Title: Broke an ankle at a major theme park

Question:
My family and I attended a major CA theme park. While we were walking from one room where the intro began, into the auditorium, where the main show was, my daughter tripped and broke her ankle.  People were rushing in to get seats and families were trying to sit together which I feel contributed to her tripping on the step. This happened at our first attraction.  Tickets were refunded and we were given head of the line tickets but this leg of our vacation was ruined.  We couldn't use the head of the line tickets and ended up leaving early.

Now my daughter has missed school and is falling behind and she has missed her dance class which she had been attending for over 8 years. This might ruin her dance aspirations. She's been dancing got over half of her life. I'm afraid if she can't dance this child lead to depression or other negative repercussions.

Are there any suggestions as to what we might do because this has had a very negative impact on her life and it's only been 2 weeks.

Answer:
 No, you don't have a case against them. If there had been an unreasonable hazard, for example an unmarked hole or gap, then maybe. As it stands, though, the mere fact that the injury happened in the park does not automatically make it the park's fault.

Get your daughter treated as needed, physically, psychologically, spiritually, etc. Insurance may cover some parts of it. The park, however, almost certainly will not.Answer #2: You watch your daughter better the next time you take her somewhere. End thread.


Title: Illinois- Apparently I was summoned for jury duty while at college. Now I'm being fined $800.

Question:
So apparently last year I was summoned for jury duty in the county where my permanent home residence is.  I was living at college and I was not aware that this had happened.  I only learned of this today when I was called by someone at the country clerk's office saying that I'm being fined for missing the jury duty appointment, and on top of that another fine for failure to pay the previous fine, which I did not know about.

I'm still in college, and I can't afford to pay that fine.

Since I have a very good reason for not having been there and not having been aware that I'd been summoned, can I just call them and explain myself?

Answer:
 You still have jury duty while in college.

You should call the court and explain the situation.  Tell them you are willing to serve but were unaware you were called upon.


Title: Girl at my school lying about being sexually harassed by my friend

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOUR FRIEND JUST GIVE HER THE ICY HOT AND MAKE HER APPLY IT HERSELF?

> Friend is an assistant of the teacher.

Do you mean he is a student who sometimes helps the teacher, or he is an adult (teacher's aid) who works at the school?

If he is a student, he should tell his parents and they should consult with a lawyer.

If he is an adult teacher's assistant, he should not talk to anyone without first consulting a lawyer.


Title: I heard you guys love tree law. The city absolutely butchered my big, beautiful and old tree to make room for power lines. (Grand Rapids, MI)

Question: I've got a massive, stunning tree on my yard. Recently, the city straight butchered it. It's an atrocity. What was once a treasured addition to my home is probably a detriment now. It looks genuinely awful and is a joke to anyone who comes over and sees it. I'm not necessarily trying to take damages for it, but I definitely don't want them to ever touch it again. Advice?

Answer: Assuming there's an easement for the power company in place, the best advice is to learn to love your new oddly-shaped tree.


Title: [Canada] Boss feeding me false information?

Question:
So I believe my boss is feeding my false information when it comes to overtime pay, and stat holiday pay. I asked him about it the first time I worked over 40 hours a week, and he said that security guards are under different regulations, and have to have over 173 hours a month to get overtime pay. Yet when I talk to other security guards from a different company, they give me this weird look, and say that's odd because we get overtime pay after 40 hours, and the moment it becomes a stat holiday is when we start getting paid time and a half.

Really hoping somebody out there can offer the best course of advice but, I think it'd be easier to just quit and find another job elsewhere.

Answer:
 There could be an averaging agreement.

Basically it is valid in Ontario to average overtime over say two or three or four weeks if there is a preexisting arrangement on this, like say in your contract. For example you may not be entitled to overtime if you work 50 hours week one and 20 hours week two.


Title: Wrongfully detained in China. What now?

Question: A family friend of ours got into a big mess a couple years ago. He's an American citizen and his family is here (in CA), but he was based out in China for the last decade. He's a businessman and started his own business overseas. While he primarily stayed in China, he did travel back to CA at least once a year and filed his taxes every year. About three years ago, someone he did business with accused him of fraud and sued him. The Chinese police had detained him and his trial lasted for more than 2 years. The accuser paid a lot of money to keep him behind bars—false witnesses, informing the judge he was a felon in the US (when he wasn't), etc. During the whole time, his family here kept in contact with the US Consulate overseas to ensure that he had a fair trial. Recently, his case closed and he was found not guilty and was released. He's back in the US for good with his family but wants to seek compensation. Not only did he spend 2 years in jail, but he also lost his business. He wants to seek a lawyer in the United States to help him get his compensation back from the Chinese government who wrongfully detained him for more than 2 years. Does anyone know if there are any lawyers who take on cases like these? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answer:
 > He wants to seek a lawyer in the United States to help him get his compensation back from the Chinese government who wrongfully detained him for more than 2 years.

The Chinese government is not beholden to US courts of law. If there is a legal avenue to forcing the Chinese government to compensate him - and there very likely isn't - it's going to be through the Chinese legal system, not the American one.

It's pretty likely that sovereign immunity protects China from a suit over this. Whether he can sue the person who accused him of fraud in the first place or not is a more interesting question, and for that, he'd need a lawyer familiar with China's legal system.


Title: [ks] Ex-wifes boyfriend wont move out after being told to.

Question:
So here is the situation.  about 2 months ago my wife and I seperated.  We own a home that we are both on the mortgage for.  As soon as I moved out she started dating this douchebag that kind of came over and never left.  We have decided to try and work things out in our marriage and she has told him to get his stuff and get out.  He is basically telling her that he wont move out because he has nowhere to go.  He believes he has some legal right to be there.  He pays no bills, is not on any paper work, and me and my wife are still married, if that matters.  he has been there for about a month.  How does my wife make him leave? Is it as easy as just calling the cops to get him to leave? She is pretty scared that the guy is going to go crazy on her.  Any adivice would be helpful.

TL;DR
Wife's boyfriend wont move out after 1 month. How do we make him.

Also I know this situation sounds all kinds of fucked up and im not looking for advice on my relationship just on how to get captain douche out of my house without having to physicaly remove him with my bare hands.

Answer:
 Did your wife tell him at any point that he could stay there? Answer #2: Yes call the cops. Or get a restraining order. Or both. Probably do both if you are legitimately frightening. But be aware there needs to be some basis for that fear in order to have a restraining order granted.
Officers will definitely come by if you tell them someone won't leave. He has no real property rights (other than to the items belonging to him). Once he is removed, you can ask officers to come back and do a civil stand-by as the guy comes back to retrieve his property. They will basically watch the guy come grab his stuff and make sure nothing happens. But step one, call law enforcement.


Title: My dog was hit and killed by a van and I’m wondering if there’s anything we can do [IA]

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 I would not look for the van. He won't be responsible for your dog. He's a car, he's meant to be on the road and isn't required to yield to a random loose animal.

If you find the van you're taking the risk that they could sue you for any damage to their vehicle.


Title: LEMON LAW ADVISE.

Question:
Ok.. I am based out of California. In Ontario, California, to be specific.

So last year I bought a car off of a used dealership. At the time, I thought I was financing the car. We met the seller through 'Offer Up". Everything was cool. He showed us the car (09 Dodge Caliber). He told us that we were going to this place to finance it. So after seeing the car a couple times, we decided to go with him to the place to finance. It turned out to be a dealership. So we did the paperwork. (I am 25 and my sister is 23, both inexperienced with these types of things). We got the car and I handed over 2500 as a deposit for what ended up being a $6400 car. We had the car on a thursday night. It didnt even last two days before the car gave in on me on the freeway. I was going 60 miles an hour transferring into the car pool lane when I felt the car drop. Next thing I saw was the car slow down turn left almost going head front into the barrier. Although the other barrier did scrape up the side of the car. My tire went flying (I never found it). All that was left was the part of the rim cap that ties the rim to the car. The cops showed up for the incident report (they even gave me an alcohol test.. I passed it). The car was taken to a lot and I was dropped off at a gas station. This all happened at 3am on Saturday morning of that same week. I didnt even last 2 full days with the car. I called the guy that sold us the car that morning to let him know. And he said to just take it home with us. That they can't and won't do anything about it. We asked them about the insurance and they said that we willingly drove the car without insurance (is that legal? is the dealership not supposed to at least cover the car for 5 days). A close friend (who is familiar with these situations and has law experience) called the man who sold us the car and when he talked to him, the gentleman clicked on him and hung up. This sounds very fishy to me. I looked into the car and the Dodge Caliber 09 is known to have faulty struts, which is what gave in and caused the incident. To this day there has been no contact from them. No letters in the mail. I have the checks they wrote to us with their bank account. I was told I had an "In-house" deal. All the paper work was done on their computer and they used a regular excel spreadsheet. It has been a year. Luckily, we have a close friend who has allowed us to store the car in his shop for all this time, but even then, the inactivity is stressing me because I do not know what to do.

What can I do?
I have all the paperwork from the deal (although not on me, but I can provide information later on today)
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I tried speaking to a lemon law layer and they said that I had a case, but that their firm is hesitant about taking a case for a car that old (apparently they only handle cases from cars 2010 and newer).

TL;DR.

Feeling I got screwed over on a car deal. Strut broke an a car known for that defect 2 days after driving the car out of dealership. Lemon Law maybe? Dealer has not tried to communicate or follow up unless we contact (only responded twice). They said that they would pay to fix it but would add the cost to what we already now. Car in shop since May 2015.

Answer:
 Lemon law only applies to new cars and manufacture defects.

Used cars are sold as is, even if they break down a minute after you buy it.  You should have done a proper inspection with a mechanic who is worth their salt.

You have no recourse.  Suck it up, this is an expensive life lesson.


Title: Friend was scammed out of $25,000, is there anything she can do to get it back?

Question:
Long story short, a friend of mine paid a man $25,000 to marry her so that she may obtain a green card to remain in the country.  She claims to have signed a "contract" with this person, but because what she was attempting to do was obviously illegal the wording was vague and seems to state only that the transaction was for 'business'.  The sum was transferred directly from a savings account with a major US bank.  The man in question (of course) has now vanished without a trace and my friend is beside herself.

I did not know her prior to this transaction, otherwise I would have advised her not to go through with it.  She has asked me to accompany her to the bank to see if she can gather information on the other guy's account in order to file some kind of police report.  I know she can't realistically do that and I imagine the bank won't give her any information.  I know she is pretty much shit out of luck.  But I want to help her if I can.

I know it is a long shot, but is there anything at all that can be done in order to get my friend her money back?

Answer: I'm afraid she is probably SOL. NAL(yet), but I doubt she has any legal recourse considering her attempt was to spend the money on the commission of a crime. Best not to tell the police either, they could have some questions that make things worse for her. If you've already told the police any part of the conspiracy, time to call a lawyer, but not to get the money back.


Title: Legality of a parent sending their kid (minor) to camp

Question: I am 14 years of age and my mother is trying to send me to a summer overnight camp. I don't want to go because i went the last two years for a month each in the same camp and I absolutely hated it. Instead this summer I want to get a job and spend my time working instead of paddling a fucking canoe.

Answer:
 Your mother can send you to camp against your wishes.Answer #2: Perfectly legal. Your best bet is to to explain to her why this isn't a good fit for you.

This is more a relationship problem than a legal one.


Title: Call from cable company at 6:30 AM can I sue?

Question: I live in Iowa and I just had a horrible experience with my cable company. I contacted them in the early morning to discuss a mistake I had made while making an automated payment. The CSR took my checking info and said he had corrected my mistake. As I was getting into bed my home phone rang and it was the CSR saying he could not fix my issue. I have done telecommunications work myself in the past and we could not legally call customers before 8AM customer time. Do I have a case against my cable company or should I let it go? Thanks folks.

Answer: Wait...you called them early and they called you back...also early?  And you want to start a lawsuit?


Title: Is it legal to use coupons to get free stuff?

Question:
I know it sounds like a silly question, but usually stores set up coupons so that you still have to pay SOMETHING, even if it is only a dollar. I found a store where I got basically 4 full outfits for nothing (not even shipping) and I'm scared I might've accidentally done something wrong?

I found a friend referral link for $30 store credit to a particular online store, then discovered they were having a free shipping promotion on top of that, so I basically got 2 free outfits. I only spent fifteen dollars of the store credit the first time. The items shipped within a week.

I just went back and used my other fifteen dollars in store credit...and they were still having a free shipping promotion PLUS a 50% off promotion this time, so that was MORE absolutely free clothes.

I didn't intentionally do anything wrong, I was just using the coupons the website presented to me and allowed through their system, but it seems like a "too good to be true" deal... I mean what store just ships free clothes?

I have considered sending them an email asking if this is correct and making sure there wasn't some system error they're not aware of with their coupons. What should I do? Should I cancel my order before it ships or have I done nothing wrong?

Answer: There is nothing illegal about using coupons in the manner for which they were intended. If some combination of your coupons actually violated the terms and conditions of the coupons, and it was a mistake of their computerized system to let you get away with it, they would probably have a viable claim against you for what you should have paid otherwise.


Title: Valet lost my fob car key & keychain & is now giving me the runaround about reimbursement- what do I do?

Question:
Hi all! This is my first legal advice post & I am on mobile so I hope everything is formatted right.

I am 21(f). I went to a cafe and lounge with 5 of my friends the yesterday night at 7pm. 3 of us including myself used the valet parking which was 5$ per person. We all paid and handed out keys over one after another. My other two friends parked in a McDonalds parking lot down the street and walked. I didn’t do this because I didn’t want to risk getting towed. We ordered food & drinks (non-alcoholic) and stayed until 11:30.

When we went to leave the three of us who used valet parking presented our valet ticket stubs to the desk. My friend who paid last got his car in about 10 minutes, my friend who paid second got his car in about 20. I paid first and after 35 minutes had passed I asked where my car was (politely). They asked if the battery in my key works (it does) and then asked me to look for my keys in the valet desk which I did not see. After, the asked me to come look for my car with them. I walked to the valet parking lot with the head valet and pointed out my car.

They told me they couldn’t find my keys and had all the valets check their pockets. No one could find my keys. They told me they may have lost my keys and asked me to sit inside the cafe and order something (on the house).  I ordered tea and a small dessert. At this point it was about an hour and a half from the time I first asked the valet to get my car. They told me they were going to try to get a company to come and make me a new key while I was sitting inside but I guess they couldn’t because of the time.

At 1:30 am they told me that they had officially lost my keys and that they would arrange a ride home for me. The cafe owner (he does not own the valet, it is owned by someone else and the cafe pays to use their service) felt bad and since he owns a car dealership he offered me a car to drive back home. I have insurance that covers me as a driver and the car was insured as well. The valet told me that they would arrange for a replacement key by Sunday (today). I drove back home and arrived around 2:40. Seeing as I didn’t have my house key either I had to jimmy my way in.

I got my spare key the next morning and drove back to the cafe at 11:45 (45 minutes after they opened since no one answered when I called). I was informed that the cafe owner wasn’t in and that the valet didn’t show up until later so I waited until they did. At 3:40 pm the valet shows but and unlocks the gate so I can get my car back. I return the cafe owners car. I ask about reimbursement for my key and am told that the valet who has been helping me will put me in contact with the owner (his brother in law). We exchanged numbers and I left. I texted an hour lasted requesting the owners information and was told I would get it. I did not receive it. I texted again around 6pm and did it hear back until now (10:12pm) while writing the post.

I called the owner who told me that he will need to check the security footage tomorrow to double check and then will call me on Tuesday. Then, if he cannot locate the key he will have a key made for me (the same as my keyless fob that was misplaced).

My issues with this are:
-It would cost approximately $350 to get a new key and have it programmed at my dealership. I said I would prefer to have it done at my dealership but the owner insisted he has someone that will do it. Is this legitimate? Also, I know they need to have my car physically there to reprogram the key which means I have to drive 45 minutes down,  wait to have them reprogram the key and 45 back to my house. If I get it done at my dealership it would take less time since it is near my house. Can he refuse this?
- My keys were on a collectible LEGO keychain that my dad gave to my mom and my mom let me use it. It is very sentimental to all of us and also no longer sold. It’s hard to find online and a bit expensive. I would like to replace it with the same model. Can I have him pay for it?
- My house keys were on the chain, is it fair I request he reimburse me the cost of rekeying my home as my keys are now out there?

The Valet owner did not seem open to this when I brought it up and shut me down. I don’t think he is planning on accommodating me. What is my next step? I was very polite throughout the entire ordeal even though I was exhausted and it cost me lots of my time and money as I had to miss work in order to get my car (my boss has us work long shifts so if you need to leave or arrive late or early he just has someone else come in for the entire shift). I want to be reasonable but I also want to know if it would be ok to call and say something like “this is the cost of everything you owe me for losing my keys, I need it by today or you will be hearing from my lawyer” or is that ridiculous.

Thanks! Sorry for the long post.

TLDR: Valet lost my keys, want to have their person replace the key instead of reimbursing me for my key (so I can get a new one at my dealership), key chain (a collectible LEGO keychain), and cost of getting my house rekeyed.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Wow, that's A LOT of text. I just read the title and that's enough information.

They lost your keys, they're responsible. If they're refusing to pay, take them to small claims court for the cost of teaching everything. Were your house keys on it? It may be prudent to replace your locks, include that, and filing fees.


Title: Accused of stalking, sent an email. Did I mess up by replying?

Question:
Hello LegalAdvice.

I have no idea what's going on right now. I came home from the gym, and got a long email from an old friend accusing me of stalking/harassing. Old internet friend, we kind of had a thing, but we've only met once. It ended up not working out.

We haven't spoke in months. He accused me of being obsessed, stalking/harassing him. He said that there was a clear trail leading to me. What? How!

He said he was being nice and letting it go on for so long but if it continued to happen, he would report me to the police.

It was also sent on a different email that wasn't his. But from the things he said in there, I could tell it was him because I had only told him those things.

I was really angry upon reading the email.

I quickly replied with "If this is who I think it is, I don't know what's going on. I don't want anything to do with you. I tried being friends with you, but now I don't want to. You were an asshole. Don't contact me again"

Haven't heard anything else since,

Should I be worried? Did I mess up by replying? I was so livid at that moment. What should I do next?

Answer:
 I wouldn't be worried because you replied to. That's not an unreasonable response to baseless accusations, and you didn't threaten. What you should do next is exactly what you said, have no contact with him.  Answer #2: NAL but I don't see an issue with your response as long as there wasn't a no contact order or similar set by the police or the courts which it doesn't sound like.

Forget the person exists. Block them on your social media and email. Phone too if you can.  No issues there.


Title: Paying extra for dirty pool view at my apartment?

Question:
I originally posted this to another sub with no response. So I have recently gotten a new apartment. It’s gorgeous and everything is perfect. When I moved in, I was in love with the view of the pool that I get. It’s right below my balcony and very easy to get to, which is convenient as I have a three year old. The complex has three different pools and mine is the furthest from the leasing office. It was blue and clear and I was very excited to spend the hot days in it.

Only issue is, after about a week and a half of living here, the pool started to turn green. Like so green you can’t see the bottom. I spoke to the front office and they had told me it’s “under renovation” and that they’re changing the tiles inside the pool. It won’t be ready to swim in for a few weeks. This is fine as I’m just busy getting moved in. However, I don’t understand why I’m paying extra for a pool view when it’s disgusting and I can’t even use it.

It’s been about 3-4 weeks now and it’s gotten progressively worse. There’s leaves and moss floating on the top of the water and the area around the pool is dirty too. On top of that, I haven’t seen a single person so much as start inspecting the pool.

My question is, does anyone know if I could get some type of discount or how I should go about asking for one? Paying extra should entail that the pool is at least clean, right? I can’t find any information in my contract about it. Thanks in advance!
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 NAL but in my experience apartments price based on features, but it is unlikely that it would be spelled out “nice pool view” in the lease. You can ask the apartment manager but unless your lease has it spelled out, they have no requirement to meet a nice pool view.

It doesn’t hurt to ask though.

I would just say that it has become an eye sore and ask if you can pay non pool view rent for a month.Answer #2: You're not paying for the view unless it's specifically stated in your lease that the view costs extra. Do you have access to the other pools to swim or are you restricted to only using the pool 'under renovation'?


Title: Going to court over Inheritance?

Question:
I found out that my wealthy Grandfather is leaving almost everything to my Sister and I. I haven't told anyone other than my sister, but I brought up the scenario with my Father and he said if that were to happen he would take us to court over the inheritance. Is that something that can happen? What is the process? How likely is it that the specific gifts my Grandfather left can be given to my parents instead of my sister and I?

Location: Missouri, USA

Answer:
 Your father can go to court over this. But he probably will not win. Your wealthy grandfather likely has excellent legal advice which includes writing his will in a way that makes it hard to challenge. He is allowed to leave his estate to whoever he wants to, which includes disinheriting giving nothing to his relatives at all.

Did your grandfather tell you that he is leaving his estate to you and your sister? If so, you should tell him your father would be upset, and he can deal with it as he wants to.


Title: Landlord asking us to remove grills from patios for insurance inspection [SC]

Question:
Today I got an email from my landlord (emphasis mine):

Dear Residents,

All grills, smokers, propane, kegs, gas cans, mopeds, and any car parts need to be cleared from your patios Today November 27th. **We have insurance inspection coming to check the premises** tomorrow Wednesday November 28th. You may resume use after November 29th, 2018. If you have nowhere to store your items, please let us know and we will assist. If you have not removed your grill, smoker, and or propane from your patio it will be confiscated and put in our maintenance shed with a tag for your unit number. You will need to pick up your belongings after November 28th.

Thank You,
Staff

It seems that they are not paying for the right insurance, so they are hiding everyones grills for the insurance inspection. Is that illegal?

Thanks

Answer:
 They're letting you guys slide on the grills on the patio. You can play along with it or you can make a stink and force your LL to get the appropriate insurance which should make your rent go up a bit. But why do that?Answer #2: It’s international fire code:

308.1.4 Open-flame cooking devices. Charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices shall not be operated on combustible balconies or within 10 feet (3048 mm) of combustible construction.
Exceptions:
1. One- and two-family dwellings.
2. Where buildings, balconies and decks are protected by an automatic sprinkler system.

SC says inflammables must be stored in such a manner that they don’t incur additional insurance costs.

LP gas devices are the next section as above, subject to exception 1 but not 2.

Edit:

A) Definitely legal to ask.
B) Probably legal to mandate, especially if your lease requires tenants follow applicable laws and regulations not enumerated.
C) Insurance requirements will be specified in your lease agreements. If it is not specified, the LL only has to carry state required minimums (if applicable).


Title: Cop ran a redlight, totaled my suv

Question:
This happened in GA. Cop was not running his lights or siren. I waited a few seconds after the light turned green to go, as it's a busy intersection for semis and I wanted to be sure any semis could stop. Cop (in a tahoe) blew through the intersection and flipped my suv.
State trooper confirmed he was not on call and the accident report states that the officer was not distracted and he "thought the light was green, but wasn't sure." We have surveillance video from one of the stores.
We have a lawyer and we're just waiting to hear back from the police department's insurance.
This was our only vehicle for my family and our 3 small children. As its standing right now, insurance will pay medical bills and pay our suv off, which leaves us with nothing. Blue book value on our suv is right at the pay off amount of our suv.
I guess im not looking for advice as much, as I am wondering what comes next.

Answer:
 If your SUV is paid off, go and get another vehicle.  You might want to ask insurance to cover a rental until you get your claim cashed out.

Follow your lawyer's advice.


Title: Housemate was accused of rape, house searched and his weed and paraphernalia siezed - where do I stand in this?

Question:
Hey guys, I'll jump straight into it.

I share a house with a friend I've known for many years, and a couple of nights ago he slept with a girl in my property whilst my girlfriend was present in the house - he has been accused and charged of rape, though denies allegations saying it was consensual. My girlfriend also says it was consensual, as the girl in question instigated by kissing him and continued on to sex. She has yet to make a statement as she is unaware this has occurred, he was arrested last night whilst I was at work, and the incident occurred whilst I was at work.

3 police cars showed up to arrest him, and a search warrant was executed on our property. His bedding was cut to pieces, some of his clothing taken away and apparently he had weed and smoking paraphernalia seized from the property. Naturally, he is rather distressed and I have no idea how to help as I am at work.

I wasn't contacted regarding the search, and my own bedroom and belongings have been searched for god knows what reason. I personally don't have any drugs or paraphernalia in my possession or personal areas, so I'm wondering what (if anything) may happen to me if he had stuff seized.

As far as I'm aware, the sex was consensual and the girl was very open to the idea of having sex with my friend, though she has a boyfriend and has known problems with him. He is stupid for pursuing it, but I'm certain he is not a rapist.

My questions are basically A) Where do I stand with having my personal property searched if I have not committed a crime, and B) Can I be charged with possession of drugs that were seized from my prospect, even if I wasn't aware of them or the paraphernalia being there? They were not in my private delegated areas, I actually have no idea where they were. I live in South Australia.

I'm rather concerned as I work in the healthcare industry, and naturally have strict policies to adhere to regarding criminal checks and drug use. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Topic:
Non-US

Answer:
 IANAL, and not the answer to your specific questions, but...

> My girlfriend also says it was consensual, as the girl in question instigated by kissing him and continued on to sex.

...just because there was consent when it started, doesn't mean it continued throughout. Consent is an ongoing issue, and either party can revoke consent partway through- even if they're the one that initiated it. You really can't judge whether a rape occurred just by both having wanted sex in the beginning. You weren't right there to see/hear if either started to push the other into something they didn't want, if consent was revoked, etc.

Though having witnesses to say at the very least it started out consensual may benefit your friend.


Title: I was arrested in CA for having a loaded firearm in my truck and the officers never mirandized me. Will this be significant in court?

Question:
A sheriff drove by me and saw my rifle, but never read me my rights when he arrested me. In addition, he first said, "I'm not arresting you, you're being detained," when he cuffed me, but he didn't make it clear that I was under arrest when I was. He just asked what I'd like done with my truck, and I had to infer and ask if I was under arrest.

So I guess my question is whether or not this could be pertinent in court. Is there any chance of getting the case thrown out on these grounds?

Thanks in advance for the input!

Answer:
 That won't get it thrown out, nope.

First off, they only have to read you Miranda rights if you're being questioned while in custody, not if they've just stopped you at the side of the road before deciding if you're under arrest or not.

Secondly, even if they were supposed to read you the rights and didn't, all that happens is any statements that you made would be inadmissable in court. The case would still be valid.Answer #2: There is zero chance of it being thrown out. Even if you were being interrogated without Miranda he had already seen and taken possession of the gun. That's the case right there, regardless of whatever stupidity you uttered afterwards.Answer #3: The Miranda rule just impacts the admissibility of your statements.  So if you said anything incriminating, while you were being detained and questioned, without having received the Miranda warning, that would potentially not be admissible.  But the physical evidence doesn't require anything else, and certainly wouldn't be thrown out.


Title: [Canada/US] Roommate entered room without permission.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Canada/US is probably way too broad a location for anybody to be able to say with certainty that your roommate's actions count as trespassing. That being said, I don't think the cops will want to get involved for something so trivial. You left your room open, and nothing was taken. Just lock the door in the future.


Title: Is doxing legal?

Question:
Someone is sharing some guy's name, address, and phone number on Facebook with a picture of him standing on a flag.  While I don't like the flag being disrespected, a lot of people have made threats of violence against people for exercising their free speech, which isn't ok.  I'm worried someone is trying to get this kid hurt or killed, but Facebook said the post doesn't violate TOS.  Is what they're doing legal?

Edit: I'm in the U.S. and the target is in Maryland.

Answer: You can legally share someone's name, address, and phone number; just look at WhitePages. He can also share a picture of him standing on a flag. He cannot incite violence with his post e.g. "Fuck this guy for disrespecting the flag, here's his info now go to his house and beat the shit out of him"


Title: (NY) My ex-wife is dating a former friend of mine who is a frequent drunk driver. I don't want him around my kids because I know he will drive drunk with them in the car. Is there anything I can do to keep him away from my kids?

Question:
My ex and I have 50-50 custody of our two elementary age kids. This former friend of mine lived across the street from us, and long story short, he and my ex dumped their spouses for each other. Huge mess, with four kids caught in the middle of it all.

Needless to say, I hate the guy now, and I have plenty of other reasons to not want him around my kids, but the drunk driving is what concerns me the most. For years, my wife and I observed him pulling into his driveway and staggering out of the car, wasted after golf or just drinking with his old high school buddies. Back then, she was as concerned about it as I was. Now she shrugs it off. She's so caught up in this new romance that I don't see her protesting if he gets in the driver's seat drunk with my kids in the car. I can't emphasize enough how nonchalant he is about it. To my knowledge, he doesn't have a DWI on his record, but I'm not certain of that.

I'm guessing that my personal observations of his drunk driving aren't enough to get an order of protection to keep him away from the kids. I don't have any evidence to show. Is there any way that I can prevent my ex from allowing him around the kids as she is threatening to do "soon?"

Answer: Do you have a divorce attorney who helped you manage the custody agreements? If so, I would consult him/her and see if there's anything the court can do to update the terms of custody.


Title: [CA] Can i get Emancipated w/o my parents or me being in the courtroom?

Question:
extremely long story. but basically can i get emancipated (with parental approval) w/o us being in the courtroom?

i know that sometimes they use skype for prisoners so could they do the same thing for me?

thanks a bunch
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Very unlikely the judge will approve an emancipation without you being present in the courtroom.


Title: Church not in grandmother's will, but they are getting a cut?

Question:
My siblings and I are each splitting an equal share of our grandmother's retirement account after her passing... or so we thought.  It appears that about $50,000 went to my grandmother's church.  The will does not mention the church in any way.  Is there another document that may exist specifying that this is supposed to happen?  If our grandmother wanted this to take place, I'm ok with it but I want to make sure we are not being taken advantage of.  Any advice would be appreciated as I am not well versed in these events.

edit: i am in California and grandmother lived in Pennsylvania

Answer:
 She may have named the church as one of the beneficiaries of her account. Money from the account passes to the beneficiaries that she named, without regard for what the will says (unless she would have named her own estate as the beneficiary).

Have you asked your grandmother's executor about it?Answer #2: Various sorts of retirement accounts allow account holders to name beneficiaries for when they pass away.  The money in the account then is distributed OUTSIDE the will.  That's probably what's happened here.Answer #3: > grandmother's retirement account

Can you be a bit more specific? Is this an IRA of some sort? If so, there should be beneficiary information on how the funds are divided.


Title: This person's age is off by 10 years and he doesn't have a birth certificate to prove it. Is there a way to medically prove his age? maybe DNA test?

Question:
This person moved to the US but his age was wrong in his paper work. Now all of this legal documents has his age wrong by 10 years. He doesn't have a birth certificate or anything proving his real date of birth. Is there a way to medically test for his age to get actual proof?

edit: due to the Vietnam war he doesn't have a birth certificate or anything back in his home country.

He lives in Texas

Answer:
 This should give you an idea of the troubles that face anyone trying to determine age scientifically.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428644.300-with-no-paper-trail-can-science-determine-age.html#.VWPINJ8o7qA

It doesn't appear that any method exists to do it precisely, and there's no telling if any of these methods would be legally recognized.Answer #2: There are no medical or scientific tests to precisely determine a person's chronological age.Answer #3: How does he know how old he is?


Title: (VA) Can I ask job applicants if they're ok with gay people?

Question:
Ok, here's my problem: I own a small business that has an extremely small client base and an even more niche employee pool. I need to hire an additional employee for the holidays, and due to my location and the skills required most of the job applicants I've had tend to be very rural, and very conservative women. Currently, the most qualified candidate is a self-described 'good Christian woman.'

I am not religious, and I don't particularly care how my employees spend their time off, but my concern is that many of our clients and other industry partners identify as every shade of the LGBT rainbow. I have had one employee in the past who was outspokenly homophobic which was uncomfortable and annoying for the rest of the staff, but she was never required to interact with our clients. However, since then the structure of our business has changed, and our new employees will likely have some level of interaction with our LGBT clients.

My question is this: can I ask this self-described 'good Christian woman' what her opinion on homosexuality is during her job interview? I know I can't discriminate against her because of her religion; and Virginia has not made sexual orientation a protected class. Is it better for us to clearly state our company's policy of acceptance and inclusion for LGBT people and let her make the decision about working here or could that expose me to some kind of reverse Masterpiece Cakeshop V. CO Civil Rights Commission scenario?

Frankly, as much as I need to fill the position, I can't afford to offend my gay clients and need to make sure my employees will treat them with respect and dignity. I'm inclined to throw resumes of obviously conservative applicants into the round filing cabinet, but I'd like to give them a chance to prove themselves as tolerant if I can ask without risking discrimination statutes. Any suggestions?

Answer:
 Why would you ask? It's a requirement of the job, and the first time she openly discriminates against someone for being gay, you're within your rights to come down on her like a ton of bricks. Worst case, she does something out of line, one of your clients complains about it or threatens to withdraw their business, you fire her and write an apology to the offended client, life goes on.

Your biggest risk is that she says "no, because of my religious beliefs I am not okay with gay people." Now you're in a bind: religious discrimination is illegal, whereas discriminating against homosexuals is not in your state, and now you know her objection is religious. It's not insurmountable, but you are better off not knowing that.Answer #2: Perhaps instead you can stress during the interview process that your business caters to people from *all* walks of life, of all orientations, backgrounds, and lifestyles, and as such, you're looking to hire people who are able to give exceptional customer service to anyone and everyone, regardless of who that may be.

As others have said, this could devolve into a religious discrimination thing, which you absolutely want to avoid at all costs.


Title: Racist coworker in a small workplace, how do I report the incidents and progect my job at the same time?

Question:
I have a co-worker who makes more than a few racist comments, even outright slurs. I've tried to look the other way, it's literally rampant in my area in the building industry, but when I have to work with the guy every day, it's hard to just let go. Today was the last straw, when his bad day could've been solved by going to a local "black" neighborhood and, "Beating the shit out of some dark skinned people."

I work in the building industry. I see this all the time and I hate it. I only work with about 7 other guys, and I'm the only one with a black girlfriend. So, the second I file a complaint, they'll assume I was the one who did it, and I don't know what will happen in the work place. This guy sells maybe 30% of my stores total business, so I'm worried that I'll come under fire, having been here less than a year.

What can I do to ensure my safety/job security, once I file an official complaint? Should I contact a lawyer?

Answer:
 Saying something racist is not illegal. A hostile workplace is not the same thing as an unpleasant workplace. I can call you every name in the book, you do have the right of free speech.

If your boss were not paying you equally because of race, or was not promoting you or some other way discriminating against you because of race, that is illegal, but the mere act of racist comments is in of itself illegal.

From an H/R perspective, it's not a good idea to allow such things to go on, as it will provide some "evidence" if a claim of racism is involved with an actual hostile environment, but it's not a slam dunk either.

You can complain in a general way that the person is talking too much and not attending to his work, if they come back with 'But he sells 30% of the business," you could add, 'and if he stopped and did the work he'd do 35%.'

You can make the complaint about not attending to business and work rather than focus on the specifics of race.

Ultimately I would find another job, because a company that would let this go on, has bigger issues.


Title: Missouri - FMLA for Teacher with Summer Birth

Question:
My wife is a kindergarten teacher in a public school district, and has been employed for 10+ years by the same district.   Our first child is due early July.

I've been doing quite a bit of research over the past few months, but have yet to find guidance with regards to the leave alloted to her after the birth.

It's my understanding that FMLA allows for up to 12 weeks of leave - 6 paid, 6 unpaid.

The school year for 2016-17 begins mid-August, which would be one day short of six weeks after the due date.

Being a teacher however, she does not get paid over the summer break; her regular pay kicks in again once the new school year starts in August.   (No pay checks Memorial Day through School year begin in August)

Does the period of paid leave begin on the date of birth (she is not being paid), or the first day she would be eligible to be paid - when teachers meetings begin?

EDIT: Her district (per District Handbook) gives 6 weeks Paid leave for vaginal birth, 8 weeks paid c-section

Answer: Your wife probably has a union contract as a teacher. I would start by reading that and seeing if it mentions any kind of maternity leave pay.


Title: (NY-NJ) Ex girlfriend filed a temporary order of protection on me. Not sure where to go from here.

Question:
To make a long story short, my ex broke up with me via text about a week ago. I didn't take it to well. I called her/messaged her many times in a lonely, sorrow, and coping state of mind. The last time we talked (over the phone, haven't seen her in a few weeks) didn't go well, i got blackout drunk and apparently said some insane things. Things I would never say, do, or even think of consciously. And the only reason I know I said these things were because my roommates informed me after the fact. I sent her messages via text and Facebook when she wouldn't talk to me over the phone. Some of which sound may sound alarming, but nothing substantial. I was just letting off steam and flexing all the might I had when speaking with her. A lot of what she says I said, which I did say, was taken completely out of context, and anyone who knows me understands that. Apparently not her.

&nbsp;

The day after this incident I get served papers from family court saying she filed an order of protection on me. After thinking about it for a few days, it makes sense. If I were in her shoes, or her parents (which I'm sure were the ones who took all the actions), I wouldn't want me in her life either. And to be honest, I'm almost glad this happened because I needed her out of my life and my mind, and legally not being able to see her/contact her takes a lot of pressure off.

&nbsp;

Note to self: restraining orders are a great way to get over an ex.

&nbsp;

So here's where I'm at. I have no intention of ever seeing or contacting this girl, her family, friends, residence, or place of employment ever again. We share one mutual friend, who knows of the situation and knows not to contact her for me. I don't want a permanent restraining order put on me. I don't know how it can affect me or my future, aside from contact with her/owning guns, which I don't plan to do either of, but I fear future problems could arise out of this. I read somewhere that family court proceedings are private? Not sure what that means because you can still look up family and civil court hearings.

&nbsp;

I just want this to go away as quick as possible and forget about all of this. I've contacted a few lawyers in my area, but most of them only deal with NJ law (I live in NJ, ex in NY), so I'm waiting for referrals. I don't have that much money, so I'll most likely need to get a court appointed lawyer.  The court can appoint me a lawyer, if i'm deemed indigent, but that will only happen on the first court date, and then I'll have to come back for more to finish this process up.

&nbsp;

I had this idea of just contacting the lawyers representing her and just saying I don't want to have anything to do with her in any capacity, I just don't want to stretch out legal proceedings in favor of both of us. I'm ashamed and embarrassed of myself for scooping so low. I'm lost and looking for advice. Anything will be much appreciated.

&nbsp;

TL:DR; I got stupid upset about a breakup, reacted poorly, and got a restraining order on me.

Answer:
 there's no court appointed lawyer for restraining orders.

hire a lawyer if you can, but the best thing you can do is have absolutely nothing to do with her ever again. don't look at her FB profile. don't talk to her friends or family. don't call her lawyer.  if you see her on the street, run the other way.


Title: Sugar daddy gave me his routing/account number

Question: Okay I know what you’re thinking, “don’t trust sugar daddies” but I am BROKE and needed the help. Anyways, I’ve never met this guy, but he offered to pay off my credit card. Cool, right? So he then sends me his routing and account number to add to my credit card auto pay, and make a payment, and he asked for a screenshot of the confirmation. It seems relatively harmless, and the payment is still pending so if It doesn’t go through it wont be the biggest deal ever, in all honesty it’s just my credit card with a low balance anyways and if it doesn’t work the worst thing that could happen is that I just... remain in debt. Theres no way he can access my bank account. (I called my bank and double checked saying that a family friend offered to pay, etc.) All I really want to know is if there is ANY way I could get in some sort of trouble for this. I have screenshots of our whole conversation. I never agreed to anything illegal (cough, prostitution) and he simply just gave me his bank info as long as I just paid off my card, and I told him my balance and did not exceed the amount I said/he agreed to whatsoever. Am I in the clear, and is this guy is just an idiot for giving me his bank information?

Answer:
 > All I really want to know is if there is ANY way I could get in some sort of trouble for this.

Absolutely. If it's not his account, you're fucked.


Title: Obtaining security footage from Holiday Inn for sleepwalking girlfriend

Question:
Hello. The short version of my story is that my girlfriend had a sleepwalking episode at the Holiday Inn in Greenbelt, MD and left our hotel room. I fell asleep in our room at approximately 1:45AM, with my girlfriend asleep next to me, and she was returned to our room by a police officer at approximately 2:50AM. I have no recollection of her leaving and neither does she.

We spoke with the police officer and he gave us a general story of what happened. He said that he received a call from someone about a woman who appeared "out of it" wandering the 6th floor of the hotel. The officer found her and tried to ask her what room she needed to go back to but my girlfriend was not responding accurately. Eventually he found out what our room number was and she was returned.

I tried to ask the hotel if they could look at the security camera footage so they could give us an exact time frame of what happened. They said they would not do that without a subpoena. I have been calling the PG County courthouse to try to figure out how to obtain that but I have been bounced around between departments with no luck.

My concern is that during this sleepwalking episode, someone could have abused or taken advantage of my girlfriend because she has no memory up to the point where the police officer began to take her back to the room. Does anyone know the general process for obtaining this subpoena, or how we might obtain one for Prince George's County, MD? All we want is peace of mind and the hotel is not providing us with that.

Thanks
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Generally, a subpoena can only be issued if there is already a pending court case (like a lawsuit).


Title: I'm broke but the court won't appoint me a lawyer

Question: I live in massachusetts and im going to court in october for some oui charges. The probation officer i talked to said i won't qualify for a court appointed lawyer after asking what my parents do for work. I'm 18 and still live with my parents and my mom works in IT. The thing is my family has absolutely no disposable income and just getting my car from the impound lot put my mom behind on mortgage payments. I was informed by a lawyer that when you get a court appointed lawyer it goes by household income. Is there anything i can do to get a court appointed lawyer? It seems like injustice to hold my parents accountable when im a legal adult with not alot of money.

Answer: It is household income specifically because of people in your situation -- "adults" who are still completely financially dependent on your parents.


Title: [NY] A small business in my hometown was charged with a felony and some misdemeanors. Who's getting charged?

Question:
An ethical and responsible car dealership (/s) in the town I grew up in decided to bury some of their hazardous waste.

The paper says one man (not the owner) and "Jones car dealership" were charged and arraigned. Who's being arraigned when "Jones car dealership"? The owner? Shareholders? A manager?

Answer:
 >An ethical and responsible car dealership in the town I grew up in decided to bury some of their hazardous waste.

Those are mutually exclusive. Ethical/responsible people don't decide to commit felonies that can have decades long repercussions.

As for who is charged, the corporation will be fined most likely. So the legal entity known as "Jones Cars" will have to pay fines from their accounts. In terms of prison (if applicable) individuals will be charged. So, if Jimmy and "Jones Cars" are both named, then Jimmy is the person who needs to be worried about fines and jail time. "Jones Cars" managers need to be worried about fines and how to cover them.


Title: A truck backed up into my car at ATM drive through, whose fault?

Question:
[NV] My side of story: I drove up to a drive through ATM, parked my Civic behind a truck and reached for my wallet. The truck started backing up. I could have done two things:

* Back up my car.

* Honk.

I honked but did not back my car because what if there's another car behind me? The truck hit the hood of my car anyways, and it's a little more than fender bender since the hood doesn't open and the horn stopped working.

The guy came out of his truck (Chevy Silverado) and claimed that the person in front of him takes forever using the ATM. He wanted to move to another ATM and could not see my little Civic while backing out (I guess he must be blind and def.). I took photos of his license and insurance and already contacted insurance, towing and maintenance. I was wearing a seat belt, and there was no injury.

I'm positive that I'm not at fault, but can he claim that I was parking too close behind him or something else?

Topic:
Insurance

Answer: He hit a stationary object, it's his fault


Title: Builders Want to Tear Down my Fence, will not Replace

Question:
Builders have bought the land on all sides of my house and the townhomes they build are around 6 feet from my back fence. They came by and informed me that they need to come around 5 feet into my property in order to put a giant drain underground. They also said the area would need to become a road way for utilities like gas and fire to be able to access all the homes via an alleyway. They acted like it was a favor to cut the trees and tear down my fence on their dime but that I would be financially responsible for putting up new fencing to replace what they tear down. Due to the new road, the new fence would end up being 6 feet inside where it is today.

Do I have any leg to stand on to try and fight this? I’m afraid once I go down the rabbit hole of trying to fight it it might cost more than replacing 60 feet of chain link fence and seceding my land. It just feels so wrong that they decided to build so close to my fence and now they’re saying due to city code for utilities I am expected to share the burden of making a 12 foot alleyway. I’m not sure if they are being 100% truthful and don’t know how to fight this. They went from saying it was my fence on their property to my fence wasn’t set back enough to it was a utility concern to they could have a letter sent demanding I pay for it and do the work myself by x date if I don’t comply with their plan.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: Do you have a utility easement on your land? I would consult with a real estate attorney.Answer #2: You need to get a property line evaluation to be sure of where yours ends and theirs begins. NALAnswer #3: Pretty sure they have set back laws on the books where you are. If they are 6ft from the fence I HIGHLY doubt they meet that law. Id get a survey done asap or try to go to town hall as someone else suggested and see about easements and property lines.Answer #4: You need a survey of your property and to find out about any easements on the property.  Consult with a licensed surveyor and a real estate lawyer.


Title: Ex girlfriend issues

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons.

I live in the state of CA. Recently moved to a new area. Met a very very beautiful girl. We dated for approximately one year. A little over a month ago she started acting off key. We had a very great loving relationship, went out a lot, and everything seemed to be okay.

Moving on.

She didn't respond after going out with her best friend one night, and she was supposed to come home later on. She did not. She did not respond, as I assumed her phone was dead. But she had work the next day. Still no answer, etc. I left work early to go to her work and check to see if she was okay. She was on her break, kissing some guy I'd never seen before. Inevitably, I realized I was being cheated on. She refused to talk to me about anything.

I became depressed and emotional (tried calling her many times, and I do mean a lot, texting her, asking her to come back, visiting the store she works at to try and talk, but no luck whatsoever.) We had actually met up a few times after, and kissed and talked about working things out. However...

Finally she came to my house with her new boyfriend, and they both verbally harassed my father. In the report it was stated he was in the car, but he was actually in the middle of our street cussing and yelling at my dad calling him names, etc. The next day he actually had a stroke. We have her on camera. I gave up on the situation. A week later I went into the store to buy a redbull. She jumped from behind the register and screamed at me, calling me names, threatening me, and acting psychotic in front of coworkers and other customers. She sent the police to my house that night.  Later I received a restraining order, from the county that she lives in (she works in the county I live in, but lives in a completely different county.) So I have to attend court on the 1st of next month.

Here's where it gets.... messy. A few years back I was convicted of a misdemeanor DV charge, and I'm currently on probation. In the report she filed, she claims she was afraid of me, I verbally abused her, raised my fists to her, pushed her new boyfriend, tried killing him, that she was afraid of me harming myself, the WHOLE dramatic bullshit of how bad I was despite none of it being true. I supported her, fed her, and did so much for this girl. One of the conditions of my probation is that I am not allowed to drink. Well... she happened to put it in the report that I'm an alcoholic and drink a lot. While I'm not, she may or may not be able to prove that I have purchased alcohol at her store while we were together. I'm very worried about this. She suffers from bipolar disorder, and self harms. I know. Not the best relationship to be in after receiving a serious DV charge in my state. I can attest to being an idiot in love. I suffer from major depressive disorder and general anxiety, I take meds for this but currently my mind is overwhelmed, and I'm afraid to leave my bedroom, and I'm terrified of the doorbell because she's sent the police here on three separate occasions now for no reason other than making false statements. I haven't gotten out of bed in days except to go to work.

To top it off, the store she works at is directly behind my house.

Guys, I'm terrified, I have no idea what to do. Please, help me right now.

Edit: What I'm really trying to ask is, what defense do I really have with a previous DV charge? I'm assuming this doesn't look too great. This is merely for a restraining order, what is the procedure and how can I back myself up without hurting myself in court?

Answer: Leave her alone and talk to a psychologist.


Title: Change residency to purchase firearms? Good idea or bad one for long term.

Question:
I'm a Connecticut resident (and Drivers license) currently but have been living in Virginia for the past four years.

I'm a firearms enthusiast but the CT residence has been causing problems for a while now. I am planning to move back to CT after the end of this year and staying there for probably 1-2 years while working a job.

So now the question then is. Is it worth it (without much hassle) to change my residency to VA using my lease and just keeping it? Or possibly changing it back to CT in about a year.

Is this a possible idea? Thank you.

Answer: Are you a college student? If not, you're not a CT resident. You're a VA resident who hasn't followed the law about getting a VA licenseAnswer #2: Your residency is where you live. If you live in VA you need a VA license.


Title: (VA) Concerning my belongings after my death

Question:
Hi,

Before I start pls don't discuss the death thing. I'm already talking to somebody about it now. I just want to know the facts for worst case scenario so I can minmize the damage caused.

So I'm in the red zone where I'm calmly ready to die and I am trying to tidy up behind me. I already made a long note detailing what I want done to the body and my belongings/bank account savings/stocks (yeah I have stocks I know I'm young but I started investing a while ago ik it's odd) to go to my mom... she's single with four kids not including me and she needs all the money she can get even if I don't have much to offer maybe 15K including the shares. I saved and ate crumbs to this point, I'm not particularly fortunate just really really determined.

I'm a 19 yr old girl with about 4k in subsidized government student loans and, 5K on an auto loan to a private bank (my credit was really strong that's the only reason I got away with it) that my mom doesn't know about. She just knows I bought my own car.

So, when I'm passed, and I'm discovered and all the paperwork I put together is found will my requests be honored as a sort of unofficial will? Will my money and stuff be able to be given to her or will it be absorbed by the government since I'm no longer a minor?
Will all my loans be forgiven or just the student ones? I'm afraid that she will be responsible for the car loan and that makes me anxious to sell the car and pay it back now before I pass. I don't want to saddle her with debt. She wasn't a cosigner, btw, but she did cosign for my student loans.

Any advice would be helpful, or additional info on other things I should prepare for to tidy up that I may have missed. I really just need the facts. Thank you so very much...

Answer:
 Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. You are 19 years old, and unless you are currently suffering from a terminal illness, your life will improve.

The subsidized government loans will be forgiven if you die. Your estate will need to cover the auto debt. You can write a will leaving all of your possessions to your mother.


Title: Hearing loss associated to iPod use as a young teenager. Can I file a lawsuit?

Question:
I’ve researched this a little bit and the only cases I can find are from 2006-2009 which are outdated.
I was using apple’s products during this time range and now have hearing loss at 24 years old. This has significantly affected my ability to verbally communicate with people to the extent that it was noticed during a recent interview I had bc I have to leave in or cuff my ear to listen.
Should I reach out to a lawyer and commit to spending the money to argue my case?
Thank you

Answer: IT'S NOT APPLE'S FAULT THAT YOU LISTENED TO YOUR HEADPHONES AT TOO HIGH A VOLUME.Answer #2: Before you can do anything of legal consequence, you need a hearing evaluation.


Title: With regards to recent cases of bank accidents being criminal if spent, what if you just let it accrue interest?

Question:
This is a completely ridiculous hypothetical, but let's say a bank accidentally gives you 1 million dollars. Either you intentionally transfer it to your savings account or it was put there from the beginning accidentally by the bank and you let it accrue interest. Is that a crime? You haven't spent any of it, but you are earning off of it. If it is not a crime, are you able to spend that interest money so long as you do not spend any of the original 1 million?

Relevant post that made me want to know: http://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/2ykhkg/teen_convicted_after_spending_30k_mistakenly/

EDIT: I live in Houston, but I am unsure of how important that is in this scenario

Answer:
 Probably also theft.  The interest isn't yours, because you earn interest by virtue of leaving *your* money in the bank.  You didn't leave $1 million, so you aren't entitled to interest for that million.

FYI, this whole article is misleading because he didn't "mistakenly" spend the money.  He knew he didn't have $30,000, that's why he ran out and bought a BMW.  Taking something you know isn't yours is theft.  It's no different from saying "Well, he parked his car in my driveway, so I thought it was mine now."


Title: [Canada/ ON] Is the landlord responsible for making sure tenants are reasonably clean?

Question:
I have 10 roommates and the kitchen is a disgusting mess because some people don't clean up after themselves. There are scraps of food on the floor, the garbage overflows, no one recycles (which could improve things - the food recycling is in a bin with a lid, and if people used it appropriately the rest of the garbage wouldn't smell).

To clarify, the biggest issue is people not cleaning their dishes. If there's a dish or two that someone gets to later, fine, not a problem, but when half the house does it it's chaos.

They always post notes telling people to clean up after themselves, but it hasn't changed habits.

As a result I haven't cooked at home in months. I've tried working it out by arranging house meetings, but I'm non confrontational and it was taxing for me, and it still hasn't worked.

Anyway, someone pointed me to legal advice for potential "damages" (some of my cutlery has also been stolen).

I'm not sure I'm interested in pursuing that, but is there any way I could push the landlords hand and "make" them fix the kitchen issues?

There is a cleaning service specified in the lease. They come over once a week and vacuum the common area and through out the garbage, which seems to be the extent of it.

Answer: I think you are mistaking a landlord for a babysitter. This is an issue between you and your roommates.


Title: "I won't like what happens to me next."

Question:
(TLDR at bottom as well as my direct legal question)

Hello, Reddit. I'm a long time stalker, and a first time writer on any sub-reddit other than /r/Dota2 (video game I used to play).

I've been working for a Suboxone/Subutex clinic ran by a husband (the doctor) and wife (the boss of everything, including how you feel, should feel and will feel) for about 15 months.

I met this doctor because he prescribed me my SSRI (Celexa) and Xanax (alprazalam 1mg TID). The reason I didn't go to another doctor for these medicines, was because this doctor - the one who I work for now - runs two practices. One at my local university (where I met him) and then he runs a Suboxone/Subutex clinic from 4pm-6pm after he closes the University clinic. At the university clinic he is not allowed to prescribe any controlled substances.

So, I met him through the University clinic (and I knew his son), and he told me to make an appointment and come see him there. This was 2014. So I called the telephone number he gave me, his wife (the boss) answered and happily set me up an appointment.

Upon arriving I had my ID, insurance card, etc... But they didn't want any of it. They didn't accept insurance, and it was $300.00 to be seen. Welp... I made a bad decision and paid it and was seen. The doctor basically convinced me of my own anxieties, and started me on some medicines.

Over the years of seeing him every 2-3 months, I grew an excellent rapport with both the doctor and his wife. Our relationship became so close they started telling me very personal things about their son, a diagnosed paranoid-schizophrenic living in a big city ~400 miles away from where I live.

The doctor and the boss  go on to tell me how much they would appreciate it if I would just be his friend. I tell them, "I'm sorry, I have a wife, a small child, and I can't drop everything, but I would be happy to take a few phone calls and help make a person a little less lonely. Their son, the person I knew from 10+ years ago was only ever an acquaintance and because schizophrenia usual presents itself in your early twenties, I never even knew their son when he was exhibiting any symptoms of his mental illness. Because we were both ~16 or 17.

April 2017.

Finally, the doctor and the boss become so desperate for their son's social life or lack thereof, they tell me to make an offer on what I would charge to go down to the city 400 miles away and visit him every once in awhile for 2-3 days at a time. After much discussion with my wife, we decide that it would be fair for me to be $47,800 a year based on a 2080 hour work/year. Bringing my approximate hourly to $23/hr. Not bad at all. I will fly down to the city, all paid for by the doctor and boss, hang out with their son, stay in a hotel, and fly back just in time for school every other week.

I present to the doctor and boss what I want which is 47.8k a year and all travel expenses. I will visit him Friday-Sunday every-other week, and I will also log all calls I have with him and the length of the call using a computer software that only tracks the time i'm spending on the phone with that specific telephone number.

My wife and I are ecstatic as this is a lot of money, it helps another family worried about their child, and doesn't require me to put school on hold.

May 2017.
Their son calls me 20-30 times a day, each conversation is no longer than 3-15 minutes, and if I don't answer the first call, he does not stop calling until I do. I have one day where I was in class, a 50 minute upper-level physics course, where I missed 92 calls. The second I get out of class I call him back and the doctor and boss' son lets me have it. Obscenities, violent threats, etc... I chalk it up to mental illness, I apologize take no offense, and say to the individual "I'll buy an Apple Watch and any time you call me and I can't answer I'll send you a message 'sorry, I can't talk right now.'" Right after this discussion the boss calls me and apologizes for his actions and assures me he is just extra agitated because he was smoking marijuana (no, it's because he's an untreated paranoid schizophrenic, this predates recreational legalization of Marijuana in this city, and no one would be willing to sell any illicit substance to this guy, because, well, he is very apparently mentally ill, i.e, hasn't bathed in months, talks to himself, angry outburst, loose connections, basically classic symptoms for his diagnosis).

June 2017.
Finally, the first trip down to the city where their son lives is coming up. When I arrive at their house, which is always where they preferred to meet, I was told that 1. I would be covering my flight costs. 2. I will only be getting paid for 8 hours per day while being gone.  3. They will not pay me unless I am staying in the house with their son, the diagnoses paranoid schizophrenic. I say what the hell, I agree. (I'm young, dumb and apparently completely oblivious to my own rights.)

June 21. 2017.
I arrive at the house his parents bought him. It's a 400k house, extremely nice, but absolutely filthy. Cigarettes are smoked inside the house and any surface, including walls, counter-tops, doors, floors, you name it, is an ashtray for him.
I call local house cleaning companies, and I pay for it out of pocket seeing as this home is my fate for the next 48 hours.
When I call his parents to let them know I ordered a house cleaning service, and that I am owed ~$80.00 they tell me that is not an expense they are willing to cover, and that is my job to ensure I clean up after their son. I tell them, nope. Absolutely not, and so they say they'll split it with me. I angrily agree, whilst biting my lip, hard.

I get home from this trip, and immediately I tell the doctor and the boss. I didn't realize the scope of the work, and that I would not be doing another trip and I'll seek work elsewhere. That's when I start getting veiled threats of "What if doctors around town knew you were a Xanax addict? What if your professor knew that, my "professor" being the chair of physics at my university who, at the time I was doing a research project with that has led to cool discoveries in kinematics. The boss starts yelling at me, much like her son that "We had an agreement." So I lay down the rules that they will pay to keep the house cleaned and maintained. They agree, but the boss demands that I run the clinic on the weeks that I'm not visiting the son and on the week's that I am I can focus on my homework. Once again, like a dumb guy - which I am, I agree.

January 2018.
Their son has deteriorated to the point that I was chased out of his house because he told me in a very creepy Irish accent "that he was going to flay me in to pieces."

So, I call an Uber, run out the door and leave. I call the Uber, in a panic, and tell him that I'm hiding behind bushes at this address. Lucky for me Uber drivers in big cities get their quick. He pulled up, picked me up, and I had him drive me straight to the airport. My return plane ticket wasn't until Sunday and the current time is approximately ~3:30 A.M Saturday. So I buy the next ticket back home, using their card. I explain the situation as soon as the doctor and boss wake up, and they're livid. "How come you didn't try to calm him down?" Or sometimes the boss would be dismissive saying "He didn't say that, don't lie to us." I tell them I quit, and I hang up on them. They call back 53 times over the next hour, until I finally answer and they say "Just work in the clinic full-time, and we'll deal with our son." Like a dumb guy - which I am, I agree. (after all, we finally have some money in our pockets.

Here is where the real legal advice comes in.

Once I started working at the clinic, my job duties became being in charge of 500+ patients a month, and basically doing concierge medicine for them (call prescriptions in to pharmacies for them) So that my employers could "Deal with the son."

I was also told that I needed to have the clinic phone with me at all times, meaning if it rings Mon-Sun, any time of the night, I need to answer. Like a dumb guy, I agree. How hard can it be to answer a phone?

Well, very hard. Also their son is still calling me 10-50 times a day. I can't handle it, and the stress gets to me and I take semester off of school even though the dean of the PHYS department begs me not too, as well as the chair. My child and wife and I had become reliant on my paycheck. Then I start looking at my pay-stubs, which aren't mailed to me, I have to call a small office to get information, and they dropped my salary to 42,800 without my permission or even telling me. I call and ask why, and the boss said, you're no longer having to travel down to see my son, so why would I pay you what we agreed on. I quit, again. This time no word from them for days.  I start ignoring all the calls from their son, and say okay, i'm glad that chapters over.  Then they call me that following Monday and promise that I can work from home, finish my schooling, and just help the doctor with his work at his second practice (The second practice earns $6,000 a day on average.)

Yet again, I agree. I thought, because they told me I was salaried, that I had zero rights to overtime, so I swallowed my pride, and helped the patients that weren't getting the help they needed because, the boss, who was supposed to be doing my job, decided it was above her (the boss inherited ~25 million when her parents died in the early 2000's.) I then casually mentioned that I would like my pay to go back to the 47.8k. They said If I ask one more time for anything from them "I won't like what happens to me next."

That night I call DOPL (division of professional licensing only to find out i'm not a salaried employee because I don't make enough to be salaried, and that they would owe me somewhere in the neighborhood of 50k in backpay for unpaid OT)

So, I let the doctor know that if he increases my salary to 49,999 I would be considered a salaried employee and I wouldn't have a claim to the OT they owed me. He told me he feels uncomfortable and starts filming me with his camera on his phone. I ask him not to, and he starts telling his camera that's recording that I'm bribing and extorting him.

So, that night I call a lawyer, tell him everything. The lawyer happens to know the doctor and the boss very well, and tells them about the conversation I had with them. Literally, 30 minutes after telling this lawyer my story I get a call from the boss. "She tells me, remember when I said don't fuck with us? Did you think I was kidding. Your salary isn't moving and if you think you'll win a suit against us, you're sorely mistaken. We will bury you in legal fee's so much so your kid will be paying on them after you die."
I then, once again, quit. But they tell me if I do I will be sued for damaging the property in Nevada, and my mishandling of patients in the office. (I'm just the front desk person, and I call in medications for the doctor using his DEA #, and I always make sure he signs the slip giving me permission and I always, always, always talk to the pharmacist making sure they log it in their system that I am not a doctor, but I am making this call on behalf of the doctor I work for.

Anyway, I don't know what to do. I haven't told my wife any of this because she relies on the money I make. My reputation will be tarnished if I leave, and yeah, I work at least 80 hours a week, but get paid less than what I started for all the way back in May 2017.

I feel powerless, intimidated, and scared.

help please.

TLDR) I'm being intimidated by a very affluent and socially powerful couple who I reluctantly still work for. They owe me OT, but made me sign a paper in front of a notary saying that I have never worked over 40 hours in a week, 80 in a pay-peroid, and 2080 in a year. I work at least 80 hours a week, and If I quit my employers said they will do whatever it takes to bury me in legal fees and see to it I never become an astrophysicist. They are the two wealthiest people in my city. And they have whole buildings that they purchased for my university.
Also, they willingly put my life in danger and then threatened me if I told anyone.

My legal Question:
I am owed $23/hr for what I conservatively approximate being 3300 hours. I'm scared to call a lawyer because the last one betrayed my trust and told my employers everything I told him. My employers name is known by everyone in the town, and probably surrounding towns. And no one would believe me. Everyone believes this couple to be affable, fair, giving and upstanding citizens. I'm just a guy with a wife and a kid that got wrapped up in a mess.

Answer:
 Lawyers sharing private details with others is illegal.

Get a good lawyer and give them this wall of text. Answer #2: Start with a new employment lawyer. This new lawyer will help you figure out if this is worth persuing and figure out how to make a complaint to the bar about the last one.

Also, depending on your location (which I am too lazy to find in that wall of text), you may want to record any interaction between you and the doctor. If you cannot make a recording without consent, make a memo, sent via email to yourself, with direct quotes from each conversation. Your lawyer will thank you.


Title: SSI Lawyer *forgot* my ALJ hearing, then tried to cover it up[Texas, USA,]

Question:
As title says, I retained a law firm out of Missouri in September 2017 to represent me in my SSI case. They accepted it, I was initially denied, so they appealed it and I waited, knowing these things take forever. I lived in Oklahoma at the time. Time passed and I moved to Louisiana, in September 2019. If the circumstances are relevant I'll share on request. I informed them of my address change, they had my phone number. When my phone was shut off I emailed them and faxed them letting them know I had no phone, and when I was able to call after they'd sent some paperwork I asked why I needed it, as it was another contract for representation. I ended up scheduling a callback the next day with an attorney, who called me and, after some questions, admitted they'd "missed" my alj hearing over a month prior (thereby putting me past the 30 day window) and wanted me to start over.

And they didn't tell me.

I am just stunned by this. What can I even do in this situation? I tried speaking with another attorney and he was decidedly uninterested in looking into anything for me.
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 If they just couldn't be bothered to show to for the hearing, that's pretty blatant malpractice. Completely unacceptable.

First you should file a bar complaint with the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel. Second, if you want to pursue it, look for a lawyer who takes malpractice cases. I don't know anything SSI cases, but if you're dead in the water because the 30-day deadline was blown, the only remedy you have left is malpractice. Unfortunately MO has a difficult causation standard for malpractice. You have to prove that but for the malpractice, your claim would have been successful.


Title: About a few days ago, someone violently raped me. What should I do?

Question:
Sorry about formatting, am on mobile

So, uh, this is hard for me to talk about..
Basically, I was walking down the neighborhood like I usually do, coming back from school (I'm a 15 year old female) and a sketchy looking guy, he cornered me in an alleyway and did it. Honestly I would go into more detail but the rest of that day felt like a daze to me.

I couldn't remember how he looked, save for him having ear piercings and him having some tattoos on his arms.

I've told my parents, who have said "There's nothing we can do."

I talked to my friend and she told me this subreddit could help. Honestly, I just need some guidance. I don't know what to do and I'm scared.

Answer:
 Please file a police report. Your parents are wrong when they say nothing can be done. There might be DNA evidence that can lead to a suspect or even an arrest, and there might have been CCTV cameras or witnesses that could be located. A police investigation can look into these matters.

Also, please get medical attention ASAP. I hate to say this bluntly, but there is a chance that you were exposed to HIV. You will need to go on post-exposure prophylactic drugs, to prevent you from actually getting infected. This medication is VERY effective and will keep you from contracting HIV - but it needs to be taken ASAP after an exposure, before the virus has a chance to take hold.

You should also get a full STD workup, as well as counseling. You are a survivor, and you'll make it through - but please do not keep this trauma to yourself, and reach out to professionals for help. Answer #2: Do not wash the clothes that you were wearing, especially your underwear. There may be DNA evidence that the police can use to identify your attacker. Put everything you were wearing in a plastic bag and put it in a safe place. If you decide to go to police, they will want this evidence. Answer #3: 1.) Get medical attention and counseling.  Anything justice related is a distant second to proper self-care.

2.) Report it to the police if you want.  Even if there's nothing to go on, the place and time can lead them to other leads that can catch the guy.


Title: Rights regarding cancelling a temporary apartment booking in Austria after finding out it's located above a brothel

Question:
My husband and I are trying to arrange housing in Vienna, Austria from abroad. We used an online service to find an apartment and initiate the booking process (thehomelike.com). They indicated on the listing which street/general radius that the apartment is in, but the actual street number was not disclosed until we had already input credit card information to reserve the booking. We filled out the billing information to reserve the booking, and then were given the street address, and discovered that it shares a street address with a brothel. We said we no longer wanted to rent the apartment under those circumstances; they are saying that we have to pay a cancelation fee.

A few points worth noting:

- Prostitution/operation of licensed brothels is legal in Austria
- The terms and conditions are listed [here](https://www.thehomelike.com/en/terms-and-conditions/)
- We have completed a booking through their site but have not signed a lease.
- The booking agent I've been speaking to by e-mail does acknowledge straightforwardly that there is a small 1-2 person brothel operating at that location.

The T&Cs list various stipulations for the "right of revocation," (section 13 of the link above) but I do not understand what they're saying at all; I'm not sure if they've just been badly translated from the German-- I noticed some differences between the German and English versions of the lease agreement itself when we were reading over it-- or if it's just dense legalese.

Our question: do you think that we have a case for getting out of paying the cancellation fee based on those T&Cs, and the fact that the exact location wasn't disclosed until AFTER we'd already booked?

Thank you!

Answer: If you were concerned about the location, why didn’t you verify the exact address before booking it?Answer #2: What's the big deal? When in Rome they say. People have sex in homes and hotels rooms and it's not like there aren't walls separating you so I don't understand why it should matter.


Title: I was recently sold a car and just found out that the original engine was replaced with an older one.

Question:
I bought a car made in 1999 from a guy in Yuba City, CA (I live in Roseville, CA) about three weeks ago. He told me that the tires needed to be replaced soon and that the speedometer worked intermittently. He gave me some paperwork on the repairs that were done. When I drove it home, one of the tires popped and I found a huge oil leak on the passenger side.

I decided to replace all the tires and that I would get the oil leak inspected after I put the car in my name. I then found out when I went to the DMV that the car still needed to be smogged. The guy told me that it was registered until March of next year and didn't mention that it needed to be smogged.

When I went to get the oil leak inspected, the mechanic had a hard time replacing the valve cover gasket on it and said none of the parts he had were fitting properly on the car's engine. A few days later they found out that the car has a 1996 engine instead of the original 1999 version in it. This was all news to me as the person who I had bought it from didn't mention this at all. Also, if it helps to mention, I still haven't gotten the car smogged due to this reason.

Is there anything I can do to try and resolve this issue? I don't want to keep the car because, from what I know, it's illegal to put an older engine in a newer car in the state of CA.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: All the smart people here will have insightful answers, but all I know is that if you bought a car in California  without a current smog check, the seller is on the hook for any repairs necessary to make it pass smog. Hunt down the receipts you just had related to smog not passing and follow any advice you get from the actual lawyers here.


Title: [Florida] Lawyer lied now I'm getting countersued?

Question: I was in a car accident and my lawyer told the opposing insurance company that I was taken away in an ambulance which is a lie, and I never told him that. Also I had video footage of the accident from a CCTV camera that I recorded to my phone, and they said it's false evidence cause it could have manipulated how the footage looked. That's all. Just wanna know what I can do. I have been out of a car for almost 2 months now and they other insurance company never supplied me with a rental or anything. This sucks.

Answer:
 You should not be speaking to the other party's insurance directly at all. Go through your lawyer. Let him know that his statement was incorrect, and if anything needs correcting he'll handle it.

Trying to talk about the case to anyone other than your lawyer has the potential to screw things up.


Title: Argument with my boyfriend. Advice please

Question:
Let's say you make a threat against your city mayor on twitter. The local police then get a search warrant for your house due to the threat and search the house. Could they arrest you after finding illegal drugs in the house? Basically what I want to know is if a search warrant is served can you ONLY be arrested for what is shown on the search warrant?

Example: A search warrant is for growing weed but they find cocaine instead. Could they not arrest you until they get a separate warrant ?

This is in central illinois

Answer:
 So long as they are searching someplace the the evidence described on the search warrant *could* be found, they can prosecute you for whatever contraband they find.

So, if they're looking for weed and find coke, they can prosecute you.Answer #2: Bobmcgee is correct, of course. I'm just confirming it in case whoever lost the bet is saying "one guy on the internet doesn't make it true." Now there are two guys on the internet.


Title: [NJ] Found out my newly purchased home's backyard is a protected area

Question:
Maybe someone here can help. Ive hit a dead end and don't know where to proceed next.

I purchased a home in West Milford, NJ about a year ago and it was recently discovered that the back yard area (the #1 reason I purchased my home) is a freshwater wetland area and is protected by the Freshwater Wetland Act of NJ. This was not disclosed to me at all during the time of purchase by neither previous owner or their attorney or mine.

I wanted to do construction in the backyard and in the process of setting that up i discovered that its a wetland and I am forbidden from any construction.

No one has any answers for me I don't even know where to turn. My 2 questions are: 1. is there a way to refuse the "wetland" land and not pay taxes on it? 2. who carries the responsibility for not disclosing to me at the time of sale that the house sits on a wetland property.

 If anyone ever dealt with something similar or has advice to offer, thank you in advance.

Answer:
 You need a real estate attorney. Answer #2: Read the wetlands act.  You may be able to apply for a permit that will allow construction.

http://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/rules/njac7_7a.pdfAnswer #3: > is there a way to refuse the "wetland" land and not pay taxes on it?

Yes.  The process of divesting interest and responsibility in a property is called "selling".  You can try to subdivide and sell the property.

> who carries the responsibility for not disclosing to me at the time of sale that the house sits on a wetland property.

I don't know that anyone has responsibility.  I don't find a specific rule in New Jersey that requires reporting that.  Did your disclosure paperwork discuss wetlands at all?Answer #4: I am unfamiliar with New Jersey statutes on disclosure, but here's the general rule. A seller is obliged to disclose, usually in writing in a disclosure statement attached to the listing, any facts the seller "knows, or should have known" which might materially impact the buyer's decision to buy, or the price buyer might be willing to pay.

Ok, that's the law. Applied to your fact-pattern, the seller would have to "know or reasonably know" that wetlands disclosure would have an impact on your decision(s). Did you tell the seller about your desire to do construction in the backyard? I suspect not. There's your answer.


Title: Can I be sued or jailed for passing an STD this way? [North Carolina]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 ಠ_ಠ I don't know who has failed more, the parents or the school system.Answer #2: To make sure I understand: you accidentally used your sister's toothbrush, then she used it, and then somehow you mom found out that you're sexually active, and even though you have no reason to think that you have an STD that can be passed through the tiny amount of spit left on a toothbrush after rinsing it and setting it back in the toothbrush holder, you're worried that your parents can sue you or put you in jail?

You have nothing to worry about. You have nothing to "make up" to your sister. You have no reason to give her money or to participate in the crazy that your parents are pitching. You don't even have anything to apologize for.


Title: [BC] Driving While Prohibited (Motor Vehicle Act)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You really have no defense. You were prohibited from driving. You drove. The police know this. Representing yourself isn't a great idea.

A lawyer would be a good idea though. They can help lessen the legal consequences.Answer #2: Next time your mother calls you because her tire blew, _call her a tow truck_ instead of driving out personally. Even once your license is restored, this is almost certainly a more useful course of action, and one less likely to result in spurious police calls.

As for your ticket, driving while prohibited is a criminal offence, punishable on first offence by a fine and the possibility of up to six months of jail time. You are in Serious Shit. Get a lawyer, if you can, even if you have to take out a loan; if you can't, apply for legal aid. It's never a good idea to appear for criminal proceedings pro se.


Title: [TX] My helmet was stolen from my motorcycle in a parking lot. While returning home, I was ticked for driving without helmet. Any chance I could get ticket thrown off ?

Question: I have reported theft to Police, too.

Answer: No, as unfortunate as the circumstances are you cannot ride your motorcycle without a helmet. However, you can go to court and ask for leniency and hope they can make it easier for you.Answer #2: Why are people downvoting my comments?


Title: Meth home update. Results omediation. Oregon

Question:
Well seems like forever sense this all started. Want to thank everyone who gave me support through this ordeal. Thank you legaladvice, I wouldn't be here without you.  Today mediation finished. I didn't get what I want but I am in a lot better position.  I still have the house but we settled on them paying me 15k. I am out having a beer now, and ready for the next steps. Which are to sell the house and finish going after the realtors.

[Previous posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3fjf3i/oregon_meth_house_update_legal_is_dragging_on/)

Answer: Congratulations on getting through mediation and coming out with something. Enjoy that beer, you earned it! Good luck on selling and getting out of this situation completely!Answer #2: Congrats! I saw in a previous post you couldn't get a realtor to touch this? When we were suing a realtor, our attorney had connections to expert witness types. I'm inclined to think that if you've got the right attorney, they should be able to find you a realty expert witness. But then again, maybe meth is a whole other ball o' expert witness. Good luck.