Title: AT&T store employees retaliating by shutting off phone service

Question:
I was trying to get my ATT phone upgraded and didn't want to change my data/minutes/text plan. I went to a store and found the phone I wanted but it was defective and they didn't have the exact one in stock I wanted so I decided to come back some other time or order online or something. I was given a new SIM card for my old phone before I left.

When I got home I found that my wireless plan had been changed to more expensive options and called customer service who was unable to fix it and said it was a "store issue". I had to go back to the store and get the manager to fix my account after a lot of arguing and insisting that I didn't want changes and did not consent to them ever.

15 minutes after I left the store my phone's mobile data stopped working and I spent over an hour with tech support and they could not resolve the issue but I could get a new SIM for free from any AT&T store. I went in and they were very rude and refused to address the issue and kept pushing an upgrade on me. I left and called customer service to complain and they couldn't reactivate my phone or do anything more than say "sorry."

So now I have a phone that doesn't work in retaliation for complaining about an employee at a store and AT&T won't do anything to fix their errors. How can I complain about this AT&T store practices, which government agency can I report them to, and what other legal options are available to me?

edit- location is oregon

Answer:
 > which government agency can I report them to

[The FCC. Here's the form](https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us)Answer #2: Email the people at www.consumerist.com
tips@consumerist.com

They love these stories.
Answer #3: Go into the ATT store. Ask for a SIM card. Of they say no, tell them that tech support said you should ask them. If they say no again, ask them to hold on while you call corporate again. Whether they hold on or not (it's going to take a whole so maybe they want to help another customer in the meantime), call tech support again, and when you finally get through tell them what happened. Ask the tech to wait until you can get another in store rep. Your problem should be resolved swiftly.Answer #4: Have you tried going to a different AT&T store?


Title: [NY] Pulled over for a headlight being out

Question:
**[edit] We are in PA! My mind is shot and I forgot I moved.**

Last night while coming home my fiance got pulled over for having one of his headlights out. He didn't realize it and assumes it must have happened recently. He went out and bought a new bulb and changed it today, but we're both not sure what the next step is. The total to pay for the ticket is $141, what are the steps to take to get the ticket dismissed and/or not have to pay the fee? Also does he plead guilty or not guilty on the letter he has to mail in? I don't drive and this is his first time being pulled over, so we're not sure what is supposed to be done.

Answer:
 I had to do this in the state of NY actually

Went to the police station in the town the ticket was issued in after fixing it. They came out to the parking lot and asked us to show off the new light. Everything was dropped after this.

If not, it's taken lightly as a ticket. $141 isn't bad for this, albeit, pretty annoying. I'd show up in person ready to pay just for the chance of having it withdrawn.


Title: NC Alienation of affection?

Question:
I am married and have a history of cheating. My spouse knew it before we got married, and found out I was actively cheating during our marriage over a year ago. We are now in counseling and trying to work things out.

Until this week, I had an office flirtation with a good friend I work with. Some pictures and texts exchanged, but no sexual contact. I accidentally crossed the line with an ass grab and my friend is now concerned I’m trying to start an affair (I’m not) and I’m putting them at risk for an alienation of affection lawsuit. To be clear: this person has been nothing but supportive of my struggles in my marriage and actually has been motivating and coaching me to try harder to walk the straight and narrow and to work things out in counseling. Despite my illicit behavior, I do believe this friendship has benefited the marriage. We have exchanged numerous texts about ways for me to improve my marriage, and my friend has emphatically said they do not want to sleep with me. Most of the illicit behavior has been on my end, with my friend occasionally expressing appreciation or tacitly implying they would be ok if my illicit behaviour continues. I know my friend is not entirely blameless, but this is very one-sided.

So, is my friend right? Are they at risk for an alienation of affection suit bc of my behavior which they do not reciprocate and despite a lack of sexual contact?

Answer:
 I’m trying to unpack this-so your concern is if your friend can be held liable in this situation?
I’m sorry but where’s your concern for your wife? Your marriage? You keep cheating physically and emotionally-why stay married?
You can’t keep it zipped  while you’re in marriage counseling?
Do you think you have a problem or addiction?Answer #2: Honestly, it sounds like your harassing your friend at work. It also sounds like they want you to stop more than you realize, and are trying to be polite about getting you to leave them alone.

Your concern needs to be, "what am I going to do when I lose my job for workplace harassment?" Answer #3: Alienation of affection is not about punishing the cheating spouse ... it's about going scorched earth on the non-married party in the affair.
Alienation of affection generally requires some proof of sexual contact, but criminal conversation does NOT require sexual contact and the coworker is right that she could be sued for criminal conversation. FYI.


Title: Should I be doing anything to protect myself? My partner let me go, so I started my own business. She is now threatening me on her personal facebook. [ON, Canada]

Question:
To keep things short: I was "hired" by a Princess Party business of one run by a girl who it appeared later knows nothing about business.  There was no written or verbal contracts.  I paid for my outfits, wig, etc. and put it over a month of free work to get us going as she had no more than one party booked.  I also paid all of our gas.  I am on Ontario Works waiting for ODSP as I suffered a head injury and this has been the first thing I can actually do work-wise, as it's 2-3 hours a day for 2 or so days a week and something I really love.  This was a side project for her it seems, as she did not put very much effort into it and was constantly cancelling or showing up late to events.

I found out her business was not registered and said I was worried she would get in trouble when I reported my income to Ontario Works.  She immediately let me go and would not let me do the parties we had booked, which was fair enough.  After a few weeks of deliberation, working with a mentor, talking to my doctors and writing a very detailed business plan, I decided that I had already invested a lot into this (around $800) and also that it was a great opportunity health-wise for me.  I could not work with the bigger companies around here as they require you to do 3-4 parties a day.  So, I started my own business.  It is registered, falls into all guidelines with ODSP and I did not use any of her wording, name, pricing, packages, or ideas.

First she wrote some very bad things on my company facebook page, publicly.  Using "the c word" and calling me a lying bitch/disgusting human being.  After I deleted that and blocked her, she posted on her personal page about me.  She had people saying "what's her name and address, I will come to her house and beat her with a shovel" and she gave out my Facebook page.  She also said a lot of things that were not true, talked about suing me, and "reporting me to welfare".  6-7 people were involved, many offering to "take care of me for her".

I'm really concerned for two reasons. 1) I'm afraid for my safety, although I know nothing will probably happen.  2) She claims that she will "fight dirty" and I'm worried about her trying to undermine my business.  I'm looking for some advice - should I do anything?  I haven't responded at all to anything she's said.

Answer:
 Take screenshots of everything that is happening. If you are worried for your safety you should report this to your local police department. Answer #2: >what's her name and address, I will come to her house and beat her with a shovel

Death threat meet restraining order.


Title: (TX) I was caught speeding and I'm afraid I may go to Jail.

Question:
So today in the morning I was in a huge hurry when I ran into a speed trap. The officer clocked me in at 101 mph on the highway and in Texas anything over 100 can land you in jail. I don't usually speed, but in this case I was worried when I recieved a weird call from my parents. Is there anything I can do in rhis situation? I can't afford to pay the fine. I'm extremely scared of the consequences. I have been pulled over once before for speeding but had it removed. Should I contact a lawyer? Can they do anything for me? Please Help.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Speed trap?  WTF are you talking about?   Is there somewhere in Texas where it is legal to go a 100mph?


Title: I am being sued by people who had a falling out with my Mother and who I have never even met. (CA)

Question:
My mother pissed some people off, they have been suing each other for about a year and a half now about some dispute over a sum of $15,000. I was never involved and stuck to my own business. Out of nowhere this past week, I got served documents that said I am responsible for taking their property and $1,300 in cash... I have no idea how they know where I work or why they are now targeting me. What the heck do i do at this point? Do I need to get a lawyer and spend a bunch of money fighting this?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Contact the court named on the documents to find out if they are legit.

Keep in mind, if they are legit, you must respond within the proper time frame, not responding would enable them to get a default judgment against you.Answer #2: Is it a small claims suit ([looks like this](http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/sc100.pdf)) or general civil ([looks like this](http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/sum100.pdf))?Answer #3: What do these documents tell you to do? (If you aren't sure, what are they titled?)

If you're actually being sued, they would have identified the specific set of facts which they think makes you responsible. Did they do this, and if so do you dispute these facts?


Title: 911 and officers need more empathy training (serious)

Question: On may 6 of this year our daughter was murdered by her ex boyfriend. She had broken up with him the night before. She spent the night at our house. The next morning she asked us to take her to get her things she told us to go home because she didn't want us to have to wait a long time. At 12:50pm I asked if she was ok she replied they were talking. Then at 1258 she asked me to pick her up. We arrived at her location within 8 minutes. She hadn't"seen" the message that we were coming so my husband and I went up to her apartment. We knocked and heard nothing inside. I kept calling her no answer. I called the non emergency police number and told them the situation. They told me there was nothing they could do maybe she and him had went for a walk and had no wifi. I explained to the operator that my daughter ALWAYS kept in contact with me and this was way out of character for her. I was told that she wasn't a priority and it would take a while for an officer to get there. We waited 45 minutes knocking talking loudly feeling like my daughter and her ex we're inside. It got hot I have Ms and it makes me sick so we decided to go home hoping by some chance she'd contact us. The officer called around 3pm and said they were doing a wellness check. We went back and met the officers on thier way out. I again asked them to do something because I felt like she was in there. I was told it was a violation of my daughter's ex's rights breaking in because she wasn't on the lease. (Even though she paid the bills, had furniture and received mail at the address) they told me they would put an ATL on her I showed them her picture. Then they stood there until we left. My sister and her husband then went there knocking again. We went back about 6. Neighbors started coming up to us saying they had seenhim be abusive to her in the past. I called 911 again and again I was told she wasn't a priority and then was put on hold. The 911 operator came back and rudely told me to let her talk to the neighbors who were saying these things so I did. One neighbor said she had seen my daughter be pulled into the apartment that afternoon. She returned my phone and the 911 operator said to me "if that lady seen what she says she seen why didn't she call 911." I explained to the operator that she seemed mentally challenged. The operator spoke to another neighbor then said it was still not a priority and it would be a few hours before anyone could come. At 7 we were tired of waiting too many neighbors had heard and seen too many things that day. My mom broke the window and I pushed the blinds aside to see my baby girl laying on the floor. I jumped in the window and hugged her she was cold and surrounded by blood. My husband kicked open the door. Someone call 911 again and the time they were there in maybe 15 minutes. He turned himself in 2 days later. He was charged with 7 counts. I am just wondering if legally there is anything we can do to make sure no one has to go through his excruciating painful experience ever again.  We received the death certificate it says time of death unknown.

Answer:
 Cop here, I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your daughter. I can’t imagine what you are going through.

There is nothing you could have done to change the mind of the police. I know that doesn’t bring your baby back or make you feel any better.

The police have certain policies and procedures that they have to follow. Some due to the 4th amendment (search and seizure).

If you want the police to review if their policies were followed then I suggest going to the station and making a formal complaint. They may have you fill out a form and possibly swear that your complaint is true.

If you want to sue the police you will want to retain an attorney to do so for you. Your BAR association should be able to refer you to the correct attorney for this type of case. Answer #2: That’s horrible. My friend was murdered by her ex too in March. Her son reported her missing that night and they found her an hour later behind her house. It’s an awful thing to go through and I have no words for what you are going through. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.


Title: School bus conditions and timings?

Question: [removed]

Answer: School buses do have a max occupancy, I believe it is three students to a seat. It should be clearly posted somewhere within the bus. If to do a quick head count and there are more people, document it and let your parents know. It will need to be addressed with the school's transportation director, and if it's not, then you escalate to the school board.


Title: [SC] Internet based clothing tailor ruined $900 in shirts. Went unresponsive after admitting fault. What can I do?

Question: South Carolina. Internet based tailor ruined $nearly 900 in shirts by tailoring them 1" shorter than requested. The company apologized in writing and admitted fault. Went ahead with an insurance claim, but the claim was denied. The company sent one final note to try and "work something out" but regularly ignores e-mails/calls. It's been over 1 year and I cant seem to get traction. The past few months ive been getting ignored. I'd like to write a letter certified and escalate. Whats the best path forward?

Answer: You can sue them in small claims court.  Only problem is that if they're not a US company, that's going to be tricky.


Title: Fighting Child Support

Question:
I am 24F and I am not the one required to pay child support. I am looking for advice about helping my dad and apologies for the long post. When my parents split when I was 6 the normal child support rules were in place, my dad had to pay x amount for 3 kids. However because of the divorce he lost his business, and struggled to find work, and had to claim bankruptcy. Child support does not pause for bankruptcy. When he had a job he'd pay FRO (Family Responsibility) and my mom sometimes saw the money. Othertimes he'd give the support straight to us if he couldn't afford the full child support amount, he'd instead buy us clothes, groceries, pay for school trips, passports for Cadet training etc. When we all hit legal age, he helped pay my sisters tuition and bought groceries and helped with my phone bill while I was in University. However now we are all grown, my mom is well off and remarried, and FRO just took my dads pension to pay my mom back. She's not fighting it and doesnt care about the support he gave us kids because she didnt see it. I want to fight FRO and the child support system for my dad. We're not seeing the money, my mom doesnt need it, he supported us the best way he could and now its killing him. He's 60 and struggling, his standard of living is close to homeless. What can I do?
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 He is required to pay no matter his circumstances.  At one point he could have gone to court and had the amount adjusted to match his income at the present moment (If he did not have a job there is still a minimum standard). It would in no way change the back support. What he owes is what he owes, no matter what he gave outside of the orders. All money should have gone through attorney general to be put towards his debt.

However, your mother *could* ask the court to forgive the amount. Answer #2: There's one thing you seem to misunderstand about your dad's child support debt.  He is not paying for your current support, he is reimbursing your mother for the support he should have provided when you were younger.  I don't know your circumstances, but the likely reason your mother doesn't care about the "support" he paid outside of the orders is your dad didn't get to dictate how child support is spent.  Your mother would have had a priority for money, such as rent, utilities, food, etc.  Your dad paying for a field trip directly didn't necessarily help her, especially since many schools will cover costs for financially disadvantaged students.


Title: Loan for Bail ? question

Question: so im located in massachusetts and i have a family member whos is in jail and asked me to take a loan out to bail them out for $10,000...how does this work? will this effect my credit (have really good credit) currently paying off a car at the moment.. are their any downsides. should i do this should i not..i really dont like messing with my money ..some info would be greatly appreciated

Answer:
 Don't do it

A bail that high either indicates that your relative is quite rich meaning that he shouldn't need to ask you for money or he is facing some serious charges

It will affect your credit if he is unable to pay you the required money and you defualt on the loans. It exposes you to a huge amount of risk for no real gain.


Title: I think i need help

Question: I do not know where to start but the long of the short is I work hard and i play hard and at the company I work at I think they have a scheme to push people that have drug problems  such as weed or alcohol or even adderall I am thinking and using that as a blackmail chip to make them work harder... cause once youve been caught that shit kinda lingers over your head.... and lets say i was caught and i was going 1500 items an hr vs the goal being 1200.. also i pushed someone personally up to 900hr rate when his goal was 600... and hardly anyone ever meets the goal.... on good night packers hit 240 goal being 230. I did not come to this conclusion until recently my whole life seemed to freefall into nothing and it scared me a lot thinking if I am willing to work to death then that must mean I do not fear death.... so I started thinking how can I stop this, when i got back from vacation hoping they understood that i didnt want to be put back in the same position ive been at for the past months it seems and i could do other things just as well and i told them i wanted to be put on something else but they just did that for a day so when i got put back at old position again the following day i responded with a very negative survey thing they ask about the managers and things started getting weird... next day people that had to work under me were almost crying and the manager was telling them it was going to be ok and them going very slow i was barley geting to 900hr and alot of attention from managers and i was playing a game where i had one person at team goal and i was pushing they other clear until they sent people over to urge me to work both sides but i didnt care i wasnt going to push past 600 so they couldnt say i was doing anything wrong and i was turning my back to everyone and just trying to be how i normally am at the station besides all that... then a group of managers formed and one kinda mocked me as i was finishing something.. like making a noise "boop" when i triggered something at station so i turn my back to them without so much as a glance and walked away and stopped working.... i was pissed all week but this was ridiculous to me... next thing i know after break my manager told everyone he was leaving and one of his assistants came to me to ask me to sign a sympathy card for my manager ( was legal paper with a bunch of signatures signed on it) and i put my hands up and was like huh and did not sign the card then i knew stuff was bad and then i seen my manager leave and i seen hr walking around so after during the next break i told some ppl i know the short and left work early... had upt and no written warnings so..... also months ago i came into work high and got drug tested and know i was caught at that moment and was waiting for the verdict that never came... i might have hit the survey thing then but im not sure i do weird things sometimes for no good reason. idk what to do... or i do i just wish i had help more than just friends and family. i live in Florida

Answer:
 Paragraphs are required here.

But it’s not illegal to require drug users to do more work or to even fire them.

Don’t do illegal drugs


Title: Contacted by detective. Unsure of what steps to take. FL

Question:
About two months ago there was a small get together at the apartment I was staying at and the following day I was accused of sucking someone's dick while they were drunk. my roommates and their friends spent most of the night drinking, all becoming increasingly more intoxicated throughout the night. The accuser being the drunkest of the five of us. When he started feeling sick and falling asleep mid sentence is when we decided to put him to bed that night.

I ended up leaving that night to admittedly go hookup with someone as I hadn't been drinking and around 5 am was called by roommate asking where I was, saying she was woken up by the accuser who was seemingly fine and apologizing for how drunk he got the prior night. After her call I finished up my cigarette as I had been procrastinating on my phone in the parking lot and went into her room where we ended up just talking for like an hour, when suddenly our other roommate comes in saying she's taking the accuser home because he's freaking out.

Obviously my roommates jumped immediately to my defense as they immediately thought the accusation sounded false, especially considering how out of the blue it was, partnered with the fact that the accuser had a tendency of getting black out drunk and not knowing what happened.

Two months pass with no mention of the subject, and then two or three days ago my old roommate gets a call from a detective asking for her to tell them about the situation because the accuser couldn't give them much or any information. Finally today I received a call from him saying my name came up in an investigation and that he would like me to contact him tomorrow.

He told me it was nothing to worry about, but everything I've read online advises against contacting him without an attorney, which I can't afford. I wouldn't be worried if the event were still recent but as Im worried I don't remember every single detail which might make me look guilty. Especially as a charge like this comes with such a negative connotation.

Answer:
 Don't even return the call.

Do. Not. Speak. To. Him. At. All.

If he had enough to arrest you, he wouldn't be calling to talk. Talking will only make your situation worse.

Do. Not. Return. His. Call. If approached by the police, say you won't speak to them without an attorney present and then **shut the fuck up.** Like literally don't even talk about the weather. Say. Nothing.


Title: Does my mom legally have control over me?

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 They cannot stop you from going out of the country. You may wish to be sure your passport is secure at all times, so it doesn’t accidentally “get lost” the morning of your departure. The same with your phone or any other device that has travel tickets on it.

You are legally a tenant. If they want to kick you out, they can, providing they follow proper state and local eviction procedures. They cannot tell you that if you go to the event, don’t bother to return , unless that confirms to eviction law.  They also do not have to provide you any support, not even food and clothing.

They can also make your life miserable, just as any roommates can.

If you are getting student loans, you are going to need their cooperation. A serious estrangement may not be what you want.


Title: Scammed out of $4000

Question:
Hi, I will keep it short.

&#x200B;

I wanted to start an email business (think Mailchimp) so I hired a company based in the US (California) to help me set up the server infrastructure. I live in Australia.

&#x200B;

They sent me a contract, and I paid half ($2000) to start the set up, and once they finished they sent me screenshots showing me the work was done and the server was ready to be used, but would not give me credentials to log in until I paid the rest, which I did ($2000). The company then sent me an invoice and promised to send the log in credentials soon.

&#x200B;

It has been 5 days and they have been completely unresponsive on all channels, Whatsapp, phone, email and skype.

&#x200B;

What can I do as a person living outside the US where this company operates? What authorities or action can I take against them for not delivering?  I understand the money is most likely lost but how can I prevent this company from continuing to operate like this?

&#x200B;

Thanks

Answer:
 What method of payment did you use? If it was a credit card you may be able to initiate a chargeback.Answer #2: It seems you fell for an advance fee scam - instead of a legitimate company, you sent money to scammers that impersonated a legitimate company or created the apparance of a fake company.

The jurisdiction that would investigate the crime is the police of the California town the supposed company is in.

It is highly unlikely that this will result in the culprits being found, but filing that police report is your only legal recourse.

Technically, you could sue in small claims court, but given that you'd have to find the people that scammed you first, you should not expect to see a cent back.

Ths is why people do business with established companies instead of going for a better deal from a fly by night operation.Answer #3: If you paid via credit card, you can recover what you paid by filing a dispute with your credit card company.

If you paid via other means, it is less likely you will recover what you paid.

I find it unlikely this company is actually based in CA.


Title: I entered a store I was banned from and the police came by my home unexpectedly. Help? (UK)

Question:
Ok so my memory is awful due to mental health issues, so I can't give exact dates, but many months ago (what feels like a year), I was caught shop lifting from a supermarket grocery store on the UK.

It was all just food items (nothing luxury or electronic)  that came up to roughly £100. I had stolen similar items from there before as I am/was a recently parentless student that was short on money. Not a great excuse but that's the reason and I haven't stolen again.

Police were called, I was issued a warning and had to sign some documents and have my photo taken for the supermarket files.

I was "let off easy" with only a caution but one of the two police men said "I'd give it about a year before you go back there. Give it time for people to forget your face" so that's what it did.

Very recently, I've gone back to the store, always avoiding the specific security guard who caught me  if I saw them there in the entrance they worked, I wouldn't enter the store) and as i'm in a better financial position, i have been paying for all of my items.

The times I have gone shopping, none of the staff raised their eyebrows at me, so I had assumed I had gotten away with it.

However, just today, a police man came knocking at my door but I didn't realise it was him so I ignored him. He persisted so I looked through the eyehole of my door, saw it was him and panicked and pretended noy to be home. I also think he came by yesterday but gave up much quicker after 1 ring.

**TL;DR: i was banned from a supermarket after stealing grocery items. Its been months since then and I went back to the store and made full legal purchases without issue. Police have now turned up at my door and I ignored them in panic**

So basically, I want to know what are the possible outcomes for effectively breaking the rules of my ban and entering the store? Could the store have known it was me, and rather than throw me out then and there, send the police directly over to me? Could this mean jail time or a fine?
Topic:
Non-US


Title: Scholarship unfairly taken away

Question: 3 semesters ago I visited a college that I was interested attending. The advisor/head of the scholarship department said I had wonderful grades and wanted to give me the “presidential scholarship” if I would come attend their school. She said that she had already given it to a student but if I came the same time next year she would like to award it to me. She told me to go ahead and attend classes in the meantime. I didn’t sign any papers, she never gave me a scholarship packet to fill out, but her exact words were “I want to guarantee you this scholarship next year, and we don’t know what will happen by that time. I could get into a car accident and die or lose my job. Here is what I am going to do. I am going to email you send you an email as proof, so that who ever you talk to next year will know.” And she did, it reads, “Hi (my name), it was great meeting you. Looking forward to having you attend (schools name) at our (campus location). I wanted to write to you to congratulate on the Fall 2018 Presidential scholarship award. We will discuss more first of March 2018.” When I met with her the following year her response was something to the effect of, I’m sorry that scholarship doesn’t exist, the program isn’t running so there’s no scholarship for it. She said that she would talk to her superior and see if they could award me some other scholarship, who I then contacted, and he claimed he never heard of the situation. He said he was going to take care or it, called me a week later, pretty much said I was screwed, and that the scholarship shouldn’t have gone to me anyway. I contacted the head of the department, who then sent the letter to the dean. Met with the head of the department, and then haven’t heard back from her since. I’ve called her personal phone several times, emailed her several times, called her secretary, emailed her secretary, and have gotten no response from either of them. It has been about 3 or 4 months of radio silence and I really don’t know where to go from here. I was going to CC a lawyer in an email to let the school know how serious I am but I’m worried that I don’t have enough of a case to make anything happen and I’ll just waste my money and a lawyer’s time. I feel like they bait and switched me. What can I do?

Answer:
 The scholarship wasn't taken away; it was never yours.   The employee you talked to sounds remarkably incompetent - that's nowhere near the proper process for awarding a scholarship, and "Taking care of it" likely involved disciplining or firing the person you talked to.

You'll need to follow the school's proper procedures for applying for  scholarships and financial aid, and I would consider attending a different school.Answer #2: Yeah, could be a bait and switch thing, or it could just be a good-faith intention they were unable to act on.  She did say she couldn't absolutely guarantee the scholarship, after all.

Supposing it was a deliberate bait-and-switch and you could definitely prove that in court, you'd be entitled to your damages, which would seem to be the lesser of (1) the scholarship amount that you aren't receiving, or (2) the excess cost to you of withdrawing from this school and attending another, compared to having simply enrolled in the other school from the beginning - e.g. refund of non-refundable fees, compensation for increased fees from the other school if it's still possible to switch, and if it's too late, some kind of compensation for your loss of that opportunity.

For now, trying to escalate the issue within the university administration and CC'ing a lawyer seem like reasonable plans.


Title: can a person reply to a personals ad pretending to be a minor and get the poster in trouble?

Question:
[Alaska] The person replying to the post is not me, and the "baiting" has already been done (by someone I know). They saw a personals ad by someone they know, who they know actively preys on minors, and replied to the ad pretending to be a (openly) 15-year-old girl willing to meet up. The poster was receptive and agreed to meet with this purported minor (the age of consent is 16 here, the person who posted the personals ad is 25) but my friend, of course not being a 15-year-old-girl, stood him up. IANAL but it seems highly improbably that anything legal consequences could happen for this man, but my friend is eager to see if there is something that could be done.

I am curious about what qualifies as entrapment in these sort of situations - it's not like a sting operation because it's not state-sponsored, and I have to speculate whether the police wouldn't just laugh at the very idea of this person trying to Chris Hansen some random shitbag in our small city. I am also curious if there could be some legal danger to my friend for doing this, as well.

This is probably a laughable question, but when my friend approached me and told me about what they did, I didn't have a good answer for them about this.

Answer: How about leaving the police work up to the police. If you want to catch bad guys become a policeman.


Title: Chimney fire less than 48 of purchasing home. Insurance says they won't pay.

Question:
So we bought a home and within 48 hours our chimney caught on fire, fire dept was called and they put it out.  Our insurance said they would not pay for damages since it was caused by "maintenance issues." I have since had it professionally cleaned and inspected; the result is that the chimney is damaged and is unsafe to use. This is also the primary source of heat for our home.

Taking a DIY attitude about the whole thing I bought a chimney liner kit (~$1000) and tried to install it myself only to discover that the chimney had buckled somewhere in the middle and the liner would not go down all the way.

Now I am looking at very expensive repairs to rebuild the chimney and can not return the liner. The buckling in the chimney was likely a result of the extreme heat of the fire cracking the mortar.

I plan on calling my insurance company in the morning but I do not not anticipate they will pay for anything.  Is there anyway I can get them to agree to funding the repairs?  Is the previous owner liable?  The previous owner did not disclose anything about the condition of the chimney.  The home inspector did not mention anything was wrong with the chimney.

We cannot afford a professional to rebuild the chimney and we both work so we can't really rebuild it ourselves and tear holes in the roof in January.

Yes, I realize we should have gotten the chimney cleaned when we first moved in but our priority was moving our belongings.  Also a clean chimney was not part of our contract with the seller.  I now know it should have been; this is our first home so I guess we learned the hard way.

Edit: in Idaho

Answer:
 I am not an attorney  (appraiser) but I think you  are stuck. You missed deferred maintenance when doing your due diligence.  Fireplaces are not DIY, unless you have an expert level of knowledge.  It would be very difficult to prove that the seller knowingly sold you a house with a non working fireplace. You are probably better off spending your money fixing it.

Do you have a mortgage?  If so, your lender may be interested to know they made a loan on a house without a working heat source.  Did you have the fireplace and chimney inspected before you bought it?

You need to get a safe heat source to make it through the winter, and be setting some money aside to either repair the fireplace or upgrade to a furnace or something.  What kind of house is this?

I would go get some baseboard heaters. They are much safer and energy efficient than space heaters.  Careful with anything that uses gas or combustibles  - carbon monoxide is odorless and your whole family could be dead before it is apparent that there is a problem.


Title: [IN] Wife is a teacher who has a student who is being physically abused by her mother. I know nothing about family law, what are the typical next steps in this situation?

Question:
Main points:

* My wife teaches at a religious high school. Her student (17 year old girl) came to school with visible facial bruises and said her mom was the one who struck her and that it's been happening for awhile.

* My wife is a very caring but emotional person and texted me this morning about wanting to be her legal guardian among other things. I pumped the breaks on that for a variety of reasons.

* The principal at the school (and likely the attorney for the school) is aware of the situation and is supposedly in the process of "handling" it.

* Apparently it's gotten to the point where the girl is in fear of her life and does not want to return home but has no family in the area and no car.

What typically happens in these cases, especially since the girl is a minor? What would be the best piece of advice for the girl and what should I tell my wife?

Answer:
 Child Protective Services

Isn't your wife a mandated reporter as a teacher?


Title: My friends ex boyfriend left stuff in her car and now he threatening to call the cops

Question:
Hey all

My friends ex boyfriend recently moved 3 hours away from her but left stuff in her car, now he’s demanding she drive all the way down(college student gas ain’t cheap) and return his stuff, he literally said he was going to call the cops if she didn’t

Is there anything I can do? And could he actually call the cops and get her arrested?
Topic:
Douche

Answer: You don’t have an obligation to drive out of your way to give him his stuff back, but you are obligated to be reasonable and tell him he can have it all back whenever he wants to come get it. If he doesn’t come get it, there’s a time limit  ( which depends on your state ) telling you when it is legally abandoned and you can sell it or trash it.


Title: Landlord Removed Our Water Heater

Question: I was woken up this morning to the sounds of the power/water company removing the water heater from my apartmant (the tank is located right next to my bedroom). He told me that the office wants to replace the floor in the area before installing a new heater, and said we'll be without hot water for a few days. There was, to my knowledge, no warning that I won't have hot water, or even no warning that they were going to be making any repairs at all. Further, it seems as though the water is completely shut off, so we have no running water whatsoever. I'd really prefer not to have to spend my weekend without showering or brushing my teeth, and I especially don't want to go into work on sunday smelling like a pig. What should I do?

Answer:
 There are both state and local laws about "habitability" and what  atenet can do. Lack of water makes a place uninhabitable. Depending on local laws, you may be able to withhold a reasonable amount of rent to cover the cost of staying in a hotel or you may be able to force the landlord to pay for the hotel.

Contact a local or state tenants rights organization immediately to find out your options based on the laws that cover your situation.


Title: [AZ] I cosigned an apartment lease for my aunt; lease was completed. Saw credit report today that they hit me with $2k bill that's now in collections.

Question:
My aunt continued to stay there on monthly basis for two months after lease ended. I never signed anything after the original lease. From what I've been told by Aunt, she didn't owe anything else from those two months; even if she did, does my responsibility not end when the lease does?

My first action is going to be to send a certified letter to collection agency. Should I dispute the charge with Experian now or should I wait to see how the certified letter goes first? Should I wait before contacting apartment manager to ask for ledger? Thanks for any info.

Answer: OP- You should reach out to the Property Manager first to see if you can get more detail on the 2k balance. Your action may need to be against your aunt and having that ledger will help you confirm that.


Title: Can I go on disability?

Question: I dont know if this is the right sub. 19 male. Every time I try to get a job, I work for a month or two trying my hardest every day. Calling in some days and then sleeping all day. I just lost my new job i started 2 months ago because I was going to kill my self with pills but didnt have enough to really do anything. I want to work but i just cant hold a job. I try so hard to but when im there its constant thoughts of wanting to die, being lonely, sad, ect. Then I go home and lay in bed and its the same thoughts until I fall asleep. I live at home with my mother who does not work because of her depression/ she is really sick. I dont know what to do. I dont do drugs, drink, party ect. Is there any program that can help me out? I just need something for a year until I am in good shape to go to college.

Answer: you need to see a psychologist and psychiatrist


Title: Please help. Lawyer intentionally working against me.

Question:
Bare with me.

I have court this week in Mississippi. I was just informed my lawyer is related to the DA. Long story short, I'm a victim of entrapment. However, I had no idea that my lawyer was apart of it until recently. He has always flat out refused to bring any of my concerns to the table relating to the entrapment. The entire time he has been telling me I have no case, make a plea we can work this out with the DA. While on the phone with him at the bank, I was withdrawing the fees for him, when I pulled out of the bank I was arrested and my money was seized in a civil forfeiture,  the money going to my lawyer. I've been gaslighted by him for over a year now. There is so much that's happened since then however I do not have the capacity to explain it in detail. It's a deliberate and malicious organized effort.

I do not want this man representing me in court, however they are trying to steamroll this through court asap. Wednesday is it. What do I do, please help me and Thank you for your time.

Answer:
 No offense but I honestly believe you are suffering from paranoia, I would seek a therapist or other medical help, immediately.

If the lawyer is court appointed you can ask the Judge for a new one but he is unlikely to grant that.Answer #2: I 100% guarantee that you were not entrapped. Unless you were approached by a uniformed cop who asked you to hold a bag of evidence for a moment and then charged you with possession, entrapment isn't a thing.

Fire him if you'd like, but entrapment is a stupid defense because it never works because it almost never applies.  Him telling you it's a stupid defense isn't gas lighting, it's his job.Answer #3: >What do I do

Find another criminal defense attorney and explain it all to them.  See what they tell you.  There's no magic bullet that people here can give you to make criminal charges go away.

Not only that, but the idea that the police would perform a civil forfeiture of your money, and then give any of it to the attorney who represents you, makes absolutely no sense whatsoever - unless you're talking about a conspiracy at the highest levels of government...


Title: Is it legal to sell artwork of a copyrighted object?

Question:
I am wondering if it is legal to sell copies (prints) of drawings/paintings of cars in particular. If an artist draws a realistic image of a very specific and recognizable make and model of car (Eg. A porsche 911, etc.) and then sells print copies of said artwork, is this legal? Is that copyright infringement because the drawing or painting is of something that is copyrighted?

Thanks so much for any help.

Answer:
 NAL, however you should be fine.  [Section 65.2](http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/s65.html) of your Copyright act includes the following exceptions that allow the reproduction of a copyrighted work:

> (2)  The copyright in a work to which this section applies that is situated, otherwise than temporarily, in a public place, or in premises open to the public, is not infringed by the making of a painting, drawing, engraving or photograph of the work or by the inclusion of the work in a cinematograph film or in a television broadcast.

Cars, by their very nature, exist and are seen in public places.  You might, for additional reassurance, obfuscate the Porche (et al) logos on your drawings - i.e.: a yellow and black shield that roughly but not exactly resembles the actual logo.

Incidentally, I love that the Australian Copyright Act defines "artistic work" as "an artistic work in which copyright subsists.".  That's impressively recursive.Answer #2: In the USA, it's legal. The copyright of the drawing/painting belongs to the artist. Even if it's hyper-realistic or a photograph, it's copyright belongs to the artist.


Title: Advice about an arcade idea

Question: I live in Chattanooga Tennessee and I would like to open up an arcade where people are charged one time fee and then they can play as long as they want for the day.  The cabinet's I use will be custom-made using emulators. The question is if I own a physical copy of each game that I used in the emulators and have them on site would that be legal?

Answer:
 > The question is if I own a physical copy of each game that I used in the emulators and have them on site would that be legal?

No. Having a physical copy of a video game does not entitle you to create digital copies of it.


Title: [TX] Can a 17(f) move out legally?

Question:
I am currently 16, but I don't plan on trying to move out until I am 17.

**I have read multiple times that if you notify your parents where you will be staying, they cannot report you as missing and the police in Texas will not take you back unless you are in danger.**

**Is this true?**
 I've had a hard time verifying it, though i do plan on talking to a lawyer soon.

Just so you are aware, I recently got hired for a full-time job that pays above minimum wage ($10 hr) and I am about halfway done with my Associates degree, by the time I plan on moving out (November) I should have plenty saved.

TLDR; can I legally move out at 17 in Texas, as long as I notify my parents of where I'll be?

UPDATE: I went and looked more into it, and actually there is a loophole. In Texas a 17 year old is not considered a child and as long as they are not acting irresponsibly, they cannot be taken back home. You can also not be reported missing if your parents have been notified of your whereabouts. Thank you for all the replies, and I'm sure I'll have more legal questions soon!

Answer:
 > I have read multiple times that if you notify your parents where you will be staying, they cannot report you as missing and the police in Texas will not take you back unless you are in danger.

That sounds like nonsense.  If true, it is likely a departmental policy, and likely unverifable.  Sounds like nonsense though.

Will you have graduated from High School at that point?  Will you have your parents permission to move out?


Title: [VA]USPS package delivery woes.

Question:
Here we go, I'm heated, so I'm going to struggle to not get a little crazy.

9/21 I ordered a desk chair from Amazon, next day shipping, should have received 9/22, didn't arrive, no big deal, late deliveries happen. 9/23 comes around, no delivery. Okay whatever. 9/24 8PM, package just scanned as delivered! Im home, run outside- No USPS truck anywhere in sight, no package. Delivery note says "Left in mailbox"

How do you leave a chair in the damn mailbox?

Check the box for a delivery slip. Nothing but a piece of mail from the day before I forgot to grab. Call amazon, they verify it was "just delivered". Contact USPS, they verify "Just delivered". Call Amazon back, get refund for lost package, order replacement, due to me delivered Monday, 9/26.

Monday morning, 8AM while Im still home, package scanned as not deliverable- address incorrect. Wtf... really? Look at Amazon order- shows my address perfect- Identical to what the mail that USPS has been delivering says.

9am I contact USPShelp on twitter, work with them, they call local PO, get garuntee of redeliver that night. Awesome! I get home, and as I expected deep down- no package, still marked undeliverable in system. Seriously... getting mad at this point.

First thing in the morning, I contact USPShelp on twitter again for reverification of my issue, and they block my twitter account. I was not abusive in the least, it was a simple "@USPShelp was garunteed delivery of <tracking number> by you- never happened, verification?"

I call the local PO personally, get a rather gruff sounding woman answering the phone, takes my information, and "puts me on hold" for 10 minutes. Funny enough she did not actually, and I heard her sitting there laughing with a coworker about whatever things and carrying on- after 10 minutes she realized I wasnt on hold, and blurts real quick into the phone "PLEASE HOLD". another 5 minutes later she comes back and literally tells me they have both my packages in the office, sitting in the lobby undelivered- the one marked undeliverable and the one marked delivered.

I asked her why weren't they delivered, she said she does not know why, but the addresses are easy to read and verifiable correct as printed. Perfect I thought, throw them on the truck and get them delivered today! She said the trucks left already and thats not possible.

She calls the carrier on the route and tries to verify what happened. Carrier is new to route, and apparently didn't think anyone lived at my address (despite my Jeep being in the driveway of my house all day every day AND me getting letters delivered). That still doesn't explain why the first was marked delivered... but whatever.

I tell her to get it's marked for redelivery- she gives me a verbal garuntee, and even calls back after and leaves a voicemail.

Today- 9/28 no package. Got a tweet out of the blue from USPShelp instructing me to call USPS customer service. Contact Amazon, they just forward my call to USPS customer service anyway. USPS customer service verifies package was never marked for re delivery- and was even RE-MARKED undeliverable this morning. They fill out a complaint, marked it for redelivery, and told me to wait for 3-5 business days.

My questions are a bit on the hypothetical side- what can I really do if this continues and USPS just doesn't deliver my packages? At this point I have gotten 2/2 packages from UPS, 1/1 from FedEX, and 0/2 from USPS. Meanwhile, I have gotten 40 or 50 pieces of individual mail.

~Break- kid you not- USPS truck just stopped in front of my house. carrier did not get out of vehicle. Lights are on, I'm sitting on front of the window. Truck drove away~

Anyway, what is my recourse if USPS just doesn't deliver packages to me? What if I suspect issues because of the filed complaint? I looked at the USPS GI website and pretty much the only USPS guarantee is they they deliver mail like 5 days a week, but there is no requirement for them to deliver YOUR mail 5 days a week- or even close to promptly, or even deliver your mail at all it seems.

Answer:
 Christ I hate USPS sometimes.  Sorry if I missed it but have you reached out to your post master?  I've had to do that, if you can actually get a hold of them they are pretty helpful.

[Contact info by city](https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postmasterfinder/welcome.htm)


Title: 540$ fine for a public urination ticket!?

Question: Before a Cubs game some guys I was with went to take a piss in an alley.  I walked over with them but did not pee.  As I start to jog back over to the game a cop grabs my buddy and me and walks us back over to where the other guys were peeing.  The cop writes everyone tickets for public urination.  I managed to lose the ticket at some point during that day.  Fast forward to now I get a bill in the mail for $540.  What are my options here?  Obviously I’m stupid for losing the ticket and missing the court date.  For some reason I thought they would just forget about it.  If it makes a difference I leave the state for college in August.  Thanks!

Answer: Your options here are to pay it or to call the court and see if you can still contest it.


Title: Landlord dodging deposit

Question:
Hello all, I hope I'm in the right sub, any help would be appreciated.

**TL;DR: I'm coming up on 60 days since I moved out of my old apartment and neither I nor my roommate have received a deposit back.**

On Jun 1 of this year, my roommate and I moved out of our apartment in Allentown, Pennsylvania. My landlord and I walked through for the inspection together on the move-out date and everything seemed to be in order. The inside of the oven was a little dirty so he said he'd take a bit out of the deposit to cover its cleaning but it was an entirely reasonable and standard exchange.

He communicates primarily in text messages and phone calls. My roommate sent him a text at the end of June asking about our deposits. "Soon." 30 days seemed like a reasonable time to wait, but when it passed I sent him a text on July 9th asking if he'd sent our deposits. "No but soon thanks." My assumption has been that he hasn't rented the place out yet and is therefore looking to receive a new deposit before sending out ours.

My roommate asked again last week, and today July 30th I've sent another text. He hasn't responded yet, but we're coming up on 60 days. I plan to give him a call tomorrow as well as send an email to make myself clear, I was just wondering if there's anything I should cite or bring up in this case. Do I have any rights here? I know that collectors go after you if you don't pay in 90 days, and that landlords are supposed to keep deposits in a separate account rather than a personal account, so it seems to me like I should be allowed to press him somewhat.

I'm 23 and just moved to a new state for a new job and I really need the money. Seeking formal legal advice would be doable but significantly difficult financially (my old landlord has $900 of my money after all). I appreciate any advice you're able to provide -- what to do now, what I should have done, and what I can do in the future to prevent this with new landlords. I'm still young and figuring out how all this works so I'm grateful for any guidance here.

EDIT: His response was "this sat,thanks". I asked what he meant and he said he'd be mailing them Saturday. Nonetheless, I'd like to be prepared in the event that this doesn't work out. If next week rolls around and I don't receive a check, how should I proceed? How might I have handled this differently and how should I evaluate potential landlords moving forward?

Also, I gave him my new address the day I moved out, and have post scripted all subsequent text messages with my new address as insurance that, by responding to my inquiries, he definitely also received my address.

UPDATE: I informed him that PA law entitles me to my full deposit back after 30 days and he said "right." So it's well documented that he has my new address, has been informed of the law, and that he intends to put a check in the mail on August 1st. If I don't receive a check in the full amount next week, it seems pretty cut and dried legally. Thanks for your help /u/key2616! Still open to any general tenancy advice /r/legaladvice would like to share with a youngin'

Answer: In PA, a landlord [has 30 days to return the security deposit](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/pennsylvania-security-deposits-36229.html) or give you an itemized list of deductions.  If he hasn't done either, then he loses the right to keep any of the deposit, and you can sue him in small claims court for double the amount of the deposit.


Title: [IA] I [21M] am living in an apartment near my campus. My friend [20M] wants his spouse [20F] to move in and share his room. Our landlord is against it.

Question:
Hello, World!

As the title says, my roommate wants his spouse to move in to his room in a three-bedroom apartment. I am okay with it (and would actually like it since I'm friends with his spouse) and so is our other roommate.

Our lease says that the number of occupants can't exceed the number of bedrooms without explicit permission from the landlord. When we contacted them, they said "she would be squatting here if she stayed longer than 3 days, which is illegal. We do not allow double occupancy for our 3x3.5 bedrooms, so she would need to sign her own lease and pay rent. You would also need to transfer to a 4x4.5 bedroom."

Are there any laws that say landlords have to allow married couples share a room? I can't seem to find anything online, but I feel like there has to be some sort of exceptions out there.

Thanks!

Answer: The LL is within their rights. If your friend wants to live with their spouse, they can find an apt where that would not violate occupancy rules or codes.


Title: [New York State] Boss hasn't been taking taxes out of paychecks since start of year.

Question:
I've been working in my current place of employment since early February.  I've worked there before, but had to leave due to college.  When I came back, I heard through the grapevine that my boss had lost a significant amount of money through someone hacking the wifi and gaining their account information.  While my boss has been getting their financials back in order, the staff has been getting paid with personal checks for the shifts we work.  I was under the impression that this would be a few months at most.  My boss is also the owner and may or may not be trying to sell the place (of that I am unsure), there have been rumors going around for a few months now.

Is there anything I should be doing in preparation for if/when I am asked to pay back money for taxes?

Answer:
 Do you get pay stub? You must be given a pay stub in NY.

https://www.labor.ny.gov/formsdocs/wp/LS49.pdfAnswer #2: > Is there anything I should be doing in preparation

Yeah, get a new job, because yours is going to get royally buttfucked for nonpayment of taxes.

I suggest getting a new job ASAP, and filing a Depoartment of Labor claim. You should also start setting aside money for taxes now - the IRS and state Department of Revenue have advocacy services and calculators that can help you determine exactly what to set aside.


Title: Debt collectors keep calling, should I just pay it or try and fight it?

Question: Okay, so at the beginning of 2018 my old best friend was living with me and we were trying to get her a phone set up so she would be able to receive calls from jobs that she was applying for. She was under the age of 18 and I was over but she had no parents of legal guardian to help her get her phone set up so I offered to put it under my name. We went to sprint, since she had a phone from sprint anyway and wouldn’t have to buy a completely new phone, and we talked to them about our options. They said that we could do a month to month contract where we pay each month but, and they specifically said this, if I ever stop paying then the service shuts up and that is all. No more payments once I stop paying. My friend had not gotten a job yet and so we stopped paying her payment, which was connected to her debit card. A little bit later I received a letter in the mail saying that I owed sprint $174 I believe was the amount. I called the debt collectors to see why I was being charged and they said that the phone on the contract was “still in use after I stopped payments” which was inaccurate because the phone service ended before the month even ended the last month we paid. I tried to explain this to them and they tried to tell me the phone had still been used with service for two months after. I asked for proof and they said they could not send me proof unless I emailed them. They gave me the email and I requested the proof. I did not hear from them by email after that. Maybe a month after I received another letter saying that I now owed $200 or so. So I called them again and told them I should not being getting charged. They told me they would be emailing me back so I would receive the proof that I requested in the first place. I never received an email. Later i received another letter stating I requested proof but would need to ask through email again. So I emailed once again, and still received nothing back. A couple months ago my friend got a call from her bank saying they were putting debit card on hold because sprint tried to charge her $400 or so. She cancelled her card and I emailed again. Nothing. Today I just received a call saying that I owed $126 and asked how I would like to pay. I told them I would not pay and they told me I had no choice. I explained again that I refuse until I see actual proof and she said “you made one payment so you need to pay for the months you had service and didn’t pay.” I explained to her that I did make more than one and was told once I stopped paying I would not be charged again. And she told me that was not how it worked. So out of rage and not wanting to scream and swear at her I hung up. Now I’m wondering if I should just pay it and get it over with or should I try and fight it.

Answer: Tell them to verify the debt. Call sprint and talk to them and ask how to handle it. Say the agent who signed you up told you to pay by month to keep using it to not pay and the service is shut off being it’s month to month. Ianal


Title: My twin and I share the same identity, but he's breaking the law with my name

Question: [removed]

Answer: Troll.


Title: Is a prenuptial agreement stating no child support enforceable in England and Wales (UK)

Question: Me and my girlfriend are having a religious only wedding and are singing a disclaimer contract stating that we do not wish to be legally married. One of the clauses in the contract is that no one will pay child support or spousal support. The agreement was checked by a solicitor but the clause about the child support was added in later. Will this clause be enforceable?

Answer: No.  Child support is for the child, and the kid is not a party to your agreement.


Title: VT bird lawyers needed ( divorce questions )

Question:
My darling spouse left her email open on my computer with multiple chains with 2 middle aged wealthy men

One a business owner

One a doctor

They detail her going on repeated dates with them both

I pulled phone records and discovered 750 text messages in last 30 days to one of them

A gentleman who she has had past history with

I have also documented her telling me she was going somewhere - disappearing for 6 hours and never being where she said , I have this as text messages so I could screencap it

Here’s my questions before I confront this

Our child  2 , is a dual citizen of Mexico

Spouse is definitely a flight risk , whAt can I do to prevent her leaving with child

What do I need to do to protect my assets ? I own home / 2 cars

Any help is appreciated , thank you

Edit - I have gone to a few lawyers but none can consult until middle of next week

I’m more concerned about immediate future / flight risk and if I should confront her

Answer: Get yourself a divorce attorney and don't tell your wife about it quite yet. Tell him everything and have him help you come up with a plan on what to do.Answer #2: You need to talk to a lawyer.


Title: Can I report him to the police without my parents knowing?

Question:
Hello, I’m (17F) I think I posted this last year when I was 16 years old. I’ll try to shorten it. But I’ve been waiting to report someone to the police. At the beginning of last year a 26 year old man slept with me. He would give me alcohol and find some way to have sex with me whenever he offered to “hang out” with me after school. I was really dumb and bored so I would go over to his house or sometimes he’d bring me somewhere to eat. He’d convince me that what we were doing was normal because he had older friends when he was young. I usually felt guilty after we would do that kind of stuff.

He eventually disappeared for a year and started dating someone two months after he did that to me. I felt very insecure and confused. He contacted me this year wanting to be friends again and I said yes because he seemed genuine. He told me how happy he was to be with his girlfriend.

A month ago he tried to get me to flirt with him when he was on a trip somewhere. He was still with his girlfriend. I made sure to tell her everything. She broke up with him. I feel gross sometimes when I think about what happened. I know I can’t tell my parents this.

I think he needs help or something. I want to report him because I don’t know if he’s also around other younger girls and trying to use them like what he did to me. I just don’t know how to go about doing this without my parents knowing. Now that I’m 17 is there a way? Or can I make a report when I’m 18?

Answer:
 For practical purposes, no, your parents will find out the police are involved sooner or later. If nothing else, they're likely to be questioned to find out if they _knew_ you were being sexually abused, or if they should have known. They had a duty to you not to let this happen, and the police are going to want to be sure they didn't know.

Having said that, you've been the victim of sexual abuse. Possibly statutory rape, depending on the jurisdiction. I think a police report is the best possible idea, if you would be safe making one. You know your parents' reactions better than any of us do, but unless you think your parents would react _unsafely_, I'd encourage you to go ahead and report it.


Title: [PA] How can I make changes to my child's birth certificate?

Question:
So my kid is almost 8yrs old but a little after she was born I got a legal name change to my last name and I want to change that on her birth certificate since it has my old last name.

The other thing is me and the mother were considering changing our daughters last name to mine if it's not much more of a hassle, but we don't know where to start.

Answer: http://www.health.pa.gov/MyRecords/Certificates/BirthCertificates/Pages/612936.aspx#LastNameAnswer #2: As long as you have the consent of both parents, it should be pretty painless.  If I remember correctly, there's a place to list corrections on the back of the birth certificate (which you then send to the appropriate agency) - I'm assuming that the link provided in the other reply will have directions.Answer #3: Don't forget that if you change your child's birth certificate, you should also change her social security card too. If she has a state ID, get her named changed  with the SSA before going to the DMV. I'd also say bring as many documents with you no matter which agency you go to. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.


Title: [CT] Husband is currently serving a federal sentence for a felony charge. I am trying to rent an apartment. Am I obligated to disclose his conviction?

Question: To clarify, at no point will my husband ever step foot in that apartment. His name isn't featured anywhere on the application but we are still legally married.  The rental application question is "Have you or your spouse ever been convicted of a felony?"  And the simple answer is yes he has. Since this question is irrelevant to MY rental application, I am leaning towards marking "No". Yet I do realize that would not being entirely truthful, though may save me from being denied. Is there more harm in full disclosure or partial concealment?

Answer: Not a lawyer, but I've leased in 6 states. If the person is not going to be a named person on the lease, the credit isn't being used and they aren't paying for it. Why would they even ask. It's gotta be illegal for them to even use marital status as grounds to rent anyway.


Title: Ex-Roommate owes utilities she previously agreed to pay. Won't return texts/calls. Is small-claims court possible? CT

Question:
Hey everyone,

I have a few questions. I am renting a house with 3 other girls. My name is solely on the lease and I have a verbal agreement with the other girls that they will pay me their portion of the rent and utilities. If they need to move out they need to give me a month in advance.

One of our roommates, A. came to me Dec 13th and told me that she would be moving out by the end of the weekend. I explained that she paid for December already and said she was welcome to stay the rest of the month. She was gone by the weekend. Although she paid Decembers rent she did not cover her portion of Nov. utilities which comes to 130 dollars.

I contacted her via text message and she agreed to pay her portion of the utilities by last weekend. She was going to stop by the house and leave us a check. Last weekend came and went and I have heard nothing from her. I have texted her and was ignored. When I called her, she picked up but when I said who I was she hung up on me. She has also blocked all of us on Facebook.

She has several pieces of mail here. I also have a receipt that she signed from November & December's rent & the text message stating that she has agreed to pay for the owed utilities.

Is this enough proof to bring her to small claims court to get the sum of money owed for the utilities or should I just take this as an expensive lesson on always getting everything in writing? Which I will do regardless of the outcome. I know it is a small sum of money but she did not pay a security deposit as well when she moved in which would have offset the additional expenses.

Thanks for your help guys!

Answer: You appear to have a very solid case, especially if you still have the text where she agreed to pay you.Answer #2: You certainly have a solid case for small claims court. Make one last attempt to let her know that you're going to file and that it's going to end up costing her a lot more money than if she just ponied up the $130 right now.


Title: Spent Christmas in Jail, Facing Felony for Taking A Nap in Car at Gas Station.

Question:
While the title is true, I got arrested for drug possession and not just for sleeping in my car. I was on my way home from remodeling my brothers basement on Dec. 23,  worked my ass off all day, and I stopped at the first gas station on my way home. Had a family Christmas party the night before so I was exhausted. I stopped, not planning on taking a nap, and just got on my phone for a second and it dies. I plug it in and as I wait for it to turn back on, I doze off for a little game of snooze it or lose it. I wake up with two cops, one to my left at my window and another at the passenger window both staring at me.
              I roll my window down, say my greetings and learn that the lady inside the store had called the cops because I had been there for about 45 min and didn’t come inside. If I was in my truck she would have known who I was because I routinely sit in my truck at this gas station for an hour while I work from my laptop, but this time I was in another work truck that is a different year and different color. Anyway, while I’m talking to the cop at my window about the situation, the officer at my passenger window opens my door and asks me if I have any of “that” and confused the hell out of me. I say “any of what” and he proceeds to say “that” and points at me, this happens several times until I look back at the officer at my window and say “I’m confused” and I was. Like a trick out of Donnie Doofendurfers playbook, the cop continues to run their play and answers my statement with “You know what, I’m confused to. Why don’t you step on out here so we can figure this out.”
               To set the scene, I have an small Raw rolling tray with a lid that has duct tape wrapped around it to keep it closed because the lid is broken in my center console that contains a gram of what I considered to be Molly. The cops proceed to administer DUI exams and I pass all the test. They said it’s kinda odd that I’m sleeping in my truck at the gas station, I again explain my situation and he asked if I had any illegal substances in the truck. I explained that it is not my truck and that many people drive it so I couldn’t be for sure.
          They asked for permission to search the vehicle to which I responded no, and they said that I couldn’t either consent to the search or that they would hold me until the K-9 unit arrived or until he called the judge and got a warrant. Which I know would be illegal to detain me without a crime and that a judge wouldn’t give them a warrant based on the evidence they had, but I was sleepy and nervous (I have never been arrested before) and they kept asking me to search the truck. I kept saying no and he proceeded to work his way into me giving a semi consent* by saying look we can do this the easy way and maybe we will take it easy on you or the hard way with no mercy. (Semi consent was saying “yes, no, maybe so, no, maybe yes, no, idk multiple times) After multiple attempts they finally somehow against my own advisement started searching my truck and for some dumb fucking dumbass no idea reason told them after they started to search my car that I would just be honestly with them now and that there there was some molly in there.
          Well they found it, they opened my tray that was sealed with duct tape and in there was a gram of molly, an empty baggy, and a straw. Even though I told them what it was, they tested it and the field test came back positive for Methamphetamine, and I was flabbergasted. I’ve never been in trouble with the law, never had or caused any problems, ever, and now I’m getting put in handcuffs and taken to jail for possession of meth the night before Christmas Eve. They held me in the drunk tank and I froze to death for over 24 hours with no socks, no underwear, jail pants, jail shirt, and fucking crocks on my feet.
            Its a felony, so I couldn’t post bail until I saw the judge and the judge was out for Christmas, so I wouldn’t see the judge until the 26th. Missing Christmas and everything. Also, we live in a smaller town with lots of gossip and I am from a major family of this town, and there was a party that got busted the night I got arrested, so everyone and their mother in-laws grandmas daughters daughter got online to look up who was at the party and sees my mugshot with Meth next to my name. Safe to say it didn’t feel good. At all. Well now that its happened and I can’t go back and change anything, I have a possession charge that I’m currently dealing with and I’m looking at the legality of the stop, the search, and anything else I can do to beat the case. I asked if I can see the test results and have other issues that I wanted answers too. Below I will add a list of things that I found searching the web. Tell me what you think will happen to me.

Tl:dr
Charged with felony possession on meth, less than 1 gram, didn’t know it was meth, need to know what’s going to happen to first time offender and if the stop was legal and what I can do to help my situation even the slightest.

We are taking it to trail and it’s on 11-19-2019. I got really involved at the beginning then let him do his work and now that it’s getting close to the trail date I was going to try for one more push to try and do what I can to do anything really. Just something that might help. As I’m getting a wee bit nervous.
 This is what I sent my lawyer the first day after I got home from jail. Tell me if I’m just making a jackass out of myself or if there’s anything worth the thought in here.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I’ve always been the type to know my rights and never in a million years thought I would knowingly forfeit any of my constitutional rights. Especially a right to privacy and against unlawful searches. I knew better. But as I told you I don’t have much practice in the art of lying, so my (alleged) guilt of (allegedly) knowing there was something in the truck that wasn’t suppose to probably had something to do with me not standing my ground. On another note, I am a person that kinda like to bounce around ideas, and I have a few to throw at you.

I am not a lawyer, continue only if or when you have time as I would hate to waste your time being an amateur. But as an amateur it makes sense to me. If they follow the letter of the law. Don’t laugh to hard.

Interpreting a law is pretty straight forward I would assume. Follow the letter of the law as one would say. So as I understand, I am being charged with IC 35-48-4-6.1. Which is possession of methamphetamine, which states:

IC 35-48-4-6.1	Possession of methamphetamine
     Sec. 6.1. (a) A person who, without a valid prescription or order of a practitioner acting in the course of the practitioner's professional practice, knowingly or intentionally possesses methamphetamine (pure or adulterated) commits possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony, except as provided in subsections (b) through (d).
     (b) The offense is a Level 5 felony if:
(1) the amount of the drug involved is at least five (5) but less than ten (10) grams; or
(2) the amount of the drug involved is less than five (5) grams and an enhancing circumstance applies.
     (c) The offense is a Level 4 felony if:
(1) the amount of the drug involved is at least ten (10) but less than twenty-eight (28) grams; or
(2) the amount of the drug involved is at least five (5) but less than ten (10) grams and an enhancing circumstance applies.
     (d) The offense is a Level 3 felony if:
(1) the amount of the drug involved is at least twenty-eight (28) grams; or
(2) the amount of the drug involved is at least ten (10) but less than twenty-eight (28) grams and an enhancing circumstance applies.
As added by P.L.151-2006, SEC.25. Amended by P.L.158-2013, SEC.632; P.L.168-2014, SEC.99; P.L.226-2014(ts), SEC.11.

Now there seems to be a few KEY words in this statute, KNOWINGLY OR INTENTIONALLY. Now we know what the Indiana codes defines those two key words as if we jump back up to IC 35-41-2-2. Which states:

IC 35-41-2-2	Culpability
     Sec. 2. (a) A person engages in conduct "intentionally" if, when he engages in the conduct, it is his conscious objective to do so.
     (b) A person engages in conduct "knowingly" if, when he engages in the conduct, he is aware of a high probability that he is doing so.
     (c) A person engages in conduct "recklessly" if he engages in the conduct in plain, conscious, and unjustifiable disregard of harm that might result and the disregard involves a substantial deviation from acceptable standards of conduct.
     (d) Unless the statute defining the offense provides otherwise, if a kind of culpability is required for commission of an offense, it is required with respect to every material element of the prohibited conduct.
As added by Acts 1976, P.L.148, SEC.1. Amended by Acts 1977, P.L.340, SEC.4.

As the affidavit states, and under the Indiana Code’s definition, I clearly did not knowingly or intentionally violate IC 35-48-4-6.1, because I didn’t not consciously or intentionally possess methamphetamine. I honestly had no idea it was methamphetamine until after I was arrested. Now with that being said, I know that it’s not so black and white. But rather they should have used statute IC 35-48-4-6. Which at least for me personally would make a tremendous difference as the word “methamphetamine” would not be next to my name, and I would avoid the label of meth head. Which is a win in itself. But I’m not the lawyer here, you are. So tell me 1.) Is this irrelevant? Would they still charge me with IC 35-48-4-6.1? 2.) Would they be able too/would they change the charge or would they have to drop the case. (It would in fact be a constitutional crisis if the prosecutors or judges could revise the laws and make up their own definitions or motives to their own benefit to get a conviction) 3.) Would it affect my sentencing either way? 4.) If nothing was said and they still brought these charges, could we win based on #2’s argument.

Another one here. Okay so it was a wellness check and I already gave you one case of Osbourn v. Indiana. Well this one adds onto that and regards consent. Meno v State (1925). So If there is an invitation to search premises the unreasonableness or unlawfulness of the search cannot afterwards be asserted. What constitutes an invitation to search is not always easy to determine. Let’s say back in prohibition days in a ease where the defendant told an officer, who had entered his bar-room without a search warrant, "go ahead and search," it was held that the evidence procured was admissible and that its admissibility was not necessarily determined by the fact that it was seized while the defendant committed the crime of violating the prohibition law in their presence since he told them to search." But in the case of Meno v. State (1925), it was held that the statement of the occupant of a building to an officer that he might search the building is not an invitation to search when the officer exhibits a search warrant. Consent to search is co-ercive under such circumstances.

Last one and this one is just to show the ignorance of the arresting officer. In the affidavit he made it a point to say he had read to me my “Pirtle Rights” as you may know. If what I have understood about my rights under Pirtle is correct, rights under Pirtle are specifically for the purpose of protecting the rights of someone who is in police custody. Also, they are suppose to be given before consent is given, not after consent and before the search which is how I recall it all transpired. Now with that being said, it’s a cluster—— of errors and contradictions regarding this going on. Was I in custody? What was I being accused of? If I was in custody, consent was given before my rights under Pirtle. And was then arrested and read my Miranda rights. I have some major questions regarding this one that I would like to come and speak with you about. And please if you would read on Hicks v State of Indiana in the link provided.

https://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/02091801lmb.pdf

Like I said, I am just bouncing ideas off the wall here. I’m not getting any hopes up, pretty much just for shits and giggles and my own educational purposes/entertainment. I also have a few more questions regarding some things I found reading the Indiana code. I really enjoyed looking through all this.

Get back with me whenever you have some free time. Thank you.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Thank you guys!!  I appreciate everything you guys do here on Reddit. Y’all some real ones out there. Just letting ya know. I love you all.

Answer: People should be paid a retainer just to read posts this long and messy. Yikes. Good luck.


Title: How to deal with old stalker who went to prison and is a registered sexual offender because of it.

Question:
Hello all.

    How do we deal with this without me (the boyfriend) shooting this mother fucker in the face?

He has called her work multiple times and went to her work 2 days ago without anyone knowing he was a stalker. Which leads me to believe he has been there before. If he shows up again, i will put this mother fucker in ground still alive after being freshly castrated with a dull rusty blade and let him bleed out or suffocate down there. (Sorry feeling romantic)

Restraining orders are in place.
Trespassed at her work and the surrounding area.
Armed guard to and from her car at work.
I have warned our neighbors, who are all armed.
Made sure all doors and windows are locked and extra secure.

Answer:
 > i will put this mother fucker in ground still alive after being freshly castrated with a dull rusty blade and let him bleed out or suffocate down there. (Sorry feeling romantic)

Jesus Christ, dude, dial it down. I get that you're scared and protective, but that's not helping anyone.

Call the police when he violates the restraining order.


Title: [MA] Complained to HR about sexual harrassment; immediately given a PIP

Question:
Actually for a friend. Yes, an actual not-me-person.

Friend works for a large corporation as an admin assistant. Her boss has gone through five admin assistants in four years. She finally got sick of all the inappropriate sexual behavior and went to HR.

Suddenly she was given a performance improvement plan (PIP). PIPs are essentially corporate probation and handed out to people who are fucking up. It is expected most people won't improve enough to keep their jobs and either get fired or quit. Up until that point, she had no complaints about her work and the timing was within weeks of her going to HR.

She quit. The company actually gave her a severance package.

Would putting someone on probation after a complaint be considered retaliation or just normal corporate nonsense? She isn't a whistleblower but his behavior was waaayyy inappropriate and against company policy.

Answer:
 > The company actually gave her a severance package.

She needs to review that severance package. She _almost certainly_ agreed that it fully absolved the company of any further disputes arising from her employment there. If she then sues over sexual harassment, they may countersue to get their severance package back - and they may win.

My read on the situation is that they would only offer an employee a severance package when the _employee_ terminates the relationship if HR, or the company's counsel, believed there was a serious risk of the employee coming back with a lawyer. She can take that as a tacit admission that her boss was over the line, but she's likely spent all of her leverage at this point. If she's convinced she still wants to pursue this, her next stop is probably an employment lawyer, with a copy of her severance agreement and her PIP.


Title: Can I walk to a police station and recant a statement

Question:
Title, i don't know how the recanting process works
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Recant = "I filed a false police report." A crime.

If this is an issue of domestic violence, they won't take the recanting into account anyway, as those are common.


Title: [FL] My brother has moved in, Mom is refusing to hand over SSI survivor beni's, will not sign over custody. Wat do?

Question:
I've gotten into a situation where I've taken in my 15 year old brother. He and my mother have had a falling out. She has always dated and married alcoholics. This new guy is now the third serious relationship with an alcoholic/pot head ditch digger. This new guy has basically run off my brother, who is staying with me. He's close to getting to the age that he can emancipate. He moved out 3 months ago, start of summer break. She has not tried to see him. For the last week she has had no cell phone service/no way to contact her. She has not given me but $300 of his SSI survivor benefits. I believe he is supposed to get $500 a month. His father/My stepfather died after being an alcoholic (My biological dad was too). She has at least $1000 coming in from two SSI checks, one for her and one for my brother. She does not work, she's not disabled, and perfectly capable. This BF guy digs ditches and didn't pay anything in bills for a long while. "He was cheated out of his Check"... for six months... She has to prove to Social Security that she's using his money for him, well... She isn't right now... I could really mess her up if I tell them she has no custody of him. They audit and she's going down.

So I contacted Free Legal aid, they gave me no help, except a link to an online form to fill out that she could sign over custody voluntarily and "temporarily". After that they said good luck getting anything else done. He said I could ask any questions I wanted, but what should I ask next time I call? I mean, I don't have a basis to work from. I asked quite a few questions and this guy told me "that's not my area of law" for almost all of them. She has the rights, but is not enforcing them. She keeps telling me that she "doesn't have any other option", She "can't control my brother", "He yells and screams". He hasn't yelled at either of us. This kid might have some issues with his dads death, but he's not yelling. That all means, "I could be a mom, but that's not what I want, my boyfriend is more important". Her vehicle has no brakes and will be dead in another 6 months tops. That is their only vehicle. They destroyed the rotors because they didn't change brake pads in years. She said she needed to figure out if I could go after her for child support, refusing to sign anything until she speaks with someone. That was two weeks ago. I just want to have legal custody. I need to be able to tell him "no" or get him back in line when he does anything wrong. He or She could seriously upend our household at any minute because of Her custody rights. He could emancipate himself without her consent come his 16th birthday and still collect his SSI. We are being strained by taking him in. I feel like she is using us. I don't know what we are going to be able to do if she up and calls the police. We can't talk to anyone at the school. My brother can't call her. I can't either. We may not even be able to take him to a hospital. What would you folks do if she doesn't sign anything, yet doesn't take him back? How can we establish that he has been here, and is still here for purposes of getting custody? Should I call free legal aid back and hopefully get another lawyer? Do I need to call the department of children and families?

Edit; We have called DCF in the past, we had them come out over the shape of the home they were in. That was last summer. The alcohol wasn't taken into account, nor any of the mental abuse. My brother lied about all of it because he was sitting next to her and this new guy. This new guy has a history of Domestic Violence. He has had two different restraining orders, 2 different people, in the last 2 years. He's really terrified of them. He admitted this to me. I believe he doesn't want to enter the system (even if there was mental abuse going down and he could prove it), even If there is a chance he could end up with me. I already lived the abuse as well. I know what he's coming from. His dad had at least 4 DUI's over the course of my childhood. I have scars on my face from him. I know what is going on in that home.

Answer:
 > He could emancipate himself without her consent come his 16th birthday

*sigh* Not if he's living with you, he won't. Everyone looks towards emancipation as some automatic saving grace of every runaway that hates their parents. There's two scenarios where emancipation is granted; you're an orphan who keeps getting shuttled out of the foster system, got your GED and are living in your own place and working full time; or you're a millionaire teen movie star who doesn't want your parent as your manager anymore. Emancipation doesn't give your brother rights, it's recognizing that he's already emancipated himself from the support of any guardian. If you're acting as his guardian, even illegally, he won't be granted it.

If you want to do it properly, follow the legal advice guidance and force your mom to sign the papers for legal guardianship. It can be revoked by her at any time, but will let you get medical care and school access, and won't get you arrested for kidnapping or custodial interference.

Your only other legal option is to contact CPS and have them determine it's an unsafe home, and volunteer to take custody; although he could just as easily go to foster care.

Or you could just keep doing what you're doing. But the ST
SS office isn't going to make you the representative payee without the guardianship paperwork, so your mom will keep getting the money.


Title: Arrested for invoking my 5th amendment right in Cape May County New Jersey

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I'm sure that the police report will clear up the reasons they felt your behavior was obstructive.

If it really IS because you invoked your 5th amendment rights, then it's likely that the charge will be quickly dismissed and you may have a case for unlawful arrest.

But if I was a betting man, I'd bet that there is more to the story and your behavior (outside the invocation of your rights) was obstructive.

You need a lawyer who can get access to the full facts of the case.


Title: Friend work 2+ hours off the clock every day under threat of being fired

Question: State is Idaho. My friend works 2+ hours after work every day. His boss says if he doesn't clock out "on time" (despite having 2 hours of work left)  he will be fired. Is there anything he can do?

Answer: He should stop allowing himself to be taken advantage of immediately. Once clocked out, leave. If fired, file for unemployment. File an unpaid wage claim for all unpaid hours.


Title: Cops entered home while asleep, need to figure out if it was legal.

Question:
I had friends over one night for drinks (we are all underage). Around 2 AM we went to sleep and around 5 AM we were awakened by police in our home. The cops had spotted a friend outside of my house turning his car lights off and cited him for underage drinking. The cops then proceeded to ring on the doorbell numerous times in which they got no answer. They then went out back of the house and entered the home. Their reasoning for entering the home was due to the fact that they saw a friend asleep on the floor (he had a pillow and blanket, not exactly passed out looking) and he would not respond to them knocking on the door. They are treating it as an emergency situation. Once in the home, they charged us all with underages and were hardly considered with the health of that one individual. They assumed we were drinking due to the presence of a few bottles and beer cans laying around. Was this legal? How should I go about fighting this in court, if I should fight it at all? Thanks
Location: Pennsylvania, US.

Answer: Go get a lawyer. You need professional help evaluating whether to file a motion to suppress.


Title: (Massachusetts) if your roommate goes to jail are they still legally obligated to pay their share of the rent?

Question: Their name is on a lease. What happens if the other roommate can't afford rent without their felonious "friend"?

Answer: If they are on the same lease, then yes. If not paid in full, likely evicted for non-payment of rent.


Title: I've been advised to see a lawyer by four different medical professionals, but I'm not sure exactly what my expectations for this should be.

Question:
I'll try to keep this short, and I apologize for any typos, the pain medicine makes proofreading a little harder than normal.

I'm in St. Louis, Missouri, and last week I had to have emergency surgery for a case of appendicitis. Monday night I went to the Emergency Room, presenting with severe abdominal pain, dehydration from vomiting, and a fever. The ER Doctor that saw me did a blood and urine test and diagnosed me with a UTI. I was sent home with antibiotics and told to try to keep hydrated. No physical exam or CT scan was performed (which I thought was odd but I was feeling too ill to not trust the doctor).

Unfortunately, Tuesday led to my condition worsening. I started passing out, the pain was intolerable and my fever would not go down. My husband called out friend who is an RN and she advised we go straight to the ER. I didn't want to go if it was just a UTI but luckily my husband ignored me and took me straight in. This time there was a different doctor and the first thing he did was ask what the CT from the previous night had shown. When he found out I hadn't received one, he got visibly upset and had me taken down for one immediately.

Turns out I had appendicitis and needed surgery right away. The surgery ended up being more complicated than normal due to an abscess and secondary infection that had formed and required special attention. I was hospitalized for four days because of this.

I'm friends with three nurses and related to one, and every single one has advised me to seek out a lawyer because of the misdiagnosis Monday night. They all said that the Monday night doctor violated procedure by not ordering a CT on a 25 year old woman (me) presenting with those symptoms, and that the delay in treatment could have led to the abscess and so on.

I guess my question is, what exactly should I be asking the lawyer to do? Am I suing for malpractice? To get my hospitalization bills covered, since they may not have been necessary if the Monday night doctor had done their due diligence? I have no experience with this sort of thing and the idea of consulting a lawyer makes me a bit nervous, especially without a clear idea of what to tell him. Do I just explain my situation and see what he suggests or should I go in with a set goal?

Any advice is deeply appreciated, thank you!

Answer:
 They are suggesting you sue for malpractice.  Usually there is a bot that notices posts with questions about medical malpractice and warns that such cases are extremely fact-specific and require specialized knowledge and are beyond the scope of this sub.  You need to meet with a medical malpractice attorney.

The good news is that consultations for med mal cases are free.  Find a reputable lawyer and make an appointment once you are feeling better.  Don't wait too long - 1 year statute of limitations.