Title: Mother threw glass and basically threw me out if the house.

Question:
Background: I'm 14 and I live with my Father (42), Mother (44), and sister (8), I also have grandparents who live about 1 mile away. My dad works at home but sometimes goes out on business trips. My mom is a housewife who is constantly power hungry and loves to get into arguments just for the sake of arguing (these arguments are screaming half the time.) I dont remember her throwing anything except one time she threw a plastic cup. My dad constantly complains about my mom to me and tells me that my mother likes to criticize everything that my dads family was doing wrong, and how her family was better in almost every way. She also loves to call americans fat and lazy, which I know isn't true (my mom is chinese by the way.)

My dad had just left for a business trip and I went to a friends house. This argument started because my phone was dead. I called my moms cell with my friends phone and left a voice mail because she didn't pick up. The next day I spent half the day with my friend and had a completely normal day. Then when I get back at around 3:00pm I dont see anyone there so I go to my grandparents place. 2 hours later and mom and my sister picks me up and mom yells at me for not calling her even though I did on a friends phone. Once we get back to the house I go to my room to vent and after a little while tried to apologize (thinking it would make mom calm down). Mom told me to tell her after she had done excersising. I waited and as she comes up goes batshit crazy because she thinks I didn't do my homework. I tried to tell her that I did but she just continues to yell at me. I felt myself start to cry as she yelled at me to get everything out from my bag and told me to organize it when she finally heard me say that I did my homework. During dinner (me, mom, and my sister) mom decideds it would be a good idea to talk about how to never argue with her because she will kick me out of the house if I do. She was also ranting about what was wrong with america, my life, etc. After she was repeating how I should have called her, even though my phone was dead, I had tried to reply calmly but heard myself screaming (yes I know I shouldn't have said this) "I CALLED YOU, YOU B*TCH!" I instantly knew that was the wrong thing to say after she looked at me for a second reached over the table, grabbed my glass and threw it on the ground (in my general direction) shattering it. My sister instantly started crying and ran to her room and my mom said that I would have to clean up the mess and she sat down staring at her phone. I quickly cleaned up and during that time she told me that if I said another word like that she would kick me out of the house. She also said something along the lines of how she didn't have any emotions and that next time she might throw it at me. When I brought up that anger was an emotion, Mom also said that her anger wasn't an issue which was clearly a lie. Mom also yelled at me repeatidly (she didnt force me but she was basically demanding) that I get out of the house because she didn't want me. I grabbed a set of clothing and my school bag and said goodbye to my crying little sister. My mom yelled after me to not let my grandparents call/text to her. I just called my grandparents after that. I am currently talking with my dad. I am now in my grandparents house waiting for tomorrow. What should I do?

Answer:
 I'm sorry that all this happened to you.

Your mother cannot kick you out of the house until you're 18.

> she grabbed my glass and threw it on the ground (in my general direction) shattering it

You should call the police and/or CPS (or whatever the equivalent is in your state) and report this to them. If you felt threatened during the incident, **say that.** Don't let anyone intimidate you from reporting this.

Talk to your dad and your grandparents about your options.Answer #2: The first thing you should do is sleep. You've had a very traumatic few hours and need some rest.

Tell your grandparents and your father everything that happened. They are responsible for your safety and should make the best decisions for that.

However if they make you go back to your mom, and you feel unsafe, call the police immediately. Don't worry about anything else, your safety comes first and the police are the front-line help.


Title: Leasing office told us we can't move in 1 week before move in date (MD)

Question:
I started a new job in DC today. Our lease starts on June 1. My husband is currently out of state managing our move. We have scheduled movers to pick up our property tomorrow (Wed May 29) and deliver to our new house in MD on Saturday June 1, the start of our lease. We signed a lease. We paid our deposit. We were contacted by the lease management last Saturday (1 week before move-in) to inform us that we cannot access the premises because they have to first pass a lead certification test. State law will not allow anyone to occupy the premises until that certification is complete, and they don't know when it will be done. They're offering to refund our deposit and let us out of the lease.

I am staying in DC with a friend. Out lease in TN is up on May 31. I do not want a refund. I want a place to live. Do I have rights to ask for financial coverage for alternate accommodations and personal property storage? We signed a lease that starts June 1. We're a little stuck as far as our options go. Any advice would be helpful.

Answer:
 Counter offer prorating the rent or paying your expenses.  Was a lead issue disclosed to you?  If not ask straight up if they are doing lead hazard treatments onsite.

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They are not waiting for the State they should be paying for a private company to do the inspection.  Why would they delay it and risk losing you as a tennant?    Perhaps they are not lead free and have to make changes to meet the new standard.

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Additionally this may be helpful.

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 [https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/LAND/LeadPoisoningPrevention/Pages/rentalowners\_inspections.aspx](https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/LAND/LeadPoisoningPrevention/Pages/rentalowners_inspections.aspx)

 [https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/LAND/Documents/LeadNewsLetters/LPPPBulletin2014-10-31.pdf](https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/LAND/Documents/LeadNewsLetters/LPPPBulletin2014-10-31.pdf)

 [https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MDDOE/2014/10/31/file\_attachments/337347/LeadLawPoster.pdf](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MDDOE/2014/10/31/file_attachments/337347/LeadLawPoster.pdf)

&#x200B;

You can check if your property is already on the registry

&#x200B;

 [https://securemde.mde.state.md.us/\_layouts/OLRR/PublicOLRRSearch.aspx](https://securemde.mde.state.md.us/_layouts/OLRR/PublicOLRRSearch.aspx)


Title: (TX) 15 year-old runaway being abused at home with a complicated situation.

Question:
I'm 15 and I left home with a very close friend of mine four days ago. I'm being emotionally abused at home. My parents and I are all extremely unstable and I'm confident one of us will kill ourselves in the next month if I stay and I want to know what my options are with getting the least people involved/in trouble.

Bottom line is, I cannot go home or I will end up killing myself. I am at my very close friend's family and they are helping me. They are trying to get me admitted in a psychoatric hospital.

The hospital will not take me without my parent's consent, and my parents will refuse to consent. I'm aware they can't turn me away if I'm suicidal, but that seems like a contradiction? What would they do?

We can also call CPS, but what happens when I'm in CPS custody? I've seen people in my other times in the hospital who were in CPS custody that stayed there for months because CPS just didn't have anywhere else for them to go. Will that happen to me?

Also, what will happen to my parents? Will they be arrested? Will I have to live with them until there's sufficient evidence that they're actually abusive?

My very close friend is at my house frequently and he has seen everything, that's why he's helping me get out. However, in the past, CPS has been called for neglect and emotional abuse, and they lied their way out of it and made my life a living hell until I lied with them. The case was dismissed. I do not trust CPS to believe me this time, and I don't trust myself to tell the whole truth for the sake of my parents. I still love them even though they're not good people and I don't want my relatives to hate me for arresting their sister and their brother and son and daughter when they don't believe I'm being abused in the first place.

My parents, particularly my mother, are extremely manipulative people and lie their way out of everything and in the process make me feel completely, utterly awful. Like I son't deserve to live. I don't know if this will do any good.

They've suggested shelters as well, but that's a sticky situation too. What's the legality of me showing up to a shelter without parent consent at the age of 15?

Also, I'm aware that my friend, who is nineteen, and friend's family is committing a crime by keeping me against my parent's will. How do I keep them safe? If they're witnesses to my abuse and call CPS, are they still kidnapping or harboring a runaway?

Please give me any advice you can offer. I'm extremely desperate and time is running out.

~~Sorry this is so unorganized, I'm shaking and trying not to have a panic attack while writing this.~~

Answer:
 Call 211 and ask for youth shelters. That is what you need to do. Period.

If your parents tell you or your friends you need to go home then go home.

So go to a shelter. CPS is unlikely to be able to help really.


Title: Federal Court for a speeding ticket.

Question:
I received a NOTICE TO APPEAR from the US DISTRICT COURT. I was driving to a campsite in a National Park late at night. I believe I was going around 50. It was dark, I was concentrated on the road and there was trees EVERYWHERE. There wasn't a single car in front of me or behind me.

Next thing I know I see a car zooming towards me from afar, and soon enough I see blue/red lights and I'm being pulled over. I'm 22, this was my first time being pulled over and I was freaking out. The cop said I was speeding going 57 in a 35. I didn't have my insurance or up to date registration on me but he only gave me a speeding infraction. The officer was nice in only giving me a speeding infraction.

Now, the only issue is that I have to drive a total of 5 hours to go to the court to plea not guilty and wait for another letter for the trial. I'm 23, this is my FIRST TIME BEING PULLED OVER and I'm a " DREAMER " immigrant. From what I was told since this is in Federal Court it will go on my "criminal record" .

What recommendations could you give for when I go to court? Is there a program I can ask for, for first time offenders?

Answer:
 >I'm a " DREAMER " immigrant.

Usually a speeding ticket is not a big deal to deal with but you are under DACA which may not even exist soon and given the current state of immigration enforcement you should just get a lawyer to deal with this.


Title: [Northern VA] Nationwide cell phone carrier is misrepresenting billing fees and claiming that they are taxes billed to me directly by my local government

Question:
I have a (non-prepaid) cell phone plan with one of the big four national carriers. They have a line item on their bill called the "Universal Service Recovery Fee." My understanding of this fee is that the "Federal Universal Service Fund" is billed to the carrier directly and the carrier is permitted to pass this fee along to customers as a "fee," NOT as if it were a tax levied directly onto me as a consumer of telecom services.

On their bill, they even list this charge in a separate bucket under "fees and other charges" instead of under "taxes." This fee went up, and I called to request a credit for it. The carrier repeatedly told me that this fee is a "tax charged by your local government" and instructed me that I must take it up with my local government. I even asked them if they are sure since the **Federal** Universal Charge does not sound like the name a local tax authority would title it. On their own website, they even state that the fee is related to the Federal Universal Service Fund which is levied by the FCC, not the local government.

They repeatedly insisted that this is a local TAX, and not a fee. I feel this is a misrepresentation, and they will continue to mislead customers about what is actually going on.

My question is: Based on legal understanding of how these fees work, do I have a case to complain to my local telecom regulator and the FCC for misrepresentation of this as a "tax?" I want to ensure I have done my due diligence before complaining to a regulator only to basically be told by them that I'm an idiot and don't understand the law.

Answer:
 You are arguing semantics with a call center worker. Either way, it is legal for them to charge that fee and increase it. If you are not happy about the fees you are charged, you are free to choose a new carrier once your contract is up. Answer #2: >My question is: Based on legal understanding of how these fees work, do I have a case to complain to my local telecom regulator and the FCC for misrepresentation of this as a "tax?" I want to ensure I have done my due diligence before complaining to a regulator only to basically be told by them that I'm an idiot and don't understand the law.

The "Big 4" wireless carriers have spent more on lawyers in the time it took you to write this post than you will make in the next decade.

And yet somehow you think that you outsmarted them on this and that their millions of bills sent out per month are all illegal?

No. Just stop. Answer #3: You can complain if you want.  It won't have any effect on your bill.  It likely won't have any effect on your provider, either.  While some, or even most, of their minimum wage call centre drones may not understand what the fee is, each of the big four makes the correct information available to you on their websites.


Title: [MI] Received letter from attorney dated twenty days ago...says I have ten days to respond

Question:
I was in an accident six weeks ago. Tonight I was going through the mail, which is mostly ads and medical bills. Between the holiday and all of the stuff from the accident, I got a little behind on sorting mail.

I found a letter dated twenty days ago, that gave me ten days to respond. It was not served, it came regular snail mail. I plan on taking care of this tomorrow.

Main question....Do I call MY insurance company first? They know about the accident, I totaled my car, and had minor injuries, so I already filed a claim.

Answer:
 Yes. Call your insurance company. Answer #2: > Do I call MY insurance company first?

Yes. And do what they say.


Title: My fathers former employee deleted all contents of his work phone after he quit. Is this legal?

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice. I tried to do a search regarding my issue but came up with nothing.

Basically, my dad had a former employee who threatened to quit after being called out on his performance issues by my father (the boss) and my dad let him quit. Here lies the issue, the employee came back and deleted all the contents of his work phone. I know he shouldn't have been allowed to see his phone, but that's already past. What I'm wondering is there anything we can do legally because the employee already stated that he isn't coming back to restore the phone. He even said go ahead and sue him. We're not interested in his personal information. We just need the work contacts. Thanks for reading!

Tldr: former employee deleted everything on his work phone. Can I pursue any legal action to make him come back and restore said phone?

Answer: If its owned by the employer they don't need him to restore it.


Title: Available options? Father prolonging divorce settlement until mother runs out of money and is forced to accept inequitable terms (CA)

Question:
My mother and father have agreed to split their shared bank and investment accounts in half. My mother will keep the house and buy out my father for the appraised value of the house and assets inside the house at the time of settlement. Since the divorce was filed, the bank and financial accounts have been frozen, restricting both my mother and father from accessing the funds.

My father makes significantly more than my mother, and can afford to prolong the divorce for as long as possible. My mother cannot afford to prolong the divorce much further because her income is significantly less than my fathers and she has no access to their shared funds. Sometime this year she will not be able to afford the increasing attorney fees and will be forced to an agreement that significantly overvalues the house and assets she has agreed to buy out. She has already agreed to no alimony from my father, but continues to push back on the house and asset valuations which are substantially larger than the multiple appraisals that have been provided by third parties.

Does my mother have any options available to her in the state of California to expedite the divorce without agreeing to an inequitable settlement? From my understanding, my father's plan from the beginning of the divorce was to prolong the divorce for as long as possible and drive up costs with multiple appraisals and legal costs until my mother could not fight any longer. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Answer:
 She can make a motion that the accounts be unfrozen and distributed since they both apparently agree.

She can make a motion for attorney's fees.

She can make a motion for spousal support.

Answer #2: This is an easy fix.  Her lawyer just makes a motion requesting an order that a portion of the frozen funds be released to pay attorney fees.  Answer #3: Her lawyer should be taking care of this for her.  Does she need to switch lawyers?


Title: My surrogate grandfather died and I don't want to find out that my sister and I were named heirs after his sister has already liquidated all of his property.

Question:
My surrogate grandfather lived in New Orleans. My family lives about an hour away in Mississippi. He died unexpectedly a couple weeks ago. We weren't prepared for it, so we hadnt really talked about wills and final wishes much. Only one thing was concrete. After he died, his sister took up the reigns and handled his funeral and cremation and burial.

Except, if you'd known him, you'd have known that the one thing he talked about as far as last wishes go was that he wanted to be buried, not cremated, in a plot he'd bought near his mother's grave.

My parents think that his sister is either neglecting to look for or hiding a will that doesn't name her as an heir, because they were pretty sure that he had left everything to me and my sister, and his cousin's children who he was also close with. However, since we weren't blood related, they're worried that we'll just come off as greedy money leeches if they push too hard.

What are my options in attempting to find any information regarding a will? Is the fact that we weren't related by blood or marriage going to be a hindrance in the search? If a will is found, and his sister has begun to sell or take possession of his things what options can/should I take?
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: You need to speak with a probate attorney to start the ball rolling on this investigation, and to see what (if any) your options are. Ether there was a will or there was not a will, that needs to be determined.


Title: Doctors misdiagnosed symptoms for Father's condition which got worse.

Question:
Location is Georgia west of Atlanta.

My father has been suffering from a bunch of heart problems lately. Because of this he is a little more cautious of what is going on with his body and the doctors told him if he felt the slightest bit off to go to the ER. Well about a month back he had increased heart rate and was feeling pretty bad so he went on to the ER at a nearby hospital even though they have a bit of a bad reputation. Sure enough his pulse is through the roof and he has high levels of Calcium in his blood. He was there for two days and the doctors diagnosed him with indigestion. Now I'm not a doctor but I do know indigestion does not cause those symptoms; especially not for a prolonged period of time. The nurses didn't even believe the diagnosis as well.

Time moves forward and a week later he is feeling worse so they go back to the hospital (different one this time). Turns out he had pericardial effusion, which the doctor said if he waited much longer he would have dropped dead. My parents also asked about his thoughts on the prior diagnosis and the doctor couldn't fathom how they came to that conclusion. Now he is having issues again and we wonder if the first hospital had done their due diligence, with my father' medical history, would he even be in this predicament.

Let me preface this with some of his medical history as well. Two months prior my father collapsed at work because his pulse dropped, had a heart attack, and had to have a pace-maker put in.

With all of this do the legal experts of reddit think my parents have a case for malpractice against the hospital to help with the medical bills and missed work. Thank you in advance for any replies.

Answer:
 Malpractice is insanely expensive to litigate, and most lawyers require you to be able to show substantial damages in order to take the case on contingency.

You also have to prove that the hospital didn't provide a certain standard of care.

Best way is to call a med mal lawyer and ask about reviewing his case.


Title: [CA] Quit my job, employer post-dated my final check for the 29th as a final 'eff you'. Is there any legal action I can take against them?

Question:
Just a little background--last Thursday I quit my job at a well known American craft store because my work schedule was conflicting with my highschool schedule and my manager was unwilling to give me time off or trade shifts because Christmas time is our store's most busiest time of year. I made it clear when I was first hired that I could only work after 2pm, because that's when school was let out. My employer started scheduling me shifts starting at 11am/12pm/1pm, and when I called to ask what was up I was met with general rudeness and told "I don't know what to tell you" by one of my managers because the store manager didn't want to find someone to cover my shifts/mess up the schedule by squishing me in somewhere. I called back after being hung up on and quit. I was then told the store manager would be in contact with me regarding my last check.

The weekend passed, and I didnt recieve word about my final check until yesterday afternoon (12/18/18), and it was not a manager who alerted me that it was there-- it was one of my work friends who'd apparently been told by the store manager to call me and tell me about it. I went in about an hour after I was called to pick it up the store manager was nowhere to be found so another manager had to come in and hand it to me. I didn't really take a good look at anything on the check other than the amount I was given until I arrived at the bank. The check had been post-dated for the 29th, and the bank is allowing me access to none of my funds until then. To say I'm pissed would be an understatement-- I was going to use this money to 1. buy the last of my Christmas presents, and 2. pay off a credit card. I can now do neither of these things. I'm only 18 and have little to no experience in this department, so I don't know what kind of action I can take against this store/my manager or if theres anything that I can do to expedite the arrival of the money, so any advice would be helpful. All I know is that post-dating a check isn't legal. Thanks :)

Answer:
 In ca an employee that quits must be given thier final wages within 72hours or the employer is required to pay a per day penalty equal to the employees normal daily wage.

Post dated checks are not legal without a contract.

So you haven't been issued your final wages. I'd go in today withthe check and talk to a manager. Let them know this needs to be resolved immediately or you'll be pursuing enforcement of your rights with the department of labor.

If they don't pay you your wages file as wage claim with the department of labor. You won't get your money before Christmas but you'll get the per day penalty enforced.


Title: Ex Roommate refusing to pay, co-signed on lease, what are my options?

Question:
Background: 22 y/o college student dealing with previous horrible roommate and apartment issues:

I settled a debt of $2981 for $1500 that my old roommate is responsible for. Since we both signed the lease, I am legally obligated to pay if she will not, and she has not cooperated. I took the settlement so it would not mark my credit and rental history. My question is this: What are my options of going after her to pay at least half of the settlement she is legally obligated to pay but refuses? Is taking legal action worth it? Thanks.
edit: forgot to mention this person lives out of state

Answer:
 Sue her in small claims court.

edit: In small claims court you don't need a lawyer (so that makes it the cheap option to sue somebody).


Title: If a person says "If I get dementia, please put a bullet in my head", is that legal in the USA?

Question:
Over the 4th, I watched a ton of episodes of the twilight zone.

Is this legal anywhere in the USA?

Answer:
 It's legal to say it, sure.

Asking someone to shoot you doesn't make it legal for someone to shoot you, though. Laws around euthanasia and assisted suicide are _complicated_, and it's still very much an evolving area of law.


Title: I took my friend's senior pictures and her mother refuses to pay me.

Question:
Location: Wisconsin

Over the summer, I took senior pictures for two of my friends. The second person I took the picture for paid me in full, the first person did not. I have been hounding Person 1 to pay me for months now, and she never did.

One day about two weeks ago I asked her again, and she told me that her mother wouldn't pay me because her mom didn't like the pictures. This is the first time I'd heard that. Her mom had seen the pictures before they were finalized and she expressed no disapproval at that time. Also, I am an armature photographer and her mother knew this. I only charged her 50$ for the pictures where a professional would have charged her upwards of a thousand.

When I took the pictures over the summer, I went to a campground about an hour away with person 1 and her family. While there, I took the pictures. We were there for about 2 and 1/2 days and we went out on 2 or 3 occasions to take the pictures

Over Christmas break, I was still expecting the money, and I don't normally buy things, so I told myself 'it's okay to spend a little money, you'll be getting 50$ from Person 1's mom.'

I am not a professional, I do not have a business, I don't even have a job. We didn't have a written contract. I didn't think I would need one because I didn't think it would come to this. Her mother is not very nice at all and she refuses to spend much money. I think it's very possible that she chose me to take the pictures and never intended to pay me because she thinks I won't do anything about it.

I put all of Person 1's pictures on google drive and had her pick out her favorites so I could edit them. I let her choose 5 or 6 pictures for me to edit. Editing one particular picture took me about 2 or 3 hours, another took me several minutes, and the rest all took about half an hour. I have since unshared all of the photos with her.

They have already submitted Person 1's picture to our school yearbook, and I've tried to get it taken out, but it doesn't seem like I'll be able to do that. If her mother would have told me earlier that she didn't like the pictures, I could have gotten them taken out. Because of this, and knowing her mom, I doubt her mother ever intended to pay me. As it is now: I'm very hurt and I feel cheated and I would be fine if the picture were taken out of the yearbook or if I were paid, either would make me feel a lot better.

Can I file a civil suit for distributing my copyrighted material without my permission or can I file one for her not holding up on our agreement? Do I have no case? Can I force the school take the picture out? At this point, it's not really about the money anymore. I just feel very wronged and I need to do something to make it right.

If anyone thinks I might have a case, I will consult a lawyer.

Edit: minor edits

Edit: Added information
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 If it was only 50 bucks, I would just forget about and consider it a "Lesson Learned".  If you do that again, give out pictures with a watermark across the photo. If they approve, then ask for payment in full before giving out good photos.Answer #2: Look up how to file locally in small claims court. That is a perfect venue for this. You can file it on your own. No lawyer needed.

You'll pay a small fee, but you will be reimbursed that if you win.

Personally, I think that they used the photo (by submitting it to the yearbook) should be enough for you to prevail in court.Answer #3: You probably can't get real money out of this mom, or the school in this case. You can inform the school and it's printers that the image is yours and cannot be distributed or printed, and it's on them at that point to ensure that they make sure it doesn't happen.

Once you inform them, WILLFUL infringement of your registered copyright (you'll have to register the image(s) with the USPTO before you can file) can run up to $150,000 per work.

Realistically, you probably don't want to pursue it to this level, and the school/printers will cover their own butts really well.


Title: Is there anything todo if I find a needle in the closet of my new apartment?

Question:
Im in Utah

Just moved into a new place and I found a medical needle with a green cap on it. My friend who is an EMT told me it would be for either medical use or bad drugs. Is there anything I can do about this with my managment besides tell them I found it?

Answer: You could dispose of it properly. Thus ends the list.


Title: Tips on finding a lawyer for one-off legal questions / document review online (US)?

Question:
Suppose, I am talking to a potential employer/client and, before going into a round of interviews, they want me to sign an NDA. IANAL, but the NDA looks pretty bad to me, so I would like someone to walk me through potential consequences of signing it: how dangerous it is, what parts of it are enforceable and under which conditions, etc.

There seem to be, essentially, two primary approaches: either personal legal advice subscription services, which offer document review; or finding an attorney who specialises in intellectual property law via directories.

In the former case, the consensus online seems to be that the advice quality will be rather poor. In the latter, it is not clear how to choose someone and, more importantly, I looked at a bunch of profiles and they all seem to be focusing on advising startups/companies on IP, trademark, patent issues, etc., so I am afraid they will not be interested in my case of a private person with a ½-page-long document (also, I can’t imagine what their fee is going to be). So, what should I do?

tldr; I’m a private person who might need some legal advice or document review (NDA / employment contract) once or twice in 5 years, therefore rather than a permanent relationship, I am looking for a way to contact, from time to time, a good lawyer online (has to be online, since the contract will be governed by the law of a different state).

(P.S. The sidebar in r/legaladvice says to consult its wiki for information on finding a lawyer of your own, but I only see links to pro-bono aid resources, which is not what I need.)

Answer:
 You can google contract lawyers in your area and most will do one-off stuff like this.

I've had estate lawyers look at NDAs for me as well, but ymmv with that.


Title: [Colorado]Forced to go on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) at work. I am very clearly being singled out and being held to much higher standards than co-workers while having the pressure of termination above my head. Is there anything I can do to protect myself?

Question:
I was placed on a PIP after making some minor mistakes and some confusion on some of the processes involved with the job after 6 months of work. I have never worked in this type of position and have been very open with my managers about this from the beginning while at the same time doing as much as I can to learn quickly and bring unique ideas and perspectives to our projects.

I was berated for weeks (almost one private meeting a day) with my managers and their boss. It felt very abusive and like they were just trying to break me down over the level of reaction to an honest punctuation mistake and a miscommunication of a goal for presentation slide that they blamed me for making them work until 1am to finish (while I never received even a text asking for me to work on or completely redo the slide if needed, which obviously I would have jumped at and completed immediately. After a week of reprimands for these mistakes and constant repetitions of apologies for the same things over and over I took a planned period of PTO that I had requested back in February. I came back ready to be motivated to change and prove my dedication to the job and that I am more than capable to produce at or above the level of my co-workers and move on from these mistakes having learned and ready to make it up.

Well I came back and was given an official performance review of the problem project where I was given incredibly low marks (1s and a 0), and yet again, was forced to endure a repetition of the same things I had been sat down and yelled at for a week before my vacation. The funny thing is that I found out through my peer that neither him or our other peer on the project was given a performance evaluation on this project at all, while I had every minute detail scrutinized. As you can imagine this has started to affect my self esteem in quite drastic ways, wondering when they will let this move on so I can prove that it was an isolated incident. In all of these talks I have been called more of a liability than an asset at that point, and have had my effort, work ethic, dedication to my job, and creativity questioned to the point where they have made me out to be completely incompetent. I was asked to think hard if I wanted to do the work to improve and obviously over the next few days everything went through my head and I decided that I wanted to prove that I can do this job and improve to the level they are asking for consistently. This is my first position out of college so I have had an enormous amount of learning and acclimating to the traditional office environment as anyone could expect due to the position's specialized nature. That friday I was asked to have a meeting with my managers which I assumed would be a professional and cordial discussion on my plan to improve that I was personally coming up with. Instead they immediately present me with the PIP and read through it, ask if I understand and immediately ask me to sign it. Not knowing the gravity of the situation fully I hastily signed before reviewing on my own  without them looking at me. So I was locked in.

The PIP consists of a week by week set of action items that I must meet to be considered adequate performance. I felt that the levels they set the goals at were high but after speaking with other trusted co-workers about this they and I all agree that they have set me up to fail with inflated expectations that I am strictly held to while no other employees are held to a set number for assignments so off the bat there is an incredible amount of pressure to basically produce 2-3x the work that my peers are producing on the same project. On top of this all of my action items are evaluated by my managers with an incredible amount of subjectiveness to the point that it feels like they are making a point of saying i just barely missed completing an assignment (ex. needed 4-5 gaps identified, submitted 19 (co-workers collectively added 7 to the list), they considered 3-4 good enough) or if I complete an assignment above the level they ask for it still isnt good enough because my peer had less than 10 more records collected so I was still considered not passing because of that.

Basically it feels even with working far more hours than any of my peers or producing more work it is never good enough or not impressive enough. I feel like I'm in a losing battle that has been put in front of me in an intimidating and almost bullying manner to set me up to fail or to force me to quit before the end of the PIP period. I am becoming more worried every day that there isn't much hope for keeping my job at this point but with the increased level of scrutiny on my work (which my manager has acknowledged I am experiencing compared to anyone else in my office) and the pressure to perform with really no control over whether it is adequate because those that have already put in the work to start getting rid of me are the ones reviewing my work.

I understand that a PIP is essentially a written warning but the level of performance I am being required to uphold compared to my peers while they have no set levels of performance and the evaluations I have received have led me to believe this is abusive and more of a formality to termination than wanting me to improve. Is there anything I can do to protect myself in this situation so I am not left out to dry if I am being held to inconsistent performance standards with undue pressure compared to my peers?.

tl;dr - Put on a PIP for making some minor mistakes on a project and still learning some exact details of the position. Never worked this type of job before. Being held to incredibly high performance standards which are inconsistent with those that my co-workers are held to to complete the same work. Standards are effectively set up to make me fail and my managers who initiated the PIP are the ones evaluating my work. Is there anything I can do to protect myself in this situation if my termination feels imminent?

Answer:
 It sounds to me like they don't feel like you're a good fit in the job, and they're going down the "let's document everything and then fire him" route.

Keep in mind that absent an employment contract, your employer is allowed to fire you for any reason or for no reason. Some employers choose to insulate themselves from possible BS wrongful termination lawsuits by documenting all performance problems prior to firing an employee. That's up to them, but legally they don't have to.

The way to protect yourself in this situation is find another job, and find one fast. They ***are getting ready to fire you*** and there's nothing you can do about it.


Title: Resigned from position with 2 wks notice but was exited the same day. Was I fired?

Question:
I resigned from a position and gave my 2 weeks notice, but was exited the same day.  I was not paid for any time past the date I was exited. I had an employment agreement that states that I am responsible for training costs if I leave. Basically I am being charged 1000$ over my wages that were already withheld for this. I am thinking that since I was exited immediately, that I was in fact fired, thereby making the employment agreement void.  Thoughts?  I am the US in IN.
*Additional info*
The employment agreement stipulates that if I leave I am responsible but if fired, I am not.
The training was product specific for what our core business was- I was required to go, however I could conceivably use said training elsewhere, however unlikely. I attended it about 6 months ago.

*Edit* If anyone cares- thanks for the replies.  I had a Lawyer buddy look over the agreement, and he suggested I press the issue that i was fired before the time that I would have resigned.  Apparently ex employer's attorneys agreed as it took all of a day for me to get my final paycheck.  Yay!  I got paid instead of owing them for quitting!  Woo Hoo!

Answer:
 > I am thinking that since I was exited immediately, that I was in fact fired, thereby making the employment agreement void.

That depends on the agreement.  If your agreement doesn't make the distinction, then it doesn't matter.

As is, since you were resigning anyhow, it's a moot point.  Unless they told you "quit or be fired", you quit, regardless of when they put your last day as.


Title: Does this fall under Lemon Law?

Question:
When buying a car my husband and I opted to search out of town because cars in our town are inflated. We found a good deal on a 2014 Mazda CX-5. We paid for an auto inspector to look it over. The only negative he noted was the tires needed to be replaced. The dealership did so, we purchased the car and they dropped it off to us. Purchase was made around June 4th.

Love the car but I noticed right away the blind spot monitoring system wasn't working. I called both the dealership and the auto inspector and both assured me it had been working at the time. My husband and I assumed a wire or connection had been knocked loose and we would have it looked at as soon as we had money.

The car is now in the shop. The entire BSM mirror unit is missing. So there is no way the BSM had been working.

We have both a CARFAX and Autocheck report (9.2 score). There IS structural damage reported in year 2014 under a lease. The car was repaired, put back in dealer inventory and resold to a Mazda dealership who then sold it to someone who drove it over 30 thousand miles.

I assumed the damage had been repaired by the original dealership. I took it to a certified dealership and there is no record of it.

Repairs, if footed by us will be $150 for diagnosis, $700+ for the mirror unit, and $90 to have the tire sensors recalibrated (because the dealership we purchased from did not do it right). I do not believe the BSM is under extended warranty, which we did buy. What are our options?

Answer:
 California has a very good "lemon law", but its intent is to help you get whole when a new car has an un-repairable problem that survives multiple under-warranty repair attempts.

You can probably demand your money back from the auto inspector since they failed to properly verify the functionality of a system you specifically asked them to look at and which you can prove could not have been functional.   But unless they offer some kind of "buyback guarantee", their obligations to you are probably limited to the money you paid them.

If the blindspot monitoring system is literally missing parts, then even if it was under the factory warranty it would be an easy argument that it was collision damage, not a defect in materials or parts.


Title: So I blew over on a BAC this morning

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 None of the things you described will excuse you still being drunk at work.  Blowing a 0.12 in the morning is pretty hard to do, and taking sleep meds doesn't impact your BAC.  It's not "any other Monday", you showed up to work at twice the legal limit.  Which also means you were too drunk to drive yourself in too.  You don't have any legal options to prevent from being fired here.  Get yourself some helpAnswer #2: So...... now its possible family owned company just so happens to have a BAC blower but my major question is:

**Why are you leaving out what/why/when cops some how appeared?**

I don't trust alcoholics who leave out clear details like its no big deal. Answer #3: How much did you drink last night, and when did you stop drinking? It is entirely possible to sleep and wake up still drunk. I am not a doctor, and someone else may know more, but I am pretty sure most if not all sleep medications tell you not to drink while using them, mainly because it can kill you, so check on that before you drink next time. Sleep is nice, but not when you don't wake up.Answer #4: You blew a 1.2? Seriously?

Anyways, yes, they can fire you for this.


Title: HELP REAL ESTATE ATTORNEYS!

Question:
Here's the situation:
My uncle passed away recently and he has left the Trust + Real estate to two of his kids; one who is a drug addict and the other who is mentally challenged. The mentally challenged kid is currently married with kids but married to a woman who is deceitful and using him because she knows that he will inherited his parent's money+ real estate. She will most likely take the money and leave him once he gains controls of the trust.

This is where I come in. I was assigned as one of the Trustees of the Trust/Estate and recently received a letter from a lawyer that the mentally challenged kid hired stating to provide the Trust information (that i do not have) within 30 days. If not, they will take action in court to remote me in as the Trustee. They also mentioned potential civil penalties and personal liability for any loss in the trust.

Do I have to respond to this if I don't care if they remove me as the Trustee?
Is there a way to prevent the woman from stealing all the money from the trust?

Answer:
 I have no idea of the amount of assets in question or their values. As a trustee you have a fiduciary duty.  Before you stick your own two cents in and get yourself in trouble, consider getting counsel. The trust should pay for it but you would need to read the trust agreement.

-

Also, is the "mentally challenged kid" really mentally handicapped?

-

Side note: You don't want a real estate attorney. You want a attorney familiar with trusts and estates.Answer #2: Why don't you (and/or the other trustees) have this information about the trust that you handle?


Title: Being threatened with jail time for cursing

Question:
So we booked a limo for after our wedding 7 months ago but two weeks before the big day our plans changed and canceled the limo. I fully expected to lose the $228 deposit, however I was charged the additional $228 as if we had gone through with the rental. On top of that I was charged $20 for gas (the car never left their lot) and $90.20 for gratuity (for a ride I never took) for a total of $338.20.

When I called to complain and ask for my money back, I lost my cool and dropped the f-bomb and hung up on him. I've since reported the fraudulent charge to my credit card but the owner of the company continues to email me and has now threatened me with jail time and fines for the f-word (some nonsense VA law saying obscene language is a misdemeanor if used in a threatening way).

I've asked him to stop emailing several times but he continues even after I blocked him (it doesn't block really, it just moves to spam automatically)

Should I be worried?

Answer:
 no

owning a limo company in VA doesn't give him the power to jail or fine you.Answer #2: Good rule of thumb: don’t take legal advice from your opponent. He’s just blowing hot air. As someone else has said, you can raise this to the police has harassment if you felt like it.Answer #3: He can call the police all he wants they'll show up and tell him it's a civil matter to be settled in small claims, and I think prosecutors in your area have better things to do than enforce an archaic anti swearing law.


Title: Can i legally own a Bobcat(Animal) In Saskatchewan Canada.

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Troll Post

Answer:
 You can legally and safely own a Maine Coon. They are enormous and actually are a good pet. http://www.boredpanda.com/maine-coon-cats/
And if you like Big Cats let them stay wild it's better for them.Answer #2: All municipalities will prohibit that. Answer #3: If $$ is no object, google Savannah Cat.
They are a hybrid cross between a Serval Cat and a domestic cat.
In Saskatchewan, they are restricted (call Saskatchewan Fish and Wildlife Office for current regulations) but BC doesn't seem to restrict ownership.  Other provinces have rules about how many generations removed from the Serval Cat they must be.


Title: I am a Senior in Highschool in Texas, USA I just started dating a freshman. I turn 18 soon and she turns 15 not long after. Can I get in trouble down the road when we keep dating?

Question: Our relationship is non sexual and will stay that way, both of us are devoted Christians and don't believe in that before marriage.

Answer: If you aren't having sex, and aren't sending nudes you should be just fine.


Title: [MS] Can I ban my roommates boyfriend as a trespasser?

Question: I'm stuck in a tight spot, in that I am living with my ex fiancée. Neither of us can afford to move out financially so it is what it is. Last night she informed me that her new romantic interest would be staying the night. I am absolutely not okay with that, and I told her quite plainly he was not welcome in my home. Both of our signatures are on the lease. My question is, does my right to deny someone access to my home supercede her right to invite someone into it? If I tell this guy that he's not welcome, demand he leave, and he refuses, would I have a solid legal standing to call the cops and have him forcibly removed?

Answer: No. She has a right to have a guest. So do you. Neither of you have the right to ban each other's guests. And the new boyfriend is not trespassing in any way. He was invited by a resident.


Title: Wrong item from Amazon Marketplace

Question:
An Amazon Marketplace seller sold me an scale (like, for weighing) that they don't seem to actually have.

The product I received was a completely different model from what I ordered. I'm annoyed (and feeling petty) because I needed the original item for a project this weekend (the one they sent me isn't accurate enough for the job).

I asked that they ship the correct item out today, but they want me to return the wrong item first (so they can "confirm the discrepancy" between their listing and their stock). Looking at their store page, they don't actually seem to have the item I ordered (i.e., the original scale has disappeared from their page).

They screwed up and now I have to put my project on hold (it's not meth, by the way, I'm making salami). And I'll need to print out the label and a take a trip down to the UPS store. It's not the end of the world by any stretch, but the inconvenience of it all has me wondering if we as consumers have any means of recourse? Maybe I should ask for a handling fee for the return.

Answer:
 >but the inconvenience of it all has me wondering if we as consumers have any means of recourse?

Your recourse is to send the item back and either get the item you ordered, or a refund (if they can't provide the item you ordered).  No, you're not entitled to a "handling fee."


Title: Haven't gotten hours at work (CA) since October. Do I have recourse?

Question:
I started working at a restaurant in OC CA that hired me specifically for their catering team.  I was working in the restaurant as well but the compensation for in restaurant work was dismal.  I spoke to the manager and explained that it didn't make sense for me to stay in the restaurant for such small pay when I had found a delivery job that would be much better for me.  I am type 1 diabetic, the less stress I endure the easier it is to control my blood sugar.  Working in a restaurant can be very stressful.

The manager agreed to keep me on the catering team.  For a while everything was fine, it was summer so there were quite a few caterings.  Then for a while I didn't hear anything so I kept asking about caterings and they kept saying there weren't any.

I got a frantic phone call from the catering coordinator asking me to deliver a catering order.  I said yes, when I got to the restaurant she and 3 other ppl were on their way to a catering and I got left delivering 1 order.

I then asked her about it a few days later and she said that because I don't work in the restaurant physically I don't get any hours.  She said that the other ppl don't get paid as much for in restaurant work so she feels like throwing them a bone.  But in return I haven't gotten any hours since October of 2014. I have met in person with the manager and nothing has changed.  What can I do about this?
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 > What can I do about this?

Look for a new job.


Title: Lease says pets allowed pending approval, Landlord says no and gives odd reasoning. Would it violate the lease if we got the pet anyways?

Question:
The current situation is my GF has been living in this apartment for about a year and a half now. The building itself is an apartment complex with several other identical buildings on the same road owned by an "owners board". Her lease ended at the end of July and she has been month to month since. We have talking about getting a dog for quite a while and found an adorable 2yr old 40lb shepherd mix just the other day and our hearts are set. Today we went to consult her landlord by text and he stated "Sadly we do not allow dogs on the 3rd and 4th floor, nor do we allow dogs over a certain size (35-40lbs max) & no dogs under one year old, dogs must be house trained. Sorry for the bad news, this was set up by the owners board, as we try & balance individual tenants needs with overall building community." This "policy" was never communicated to her or her roommate when first signing the lease or since until now. They did not have a pet at the time of signing but did mention that they might get one in the future. The Landlord at the time stated that this was fine and made no mention of this policy. I pulled out her lease to get the exact wording on what she signed off to;

"1 pet maximum. $____ refundable deposit required. Pet addendum is attached and must be signed by all tenants and followed. Pets are limited as to the type and size and must be approved by (Owning company). Pet fee is $____ additional per month."

The ____ have been written in as 0 as at the time of sign they did not have a pet. No other area of her lease mentions pets. Personally I felt that the banning of pets on the third and fourth floors seems arbitrary if they are allowing them on the second as well. Additionally we have seen quite a few dogs on the higher up floors and several that are clearly way over the 40lb max. Is there anything we do here short of moving?

TLDR: Lease says dogs ok with approval. Landlord says not on the third or fourth floor (we live on the third). This was never mentioned until now or within the lease. Do we have any options?

Answer:
 You need landlord approval according to your lease. The landlord is not going to give approval, therefore you cannot have a pet. Answer #2: >Pets are limited as to the type and size and must be approved by (Owning company).

Sounds like your lease is pretty clear and you don't have approval. So no dog.


Title: Father that shares same name has awful things on internet

Question:
Hey all,

Very brief background. I'm currently 24 and Grew up in terrible household with drug addicted father. His mom, my grandmother, is basically an enabler and supports him. My dad had mental issues growing up, and was diagnosed as bi polar as well. I believe that after years of heavy drug abuse it made it 1000x worse. He's essentially delusional and can't tell what's real or not.

He has social media accounts in his name of course, and posts absolutely insane things regarding porn, guns, etc. If you search my name on anything tons of things he's done online show up.

On his Instagram, next to pictures of everything he has on there is a picture of me as a child which is weird because he hates me and I haven't spoken to him in a couple years.

I think my only option is to change my name. My main concern is employers searching my name online and these things showing up. It's easy to tell on court documents that it wouldn't be me, but on something random like Instagram it's just a name and pictures, so you can't tell who it is. I don't have a common name so if you see the location it's easy to assume it's me.

Sorry if this doesn't belong on legal advice but I'm looking for any help I can get. I'm hoping that since he has a picture of me on his Instagram I can get that at least taken down, but that's not enough.

Thank you

Answer:
 You can change your name, and that's about it.Answer #2: > I'm hoping that since he has a picture of me on his Instagram I can get that at least taken down

Almost assuredly not.  The copyright belongs to whoever takes the photo.  You have no particular right to it.

This isn't a legal matter.  Your father has the right to say or do what he wants under his own name.  It's *unfortunate*, but not illegal, that it causes you issues.

Your answer here is identity management, and just having to explain to employers what the issue is.Answer #3: Seriously, just change your name. Google your state's name and "legal name change" to find out how to do it. Typically it costs maybe $200 and takes a few weeks.


Title: Hypothetical question regarding some proposed “heartbeat” abortion laws in relation to citizenship and liability in miscarriage

Question:
Hi, hope I’m in the right place here.

Some states are pushing through laws declaring that life begins at the first detection of a heart beat, which usually occurs around 6 weeks into a pregnancy.

My question is, does this then mean that a person (in this case, the embryo) becomes a legal US citizen at 6 weeks into their mothers pregnancy ?

What about if a woman who was 6 weeks pregnant were to miscarry due to external circumstances? WebMD lists several environmental conditions that can lead to a miscarriage. If a woman were to miscarry due to drinking water in Flint Michigan at 6 weeks into her pregnancy, would the providers of water in Flint be liable for manslaughter or something similar (if, hypothetically, there were a 6 week heartbeat law in place there)?

Answer: Things like this are exactly why there will be lawsuits to strike these laws as unconstitutional.


Title: Child Support with Ex and New baby

Question:
Situation: Me and boyfriend have a 6 week old. Child care costs 1600 a month in Colorado. Boyfriend has 5 year old with ex whom he's supposed to pay $500 a month in child support.

&#x200B;

Question: Since boyfriend cant afford bills and child support so I can be a stay at home mom we decided that I would work and him be a stay at home dad since we can't afford childcare. Is there any way his child support can be lowered? His ex is claiming her yearly salary is $13,000 and is not claiming her 2nd job when he tried to modify child support and he was making $13/hr at the time.

Reason he's paying $500 a month is his BM was in school when it was originally filed and he was making $40,000 which he doesnt work there anymore and she's got her bachelors. Any help or advice? We're not trying to avoid child support at all we just need a break and would like him to work again and be able to help with baby so I can stay at home with her.

Answer:
 He cannot choose to not work and then stop paying support. He may be able to have it lowered if his income is lowered for a legitimate reason but his other kid requires support, you kid doesn't take priority. Answer #2: The courts are not going to stop CS because he is choosing not to work. That isnt a thing. His child doesnt need less because he chooses not to work.

Can it be modified based on some of the other facts? Maybe. but they are going to compute his income at what he would be making if he got a job in his field


Title: My Grandmother was murdered by her Caretaker

Question: Her caretaker had been taking care of her for over a year and a half. My grandmother revised her will in 11/2015 to name the caretaker as her executor and my mom as backup. She also left some things to her caretaker "for being such s good friend." The caretaker murdered her June 17, 2016. I have researched the slayer statute in Virginia and believe I understand that once the caretaker is convicted that the will would proceed as though the caretaker predeceased my grandmother. In the interim once we have the death certificate my mother can register the will with herself as the executor and proceed in paying my grandmother's bills with funds from the estate and the distribution of the entire estate will just be pending the murder trial. Is that accurate? The question is should we need an attorney for now, or no. The death certificate is pending as the caretaker did some pretty gruesome things and although she directed the police to the body and the autopsy has been completed, the body has not yet been released pending complete identification.

Answer:
 > The question is should we need an attorney for now

Desperately.


Title: Wife is punishing me for having a job. Keeping kid and talking too much.

Question:
This is Alabama. Not divorced yet but we filed. No order in place. I've a job that has odd hours and she won't let me have my kid on days I work suddenly after she found out my work schedule.

Can the court punish me for working long hours?

Her texts are really long. Like a couple of paragraphs. She doesn't say anything mean but they really disturb me. If I have the kid and she can't get a hold of me she calls my parents, who usually have the kid when I work. She gets upset at this. All the time.

I working longer hours so I can afford a lawyer. Right now, I think I have 40% or 3 days. But she is saying that I have to wait and have my kid only when I am not working.

Is that fair? When we go to court will a judge allow that? Can I ask for a character limit on her texts or for her not to contact my parents during my parenting time?

Thanks so much. I appreciate any advice - Jeremy.

My mom and dad have been with him since birth. They've helped me out for years.

I also have proof that she writes adult themed literature for money. our kid is three. Can I bring that up?

Answer:
 Not advice, but writing adult themed literature isn't a reason to not deserve custody or as much custody as the other parent.  By that logic, neither of you should get custody because you (gasp) *had actual sex*Answer #2: >I also have proof that she writes adult themed literature for money. our kid is three. Can I bring that up?

That has absolutely no relevance, whatsoever.  If you bring it up, it will make you look like the asshole.

>Can I ask for a character limit on her texts

That's also foolish.  If you don't want to read long texts, don't read them.

>But she is saying that I have to wait and have my kid only when I am not working.

That's the purpose of custody.  From a cursory review, it seems like Alabama's Grandparent Visitation Act (or whatever it was formally called if that isn't the right name) was struck down in 2012.  So your parents have no right to visitation.  If you're not parenting on your parenting time (days you have the child), the court won't let you have custody on those days.


Title: Scared of my Neighbor

Question:
MY boyfriend and I live in Colorado. A woman who is mentally ill who lives in our building falsely accused my boyfriend of breaking into her apartment/eating her food/messing with her tv ect. We spoke with police, we had alibies for the time and question and it is apparent to both us, the authorities and office management that the woman is delusional and we've been officially cleared. Upon hearing this, the woman told the detective working with us that she was going to "get a gun, learn how to use it and send my cousins after you all. The next time I call the cops it will be to pick up dead bodies." (she also said this to office staff and deliberately directed this towards us).

We found that out friday 06/28 and have been waiting on the courthouse to open to file for a restraining order. They won't do anything without the police report and the cops are dragging their feet on submitting it. They basically don't believe us/care that our lives were threatened.

BUilding management's solution is for us to move out. They are not interested in trying to evict this crazy woman, restraining order or no. What can we do? I don't want to leave my home

Answer: Contacting Adult Protective Services may be a start.  May have to escalate to a higher up at the police station, squeaky wheel gets the grease.


Title: Neighbor smokes inside in a non-smoking apartment complex

Question:
Hi everyone,

I just moved into a new apartment (Long Beach, CA) that I was told was a non-smoking building. The manager assured me that no one is allowed to be within 100 feet of the building while they're smoking and that tenants aren't even allowed to burn candles or incense. I have asthma so that's perfectly fine by me.

Well I've come to learn the neighbor I share a bedroom wall with smokes INSIDE her room. Although there are no shared vents, the cigarette smoke has gone through the walls and no doubt the outlets. My room smells like a casino.

I've contacted the manager about this and he says there's nothing he can do because that tenant has been there forever and the owner refuses to impose the non smoking rule on someone who's been grandfathered in. He apologized and offered me an AirWick Plug-in. -__-

Is there anything I can do legally? I feel like I've been duped when it was clearly stated to me that it was non-smoking.

Thank you in advance!

Answer: If you have written medical proof of having asthma, you can file a Request for Reasonable Accommodation. That, or you could possibly contact the owner about being relocated to a unit that isn't next to someone who smokes.


Title: [KS]] Hit and run in apartment parking lot

Question:
Hello,

My car was hit two days ago in the parking lot of my apartment complex causing approximately $1500-$2000 of damage. My dashcam was running in the car during the incident. You can see the pickup that hit my car in the reflection of a window on the apartment building.
I assume the owner of the pickup lives here since they parked their truck in the parking lot after hitting me and also the truck is currently parked in the lot. I filed a police report as soon as I noticed. I have not updated them with the video I have. What should I do next? I'm kind of clueless since I'm not used to living on my own.

Answer:
 Cop here.

Call the police and show them the evidence. You need to do this ASAP if the run vehicle is still there.


Title: Legal Standing? Can't get reasonable car insurance due to a decriminalized marijuana possession ticket over 3 years ago.

Question:
Insurance provider told us 2 years ago that insurance companies look back 3 years for speeding tickets and misdemeanors and 5 years for anything worse when determining rates.

I received a decriminalized marijuana ticket in CT Just over 3 years ago now. It was less than a misdemeanor, I paid a fine and was told I would have to wait 3 years for it to fall off insurance record.

SO now I am being told it is 5, and I can't possibly afford the rates they are charging for something that is less than a speeding ticket which they stop caring about after 3 years.

Do I have any legal ground in this?

Edit: Y'all are jackasses downvoting my honest questions and concerns about the situation. Fuck yourselves kindly.

Thanks to /u/masterxc I took another look into progressive and I should be able to get around 100/month before doing any of the discount stuff they offer. You da real mvp.

Answer: No, you have no right to cheap car insurance.


Title: Landlord Showing Apartment Without Consent

Question:
Hey - so we rent a condo unit. It’s a fixed term lease, which means if the owner sells the unit they can’t kick us out until the lease is up.

Our landlord has hired a realtor company to sell the place. They’ve been sketchy with us living here. Not giving us twenty four hours notice of showing, not accommodating times of the day, and they’ve been telling me I’m not allowed to be there when they show it - and recently accused me of the place not being clean, and that I’m preventing the owner from selling which he says they can sue us for.

So, I’ve called the tenancy board. And I’ve learned with a fixed lease they’re not even allowed to show it until there’s under 3 months remaining in the lease, and there’s 10 months remaining. So, I’m wondering the best steps moving forward, and if there should be any repercussions for them showing it while I was under the impression it was mandatory. They’ve been really shitty to deal with, and I feel as the realtor they should know better.

Answer:
 Are you sure this is true even if your landlrod is seeking to sell teh building?

In Ontario the landlord would be allowed to show the unit (though you'd be allowed to be there, and you'd be under no obligation to keep it show-house ready; not beyond basic cleanliness).

I can well believe that the landlord can't show it to a prospective new *tenant* until your lease is almost up, but I'm surprised he can't show it (with some notice) to a prospective *purchaser*.


Title: 'Wife threw away mother-in-law's ashes, they're now in the landfill.'

Question:
This is not my story, but my partner's. It's her crazy sister in law.

Long story short, bad marriage of 20 years...

A few days ago after an argument the wife took the ashes (in their container) and threw them in the trash, saying nothing. Later the trash was taken out, still said nothing. The trash was then picked up and taken to the landfill. Only after this did she tell her husband what she had done. Obviously this is incredibly cruel and crazy, but is it illegal? Can we pursue legal action for improper disposal of a body?

Edit: Sorry, this happened in AZ. We are in TX.

Answer:
 This is a textbook example of intentional infliction of emotional distress. But I think that's the only viable cause of action here (because conversion wouldn't yield much in damages unless the container was particularly valuable, e.g., solid gold).Answer #2: There is a tort for intentional infliction of emotional distress.  A lot goes into it though, and there have to be damages (i.e., psychological distress significant enough to require counseling).  Based on what you said, there isn't much information about that.  It's not illegal to put ashes in the garbage though.  You can kind of do whatever you want with ashes since they are already sanitized.Answer #3: Now I understand how people end up on Dateline, Snapped, and 48 hours murder mystery.Answer #4: Can you clarify if the husband is divorcing the woman? Because if not, the discussion seems a bit moot. I can't imagine there would be any point of suing your wife.Answer #5: > Obviously this is incredibly cruel and crazy, but is it illegal?

No.

> Can we pursue legal action for improper disposal of a body?

No. This sounds harsher than I intend it to be, but it's not a body, it's a bunch of ashes.


Title: TX - Charged $20 for leaving lights on at work.

Question: A good friend of mine, who is on the spectrum and has a history of being taken advantage of from his supervisors, texted me this morning telling me that he was charged $20 from his supervisor for leaving the Christmas lights on at his place of work. Are employers allowed to charge their employees for this?

Answer: No, they can not charge him for it. They can discipline and fire him for it. Your friend should find other employment.


Title: My roomates are trying to bully me out of my room. What should I do?

Question:
So I have a friend who I've known for 7 years. Back in August, he had me take over his room while him and his fiance move out of state. That didn't work out, and they had to move back. Since me and the other roomates were taking up the rooms, they said they'll sleep in the living room. So then they said "We'll let you stay until March if you continue paying the full rent for your room." Still a dick move, I agreed because I'm an easy going person.

Anyways, one of their friends got kicked out of their house, and had to sleep in the living room. So since they don't want to share a sleeping space with their friend, they're throwing me out of my room Monday night and they're moving back in while I sleep in the living room.

Thing is, I paid for a full month's rent FOR THIS ROOM. This is MY room. I refuse to sleep in the living room if someone is sleeping their, so I am just going to move out, because this isn't right. I wanted to get a partial refund for me moving out. He agreed to at first, then he went back on that deal.

He said that I'm being stingy and negative. So he's technically gaslighting me. I tell him that his offer is a complete scam, yet I'm the one that is the asshole. He is saying I paid rent to live in this house, not for the room. That's bullshit. I paid for the room. I wouldn't pay $500 for a god damn livingroom space. Every time I put my foot down and ask for a refund because I'm moving out, I am the bad guy.  They also expect me to pay half the internet bill too. I was going to pay half the internet bill if I was going to stay here for the rest of this month. However, since they are throwing me out early, I'm not going to do that.

Again, I paid money for a room, not to sleep in the living room. I need my privacy. I'd rather get an airbnb until I find my own room for rent.

The bad thing is, I never signed a lease, I don't have any proof of purchase that I paid for a month of rent here. What I do have is mail sent here, and my ID has this address on it.

Do I have any legal standing to fight for this room until March?

I am renting this room in Davidson County of Tennessee.

Answer:
 So how many bedrooms does this place have and how many people are living there? (count couples as one person.)

You have ample evidence that a verbal agreement took place making you a tenant not a guest.


Title: Calgary Alberta neighbour attempted to attack me.

Question:
I live on the top floor of a house with a basement suite. The other night at 12:30am, my downstairs roommate came home drunk  with a bunch of his friends and decided to use my fire pit to have a party. I was asleep with my window open so as to cool my room down. I was awoken by smoke pouring into my room so I went outside and asked my neighbor to put the fire out. When he refused I informed him that it was my fire pit and that he had no permission to use it. I said "just put the fucking fire out" and then shut the outside door and went back to my room.  About a minute later, he came into my house, came barreling down the hallway shouting for me to come and face him. I baracaded my door with my body so he couldn't get in. He proceeded to punch a hole in my door while shouting insults and obscenities at me. One of  roommates (who is a trained security guard) pulled my neighbor away from my bedroom door and out of the house.

I am moving out at the end of this month. Am I legally able to get a restraining order against him so I can feel safe packing my things?

Answer:
 1) call and report to the police.
2) take pics of all damages
3) report to your landlord all the details of what happened; as they may hold you responsible

You may need to file a suit against the guy who did the damages. Depends on what the LL says and does regarding the damages.
Answer #2: Are you worried only about the move-out? Alternatively, you could call the police and ask for them to escort you when you pack and collect your things (at least, in the US, they'll do that--I think it's called Civil Standby here, I don't know about Alberta at all).


Title: Child custody case advice (Kentucky)

Question: Hello everyone, I need some advice about a child custody case.  A little info first, my daughter is 13 years old and we live in Kentucky.  Currently she lives with her mother as per our divorce agreement.  My daughter has expressed too me many times that she would like to come live with me as she thinks she would be happier.  I have talked to her at length about this and she's steadfast in that decision.  Her mother does not agree with this decision and said that I would need to go through court because she would never agree. I'm going to look into starting the process for that because I believe in Kentucky the judge would take her opinion into consideration.  So I have two questions for this.  1) am I right that at her age she would be able to decide where she lives?  2) is this something I should get a lawyer for or is it something I can do myself?  It seems like something I could do myself to save money but I'm not sure.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 So I'm not a Kentucky attorney, but I do have experience with family law.

Teen years are about the time that courts *generally* begin to take the wishes of the child into account when determining custody (keep in mind I'm making a very broad statement here, so your actual experience may differ wildly).  However, judges do not like to have children testify about their wishes.  To get around this, Kentucky, and many other states, have Guardians ad Litem.  These are generally lawyers or social workers who's job is to interview the child and parents, inspect the respective living situations, and make a report to the court about their recommendations regarding custody.

Now, just because your daughter tells the GAL she wants to live with you doesn't mean it will happen.  Lots of teenagers want to live with the fun parent who let's them stay out late and doesn't make them go to school. I'm not accusing you of this by any means, I just want to make the point that the judge is not automatically going to respect the wishes of the child.

A GAL generally charges a fee for their services.  I know you want to save money, but I'd also recommend getting a lawyer, at least for the portion of the case that involves asking the court to have a GAL appointed. Once that is done, it's pretty difficult for a parent to overcome a GAL report (because it's based on an investigation by a competent neutral party), so once the report is complete the judge will likely order what is recommended by the report, or something close to it.


Title: So i bought a car from a guy for 1500 after he told me it worked and drove well. The car broke down so i dropped the car off at his house and asked for my money back. Instead they called the tow truck and had my car impounded. I have the title of the car and the keys of it. Could i sue him?

Answer:
 If you bought a car from a private person for $1,500, you most certainly bought it "as is."  He's not responsible for it breaking down after you buy it. Lemon laws don't apply here. And then you left your car on his property property. It was his right to have it towed. You have no recourse here and just racked yourself up some towing bills.Answer #2: No. You left the car on their property. They can get it towed since that is trespass.

Used cars are sold as is. Unless you think the guy committed fraud then you are out of luck and now you are going to be stuck paying for the tow and the impound fees.


Title: [Colorado] Realized something was stolen long after robbery. Can I still make an insurance claim?

Question: I realized about a year after a home robbery that a backpack full of climbing gear had also been taken. The cost of this gear is fairly significant, and I'm wondering if it's too late to report it / make an insurance claim. The guy who broke in has already been arrested / prosecuted.

Answer: Unless you were home at the time, what happened to your home was a burglary, not a robbery. A person is robbed. Not trying to be a jerk, its actually quite a common misnomer.Answer #2: That's up to your policy.  Doesn't hurt to ask.


Title: Had a fight, mom is trying to kick me out, she's giving me a week (TX)

Question:
So my mom is tough to live with and we had a fight. She rents a duplex but she says I wasn't supposed to be there legally. I have all my stuff there and she is giving me a week to move out and it escalated to today when I told her she needed to give me 30 days notice to vacate. Am I right?
She says her (landlord) friend says I wasn't supposed to be there so I can get kicked out. Any info would be nice! Thanks

Answer: In the strict legal sense, she has to give you notice.  In the practical sense, if you tried to sue your mother for an unlawful eviction, the judge will ask you how much you have paid in rent, laugh at you, and tell you to grow up and support yourself.


Title: Employer prevented me from accepting better position by threatening hiring company - North Carolina

Question:
I was approached by a recruiter about a new position and after a few months of interviewing and getting to know the new company (company B) I accepted an offer. The offer increased my salary by over 25% and the position would be a promotion from what I am doing now. After letting my supervisor at current company (company A) know I had accepted another offer the news eventually made it to the CEO of company A. Company A is currently working on a project for Company B who is the owner of said project. Company A CEO called up company B and demanded they do not hire me or company A would walk away from the project leaving company B stranded with tight timelines to finish the project. Company B has since let me know that they will not be moving forward with hiring me due to the financial impact they could endure if Company A walks away from the project.

I have not been directly involved with this project, I am not a manager level employee, and do not have any industry secrets that would hurt Company A if I left. I did not sign a non-compete when I started at company A (and I could argue that the companies are not competitors anyhow). I am an at-will employee at company A.

Do I have a legal case against Company A over lost wages and future potential income due to the position being a promotion?

Answer: The recruiting company would also be interested, since they're out their commission.Answer #2: Sounds like tortious interference. You should contact an employment lawyer as you may have a case here for damages.


Title: [AL] Is it legal for an Alabama woman to get an abortion in another state?

Question:
1. If a woman wanted to get an abortion that is illegal in her home state of Alabama but legal in the neighboring state Georgia, what kind of legal issues could she face?
2.  If I wanted to create a non-profit organization that assists women from Alabama seeking an abortion in Georgia, could I or the organization face any legal issues?

Answer: If I'm not mistaken, both the National Network of Abortion Funds and Yellowhammer Fund (based in Alabama) raise money so that Alabama residents seeking abortions have their expenses covered for when they must travel out of state for the procedure.


Title: Local Fan Convention Rip Off

Question:
So I recently purchased tickets at FandomFest in Louisville, Kentucky for a day pass for that Saturday, and a photo op ticket with Weird Al Yankovic for both myself and my wife. I was notified today that Al was cancelling his appearance due to personal reasons. I sent an e-mail immediately to the convention politely asking for a refund, then just now I received a message back saying that the con doesn't offer refunds, but they do offer an exchange on photo op tickets...

The ONLY reason I was going to this convention in the first place was for Weird Al. Now it is stated in the purchase agreement that they offer no refunds and that cancellations are a risk, but is that it? They offer that disclaimer and they can take my money and give me nothing in return? It just seems excessively greedy and lazy in this digital age when all these purchases are done electronically in the first place that they say that won't offer a refund.

This con has a history of shady practices and poor treatment of their guests and attendees. I'm not looking to necessarily get my money back, especially if the no refunds policy holds up, but this isn't the first time something like this has happened with this convention.

Answer:
 > Now it is stated in the purchase agreement that they offer no refunds and that cancellations are a risk

You were free to NOT buy a ticket if you didn't like the terms.

>  They offer that disclaimer and they can take my money and give me nothing in return?

Don't be disingenuous.  They aren't offering you nothing in return. You can still go.

> It just seems excessively greedy and lazy in this digital age when all these purchases are done electronically in the first place that they say that won't offer a refund.

It's not a question of being lazy. They certainly have the ability. And it has nothing to do with being in "the digital age".  The purchase agreement (which you agreed to) says they don't have to and they aren't a charity. These policies were around long before the internet. (back when you mailed in payment or called them on the phone and got physical tickets back, or paid at the door)

> I'm not looking to necessarily get my money back, especially if the no refunds policy holds up, but this isn't the first time something like this has happened with this convention.

So then what do you want then? This "no refunds" policy isn't likely to change.


Title: My vacant lot's HOA sent a letter saying I owe big for a tree removed without my consent. Tree was cut to firewood and given to neighbor (WA)

Question:
I live out of state, and a month ago I received a letter from the HOA saying they removed hazardous trees on my lot and I'll have to pay for it but with no additional info. It said they "did not have any other way to contact me sooner" (it was sent by certified mail to my mailing address and I received it 8 days after the tree was removed), despite having my email and phone number on the title record and from the accounting for dues payments. Since there was  nobody on the lot to talk to they said it was their decision to remove the "hazardous" tree without my consent.

&#x200B;

My family nearby went to investigate: they had removed a 100-foot tall maple tree and a couple other small trees that were damaged, and the firewood was neatly cut and stacked on the neighbor's lot.

&#x200B;

I called the HOA and they sent me the info for the tree service, so  I contacted them ... but it turns out they did not do the work.  As I found out later, the HOA actually had told the neighbor to "Use whoever they'd like" and they would make sure the bill gets paid / or pay it themselves if they could not reach me (assuming they'd bill me for it later). So the neighbor called their regular tree guy who came and chopped the tree down and cleaned up.

&#x200B;

It turns out the neighbor has been worried about and trying to get this tree removed for 5 years. The tree had a split trunk and half of it DID fall down recently in a storm. He says this one was "leaning" and he was worried about it too so they removed it right then. All this seems to have happened within a few hours of reporting the tree.  I have some pictures of the tree and I'm not an expert (I could call out an arborist now but not sure what good it would do) but it was not FALLING down. The trunk was very thick, roots look fine, and the stump is an indication of what a beastly tree this was, even if half had fallen or it was going to fall down in a couple years. IDK.

&#x200B;

When I talked to their tree guy who actually did the work, he sounded reasonable in explaining it, sent a few pics, then he sent me the bill for $4000 via email.

&#x200B;

I don't doubt this was a lot of work or that the tree was potentially even in danger of falling down. But I feel cheated that they did not try harder to notify me, via a faster mail method or checking their office records, which did not allow me to shop around for a better deal or get multiple bids, or have an arbor inspection, and I apparently I am expected to pay to have the wood chopped up and given to the neighbor whereas I would've happily let it sit on the lot as logs.

&#x200B;

The tree service's justification for cutting the firewood was this was cheaper than hauling all the wood away, and the neighbor let them use their driveway to cut the tree which saved me money. I'm afraid the HOA will put a lien on the lot or the tree service will attempt to sue me for not paying the bill. Guessing I should get a lawyer but I'm a young man and I've never had one before so I'm worried it'll cost more trouble than its worth and I'm about to write a check for this but thought I'd ask some opinions first.

Answer: You should consult a lawyer. That wood probably belongs to you. You shouldn't be paying the neighbor to take it, he should be paying you for it. Firewood can be expensive.


Title: (Upstate New York) (Active Duty Army) Terrible experience trying to move into new apartment. Want out of lease.

Question:
I'm an active duty soldier in the US Army stationed at Fort Drum.  Currently E5/SGT.

My girlfriend of over a year recently decided that we should take our relationship to the "next level" and move in together.  We love each other and would like to spend more time together.

She's an RN at the local hospital and as previously stated I'm a soldier.  We love each other, want to keep progressing in our relationship. However, neither of us feel ready for marriage yet.

If you are familiar with the Army, you know that only married soldiers or soldiers in the rank of SSG/E6 are entitled to BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing).

I'm a single E5 and am therefore not entitled to BAH.  Decided to pay out of pocket and share an apartment with my girlfriend.

After looking at a few places, we found one that was a little high for our price range but looked great and had everything we wanted.  Not long after we made a deposit and then signed a one year lease agreement. Unfortunately, things have gone south since then

Leading up to the day we intended to move in (Aug 1st) we were having a lot of trouble with maintaining communication with our new landlord.  It's a constant headache trying to get him to even return our phone calls (first red flag)

It took the landlord nearly 2 weeks to return our signed leased agreement. Even after we had given $1050 (one months rent) as security deposit/ reservation fee(legal?)

on move in day, we got all our things loaded up and when to go get a look at the apartment and start moving in.

When we opened the door, we were immediately heartbroken.

The cute apartment we had seen a month prior had been damn near wrecked.
Holes in the wall, carpet stained with dirt and white paint, broken glass everywhere, broken window, and possibly the worst paint job I've ever seen (paint on all fixtures and outlet covers, spilled on countertops).  Overall a complete mess.

We immediately attempted to contact the landlord only to repeatedly get his answering machine.  We decided not to move in that day.  Three whole days of constant calls, messages, and texts before the landlord finally called back.

HE was very apologetic and blamed a recently hired maintenance man for the poor job.  We expressed all of our concerns and stated they would need to be fixed before we moved in and that we deserved to be prorated for the amount of time it took to fix.  He asked to be left a list of what we needed done and that he would call when it was ready.  As far as prorating, he told us to call the building owner, gave us a wrong number to contact the owner with.

Another 5 days went by, more messages, more calls, more texts... no responses.  Finally i got a text from the landlord saying everything was done.

We went to go look and found the place in slightly better condition and cleaner but still damaged with numerous paint stains on fixtures and countertops.

I called again and very reasonably stated that we still were pleased, the number he gave me for the owner was wrong, and we still were not going to move in.

Landlord became infuriated and told us that we were being completely unreasonable, hung up on me.

After this we began to do more research and found the owner of building has a history of setting up apartment buildings throughout New York, hire crappy maintenance workers and superintendents only to then sell the buildings.

I eventually got ahold of the owner who tried to be very kind and understanding and offered to prorate 5 days off septembers rent.

At this point it had been a week and half.  My girlfriend had had enough and decided she wanted out of the lease.  I didn't argue as I was beginning to have some financial doubts myself, especially if I'm a lot and dealing a bad landlord.

She contacted a family lawyer to begin the process to try and get out of lease. the owner stated "I'll see you in court" in response to a letter from the lawyer

We've now payed the deposit and 1 months rent

*****Edit TL/DR** Active duty Army E5. Single Soldier (No housing allowance). Tried to rent apartment off post with girlfriend. Looked great at first. Move in day, apartment wrecked.  Terrible communication(doesn't answer/return phone calls) with landlord/super and building owner.  Want out of lease.*****

My questions are;

Are we screwed?
Can we get out of this lease?
How?
Should we continue to send rent checks until this is resolved (September is around the corner)?

Answer: IANAL. Former Army. Go to JAG tomorrow, lay out what happened clearly and bring the lease. Those guys are always great when you're coming with a legitimate problem. Whatever you do, do not move in a single thing or take possession of this place.


Title: Question about psych hold (RI) (19)

Question: I went to the hospital a couple of weeks ago because I thought I was having alcohol detox symptom, and wanted to get checked out. I went into the ER completely sober, and everything was fine at first. I was asked if I was feeling suicidal or homicidal, and I said I wasn't. I explained how I had been drinking because I had been feeling down. I said I felt hoplesss with the drinking situation, but also said I wanted to live, and had no thoughts of self harm or anything else. 10 minutes went by, and then I was asked to strip my clothes, and was told if I didn't they would do it forcibly. A security guard was placed at my door, and I was told I was not allowed to leave until getting checked out by psych. When I asked the doctor why she was holding me, she wouldn't say anything. Even the psychiatrist didn't know why I was confined against my will. I'm only asking if I have any sort of recourse. I thought someone had to be self harming or suicidal to be held against there will. They wouldn't even let me go to the bathroom unattended. And my other question is can I find out why the hell I was detained for hours?

Answer:
 You [seem](https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/6pzu39/undiagnosed_incontinence_legal_question_adult/) to be [asking](https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/6m422i/do_i_still_have_my_gun_rightsmaleri19/) a lot of [questions](https://np.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/6r14p8/what_happens_if_a_psych_patient_escapes_elopes/) on reddit about mental health and [alcohol issues](https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/68ptdw/legal_question_about_capacity_maleri/).

Maybe, when you told the doctors that you were feeling hopeless, coupled with your history with hospitals (especially if they have records of your previous incidents), they felt it may be prudent to evaluate you.

Honestly, it sounds like you need help.


Title: Can I pawn my wedding ring?

Question: I am in a abusive marriage and have no money to my name. He just moved me across the country about 2 weeks ago. I really need to get back to my home state. He has been getting more violent since we moved and now I am scared.. Is it legal for me to sell my wedding ring? I have no idea what else to do. I do not have family or friends to help. I am in Colorado.

Answer:
 You can.

You should search your city with "abuse shelter" or "women's shelter". They can help you in the meantime.Answer #2: You may have heard that an engagement ring can sometimes be a "conditional gift", and must be returned if the engagement is broken without a marriage. The flip side to that is that after the marriage occurs, you've completed the conditions and the gift is entirely yours - you can do whatever you want with it. Answer #3: There should be a dv shelter or contact the YWCA


Title: Do I have legal rights to get financial aid?

Question:
Couple of weeks ago I had sex with a guy and I told him I was on birth control and I'm not. I found out yesterday I'm pregnant and I can't afford this baby on my own. I decided to keep it and I haven't told the father yet, but do I still apply for child support? Is there anything illegal about not being on birth control when I said I was?

I live in Indiana by the way.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 No, there is nothing illegal about that.

Yes, he will still have to pay child support (if you can show that the ~~suspect~~ **person in question** is the father).


Title: Any prominent cases similar to State of Georgia vs. Denver Fenton Allen

Question:
Sorry if this is the wrong sub for this.

I'm a student of Legal English and I want to write a thesis on profanity and verbal conflict in the courtroom. The central piece of data I want to consider is [the infamous case](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/06/24/youll-find-out-how-nasty-i-really-am-a-judges-seething-response-to-a-hostile-defendant/?utm_term=.37a679147f52) that I'm sure most of you heard of in which the judge and the defendant both took part in verbally abusing each other with threats and vulgar insults.

But my supervisor says that a 20 page transcript might not be enough language data, so I'm looking for similar cases. The problem is that it's pretty hard to find any since I can't seem to find a searchable corpus or database of transcripts where I can just type in cursewords and find relevant dialogue. Looking for "courtroom profanity" and similar keywords in the media is also difficult as most of them deal with things like someone recounting a story that involved swearing or a book/song/film that's accused of indecency, not actual spontaneous verbal conflict.

So if you know of any cases that strike you as similar to State of Georgia vs. Denver Fenton Allen in whatever way, especially if a transcript is available, I'd appreciate links. They don't have to be as extreme ^or ^as ^hilarious but I'd prefer something more than just a single outburst followed by apology, or someone quoting someone else. Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Try /r/LegalAdviceOffTopic and /r/LawSchool.

Your post may be perceived as trying to get people to do your homework for free, so be prepared for that.