough street that their parking prevents entry/exit.

&#x200B;

I'd appreciate your insight. :(

&#x200B;

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**\***We have a front and back driveway but use both driveways because of the number of inhabitants and varying departure/arrival times home.

&#x200B;

Answer:
 First, I think you've taken the best action in asking your neighbor politely not to park there as you can't leave your driveway. Since you've done this before and they keep doing it, they may think that this isn't an issue, so talking to them in person and showing them when you're not in a hurry to leave could help.

Legally, you should look into the parking laws in your town to see how they're worded regarding blocking driveways. If they're vague your neighbor could be violating them. If not, I'd look into petitioning to have that last section of street officially marked as no parking. I have no idea if that's possible (it sounds like if there's no sidewalk parking is a bit of a free for all), but it's worth a try.Answer #2: When you talk to your neighbor about moving their car, what are you saying to them?  There's a difference between "I'm having a problem getting my car out" (which can imply an intermittent issue) and "Please do not park there at all, ever, as I can't get my car out".

You might also illustrate the point by having *them* try to drive out of your driveway with a car parked in the difficult space.Answer #3: Across your driveway? or across from it and on the opposite side of the street?

Blocking your driveway would be a no no, could have em towed for that. Parking on the other side of the street directly across from your driveway would not be based on your drawing.

Your post isn't clear on that point, tends lean toward the latter though...


Title: After resigning deleted files off personal computer now being asked for them and told can get in trouble for deleting property of the state

Question:
I’m asking on behalf of my sister. She works in California in wildlife conservation for a state department. She was working on a project where she captures and tags animals with the intent of applying for grad school and using the data from the project as her grad school project.

It ended up they were going to fire her bc the project will not continue further than data analyzation. They wanted someone else to do it bc her ‘performance went down’. They allowed her to resign instead and she turned in her work computer. She then deleted all the related info from her personal computer as she was no longer working there.

1.5 weeks later the project lead’s computer crashed and he reached out saying hers was the only backup. When she told him it was deleted he got really mad and said all that stuff was state property and she can get in a lot of trouble.  Does anyone know if this is true?

Answer: So long as she returned the files to her employer before deleting them, she's in the clear. Presumably all of those files were in her work computer, as well?


Title: I was assaulted

Question:
I was assaulted, completely unprovoked at a private residence, on 12/1/18. The gentleman that is responsible is now behind bars for the next 7 years as a result. He was convicted of assault IV. I sustained several injuries as a result of the attack and I’m looking to file a civil suit to recover lost wages, medical bills, etc. The aforementioned medical bills when treatment is said and done is somewhere in the range of $100k+. After speaking with a couple of lawyers, I’m getting the impression that I’m up a creek without a paddle. The homeowners don’t live there, it’s a rental property. The gentleman that assaulted me was a tenant. I’m staring whatever medical bills my health insurance doesn’t cover directly in the face and in all honesty, I don’t think it’s fair for what I had to suffer through. Is there anything I can do? Any avenues that I’ve overlooked to this point?
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 Every state has a victim's compensation program that will help crime victims with medical bills, lost wages, property damage, etc.  Google "your state crime victim's compensation".  The caveat is that some have restrictive timelines regarding by when you need to file.  Meaning...do this immediately and follow the process.  There are certain parameters you need to meet.  The most important one is filing a police report which you obviously have already done.  In fact, you've probably already fulfilled a majority of the requirements.

Separately, you can see about Medicaid for your state or Charity/Financial Assistance offered by your medical providers.  A Financial Counselor (or someone with a similar title at the hospital) should be able to help with that.Answer #2: You can certainly sue him, but you're going to have a tough time collecting for the next 7 years.Answer #3: It's not fair, but the reality is he is responsible and is in no position to pay you. A ruling in your favor for everything you want would have pretty much no chance of being collected on. Unless you think he has assets squirreled way you can go after, this won't help much.

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If that large of debt is going to destroy you (it would me), then talking to an attorney about bankruptcy and what is and is not accounted for might be a good move.


Title: Underage drinking with prior charges

Question:
I am 19 years old (Ohio, United States of America) and I have prior legal charges for possession of marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia. Fines have been completely paid and my license has been reinstated for several months. No jail time or probation, both charges are misdemeanors.

For some background information, I was out drinking at a friend's place and around 3:30am I decided to leave (I hadn't drank for at least three hours) since I didn't feel *right* staying the night there; I didn't feel unsafe, I just felt like there was something off. Instead of driving home, I decided to walk because home wasn't too far away, the distance was maybe a mile. During the walk home, I used all crosswalks and made sure to press the button for the traffic lights (can't remember if there is a specific term). Essentially, I wasn't breaking any other laws besides underage drinking and perhaps public intoxication (officers didn't mention anything about public intoxication though) and was trying to be responsible by walking.

When I was less than a quarter of a mile away from home, two cop cars pulled up behind me. The driver of the one in front rolled his window down and asked what I was doing. "Walking home, I'm pretty close, it is right over there." The officer gets out and asks me how much I've been drinking and at this point I know I should try to keep quiet but of course, I am drunk. "I don't know what you're talking about officer." As if I had said "just fucking cuff me," the officer proceeded to tell me I was under arrest and put me in handcuffs. Drunk me decided it would be better to play ball because this officer didn't even read me my full Miranda warning, just "you have the right to remain silent" so he didn't give two shits about protocol or any sense of process. "Ten beers, I didn't want to drive." I get put in the back of his cruiser and taken to the station for a breath test and the cuffs get taken off. "Ever taken one of these?" "No officer." I blew exactly .080 and after all the paperwork was done they told me to call my parents. They took me home and let me loose.

I didn't grow up in this city so I don't know the places I should steer clear of and apparently I was in one of the areas the police watch and I should have just called my parents to come pick me up. However, transgressions aside, I'm only worried about jail time and my job. I might be able to still go to work if I do go to jail but that will most definitely reflect upon me in terms of rapport with the higher-ups. If I end up going to jail and can't go to work, I will lose my job and vehicle for the second time. I already have to continue to make payments for a car that I was making payments on but was repossessed due to me getting fired for the drug charges I mentioned earlier. So with my parents making me pay $240 for rent, $600 in car payments, $200 in student loan payments, and irresponsible spending habits, my credit will be ruined, I will not be able to find a job since my area is ridiculously small, and well... I would be fucked. As long as I don't get jail time I will be fine, my boss loves me since I always come in early and do the best I can, I have reason to believe that he would understand that I'm young and stupid.

Should I just lawyer up? Maybe now would be a good time to figure out who sells cocaine or opiates so I can try to get a plea deal. I would hate to be a rat but if things go wrong in court, I couldn't live like that. Am I just worrying about this too much? Right now it is 7/31/2017 at 12:22am and I have to go to court on Wednesday, any advice would be much appreciated.

Update:
I will be seeking legal council and my employer finds the whole situation to be humorous. Their only concern is if I can't get work release then I will lose my job. However, my employer did say he would be writing a letter of reference, however much that will count for in court.

Answer:
 > this officer didn't even read me my full Miranda warning

He doesn't need to do that unless he plans on questioning you further. It seems he followed protocol adequately.

> "Ten beers, I didn't want to drive."

Did you actually say this?

Get an attorney. This is your second (third?) offense and you will be facing stiffer penalties this time around. This is not a joking matter.


Title: [UT] Threatened with lawsuit for putting a note on a trailer. Do I have anything to worry about?

Question:
I live in Utah. The apartment complex in which I live has covered parking spaces which are numbered, as well as uncovered parking. The covered spots are reserved since they are paid for as part of rent, while the uncovered spots are free for anyone to park in.

On 5/16, I came home to find that someone had parked their trailer in my covered spot. I wrote a note that said something along the lines of, "If you are still parked here on 5/17, I am having you towed. I pay for this spot." I realize this is passive aggressive, but this isn't the first time someone has parked in my spot and it gets annoying.

On 5/17, I come home from work and the trailer is parked in an uncovered spot. I think all is well and don't give it a second thought.

As I'm getting out of my car today, 5/18, a man walking his dog from across the road in the complex says "Do you have a lawyer?" to which I replied no and asked him why. He said "because I'm going to sue you" then walks towards his apartment.

Do I have anything to worry about here? What could he possibly be suing me for? I have a copy of my lease that says that the numbered spot in which he parked his trailer is mine. I gave him a day to move it instead of having it towed immediately. I just want to make sure I'm all clear or if I need to do anything now, or when/if I get served.

Your help is much appreciated!

Answer: You don't have anything to worry about.  Anyone can sue anyone else for anything, but that doesn't mean they'll be successful.


Title: Ex wife wants me to sign document stating I won't sue for custody. [Ark]

Question:
My ex-wife is currently going through a separation with her second husband. I have begun to keep our daughter overnight as my ex works nights. She had left my daughter (14) alone a few nights and when I found out, I insisted she stay with me as I am a mile away and the same distance from the school.

She has been erratic about allowing this and has only agreed to do so if I type a letter stating I won't sue for custody and have it notarized. If I do this, will it hold up if I ultimately do have to sue for custody? To me, it seems more a symbolic gesture than a legally binding document. In fact, I feel that her fear and this request of me is not putting our child's welfare first, but her possessiveness (she has indicated that she doesn't want our child to stay with me specifically because she's afraid I'll "take her away").

I'm inclined to give her what she wants as it is currently the easiest way to have my daughter in a safe place with stability. Is there a way writing this letter and notarizing it can prevent me from suing for custody if need be?

Answer:
 Why on Earth would you sign that?

The courts can take such an agreement into account, but don't have to. Nonetheless, I'd never recommend signing an agreement, even an unenforceable one, unless you intend to abide by it. If your ex-wife is threatening your access to your children, you need an attorney and a custody and visitation order. If your ex-wife's home is not a stable place for your daughter, you and your attorney can make that case and move for increased custody. Neither requires your ex-wife's cooperation.

I don't know you and I don't know your kid, but it's not completely obvious that leaving a 14-year-old alone at night is necessarily neglectful. Was your kid in danger as a result, denied food, or otherwise poorly prepared to take care of herself briefly? Does she have friends in the neighbourhood whose parents might be willing to keep half an eye out in case of trouble?Answer #2: You can't give up rights to your children that easily.


Title: Required to pay back 5 years of paid salary?

Question:
Hello, I work in the US and just realized my contract with my employer contains a "Remuneration Repayment" clause. The clause indicates if I were to breach the contract (by any number of well defined actions) I would be required to repay all compensation received since the beginning of the contract. This is to include training costs, equipment costs, salary and wages, and other compensation.

I'm going to avoid breaking the contract at all costs, but should I expect to be legally required to pay back this salary? It seems nuts to be required to do that. I can't even imagine the mess taxes would make this.

Edit: This is in Maryland, USA

Answer:
 No sane judge would enforce such a provision. It's a penalty wearing a transparent liquidated damages mask.Answer #2: Thank you for taking the time to respond.

As far as I know I am a typical employee. I get a W-2, a 401k, and healthcare. I work a n 40hr week established by the employer.


Title: My brother who is a pedophile is having a child, what can I do?

Question:
My brother molested my sister and I when we were kids. There was a police investigation but he was never charged. I found out recently his partner is having his baby. I have thought about telling his partner, but I am afraid of him and do not know how to contact her. He has guns and has a history of violence. I really don t know what I can do if anything at all, but the situation is making me physically ill. The idea that he will have unlimited access to a helpless baby is disgusting beyond words.

If any one has any good advice I would appreciate it.

Answer: There's nothing that can legally be done for now. You can keep an eye out for abuse and contact the police/CPS as appropriate in the future when incidents occur, but not as a precautionary measure


Title: Name change advise for transgender [TX]

Question:
Hello!

My girlfriend and I finally have enough money to go ahead with getting her name changed. However it seems there are a lot of different ways to go about this and not a surefire guidelines. We currently work and reside on Williamson County between Austin and Round Rock. We have one question regarding the entire process:

Pretty much the bulk of the expense to get her name changed involve filing a set of fingerprints. However back when she was underage a long ass time ago, she was caught shoplifting and got her fingerprints taken. She was also in the Navy, so she may have gotten those taken back in bootcamp as well (she's a little hazy on this one). Since she already has this one set (possibly two) of her fingerprints, does she still need to get them done again and file them in? Or can we skip this process and save some of that money because the fingerprints are already in the system?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You need to have them done. What does it cost? $10 at your local police station? They are required to run the background check.


Title: My Mom (60) is being charged with assault and its bullshit.

Question:
My Mom is a 60 year old volunteer of the year in Texas. She brings meals to 3 local elderly care homes in her area daily and helps many of those folks get to doctors appointments. Every holiday our family open our homes and we volunteer as a group to make sure every single elderly person gets a visit, presents, and a meal. We service about 80 people a year and my Mom delivers and makes about 3000 visits a year. My Mom is a 90 pound ex-truckdriver. She swears like a sailor and has a heart of gold. She will cuss a person  out but has never in all her years hit anything or anyone.

One of the elderly care places she services is lower budget and has a lady who runs a kitchen there. This woman hates my Mom. Let's just say they have had words. This woman runs the kitchen and feels like my Mom is direct competition for her. Most of the old folks who live at the property are of Asian descent, do not speak English and are afraid of this woman. My grandmother lives at this property also. Somehow this woman has the power to use my grandmothers apartment as a show apartment and asks my grandmother to leave her house every few days to show someone her apartment. My grandmother complies because she is afraid of getting kicked out and having no where to go. That's a whole other ball of wax, but I am trying to show what kind of bully we are dealing with.

Anyway, this woman we will call T asked my Mom not to put notes with menus on peoples doors any longer. My Mom complied and went to the office to leave them there instead. At the office T. Accused my Mom of leaving notes on doors still. My Mom told her she was full of shit and probably mad shit talking ensued between the two woman. T. takes my moms pushcart filled with meals and knocks it over spilling everybodies food. My Mom picks the food up, probably cusses the lady out and then leaves. She tosses all the food in the dumpster then heads over to whataburger and gets grandma and her friends a bunch of burgers instead. On her way back from whataburger the police call her and tell her she has been charged with assault. My Mom laughs and doesn't believe it. She probably cussed a bunch at the police on the phone because I swear the woman just has no chill. She is told that T. Has accused her of kissing her in a threatening way. No, I am not kidding.

Sure enough, Mom gets a notice in the mail saying she is being charged with assault and needs to make a court date or pay the $431.00 fine. We do some digging on T. And find out she just got out of anger management classes a week before all this goes down and that she has had assault charges herself.  My Mom has no record or past history of violence.

There was a camera in the area they were at and T. claims it wasnt working.

My Mom says she didn't touch this woman ever and I 100% believe her. She would like to keep a clean record. One day we might want to get a grant to do further elderly outreach. She began her project when meals on wheels budget was slashed and there is a need for what she and the family does. We are going to talk to lawyers tomorrow but what are we in for here guys and how jacked up is this all about to be?

TLDR: My Moms got an assault charge and its bullshit.

Answer: Your mother needs a lawyer.Answer #2: Assault by threat is a class C misdemeanor in Texas, essentially the same thing as a traffic ticket, which is what sounds like occurred. There doesn’t have to be physical contact for the charge


Title: 16yo musician wants to use recordings of his mother (mentally ill+criminal bio mom) LA, as in Louisiana

Question:
Our son, we have legal custody, 16 months ago with no parental rights to bio-mom, wants to use recordings of his bio-mom--as a backdrop to his music.

The recordings were legally made.  They include bio-mom, calling us, telling us Son was (is) "is gonna to kill me" (the 'me' being bio-mom), Son saying, "xxx (the adult living with bio-mom) has locked himself in the bathroom cause mama's gotta knife", my wife calling 911 (after bio-mom threatened us, on the call she made to us)...there're more tapes.

Our son does not know, except through court hearings, CDs of the recordings exist.

Son plays in an unplugged acoustic group (all over 18, except son.)

Son is saying "you cut my creativity" when we say, "No."

Wife and I tell him, wait 'til yer 18.  Son's giving us grief.

There's not a snowflakes chance in 'ell bio-mom'll get any form of custody. But we don't want to drag up the 'ell we went through+I don't think the kiddo (son) should either.  Don't want to stop his creative drive~he's seen the psy-guy.  That didn't put an end to it.

Creative OR Wrong?
edit: Just asking for legal advice.  Son has used (legally made) recordings of his bio-mom (son made them) in the past~~before we had 100% custody.  Are using legally recorded recordings legal?  aside: he wants to put his music on youtube.

Answer:
 Oh, to be 16 and young and poetic and convinced of the indivisible parity of truth and art.

Here's how this is actually done. Someone gets a transcript of what was said on the recording. Someone then revises that transcript -- maybe just a little, maybe a lot -- so that it fits the artistic vision of the musical piece. Someone then finds a voice talent and records the talent reciting the transcript.

That way he's using the source material and his inspiration to create something that fits into and furthers his work, instead of being a slave to his source material.


Title: Major Insurance Fraud

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I'll be your best friend if you edit this post to make it shorter  and full of just the facts.


Title: [MA] New job ended up not working out, and I want to protect myself

Question:
Hi folks. First time posting, and I will attempt to make this as concise as possible.

I recently took a new job which requires a long commute, and there are two major issues.

First, I was told that a travel reimbursement plan would be present to alleviate commuting costs. I was told this numerous times during the interviewing and on-boarding process, and it was presented as a solution to the high cost of commuting. However, after already on the job I found out it is only a pre-tax deduction program which is 100% employee funded. The employer does not reimburse anything. On my first day, I realized I was losing nearly $5k annually out of my new pay. This is a tangible problem, as it negates the pay increase I negotiated. In the long run, I may even lose money.

Second, there is a workplace issue... both with the job I was hired for being generally undefined and outside of my area of expertise, and the colleagues around me not providing concrete training or guidance. I'm not even being introduced to other colleagues in the office. As far as the job duties and my capability of doing them, I feel like a fish out of water. The job title suggests that the work duties are financial, which is my background. This is why I didn't catch the issue during the interview stage. Also, during interviews, people kept using the financial term to describe the job. It was only recently clarified to me that this is *not* a finance job at all. I think I was hired for a position that is, ultimately, data and systems management, but the job is grossly mis-labeled. I've repeatedly asked for a job description, and have not been provided with one. I'm fairly sure it doesn't exist.  I feel like I'm being forced to learn a new language, in addition to switching careers, with absolutely no notice. This is also very upsetting.

I'm skipping over some detail, but the end result is this: I am having a very difficult time composing myself due to the stress of these revelations (crying, shaking, not eating, etc). HR is giving me lots of push-back, and has even come out and suggested I simply go back to my old employer. However, they have not formally dismissed me. I gave up a job I was, more or less, content with in exchange for higher pay and the pursuit of "moving up" in the world. My old employer and job was well-suited for me, but I have already confirmed that I'm not able to simply walk back into my old job.

Therefore, if I leave this new employer, I have nothing. I have to start from scratch in terms of a job search, and I now have a hole in my resume. I also am not sure how long I may have health coverage for.... I'm looking to leave because I am not confident I can stay with this new employer and keep myself healthy, and I'm also fairly sure I can't perform the job duties in the way they want me to, without forcing them to ELI5, which it's pretty evident they won't do. They constantly speak in internal-language that I have no context for, and communicate in half-sentences and lots of subtext/implied meaning. Irrespective of all the other issues, I am NOT the type of person who communicates in that manner, and always have a hard time understanding those to communicate in this way.

I live in a different state than the employer.  My doctor is aware of my composure and stress issues, and is ready to assist me in terms of going out on medical leave in the state I'm a resident of (I've confirmed that I can rightfully file and qualify). But since my current employer is in a different state (MA), I'm unsure if they're required to keep my health coverage valid for any length of time if I go out due to medical concerns.

I'm posting this here to see if I've missed anything, in terms of covering and protecting myself. I've kept sending my complaints and communication to HR in writing, even when they've encouraged me to meet or call them.  They also tend to say very different stuff verbally than they do in writing... the details of which I can provide through PM if anyone is interested in. I just want to be safe while I look for a new job to replace the security and salary I had before, and I don't want to leave this employer with any loose ends that may come back to harm me. Also, I want to know what their responsibility is meant to be after I notify them when/why I'm leaving. They seem to have a massive inattention to detail, so I want them to be accountable.

All in all, I'm very upset I've upended my life and gotten rid of my previous job (which was secure and safe), which I can't recover. I feel like I've come out hugely in the negative from the whole experience, and I can only hope to find something similar to what I had before.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Answer:
 >I'm skipping over some detail, but the end result is this: I am having a very difficult time composing myself due to the stress of these revelations (crying, shaking, not eating, etc)

You need to see a therapist.  The world is a tough place and you need better skills for adapting to it.


Title: Apartment towed my car - but wait! There's a twist!

Question:
So I don't know if this is the right place to put this, but everyone is telling me different things so I really don't know what to do. This takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

So Saturday (christmas eve) someone attempted to steal my car. It was broken into, the steering wheel lock removed, and they shoved something into my ignition to get it started. They got like 10 feet backwards and bumped into another car...then just left it there.

So of course, the apartment complex towed my car. There's no assigned parking or permits or anything, so they don't ask for license plate info upon moving in. So I wasn't notified at all that my car was taken off the property.

I didn't notice until Monday night. It's all been taken care of - for the most part - but there are some loose strings I'm worried about.

I haven't filed a police report. Mostly because nobody in the office knows if the other car was damaged? And because it wasn't a confirmed attempted stealing until I managed to get down to the towing lot and look at my cars ignition. So I guess my first question is: Is it still in my best interest to file a police report even though my car is in my possession (technically at a Firestone) and it happened 4 days ago?

Second: Can I make the apartment complex reimburse my release fee of 200$ because they towed it and didn't notify me? Obviously I'm not going to ask them to pay for damages since it's not their fault my car was stolen. But if they had just told me my car wasn't in a parking spot, I could have just dealt with it then instead of going through all this stress and hassle.

Last: Is this possible ground to break lease early? My car has been stolen once before this and broken into multiple times. I no longer feel safe nor secure in my own home.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Edit: Thanks for all your advice. I was super bummed to hear I can't break lease because of excessive theft, but I'm still gonna try. Police report is filed and my car has been fixed up and returned to me.

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 > Is it still in my best interest to file a police report even though my car is in my possession (technically at a Firestone) and it happened 4 days ago?

Yes.

>  Can I make the apartment complex reimburse my release fee of 200$ because they towed it and didn't notify me?

No, they aren't required to notify people if they have their vehicles towed.

> Last: Is this possible ground to break lease early?

No. Answer #2: >Is it still in my best interest to file a police report even though my car is in my possession (technically at a Firestone) and it happened 4 days ago?

Yes.  Your car was vandalized and somebody attempted to steal it (allegedly).  You may need a report if you want to file an insurance claim.

>: Can I make the apartment complex reimburse my release fee of 200$ because they towed it and didn't notify me?

You cannot make them do anything.  You can ask, and the complex can say no.  They did not do anything wrong and acted in good faith.

> Is this possible ground to break lease early?

No.  The apartment complex did not cause somebody to attempt to steal your car nor were they negligent.  You are free to break your lease and move out but you have to pay any rents/fees per the terms of your lease and state law.


Title: Accidentally breaking someone's laptop

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Fault on both parts,

No?  You broke it, that is your fault.


Title: Wedding Photographer delivery delays (California)

Question:
I signed a contract with my wedding photographer which included an engagement shoot that says he would include the RAW files as well.  The actual line item on the contrat reads: "DVD - RAW files included. 400-500 Edited Photos".

3 months after the wedding, he texted me saying the photos were ready, and that he would mail us a DVD (or some form of physical media).  I had to call/text/email him weekly for the next 4 months, following up on where our photos were.  He would only respond maybe 50% of the time and each time there was a new excuse - blu-ray burner broke, ran out of USB drives, hard drive failed, etc.
Instead of mailing us anything, he uploaded all of our RAW wedding files and UNEDITED full-res wedding photos to DropBox.  The folder size was too large and I had to pay $10 to upgrade to Dropbox Pro in order to access it.  Because the photos were unedited, I had to personally post-process them in order to print out to give to our family for Christmas.  I had to ask multiple times for the rest of the photos that we were still missing:
- RAW engagement photos
- Edited full-res engagement photos
- Edited full-res wedding photos

7+ months after the wedding and 4+ months after he initially said all our photos were ready, he finally mailed us a USB drive with the full-res wedding photos (1000+), and emailed us a download link to 21 full-res edited engagement photos.  He originally posted 141 edited LOW-res engagement photos as a "teaser" to his website.  When I asked why he gave me 21 instead of 141 engagement photos, he pointed to the contract that says he's only required to give me 400-500, and including the 1000+ wedding photos, he had overdelivered.  I also did not receive any RAW engagement photos.

Unfortunately there is nothing in the contract that states he has to deliver our photos by a certain deadline.  The language regarding RAW files are also vague.  I would expect that "RAW files included" means ALL RAW files, including the 141 engagement photos (since they require no editing).

A few questions:
1. Can I seek any damages from my photographer for:
	- taking so long to deliver the photos?
	- having to upgrade my DropBox account ($10)?
	- the time it took me to edit the photos myself?
2. Did he breach the contract by not providing the RAW engagement photos?

He has been extremely frustrating to deal with and I've had to post on Facebook multiple times to get any meaningful response from him.  Instead of apologizing for his lack of communication or delivery delays, his response to me has been "You got your photos, so you should stop complaining".  Do I have any legal standing to be able to take him to court?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: Not legal advice, just general advice -- leave reviews for him everywhere you can. Share your bad experiences on every wedding board, vendor list, and local forum you can. When he complains, explain why you're doing it, and ask how he's going to make it right.


Title: bakery under employee strain. Our legal obligations and rights?

Question:
First off thank you Reddit and all those uin the comuunity willg to help or read the story and motivate.

This is a long legal advice question so here it goes.

Some background info
My family (parents) owns a bakery in California and recently we have had and are continuing to have problems with one of our female employees. This employee is pregnant (4 months in) and recently she has been difficult to work with. She is 36 years old was a single mother for about 19 years, the father of the upcoming child is in limbo as to whether he wants to take responsibilty for his child only.  Now before anyone  begins to say that my family and I are just greedy business owners let me give some context. Our relationship with this employee has been great all the time she has ever been with us. She started working with us back in 2005 when i was only 8 years old, i am now 19 and she has been with us ever since. I played with her son of my same age on the same soccer team for almost 4 years, and she and her family have come to our (my families) house on numerous occasions. I can honestly say we have treated her very well, even when our business was suffering during hard times. However with her recent pregnancy she has been acting up and has numerous times claimed that we are not protecting her as an employee. She wanted easier work or, however in the bakery business thier really is no easy work it is always the same. And to be fair, during our peak years 2007-2009 she was working alot more in the sense of more hours and more product was being moved. The point being that we cant give easier work because their is none. We can only give her less hours which we did. She was unsatisfied and claimed that we aren't protecting her, but she is physically unwilling to strain herself because of the pregnancy but doesn't want a less hours which is he only real solution.

The problem

About 1 year ago, long before her pregnancy their was a burglary in the bakery where a homeless man threatened her with a giant wrench. She was working and the man robbed the shop taking the money and running. She was in no way harmed physically at all. A customer came in and helped her, afterwards my father was called and the entire family rushed to the bakery, we live about 5 minutes away by car. The police was on its way and arrived shortly after us. The police report was taken and that was that. only money and some keys were taken. We didnt have any cameras so no footage was taken and after this incident cameras were installed as a deterrent. Fast forward to today and I get a call from the State of California Government looking for the owners of the shop ( my parents) saying they are looking to investigate us for worker neglect or something of that nature, i cant remember because my heart literally dropped when I heard this. My parents were not available, they were out buying bakery necessities flour, baking powder, etc. However scared I was I made sure I asked some questions about the investigation. Basically an employee was filing some sort of complaint about a burglary from about a year ago and is seeking  some sort of compensation for owner neglect. Lady on the phone from State Government obviously wasn't going to tell me, as she was looking for my parents the owners. Now it didnt take to long for me to put the burglary and the employee together, and I asked who this employee was. The lady from the State didn't inform me however she did tell me that the employee has been contacting her numerous times. Now i really got scared. The State hung up and i needed to think. I really wasn't sure if to feel scared for my parents and me (our entire family in general 4 brothers) or angry at the employee she would pull something like this. I informed my parents of this call and they were just as angry anf horrified. Keep in mind this burglary was 1 year ago and a police reprt was filed. Nothing was absolutely hidden
and my parents are really freaked out. My dad said he will be seeing an attorney just in case we did do something wrong and to know what can be done in a case like this. At this point i have no real idea what to think and im pretty scared shitless thinking about some law suit that we could face, because its not every day the State wants to investigate you and you find out your being accused of worker neglect. We dodnt know what we might be accused of and I think thats the scariest part.

Now here come some complications:

MY parents and I work in a Mexican Bakery. Parents are both from Mexico and I was born here and currently attending a University.

The pregnant employee is also from Mexico and recently she has been getting worked up over the possibilty of getting legal status with Obamas executive action, or maybe that her newborn might give her some legal status when he is born. I know it sounds ridicoulous but this employee firmly believed that when her 18 year old son (also from Mexico) qualified for the California Dream Act, She thought she was going to recieve legal status as well.

My parents dont want to really believe it, and niether do I but we feel that this whole investigation and possible suit or whatever it could lead up to is her attempt to either get money from us or some sort of legal citizen status.

My parents truly dont want believe this, and neither can I. But if she wants this then I guess she leaves no real alternative. I am going to see a lawyer tomorrow, because I know my dad and he doesnt seem to really be grasping the magnititude of this and is almost in denial.

My father has been doing this for 30 years and  has had multiple bakery business in his life and never have has he  had a problem like this. We have never had an employee become pregnant, but my father said she will be recieving maternity leave. At this point my father said he is just going to ask what she wants. Money well to bad their is not much left in my parents accounts. I hope our employee knows what she is doing, because its not just her family and our family that wil be affected. Their are more workers other than just her, and if our business suffers because of this she will be taking a whole lot more families down

My Question: What should we do? And what shouldnt we do? I know worker and business laws for maternity leave and workers comp. and owner liability all vary from state to state but i would appreciate any help

Any legal avdice  would really help
This is in California

Reddit please help. I will be glued to this computer for any help of any kind thank you.

Answer:
 Way too much detail.

My summary:  A pregnant employee, who apparently is a Mexican citizen without permission to work in the US, has requested easier work and the business is not accommodating her.  She has now filed a complaint of some kind (OP was vague) about trauma from a burglary that occurred a year ago.  OP is panicking.

OP, you have not been served with a lawsuit, and you have not been formally notified by any government agency that you have violated any regulations.  [Here's a link](http://www.dfeh.ca.gov/res/docs/ppt/rapregnancy.ppt) to a presentation discussing accommodating pregnant employees.  You have to make "reasonable accommodations" for them.  The presentation discusses this a bit.
Answer #2: We are going to need a lot more details


Title: My friend's predicament getting pulled over.

Question:
Hello, I would like to start off by saying that I don't post on Reddit much so I'm sorry if my "reddiquette" is a bit shaky, and I'm sure there will be comments commending my formatting and I'm sorry for that.

So my friend texted me today saying that he was pulled over by the police for speeding (around 15mph over) and the cop searched his car for weed and found it (along with paraphernalia). I asked him how much the fine was for and he said that there was no listed fine on the citation, and that it only stated he had to appear in court.

Am I wrong in thinking that the officer messed up on the due process? And if so, is there any possible loophole that might get him out of the ticket? If I'm not mistaken, all of the charges he received are punishable by fine and do not require him to appear in court. So does the fact that the officer messed up his ticket mean anything here, or am I really reaching?

Answer: You are wrong and mistaken. When caught doing 10 above the posted limit while carrying drugs frankly cop only needs your name and address and can convict you at their leisure. There is nothing your friend can do but get a lawyer, start going to NA and be a better citizen.


Title: (ON) The hospital is keeping me captive for 2 weeks and I don’t want to stay.

Question:
I live in Canada ontario, north america, planet earth in the milky way galaxy

HELLO. I am 17. I was sent to the hospital, requested by my parental guardian because I took a bunch of pills that I wasn’t supposed to do.

Told doc what happened, said i wanted to kill myself, they place me under form 3 (look it up im too lazy) and i have to stay for 3 weeks.

Ive been here 3 times. 1st it was 3 days, 2nd it was 2 weeks and right now its 2 weeks again.

Im getting a lawyer in a week but can i sue the hospital or psychiatrist that placed me under this form?

The last 2 times ive been here, It didnt fix anything and it just made me feel worse. Its prison here. You have NO freedom most of the time. The cops will chase you if u leave. Is this the holocaust or what?

I want to sue the hospital for forcing people here, even when the victim feels that they are fully capable as a person to continue on in their life without being stuck here.

I want to sue but im a 17 year old little insignificant boy! I need help from the masters (aka you guys and gals). I need some steps, some websites and anything u can give me

Much appreciated and god bless

Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 >Im getting a lawyer in a week but can i sue the hospital or psychiatrist that placed me under this form?

It's very unlikely that you will be successful given that there seems to be an overwhelming amount of evidence that you actually *need* to be there and need their help.