Title: IN, Student Housing Mixing Up Package Slip

Question:
Hello r/legaladviceofftopic

I'm hoping you can help me and my worry about this somewhat hypothetical case.

I've been living at my college's student housing since I started to attend. I'm on my junior year and have had little to no problems with the mail services until this year (2017).

The way the mailing system at the student housing works is this: Student workers sign and receive mail from the mailman at 10 a.m. They sort and fill out package slips and organize the mail in the back room. After 5 p.m. they are supposed to put all the letters and slips of paper stating that you have a package to pick up into the P.O Boxes that are located in the mail room. You have to have the paper slip to show the person at the front desk has it has the information on where the package is stored, and show them your I.D before you can get your package.
This system has worked great until now.

My issue is this: I receive prescriptions in the mail for my birth control and my anxiety medication. Neither of these is super duper important, and if I'm late on receiving it I'm normally fine. Because  I don't order things online very often, and I don't need to check my mail except every 3 months or so when my meds are refilled and sent to me, I very rarely check my mailbox.

The past months or so (Since late November) I've been noticing that when I do go to check my mail, I often have mail slips for other people in my mailbox. This means that unless whoever the proper recipient is supposed to be is checking their email and has tracking on their packages, they have NO WAY of knowing when their package has arrived. At one point, I was expecting a christmas gift and was checking my mail weekly. I had more than four different people's package slips in my mailbox during the month of December, dating from late November to mid December. I turned these slips in and told the front desk that I kept getting other people mail in my box, but keep getting other people's package slips.

My worry is that even though I am telling the front desk that I keep getting other people's mail and package notifications that there is no change. I'm still getting other people's package notification slips. I try to check weekly now, because it's the time of the year when people are ordering lots of textboks and packages, and having those be 'late' (not able to get them because they don't know they've arrived) can cause issues.

As a person who is supposed to receive medication in the mail I'm wondering on the legal issue that could arise if this keeps happening.

 What if someone else who is supposed to receive important, life-saving medications or something similar to that has their slip in my mail box or someone elses? People who work at the building are not allowed to give out packages without the slips and proper I.D, and if someone doesn't receive their package slip and suffers health issues or penalties in some way, what would happen in a legal sense?

I had this happen to me, thankfully with a non-important package. I was buying some Magic The Gathering cards for a friend for christmas, and paid extra to have the items shipped on 2-day shipping so I could have them immediately, as they were a last minute gift. I waited more than a week for my package, checking every day. At one point the seller and I had a long discussion due to me paying extra for these cards to be in my possession within two days, and I had not received them yet. I eventually got a refund since I never received the package more than three weeks later, and the seller was very apologetic. I ended up finding the package slip, (dated as being 'checked in' on the proper 2-day date) in my mailbox more than three weeks later. This means that someone had my mail slip in their mailbox, and that I didn't get my package because they never checked their mail. (I did contact the seller and repay him, and explained the situation).

My worry is that what if that happened to an important package that had a time limit on it? Some medications could be needed and not supposed to be in transit for more than a certain amount of time due to storage issues (like medications that need to refrigerated, for example) or food items bought that go bad due to someone not checking their mailbox and finding out they got someone elses mail. If someone suffers health issues or money issues with buying/selling something and not receiving it, what could happen legality-wise? What is someone ends up dying due to their medications being held back in the storage room and no one realizing the slip mixup? What if it goes bad, or causes someone monetary lose based on the product they receive being unusable due to the expiration date being passed?

I'm just curious because it seems like the housing office could get into a lot of trouble if something like that happens, especially if a student gets into a life-threatening situation because of their (extremely common) mistakes.

Answer:
 If something is that critically important the recipient is going to pitch a fit at the mail office and they'll bend the rules and find the package without the mail slip. It would take some rediculously stupid management to let it go so far as to causing long lasting harm to the recipient.

The problem absolutely needs to be fixed. But, if it wasn't fixed after the Christmas rush, it's likely going to take an important problem like medication to fix it.


Title: Restaurant owner won't give me my money back- NYC

Question:
I recently ordered some food at a restaurant for delivery. I paid with my credit card but didn't get anything delivered to me. I called the restaurant to complain and was put in touch with the owner. The owner said it was too late to charge back my credit card and we came to the resolution that he would just transfer the money to me via PayPal.

I've been exchanging emails with him constantly, then he stops replying. I have his phone number and have called him several times and he keeps telling me he will do it later tonight and he has been really busy. I've probably emailed him around 8-10 times and called another 4-5 now, each time with him on the phone telling me he will do it later that night but nothing happens.

 I have the receipt and emails all saved. I am still a college student so the money still makes a difference to me and its the principle as well. Very frustrating that he keeps putting me off. Is there any legal action I can take or threaten to take? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

Answer: Just call your credit card company and put in a chargeback for "item not delivered".Answer #2: Call your credit card company and contest the charge.Answer #3: You should have charged back immediately. You are risking interest on a credit card purchase that mere Paypal return would not account for.


Title: [X-Post from r/consulting] [NY State] New consultant here:How do I write legally sound contracts with clients, without paying large legal fees?

Question:
[Link to X-Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/3boy1v/new_consultant_herehow_do_i_write_legally_sound/)

Hi there Reddit,

**Background:** I recently fired my boss (aka quit lol) and have retained my former employer as a client. I ventured into a consulting business, helping companies maximize their income via strategic planning and data tracking. My second client is a pretty new start-up. Founder/CEO is a good friend of mine and I believe in their mission so much, so I anticipate investing lots of energy into the company. I wrote up a skeleton of a business plan pro-bono and she immediately hired me to strengthen the plan and make the goals happen.

**My goals with start-up company client:**
 1) I hope to work hourly to get her company in shape and make sense of it all 2) Then I hope to start strategizing her fundraising technique and become a partner in her firm, considering that I will help her raise a large portion of her initial capital. I haven't convinced her to enter partnership with me, but I believe she is open to it eventually happening. First things first (aka first building the clear, step-by-step business plan).

**My legal question:** How do I write a consulting contract that allows for me to start out working hourly, to identify her companies' needs, move into charging project fees to accomplish bigger scale goals and leave space to keep moving up at any level in the company, including possibly partnership?
*Specifically,*
 1)how do I avoid issues with the IRS, while working as a consultant with an hourly wage? I don't want them to fight and say I'm considered an employee of the company.
2) how can I get legal help writing at least an initial contract? I'm currently using a site that provides a free 7 day trial with independent contractor template. I feel pretty lost having no background in anything legal.

**My guess for what I should do:** (please correct me if wrong!)
 I will write a contract with something like an option to work either hourly/project fee based, that includes a clause that it can be terminated with X days' worth of notice. Then if we decide to enter a partnership, we can cancel the contract and draft a new one.

As you guys can tell, I feel pretty insecure about my ability to navigate legal aspects of this exciting new lifestyle. Please please please help me figure out all this stuff that is so foreign to me!

Thanks Reddit, I know you will deliver!

Answer:
 You pay an attorney to draft this for you as a template.

You then use this for your future clients.

Qualified legal advice is expensive because it's worth it.


Title: I am being forced to resign my "current" position (retroactively to 5/18) at a startup because we have been bought by a large company. I am already on the new company's payroll as of 5/18. Is this legit?

Question:
I am currently employed at a small start up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. On Monday, it was announced that our company, [Little Startup] was bought by a big company, [Giant Corporation] and moving to an office around 50 miles south of our current location. We were told all of our positions are safe and we will be employed by [Giant Corporation].

However, we were all given a document to sign saying that

> "I voluntarily resign from my position at [Little Startup] effective at the start of today's date."

I have already filled out the paperwork and on [Big Corporation]'s payroll as of Monday, 5/18. I told my boss that I wanted to take the document home to my husband and Boss said that I could voluntarily resign or he could fire me if I want.

I am worried about the letter for unemployment purposes. What if [Big Corporation] decides I'm not a good fit and they terminate me? Will the wording of this screw me? Also, even though I have been a part of [Little Startup] for a year, will I be eligible for unemployment after only working for [Big Corporation] only one week, even thought it was continuous employment?

Answer: I would be cautious about resigning because there may be stock options/benifit's issues with your start-up  dealing with vesting that may be an issue. I would definitely recommend consulting a local attorney.


Title: My coworkers GF feels fixated on me, I'm getting freaked out

Question:
Hi All,

&#x200B;

I am a waitress at a restaurant in Chicago, IL. I have been working there for a little bit under a year. I have a male coworker who is very high up and respected in the company, he is friends with the owners and generally regarded as an unofficial manager as he won't accept the titled position. He has a girlfriend who I used to be friends with until this summer when she was drunk and told me to get out of her face and that she was going to beat me up. It was really random, we were at the place I/ her BF work at and I came up to eat some fries with them. Everyone was really confused about the situation, I started to cry and my other friends took me away. The next morning I guess she explained that she said it because I was acting anxious and annoying.

&#x200B;

This happened months ago and she hasn't stopped talking about me since. I haven't spoken to her since that night, and try to keep my distance when she comes into work. The things she says about me are getting increasingly obscure and offensive but she also seems to know weird personal things about me, I'm not sure how she is getting the information. Other employees at the company are asking me why she seems so fixated on me and how awful I am. I also guess they get in fights because she thinks that I flirt with her bf and that he flirts with me. I don't know if this has to be said, but we don't flirt and have never even really had a flirty conversation. I also have a boyfriend and this coworker is 20 years older than me.

&#x200B;

Recently she has apparently started to get text messages from an unknown source. The text messages are really mean and offensive, and the unknown sender said that their name started with an "m." My name starts with that letter too. Its not me, but I guess she is saying that she thinks I am the one behind it.

&#x200B;

Customers at work approached me after my most recent shift (when the texting thing happened) and asked me why the energy seemed so weird, they also said that it seemed like the two guys I work with (her BF and the official manager of the company) were mad at me and mean to me all day. I'm worried that they are starting to believe that I am the one sending the texts and that it will effect my job security.

&#x200B;

Is there anyway to get her to just leave me alone? Do I have any resources to help her/ him find out who is sending the texts so they can see its not me? I just want her to stop talking about me and to leave me alone. At this point I'm scared that I am going to get fired over it.  When her and her boyfriend get in yelling fights about me I feel scared and I am really starting to hate this situation.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

Answer: Are you in a location where you have other job options? It sounds like the level of employee & management attitude is very childish, so you may be better off elsewhere.


Title: [Update]Apartment complex assigned me a handicap parking space - but I'm not handicapped [CA]

Question:
OP [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3odvt6/apartment_complex_assigned_me_a_handicap_parking/). It's a short read, if you're new curious, follow the link. This was a pretty minor issue, but people in the original thread wanted me to update, so here goes.

Turns out, the woman I spoke to in the leasing office was just being lazy.

Yeah, that's right.

When I went in yesterday to follow up, there was another employee in the office along with my original point of contact. When the second employee overheard our discussion, she pulled the first one into another room for a bit of a sidebar.

I only overheard some of their conversation, but I definitely made out "That's ILLEGAL! We can't let him park there" from the second woman and "Ugh, do I have to?" from the first.

They were in there for two minutes, tops, but I was told I'd have a legal parking spot by the end of the day and they made good on it.

Seems like the first person I talked to didn't want to reshuffle the assigned parking spaces a little bit in order to put me reasonably close to my building, so she tried to pawn the handicapped parking spot off on me instead.

Anyway, a big thank you to everyone who responded to my original thread, as well as my new managerial friend for actually doing her job.

Answer:
 Hilarious; thanks for the update :)

Glad it all worked out for you.Answer #2: >...a big thank you to ... my new managerial friend for actually doing her job.

You should send her (and just her) a basket of something yummy.

Then again you don't want the unhelpful woman to get vindictive...Answer #3: definitely bring this up with management when you get a chance. That first woman could have landed you in a lot of trouble!Answer #4: Funny thing. I'm disabled, but I give not two shits about where I park.

I have to walk with a cane, but I can walk for fucking ever.

Most doctor forms have you assess how far you can walk, I said "With a cane, I can walk/hobble 12 miles with a 60 lb rucksack in just under 4 hours". My doctor looked at me like I had a dick growing out of my forehead and asked why I was here. I said "Because I have to walk with a cane and the VA sent me here. I don't need or want a placard".

The apartment I'm in now made a new space for me as a surprise. It's a handicap spot with a wheelchair access. I don't use a wheelchair, and I haven't had a handicap placard in eight years because I don't use the damned thing.


Title: Chargeback/return

Question:
I recently purchased a a kichen knife for approximately $120, it was ordered early June and delivered June 23. I used the knives very sparingly, less than 10 times, and it snapped at the handle this weekend cutting an onion.

The retailer is refusing to address this issue, as it is past the 30 day policy they have. They are telling me to go through the manufacturer and see what they are willing to do.

My question is, assuming I speak to the manufacturer and they also refuse to refund or send me a new knife, can I initiate a chargeback? Should I even wait until speaking to the manufacturer?

I am in located in New York City.

Thank you.

Answer: A charge back is not appropriate here. You agreed to their return policy when you made a purchase. This is an issue with the manufacturer not the retailer.


Title: [Oregon] Legal mail from lawyers office continuously sent to abusive exs Home despite numerous attempts to stop this and briefly succeeding in getting mail to my own home. Do I have any legal rights if this were to continue?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: This is potentially a serious issue because lawyers must maintain client confidentiality. What they're doing sounds like it could be violating that rule. You might want to mail them a letter letting them know clearly  what's going on and that you need them to fix it immediately. You might also want to consider getting separate counsel. You'll have to pay for it, but it might be worth it. If your lawyer is failing you in this way, he/she may be failing you in other ways that you don't realize yet. Look for someone who has a defense-side automobile accidents and personal injury practice.


Title: If a company has a “this call will be recorded” message when I call them, do I have to tell them I am also recording them?

Answer:
 I'd be curious to know if you actually just say "I am recording this conversation"  if the rep would hang up or not, or otherwise say they don't consent.

Report back, OPAnswer #2: It depends on the state.Answer #3: This seems like a clear enough legal question for r/legaladvice.Answer #4: For what it’s worth, I have worked in call centres and have been specifically told that if someone wishes to record the call, the call should be terminated. The company records for coaching and evidence if the customer chooses to disputed something (probably other reasons as well, but those are the two I have direct experience of), but you have zero control over what a member of the general public does with that recording.Answer #5: Is there any case law that says the statement "this call may be recorded" does not allow both parties to record it?


Title: Help with a classmate

Question:
Sorry if this isn't the right subreddit to post this on, it probably isn't, but idk where else to put it.

Also sorry for the bad formatting, I'm on mobile right now and it's kinda weird.

For some context, I am in 8th Grade high school, and I am in a pretty prestigious high school to be in. The kids here are all really smart and shit like that, you get the point, total "ivy league" type shit.

To cut it short, in this section, we have a person...

Whom we all DESPISE.

She wasn't necessarily a bad person in the 1st and 2nd semesters, but she's taken a serious downgrade in terms of how she acts, how she handles things, and how she's done stuff in the past.

To start it off, she has committed sexual harassment. She is bisexual, and she stays in the school girl's dorm.

Recipe for disaster, I know.

So she gropes girls in the dorm. Weird shit, am I right? She has groped MULTIPLE girls breasts, which obviously isn't cool.

She's done a lot of stuff as well including:

-stealing a girl classmate's guitar (whom she had a crush on ++ groped as well) and then choked her
-repeatedly flexing her masculinity
-saying to another girl classmate, "you look good in your undershirt" and then hugging her (in the dorm)
-flexing how many people have had a crush on her
-she asked one of our classmates (whose dad is dead) what her dad's name was. When she was informed, replied "oof sorry" while smiling (typical teenager haha am I right?)

The only reason she's become a piece of shit in everyone's eyes now, (along with the groping revelation) is because she broke up with her two friends, and is now incredibly violent and hostile towards them, as long as their other friend.

Generally, she's a fucked up girl.

She has expressed a desire to kill herself (which now we wish she would fulfil) and has loads of cynical and horrible moments.

She is also very manipulative.

Now, she has been outcasted and she has been charged with grave offenses (which, in our school, is a Level IV offense, and is grounds for expulsion/termination of scholarship). However, with that Level IV offense, she has managed to manipulate the Discipline Office into giving her a Level I offense instead.

How, we don't know.

What we do know is that now, the six people who reported her are being charged for bullying.

Yeah, it's B.S., I know.

So, I don't know what to do now, and this is probably the wrong subreddit to post this on, but what should I do? It's kind of that I want her expelled, because she's a horrible person, but I don't know what to do anymore.

So, thanks for reading this and I hope you guys can help me.

TL;DR: My classmate's a piece of shit,wormed her way out of expulsion and gave her victims a bullying charge. (Which she should have)

Answer:
 This is the wrong subreddit. You don’t have a legal question.

And your classmate is not the only one painted as an asshole in your narrative.


Title: Fallout 76 (SERIOUS)

Question: I've purchased the fallout 76 power armor edition  and if you are not tuned in to the subject it has recently been a heated spot of controversy because the ad and several speakers for the Bethesda company have said that it will include a CANVAS bag and it did not, it instead featured nylon bag of poor quality. am I able to sue for false advertising and/or theft by deception. main motivation is sticking it to them. PS I have not accepted the 500Atoms apology hand out.

Answer:
 You can sue, sure.

The maximum possible recovery would be $200.  You aren't going to get $200, as they did deliver on much of the promised bundle.  Your likely maximum payout is the difference between one nylon bag and one canvas bag.

A quick look at the "bundles" shows that the Tricentennial Edition costs $79.99.  Your max reimbursement then would be $120, as you got all the Tricentennial items in this bundle, with no issue.

The Power Armor edition seems to add action figures, a helmet, and a bag.  You got the action figures and the helment.  You also got **a** bag.  Your overall potential damage is somewhere around the $50 mark.  Maybe a lot less, I dunno how to break down the individual items.

Brokering this lawsuit will cost you way, way way way way way way way more than $50.

If you're unhappy, return it for a refund and buy something else.  Suing because a bag wasn't up to standards is going to be a silly endeavour.


Title: Never informed that our apartment complex isn’t a non-smoking complex.

Question: Our apartment smells constantly of musky cigarettes. It’s to the point that it’s a health hazard. The manager of the complex says that our vents aren’t connected, but that’s definitely how the smoke is getting in. Is there any legal precedent for this in Texas or is our only option to move out?

Answer: You would be shocked at how much cigarette smoke gets into shit even without connected vents, so the manager is probably right.  That said, they were under no obligation to tell you that the property was not non-smoking, you should have done more research.


Title: I may have been illegally fired in Texas.

Question:
Was I illegally fired? I teach home school to another person's child. The child is flagrantly sick, and is contagious with a cold. His mother just fired me because I refused to come into work today and tomorrow (I refused to come in and work because I don't want to get sick from her child). Can she legally fire me for this? She was allowing me to be put into an unsafe environment that threatens my health.

EDIT: I told her if she doesn't want to pay for his sick days, then this will be my last week working for her. I offered to still teach him through Skype or email but she doesn't want me to do that. She instead wants me to come in and be around her sick son.

Answer:
 > Was I illegally fired?

Nope.

Happy cakeday!Answer #2: > I refused to come into work today

That is probably the most reasonable way to be fired that is possible on this sub. Answer #3: Yes you can be fired for that reason.  Given the nature of the relationship his mother could fire you for literally any reason she wanted to including ones that would otherwise normally be illegal.


Title: Can a court ask me questions about my religion?

Question:
I am a minor in Florida being charged with "Delivery on Controlled Substance on School Grounds." I received a letter from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice stating that I have an interview scheduled for next Thursday for them to "be able to make a recommendation to the Court and/or State Attorney Office." And to "Please complete the attached Information Sheet" prior to the appointment, as if I don't, I'll have to sit in the waiting room and fill it out once I get there. The letter is addressed to me, but the information sheet has questions being asked of my parents.

Anyway, it has questions asking about my family life, drug use, education goals, for identifying information, etc. It also has some questions that seem pointless, such as "Can the youth swim?" What raised a red flag, though, were questions about my religious activity. Specifically, they were "Does this youth attend church? Where? What religion is the youth?" I find these questions inappropriate, and I can't imagine how they could justify forcing me to answer questions about my religious affiliation.

**Tl;dr** I have to fill out an information packet before going to a court schedules interview. This information packet asks questions about my religious affiliation. Can they actually force me to answer these questions?

Answer: They likely want to know if you are devout so they don't , I dunno, schedule you for something on Ramadan or whatever. If the questions don't pertain to you, answer N/A (not applicable.)


Title: Merry Christmas from my landlords (sike)

Question:
So for Christmas this year I got a "notice of termination of tenancy" from my landlord.  I live in California and I know I have a lot of rights a tenant but I would love some advice of where to look or how to handle this situation. The fact that this was so easy to see coming, while they were seemingly trying to keep us out of the loop, makes me think something about this isn't particularly legal.

&#x200B;

My housemates and I have been feeling uneasy about our landlords for a while now and it all started when we wanted add our new housemate to the lease. The leasing company took forever to draw up a contract, which seemed rather strange as I would think they'd want all applicable parties to be listed on the lease. When they finally sent us a new contract (at least a month after new housemate moved in) they seemed to try and rush the process saying we have to sign the new lease ASAP, calling us each individually to confirm we would sign it. This raised some red flags in my head so I decided to read through the new document carefully.

It seemed like they were changing us to a month to month lease (we were previously on a year lease) so I emailed our landlords inquiring about the matter. I sent a short email asking if we were now on a month to month lease and RECEIVED NO REPLY. This company is usually incredibly quick at responding to issues, usually replying within a day or so of a message. After a week with no response I resend the same message and GET NO RESPONSE AGAIN. fuck.

Soon after that happens I get a call from someone at the property management company (i assume some type of secretary by the lack of confidence in her voice). She nervously states that they are going to be entering our premises in the next couple of days to do a "habitability inspection as well as some other things". (This is were I fucked up, I should have gotten this lie in writing). I ask about the "other things",  since I had just recently asked the company to send someone out to trim low handing tree branches that were touching some electrical wires, and she stuttered saying something along the lines of "uhh oh yeah we'll check that too". That sent me to Defcon level 1 as I could not think of any "other things" that needed to be done on the house.

Two days before the company enters our house to "perform the inspection" we receive a very vague letter (but a legal looking document none the less), which I'm guessing they'll use against us if we ever complain. The letter was supposed to be the six day letter of notice informing us of the reason for entry. There were five checkboxes they could have marked, and they definitely marked the most applicable option, but it left my roommate and I with a very unsettling feeling. They box they checked read, purpose of entry "To show the Premises to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers or contractors." We reasoned that maybe by "workers" they meant people at the company performing the inspection and tried to let go of nervous feelings about"prospective purchasers". That's where we were wrong. Unfortunately both my roommates and myself were not able to be around while the company performed their "habitability inspection" but we took it on good faith the company would do what they told us.

Upon returning home from work the day after of the "inspection", my neighbor (super chill 55 year old guy we've befriended during our time here) rushes up to me and goes "Man what's up, there were people all over your house the other day!? None of you were home so I was concerned". I informed him of the inspection and he replied "They were doing more than that. A bunch of people were looking at the house, and some fat bitch (his words) from the property management company comes by and tells me they're selling the place." (He was also pissed because many people in the neighborhood would have liked to purchase the house plus he is personal friends with the home owners). He then points to my front door and says, "And that fat asshole came back today and put a letter on your front door and took a picture of it".  (*Internal screeming:* godfuckingdamit that ain't good)

Now we were slightly concerned about this inspection in the fist place because the house is not in perfect shape but it is far from abused or out of the realm of normal wear and tear. My first instinct was that we were getting evicted for damage or something. Instead, it was a letter saying we have 60days to leave and lists no reason as to why we have to vacate. If it wasn't for my homie of a neighbor I would still have no idea why we were getting kicked out. So now I am here on Reddit asking for help to try and find out if this is legit and if any of my rights a tenant have been violated.

&#x200B;

Sorry for the long post, I'd appreciate any help I can get. Merry Christmas my fiends. **TLDR**: sketchy property management company lowkey changes us to month to month lease, says they're performing a "habitability inspection", actually shows the house to buyers instead, kicks us out for no given reason. Help plz.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

Answer:
 They don't have to give you a reason if you're on a month to month tenancy. And they can enter the premises with reasonable notice for any valid reason, regardless of the reason they give.Answer #2: They aren’t kicking you out for no reason.  :-/ They’re not renewing your lease, so they can make repairs and fix up the house to get it on the market by March/April (start of California’s real estate season).  It’s easier to sell a house/property when there are not existing tenants/leases to worry about.  So there IS a reason, but it’s not something you’ve done.

Per California rules they gave you 60 days since you’ve been there over a year.

I’m sorry you have to find a new place to live, but I don’t see how they did anything wrong.


Title: [Alabama] My dad passed recently without a Will, trying to keep his estranged degenerate wife from getting anything.

Question:
Ok reddit, first time posting looking for some directions and assurance. This will be kind of long so bear with me.

The premise, from Alabama, my dad got sick, wife (my step-mom) didn’t want him anymore, moved back in with his parents, condition deteriorate, until his untimely death as of late.

Several years ago my dad was able to fulfill his dreams of living on the gulf coast and with none other than the love of his life. They had been married around 10 years at the time.  If you thought this was the ending to a Disney movie you would be wrong.

It was about 3 years ago that he was first diagnosed with COPD. Then, they thought he had TB. The test came back negative, but he was positive for M. avium complex (MAC).

(Side note on the kids. There is 5 of use in total, 3 from his first marriage with my mom and 2 step from his marriage with said wife. At this point in time, I the eldest, 27, had recently gotten out of the Military and was working with a friend building a business. I spent many weeks at a time on the road moving from one hotel to another. My biological brother and sister are twins, 21, he was working with me, also living on the road, and my sister was working at Honda. Stepsister, 25, was working at a nursing home at the time and stepbrother, 20, was doing lawn care work, living in the house my dad purchased in AL.)

His condition continued to decline but he didn’t care, he was living the dream. This was until he came in from work one afternoon, 2 years ago, and found his wife in bed with another man. It killed him inside and physically he could do nothing; as he was already to weak to standup for himself and his house. All he could do is ask man to leave.

Shortly after that he had a rough spell and was in the hospital for a few day. Subsequently she told him he needed to leave, to go live with his kids or his parents, she wasn’t going to take care of him; as she continued to have random guys over.

He did move in with his parents around OCT 2013. He had been doing okay up until Christmas that year when he had another bad episode. He coded a few times and they brought him back. He was on life support through Christmas and the New Year. That was the hardest time ever, as the doctors did not believe he would ever wake back up or come off of life support. Never once did his wife try to come check on him. He was resilient though, his quality of life continued to deteriorate, but he was with us.

2014 he coasted through with minimum physical health problems, wish I could say the same about his marriage.  When they did talk she berated him, basically telling him to “leave her alone so she could live her life, he needed to live his.” His mental health suffered greatly, he suffered from depression and anxiety. He was prescribed medication, but he hated it.

This year had been a bumpy road; he would be in the hospital 2 weeks, home for 3; then in for 3, home for 2. It was like that from February to August. They ended up finding several blood clots in his lungs and a few in the legs “look like starburst in his lungs”. They added blood thinners to his regiment but removed the medication for the MAC as it had not killed it and probably wouldn’t at this point. (He needed to see the CDC to get a more potent drug to kick this thing once and for all.) The COPD itself would be manageable, but with the MAC and blood clots his lungs were really struggling.

At this point my grandparents, his parents, were no longer able to take care of him as their own health had declined.  They talked and he agreed a nursing home would be best suited for him to have 24 hours care. The arrangements were made and I covered what insurance wouldn’t. In his time at the nursing home things seemed to be looking up he had only been to the hospital once and it was over night.

A little over a month ago I took him to his PCM, so he could be referred to the CDC for treatment. 3 Weeks ago we took him to the CDC, they conducted their exam and he was to report back in a week. The week come to past and they prescribed him the IV medication that is considerably stronger then the stuff he had been taken before.

He was on the medication about a week before his passing. He hated every minute of it but was fighting for life. He said, “I feel like I’m dying”. This past Thursday morning I got the call from the nursing home saying my dad had been taken to the hospital. I arrived with my sister to find out he had passed on the way to the hospital due to cardiac arrest.

Over this past weekend I had to make arrangements and buried my father and paid for everything out of pocket.

Now I’m looking for answers and have questions for you r/LegalAdvice.  To start with, he did not have a Will. I wish I could say he did, as that would alleviate all of my worries. Secondly, he was never able to divorce this sorry excuse for a woman, due to health and she had moved/changed phone numbers. (He was still in contact with her on FaceBook) It’s something we had talked about many times but ours schedules were never so we could make it happen.

On the 11th of OCT, he passed on the 22nd, he wrote a bill of sign out to me for his truck, utility trailer, motorcycle, and guns. Due to leaving town on the 12th I was never able to swap them into my name. (side note he wanted me to take them, as he knew I would split everything up between us kids.) The truck, utility trailer, and guns are all paid for. The motorcycle still has a lean but is solely in his name, as well as everything else listed. Should I be worried with his estranged wife trying to step in the picture to take what she can?
Let me be clear she knew his condition, and when he told her “I feel like I’m dying inside,” on the 11th she said, “Why do you have to keep stirring shit up, you live your life and I’ll live mine. Leave me alone.” She made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him. I want to make sure she gets nothing.

Lastly, the house he purchased in AL, about 15 years about. He purchased it with money he had set back for retirement. When it came time for the deed to be signed he was at work and was not able to break away, thus his wife signed it. It was never an issue until recent years. When he would talk about a divorce with her, she would flip flop one time she said she would sign it over to him the next time she wouldn’t. Needless to say it never came out of her name.

He always paid the property taxes on it and all the utilities were in his name, still are too. Said wife still lives in FL. A few other notes:
•	From January to July he didn’t have Health Insurance and ran up a bill between 350and 400k
•	Wife is on drugs and has multiple men spending the night with her throughout the week, from various reliable sources.
•	 Wife never visited or checked on his wellbeing after she kicked him out.
• 	We were in the process of signing him up for Medicaid to pay for long term care at the nursing home.
•	She is in no condition to go to court. (Broke, no car, and no where to stay if she came to town)

So, I was thinking maybe one of two routes but I’m open to all suggestions and advice though.

1) Basically bully her into signing over the property, a warranty deed… tell her he owes upward of 400k in medical bills, her legally being next of kin they well come after her and take everything she has, and Medicaid would take the property for his care in the nursing home.
•	Okay the medical bills look like they have gone away; his sister worked in the medical field and knows most of the government benefits to aid none insured individuals.
•	Medicaid did want the property and they will take it if we give them the chance but Medicaid would have only paid for 2 ½ weeks of care. So I would be paying the nursing home if need be. His insurance paid for 2 months.

2) Homestead, I’m not sure on Alabama’s laws on it. The county valued the property at 15k. My sister is current living with my grandmother, biological moms side of the family, but only 5 minutes from my dads property. The property taxes are due for this year, $25ish. I was thinking have her move in get the power/water turned on in her name. It does need about $1k to make it livable. The stepbrother was evicted when he was found growing pot and possibly making meth, we have already done a lot of cleaning. My thoughts are, she would go broke before I would lose in court.

Thank you for reading the wall of text. Any and all advice is welcomed.

Answer: I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sorry to say, but if he didn't have a will and she's still legally his wife, bit only can you not keep her from getting anything, she gets everything. Of course, she will end up having to sell the stuff in his name to pay off his medical bills and even if it did go to you, you'd have to do the same.


Title: My friend is in an abusive relationship, and we don’t know how to get the police involved. She’s 15, he’s 20, her family are unsupportive.

Question:
I’m on phone, forgive formatting.

So this has been going on for quite a few months, I believe nearly a year or two but I’ve only just been involved yesterday.
I was called while I was at home by this friend, let’s call her Betty. Betty called me sobbing saying that she was stranded because her boyfriend hit her face, and broke her glasses as well as threw her drink over her. This was because they got in an argument and he gave her diamond earrings, and she threw them at him saying she didn’t want his things anymore.
I went to find her and gave her a cardigan because she was wet. I also helped her look for the earrings because she was terrified of what he might do if she didn’t get them back and return them to him.

After this I took her to her house and she opened up to me about the things he’s done - raped her, threatened her with a gun, called her thousands of names, swung at her with sharp scissors and sliced her arm, hit her repeatedly as well as choked her.

She’s told me that she wants to leave but she’s also scared because he’s stated before that if she did try, he’d kill her, or get someone else to kill her. She also says that she still loves him.

I’m so scared for her. I told her she needs to speak to her mother about this and the police. She said that she can’t go to the police because it will ruin his life as he’s been arrested four times on drug charges. Betty has also said that her mother thinks her boyfriend is a good person and that if she goes into court with her boyfriend, their family would be on his side.

What can I do here? Or advice her to do? In other words, what can be done? She told me she called the police on him last night and he ran away from them, but that is the extent of it. She also has proof of the bruises and scratches. She currently can’t see right now because when he hit her face, he broke her glasses and took them with him.

I’m also worried that she won’t be taken seriously because she is so young and has a bad attitude reputation.

Auckland, New Zealand.

Answer:
 From what I can tell New Zealand has policies in place for Domestic Abuse/Violence. I would recommend visiting the site below and calling the hotline as they are going to be much more well versed in how to proceed so that your friend is gotten to safety.

http://areyouok.org.nz/
0800 456 450

NALAnswer #2:   do she have any text messages of her boyfriend threatening her ? if can help if she called 911. the only thing she can do is break up with him or call 911.
she is in an extremely abusive situation, and that shit can make you think that it love


Title: (MA) my cat got out last night and the neighbors took him in. When he attacked their dog today they had my cat put down.

Question: (posting on behalf of a friend). The cat got out last night and the neighbors claim they thought he was their cat. He doesn't get along with dogs and never had. He attacked their dog so they just assumed he was rabid and the vet didn't check the micro chip until AFTER killing the cat.

Answer:
 * Sue neighbor for the value of the cat
* Report veterinarian to the licensing board. Answer #2: They are lying.  No vet puts down a healthy cat, and rabies is highly contagious so they would want to ensure their dog wasn't infected by a rabid cat. Find the vet and get the real story. Answer #3: The cat is considered property so your friend could sue the neighbors for the value of the cat.Answer #4:
>the neighbors claim they thought he was their cat.

ಠ_ಠ

How possibly does someone not know their own cat?  Even cats that look the same at first glance would be identified quickly by their owner. Answer #5: Have them check with the vet. Story is fishy. The dog likely killed the cat outside, and they're trying to cover it up.  Answer #6: Their story is BS.  I'd bet their dog or their kid killed the cat and they're trying to cover it up.Answer #7: They may be able to file a complaint with the licensing board for vets in your state.


Title: [NJ] Can an employer withhold health insurance as a penalty when on probation?

Question:
I'm at a job where questionable things already occurred when hired. During the hiring process I was told I would be part time for 90 days which I agreed to. I than asked the individual interviewing me if I would be eligible for benefits and insurance afterwards (once full time after the 90 day new hire). She said yes.

The 90 day new hire probation came and went and my job decided to extend it for another 30 days (I'm seeing this as a trend since they did it to 2 other people that were hired same time). After the additional 30 days (though moved to full time) I asked to be put on insurance. It's only then I was told I had to be working 90 days *full time* to be eligible and unfortunately I didn't have what the interviewer said in writing. So even though I was hired the beginning of April 2017, I wouldn't be eligible until Dec. 1, 2017 (as opposed to the July/August I assumed)

Than in October something occurred where I was put on a 90 probation for something that was done in error/I got in trouble. I asked my manager and she said that this probation will push back my eligibility until it's over. It will be over mid-January so according to her, I'll be eligible Feb., 2018.

Some how it seems illegal to withhold health insurance for a probation that wasn't a new hire probation agreement.. I didn't sign anything that said I agreed to having it pushed back. (Although I did sign a general statement stating I understood I was being written up)

Please help?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Is this probation, part time, or both? Fill time is defined by the ACA as consistently working 30+ hours a week. Large employers are required to offer "affordable" coverage to +95% of their full time employees. This coverage must come into affect within 90 days of hire (this is why many companies will have coverage effective the first of the month following 60 days).

If you are still part time, your employer has no requirement to offer you health insurance. If your employer is small, they have no requirement to offer you health insurance. If you have been full time for less than 90 days, health insurance may not have taken affect yet depending on your company's policies.


Title: Help: Being Investigated For Fraud

Question:
Throwaway account for obvious reasons. Probably being too paranoid with how much I anonymized this, but please bear with me. Better safe than sorry at this point.

* Location: Colorado
* Anonymized People: Me, Sister1, Sister2, Father, Bank
* Sob Story:
Father is diagnosed with a disease, the disease makes it impossible for him to manage finances, make rational decisions, etc. Father is related to Sister1 and Sister2. I am a friend of Sister1 and Sister2, not a member of the family. Sister1 and Sister2 have Power of Attorney with Father, they are in charge of managing his finances. Father used to understand the repercussions of his disease which is why he signed the Power of Attorney, but he has progressed far enough in his disease to no longer be capable of recognizing the fact that he needs help. He can't follow a rational conversation. Father was out of money in his checking account, he had 10+ bills that have bounced and will go to collections soon. He had enough money in savings to pay off those bills, however he could not remember his login information to the bank, and gave the sisters the wrong information. Father is at the point in his disease where he probably could not hold a conversation with the bank to retrieve the correct information. The bank requires that Power of Attorney paperwork be processed for 5+ days before Sisters have access to the account, which was too long to prevent the liens.

Sister1 and Sister2 are selling Father's expensive asset on his behalf to help pay for his very expensive care. Father does not have enough money to pay for his long term care, even when the expensive asset is sold he will likely run out of money in ~5 years. He will probably live for 10-20 more years and we are just trying to maximize the value of this asset sale to keep him comfortable for as long as possible. To maximize the value of the asset, it should be sold as quickly as possible. The longer the sale takes, the quicker the asset loses value. The asset is under contract to sell, however a lien on said asset from debtors could throw the sale into flux, lower the value of the asset, etc. It would be a disaster for his long term care and might shave a year off how long he can afford to stay comfortable. Sister1 & Sister2 both asked me (via text, I have those texts saved) to call Father's bank and impersonate him to get his login information so that they can pay his bills and prevent a lien on the asset. They did this after exhausting the POA route, and due to gender differences they couldn't convincingly impersonate Father. POA processing with the bank was going to take too long. They gave me the necessary info (SSN, DOB, etc.) to do this. I called, retrieved the login info, gave the login info to the sisters, and forgot about the whole event.

The bank must have noticed something because they locked his account a few days later. Fast forward a few weeks, and the sisters got a call from the local sheriff. The sheriff informed the sister about a person impersonating her father, blah blah blah. They had the name, phone number, recorded call, etc. The name and address of that person MAY OR MAY NOT have been me. The bank and the sheriff are investigating fraud by this person. The sheriff was concerned that this person was trying to steal Father's money. The sisters explained as much of the situation as they could without admitting to any illegal activities, and the sheriff took pity on them but is not sure whether the bank will pursue charges anyway. The sheriff did say that he will definitely not pursue charges on behalf of the county and offered his condolences for the very tough situation.

We never had any intentions of stealing anything from Father. All $ from the sale of the asset will go directly into his accounts. The bills that needed to be paid were all bills for him and in his name, we were not attempting to pay any of our own bills with his money. We had zero intention of stealing from him and we are just doing everything we can to maximize his cash and keep him comfortable as long as possible. During the few days the sisters did have access to his account (before the bank locked it), all they did with his money was pay his own credit card bills etc. I never logged into his bank account, I just texted the information to the sisters once I got it so they could take care of his bills and prevent the lien. Morally, I know we did nothing wrong. Legally though... that's why I'm here. One person (not a lawyer, but works for banks) advised us to call the bank and just explain the situation. Is that what you would do?

And yes, I know it was stupid and I will certainly hesitate before sticking my neck out like this again.

Answer: I didn't read all that. Don't talk to the police or anyone else for that matter.  If charged with a crime get an attorney.


Title: How do I deal with non compliance to a "right to erasure" request under the new GDPR regulation.

Question:
I recently got a response from company X to my request for the erasure of my personal data on thier database.

This company responded by asking if I wanted to 'deactivate' my account and having worked for thier customer service in the past, I know that this is the standardized way they are trained to respond to an account deletion request before actually proposing an account deletion if there is pushback from the customer. Neither lead to the type of erasure outlined by the GDPR to my knowledge. In my request I quouted Article 17 of the GDPR and so there being any confusion about the nature of my request is off the table.

It is my understanding of the GDPR that it is not my responsability to advise company X of how they are to comply with the GDPR and I shouldn't have to explain to the cs rep how to treat my request.

Being informed on how this company operates, I know that the best way to make my request in light of the response is to request that my case be tranferred to the legal departement.

My question is, how can I further express the fact that my request is not a request based on the terms and privacy policy of this company, but a request under the GDPR that must be complied with. Follow up question, what is my recourse if a company pushes back again?

Answer:
 >Location: Europe (Regarding a company based in SF)

And what country in Europe? Because enforcement is set up by the independent EU memberstates.Answer #2: Not a lawyer.  GDPR compliance outside of the EU is going to bumpy for awhile.  Even some of the largest companies with global reach might be further from having all of the policies/procedures sorted than might be expected.  I suspect that in many cases, companies will need to choose the easiest method to comply rather than the exact remedies one might want.  I.E.  Delete account entirely, wipe data, confirm that data is gone.


Title: Friend is in jail, should I post his bail?

Question:
He was arrested for aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon, and choking someone. To the best of my knowledge, this is his first run in with the law. Should I post his bail? What are my risks of posting his bail?

Edit* This is in west Texas.

Answer:
 This is the purpose behind bail bonds. Let them post it.

The risk is that he skips out on bail, and you lose your money. Also, the authorities will probably hound you as to his whereabouts, which is just a hassle.

If you do post his bond, and I really think you should not, secure it in some collateral. Have him give you a note on his car, or house. Something you can foreclose on if he skips town. That is a bit of an involved process, and THIS IS A BIG DISCLAIMER:

IN SOME STATES THAT IS NOT PERMITTED! I do not know about Texas, so be careful.

You know what? Just don't post his bail. That's much the safest course.


Title: BTC-E

Question:
Hello there,
First of all, I AM NOT A U.S. CITIZEN.

I am had some amount of cryptocurrency on BTC-E.com (cryptocurrency exchange market) that was recently forcefully shutdown by the US government. They were shutdown based on money laudering and running unlicensed exchange allegations by the US´s agencies. Which is funny because the exchange was based in Russia and was completely legal by the Russian laws.
Soooooo…  Is there any chance to get my money back? Or I just lost all my assets that were on that site because Russians in Russia were breaking US laws?

You can read court order here
https://www.scribd.com/document/354823899/Vinnik-Superseding-Indictment-Redacted-0#from_embed

Thank you for any advice.

Answer:
 > the exchange was based in Russia

No it wasn't.

> Is there any chance to get my money back?

The US authorities will probably set up a claims process for users to identify themselves, prove ownership, and claim their account balances. It will probably be a slow process though.


Title: Parking issue in townhome community

Question:
 Hi! I purchased my first home last October and, up until recently, I've been unbelievably happy with every aspect of living here. Previously I lived in a pretty awful apartment complex. The final straw was when my car was stolen twice in the same week.

Anyway, I’ll get to the point now. I have 2 numbered spaces in front of my townhome. A few weeks ago I came outside, to leave for the airport, and discovered a car parked adjacently behind mine, essentially blocking me in. I thought maybe a neighbor was about to unload something. No big deal, I can wait a few minutes. 20 minutes later, no one has returned, so I have to do the Austin Powers 10,000 point turn to get out of my spot.

I find out later it’s the person who lives in the town house across the way from mine. (The rear of their town home backs up to the right side of mine). They were unloading their car, but now they are doing this almost every other day. I asked them politely not to park behind my car and they said “no problem”. A few days later it happens again. When I pull up, they see me having problems pulling into my space. Once I’m out of my car, they yell “did I leave you enough room?”. I didn’t say anything, just went inside.

This goes on with increasing frequency, so I finally email the HOA and explain what’s going on. They tell me they’ve taken care of it and that it won’t happen again.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop, it’s only increasing in frequency. The HOA will not respond to my calls and emails now.

Today I come home and they’re parked ACROSS both of my parking spaces. I call a towing company and ask them to please come out. They say they can’t with out the community owner’s permission. I explain that this isn’t an apartment community and that each unit is individually owned.

Any advice on how should I proceed will be greatly appreciated!

Answer: Your HOA should have an approved tow company.  Use them.


Title: [Idaho] bid on online auction, can't pay

Question: I stupidly bid on an online local auction for a vehicle, I won and don't have the money to pay for it. Got an email today threatening legal action or to pay a renege fee, I went through the terms and conditions for the auction and didn't see anything about a renege fee, what should I do?

Answer: Pay for the vehicle or pay the fee they asked for.


Title: Why is my former employer demanding a letter of resignation? (NH)

Question:
So I regret to say that I recently walked out of my former place of employment. It's not the way I wanted to do things but it was necessary. The franchise owner was extremely disrespectful and was the sole reason I left. I did not give a notice nor did I finish my shift. (Again, not proud of it but it was necessary.)

But now over a week later my former GM is requesting I email a letter of resignation. For what reason do they need this on record? I don't believe I broke any rules/laws. Anytime it was brought up I was not allowed to sign my employment contract. Personally, I don't think it was even drafted as I was never allowed to see it.

TL,DR- Why does my former employer require a letter of resignation after already having left?

Answer:
 To prove that you resigned by choice so that you can't collect unemployment, most likely. They're covering their own asses.

Don't burn your bridges (any more than you already have). Give them a letter of resignation. If you want to make it worth your while, ask if they'll give you a letter of rec in exchange for a letter of resignation.


Title: [WA] Roommate does not like me and wants to get me evicted.

Question:
Starting last year summer we both signed a lease which is a month to month contract. At the time our relationship was okay, but recently it has gone really bad. A few days ago she confronted me that she wanted me out by the end of May and she stated that she has the authority to kick me out and has been discussing with the landlord about notifying me of the eviction. Although I do not like her myself, I would like to stay here as long as possible due to the fact I am a student and it is difficult to find a new location and roommate near the campus.

So my question is, is it okay for the landlord to evict me because my roommate does not like me and to my understanding they're most likely on each others side.

Do I have any legal rights/authority to avoid being evicted for an unjustifiable reasoning?

Am I allowed to say I want her evicted as well because she was able to do it to me?

Please feel free to ask any questions that might be helpful to give you a better understanding of the situation.

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 If you are both on the *same* lease, the landlord cannot evict just one of you. He has to try to evict both of you and you both need to be in violation of the lease for him to do it. I'd say your roommate is full of hot air, I wouldn't take her word for it that she's been 'discussing with the landlord' the possibility of evicting you.

But to be really honest, it sounds like you should *both* agree to move out or see if the landlord will agree to have someone replace you on the lease.


Title: Health problems from misdiagnosis

Question:
About 8 years ago my fiancée (lived in NY) was told by a friend that she had diabetes symptoms and needed to go get checked out. She went to a clinic and they said she was fine. After so much time spent with her blood sugar levels spiking and crashing constantly, she had to quit her job and move back home because she pretty much was unable to function. When she saw another doctor, they confirmed she had type 1 diabetes. Since then she has had a lot of health issues that may or may not be related to her being misdiagnosed for so long. Some of her health issues were serious enough to grant her disability. Should we find this old doctor and sue? The money would help with medical expenses and medication a lot. We currently live in TX.
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer: You're way beyond the statute of limitations here, so you don't have any recourse. Sorry.


Title: The triplex I'm renting in is subject to eminent domain. Will I receive compensation when I get kicked out?

Question:
Hi guys! This is my first post on Reddit, despite lurking around for some time now. Please let me know if this would be more appropriate for a different thread.

I started renting a unit in a triplex about five months ago. When I signed the (2 year) lease, my landlord mentioned that there was a pending case with the city, and that the land could potentially be taken over within the next few years. Recently, I befriended one of the neighbors, who turned out to be the son of the landlord. He informed me that the case isn't "pending" but that the city will actually be taking it over "within the next year". Apparently, they already held the property unoccupied for some time, but decided to continue renting it after the deal wasn't finalized. Admittedly, my neighbor doesn't seem to have a firm understanding of the process of eminent domain (and neither do it) and he doesn't exactly seem like the sharpest tool in the shed, respectfully. For one thing, I don't understand why they would hold the triplex unoccupied without an agreement of some kind. I'm somewhat displeased with my landlord for potentially having been somewhat untruthful about the situation with the property. This brings me to my question- Can anyone provide insight for how the process of eminent domain works? If I'm somehow kicked out before my lease ends, will I receive compensation, either by my landlord or by the city? I would like to be armed with some knowledge before I call my landlord to ask them about it. Thanks!

Edit- I live in Washington state

Answer:
 Even if the city takes over the condo, you won't find yourself homeless overnight.  You'll be given time to find new housing and move along, and depending on the arrangement you could even be paid moving costs.

The city will take over the deed from the owner.  The city then owns your lease.  Depending on your city, they may have some mechanism by which to break the lease unilaterally (give you notice and ask you to leave before the end of your lease), or might buy you out of the lease (where they give you money in exchange for agreeing to terminate), or they'll wait until the lease expires and then terminate your tenancy (ask you to leave at the end of your lease)


Title: Can I sue the police department for negligence?

Question:
Hey guys - there are way more facts to this case, but I'll keep it short and concise so you get the idea.

I am a landlord and my tenant has been harassing me about returning his deposit - and I instructed him to read the lease terms. There is a 60 day window where I can decide to return the deposit after a tenant moves.

This is where it gets interesting. He has repeatedly called my house angry and demanding that he gets his deposit back. And today, he showed up to my house banging on my door. I called the police - they came, talked to the tenant , and that was the end of it. The police didn't arrest him and simply let him go even though he trespassed and threatened my family. I would just let it go but the issue is - what if he came when I was out of the house, and my children were in the house defenseless?

Would this be worth pursuing in court with an attorney? I don't want to battle the county, but there has been multiple cases where this department lets perpetrators walk.

Thanks,

Shawn

Answer:
 Call the police again next time he shows up.  This isn't negligence, this is the police seeing there's a civil dispute between a tenant and a landlord.

Is there a reason you can't expedite returning his deposit?  That'd be the quickest way to get him out of your hair.


Title: Worth it to hire a lawyer to fight for legal access to landlocked property?

Question: I've been looking to purchase some acreage and found a very cheap, very large lot.... cheap because it's landlocked. The other costs of purchasing undeveloped land are something I'm prepared for, I'm just not sure if fighting for legal access or an easement is worth it. Does anyone know what that process entails? I'm in Washington state.

Answer: It's worth a consult with an attorney. You need to weigh the cheapness of the property against the cost of obtaining access (lawyer, possibly paying neighboring property owner, cost of adding in road access, etc).


Title: Position advertised as Full-time only gives 6hrs/week

Question:
Note: "Full-time temporary" was the official position type
Is that legal? I'm already looking for a new job but I'm a few small paychecks from homelessness so I'm a bit desperate.

Answer: Sure it's legal. You're not guaranteed a certain number of hours. Unless they signed a contract stating you were.


Title: What do I do if jury duty requires me to act contrary to my moral beliefs?

Question:
[Texas]. I got a summons to appear for jury duty. It's my first ever summons I was going through the form and it looks like I am not excused/disqualified from service.

Now I'm not necessarily trying to get out of jury duty altogether, I'm happy to do my civil service but not in the case of death penalty cases. I'm completely and intractably opposed to the death penalty and will never take part in the imposition of the death penalty on anyone, under any circumstances.

So my question is, what would I have to do to make sure that they don't sit me in a death penalty case? Basically I want to be disqualified from a death penalty case without being disqualified from jury duty altogether, and I would prefer to do so without having to lie or defraud the jury selection system.

Hope I'm not being too unclear and thanks for your help

Answer:
 If you don't believe that the death penalty can be applied in any situation, you can't sit on a death penalty jury.

So, you have no problem.Answer #2: You aren't "qualified" for a death penalty case, so it won't be an issue.  Just be honest when asked.


Title: Job is trying to fire me, do I have a case to sue or fight being fired?

Question:
Hello everyone.  I'm tax exempt and filed the appropriate paperwork with my new job for my status.  They took ~20% of my check for taxes, essentially stealing from me.  Apparently a customer overhead me apologizing to another employee for being irritated because of the situation.  I said and I quote "basically stealing from me" and apparently a customer overhead that and called in about it (so they say) which apparently is grounds for termination, even though I never lied.  Please feel free to ask for any more information, I don't have savings in the bank to pay bills without a job and it takes about a month to get a first paycheck from a new job, so basically if I can't fight this somehow I'm screwed.  Thanks in advance.

EDIT:  They filed my payroll check before filing my tax forms, isn't that illegal?  That's how they screwed up my check.

Answer:
 IANAL

If you're in the US, most likely you're in a state that recognizes "At will" employment. That means an employer can terminate you with or without reason, any time, as long as it's not because of protected discrimination classes. In this scenario, they could easily say terminated due to you giving a poor image or representation of the company. It doesn't really matter from the customer side whether it's true or not. It's still uncomfortable for a customer to overhear. Context doesn't matter; a customer was made to feel uncomfortable due to an employee's verbal comments regarding the company.

Mistakes happen. Have you talked to the payroll department? Taxes and tax laws vary greatly state to state. You'll need to post where you are.

See [Exemptions from Federal Income Tax Withholdin](http://www.irs.gov/publications/p15/ar02.html#en_US_2012_publink1000202368) and [Invalid Forms W4](http://www.irs.gov/publications/p15/ar02.html#en_US_2012_publink1000202400). There's a saying about attributing something to stupidity instead of it being malicious. If you did talk to payroll, what did they say?


Title: [CA] Cousin wants to sue me because of injury when he stepped on my chair to get into my house/room

Question:
Cousin wanted to fix the internets, internet was not working. However, he does not pay for it and I was out of the house.

He wanted to fix the internet so getting into my room where the router is would do it, But I was not at home to fix it.

There's a window in the backyard, the chair is mine, I told him once to break into my room by using my chair.

He did not tell me that he was breaking into my room, just texted me that its not working. I did not receive the text because I'm underground, not until three hours later...

He wants to sue me because I have injured his foot. The chair snapped, and his leg got through, hitting a rock; cutting and breaking his foot. The chair was mine and says this could be applied to the bodily harm law.

Cousin and I are a little distant, so family is not here, and he aspires to be an attorney.

**What do?**

Also, he doesn't pay for the internet. **But**, if he does, could he be in the right for this, because he needed the internet urgently?

Answer: Hi, I want to introduce you to my good friend, English.  Obviously you two have never met before.


Title: Can I translate a book written in 1633 if it was published again in 1986?

Question:
I want to translate a book written in 1633, the reason why is because the language of the time is hard to understand in our modern world.

Said book was rewritten in 1986 but I feel it needs a more modernistic translation.

Is this a public domain book since it was written in 1633 and the new publisher from 1986 was essentially just translating it as well?

I do not intend to make any profit whatsoever. I just feel someone might find joy in this book.

Answer:
 Any book that was published in 1633 is well out of copyright.

If the 1986 version contained any new material -- including any analysis, commentary, or modifications to the 1633 text -- the publisher of that edition probably has rights to that new material. However, that doesn't extend to the original text.

If you want to publish a new edition of the original text, or a translation, commentary, or companion text, go ahead! You just need to carefully avoid anything that was added in the 1986 edition.


Title: [MO] Police are expecting me to meet on Sunday, but my lawyer won't see me until Tuesday.

Question:
Earlier this week, I backed into a car leaving a restaurant. I went and inspected both cars and thought it was only a tap, and ended up leaving. Turns out I was wrong and the restaurant had video evidence of me leaving. I realize it was stupid, I was panicking and not really thinking straight, I feel like an asshole and I know I fucked up. Fast forward a few days later and I get a call from the town police that they want me to come to the station to bring my insurance and licence, mentioning possible leaving the scene of the accident charge. The next morning I'm on the phone with a lawyer in town but due to MLK day they won't see me until Tuesday. They gave me the advice to not talk to the police, and to to not go on Sunday, but that was pretty much it, coming from her secretary and not her herself. As the Sunday dead line draws closer and closer I'm getting more and more nervous about just not showing up.

Should I call and say I won't be coming until I get to meet with my lawyer? Should I go and give my insurance info and specify waiting on the lawyer for any kind of statement? With her office closed on the long weekend, I have no way to contact my lawyer for her advisement. They've in the past contacted my work and I'm afraid If I were to just ignore showing up they would come after me at my place of work.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Non-lawyer advice, but until they arrest you, you're free to go or not.  Call+tell them 'I have counsel but by my understanding she's not available until Tuesday.  Here is her office number, and I've been advised to not answer questions at this time.  Please direct any questions to her, and you can reschedule an interview with her at your soonest convenience.'

Any info regarding your license and insurance, they can already look up on their own.  They don't need a physical copy from your hands to do it, it's merely the pretense of getting you to the station for questioning.


Title: Louisiana/Georgia - Atlanta-based company I work for in New Orleans says they "don't pay overtime after 40 hours" - Is this legal?

Question:
I work part-time for a Georgia-based company that does business in Louisiana. Recently, I had a work week in which I logged 54 hours, including three days that were 10+ hours. I emailed the company's labor coordinator to asking about overtime pay, wondering if the last 14-hour day I worked after I reached 40 hours for the week would be counted as overtime for 10 hours and then double-time for the last four. The labor coordinator said that the company does not pay overtime for over 40 hours worked in a week? Is this legal?

Again, I'm a part-time employee, not an independent contractor or anything like that. Any advice is appreciated.

Answer:
 Read up on [FLSA Overtime rules](http://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime_pay.htm).

LA doesn't have state rules on overtime I believe, so the FED rules are where you will find the required info.

~~With you being part time, I suspect they are not required to pay you overtime.~~  I just read that there is no difference in overtime application between full and part time employees.

If your doing 40hrs + per week I am not sure how you could be classified as "part time" though.  I would think that according to their own policy this would classify you as a full time employee and would bring up some more "interesting" questions for them to answer.

If your a contractor then they aren't required to pay overtime.

Lots of exemptions to paying overtime.


Title: Would it be a violation of the 26th Amendment for a state to have a MAXIMUM voting age

Question:
For example, would it be constitutional for a state to ban anyone 65+ from voting?

I personally think that a maximum voting age is a good idea because most senior citizens are out-of-touch with the realities of the modern world.

Answer:
 >The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

Can you explain why you think it wouldn't be a violation?Answer #2: How about the disabled? Or any other group deemed "unqualified" to participate? Echoes of Nazi Germany.


Title: AZ - Missed Court, Susp License, Warrant

Question:
Maricopa County

Here's the low down, as succinct as possible. Thank you for reading. I know, I sound like an idiot, and missing traffic court is clearly ruining my record here.

2012- backstory
Missed court for ticket, received DL suspension notice, paid fines, court notified DMV to reinstate license.

2014 - current situation

Traffic - Speeding ticket - early 06/14

Missed Court - late 07/14 - out of town

D.L. suspension notice mid 08/14

Paid fines within 24 hrs online, have nothing but email receipt of payment to court for ticket amount, but not the ticket # on emailed receipt. Assumed (stupidly) that the court would notify DMV again as they had in 2012.

Pulled over late August for a small crack in taillight by DUI task force (was not drinking). They notify me my license is suspended still. Mandatory car tow AND 30 day impound, and they took my DL as contraband. The thing is, I was driving out of state (moving) in three days and NEEDED that car. Officers were kind enough to let my father (on the title) come pick up car, especially with showing a payment receipt to Maricopa court. I had my license reinstated two days later, once I proved payment of fines.

I totally forgot about the criminal charge of driving on suspended license in the tumult of moving cross country. I live on the east coast now, and just found I have a warrant for arrest and DL suspended again.

I am flying home for holidays and want to get this taken care of...

What should I expect? What should I prepare? What's my best defense?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

EDIT - I am planning on taking care of it first thing. Again, I was irresponsible, not trying to evade the law. Im not looking to avoid this or make it any bigger if an issue. I am flying in 12/14 and going to court on the 15th.

UPDATE FOR ANYONE IN SIMILAR SITUATION: Opted for no lawyer, and navigated my way through with the judge.
Walked away with a $90 fee paid for warrant issuance. Everything else dismissed.

Understandably, this was a very particular case, but it is also a learning lesson that people on Reddit may be very lawyer-centric and judgmental (if you read my actual story vs. The version people who commented made up.)

Answer: Your best defense? You tell us. From your narrative "I forget shit" isn't a defense. Jesus man, you forget a lot of important stuff..... Perhaps ask for a day planner for XMas?


Title: Moving Company told angry ex-roommate where they moved me

Question:
So, title pretty much says it all. I moved out of an apartment last week without telling my roommate what I was doing. It sounds bad, but it was the best course of action considering how volatile her mood is. Today she went down to the moving company I used (she knows the company because the neighbor told her) and chewed them out about moving me and demanded to know where they moved me to. And they told her!
This information was given out even after I repeatedly told the company and men the sensitive nature of the move.
Am I crazy for thinking that this was not okay for them do? It's my personal information and they disclosed it to, essentially, a person they don't know from Adam.

Edit: Located in Kentucky

Answer:
 There's no legal issue here - leave a bad review of them, and if your former roommate harass you, call the police.Answer #2: Well, thanks guys! I appreciate the replies. Google searches on it didn't give me information in either direction, so I was just curious.
I am still really upset about it and am trying to contact the company to discuss it. Luckily, I moved into a very secure environment, so I should be safe from too much harassment.
Thanks, again!Answer #3: Your address, while "personal" in nature, is public information.Answer #4: Does anybody have any sources for saying the moving company has no legal obligation to protect her privacy?   Most places of employment have strict rules about giving out private info to random (or not so random) people.

If the stalky witch wants to seek public sources of information for someone's address, that's one thing.  But a contracted service provider is not a "public source of information".   Answer #5: What's crazy is not providing a location and expecting a helpful answer.Answer #6: Did you call the moving company and ask why in the world they did that? And call the owner/manager to complain?Answer #7: The moving company doesn't have any legal obligation to keep your address private.


Title: Ex employer had me sign promissory note.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Why the tap dancing christ would you *admit in writing to 20k of theft YOU DIDN'T DO?*

You could have seriously damaged your defense.

Lawyer. NOW.

Edit: You need to grasp the seriousness of your situation. You are looking at potentially serving YEARS in prison as well as paying them 20 thousand dollars you didn't have to. You have essentially signed a confession and had it bloody notarized by *giving them your money*.Answer #2: Not really. You admitted you were the reason for the failed audit. And then you turned around and executed a legal document stating you'd repay them. You may be able to argue that you had sign that under duress, but that's not necessarily going to be a slam dunk case if they decide to pursue it. You probably should have just refused to sign anything and let them fire you.


Title: I've been put at health risks & robbed by my pharmacy?

Question:
Sorry if this is sloppy I'm somewhat distraught and scared/confused

My pharmacy has robbed me of hundreds of meds. I'm afraid to tell my doctor as he has also given me a improper dose that gave me some possible life threatening withdrawals, I don't trust him.

I am too scared to ask for help.. I don't know how. My pharmacy only stole my scheduled meds which are Adderall and Dexedrine, little by little so I wouldn't notice.

Until I asked for my prescription files and records which gave me 100% proof of this theft over the last year. I knew something was wrong because I kept finding myself short on my pills and when I asked them about it, I had been  told in a hostel way that they would tell my doc I was asking for extras n could've been an abuser (Im not). I could've had seizures from the withdrawals caused by the shortage of meds they took..

What should I do? Who do I ask for help? I'm feeling really betrayed as I use these medications to fit in to society n they do this? I wanna just live my life and now I'm paranoid with no idea where to turn

Answer: You can talk to a local attorney but I am going to guess that a local therapist would be of more helpAnswer #2: Is this a chain pharmacy? this is extraordinarily unlikely. Every pill is accounted for. There are audits on CII meds. A phamacist is no going to risk their job for 1 or 2 pills. I mean its possible but very unlikely. Judging by your post what may have happened is that because the dose was unsafe the pharmacy only gave you the appropriate or legal maximum number of pills.


Title: Son defrauded Walmart via Fedex for a video game console [USA]

Question:
Location: USA/Ohio

My 18-year old son decided to order a video game console (>$300) against my permission last week via Walmart.com and it was delivered to my house yesterday w/o my knowledge.

As he is low on money, he came up with a plan to scam Walmart.  He informed me last night in a panic he entered a Live Chat with Walmart.com and told them the package was delivered, but the box was empty and the console was not inside.

The customer service rep told my son they will issue a refund, but will also investigate/forward the issue to the police.

What should be my plan on action here?  I will of course do my fatherly duty of disciplining my child, but how seriously should I take this act of mail fraud?  Should I contact the police/attorney?  Or could the Walmart chat agent be blowing smoke?

Let me know your thoughts, thank you.

Answer:
 As an aside, get a new credit card number and don't let him know what it is.

He's 18, this is something he could go to jail for. If this were my kid, well shit I don't know what I'd do. This is theft. Answer #2: "Hey Wal-mart, yesterday my son chatted you and said box was empty. It was empty but my son was mistaken. See he is an asshat who ordered without my permission so I opened and removed it. Should I mail it back to you guys or bring it to a store?"


Title: My wife was hit by a car while at work.

Question:
AL. USA

I'm at the hospital now and so I'll give you all details as I learn them.

My wife works at an establishment that won't be named, but where the employees must routinely walk across the parking lot while customers drive in. This is expected and is practically part of what makes the establishment famous.

While in the crosswalk, she was hit and knocked to the ground by an elderly driver who "didn't see her". As the adrenaline is wearing off she is in more and more pain.

We called the police, just so the statement of the incident would be on the record (and so the driver would be effectively persuaded into providing us with their information), but we recognize this is a civil matter, not a criminal one.

We're navigating the damages now, and are trying to figure out where assumption of risk, liability, and negligence all take place, but here's the general question.

We intend to sue for the appropriate damages.

Do we sue the employer who will likely either settle and go after the driver themselves or throw the book back at us?

Or do we go after the driver and risk them being judgement proof?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: If your wife was working at the time of the accident then she files a workers comp claim. That's what you do when you're hurt at work. I hope she makes a full recovery.


Title: [California] Celebrity game designer called our game addicting at a casual meet, are we allowed to quote him on promotional material?

Question: So I was at a luncheon where a renown game developer/CEO so my colleague showed him our game and we played it for a few minutes and called it addicting. We forgot to ask him for permission to use his quote, but figured its something so minute that it might not even matter. Any thoughts?

Answer:
 In the state of California, you cannot use someone’s name to promote your product without their consent.

http://www.oclaw.org/research/code/ca/CIV/3344./content.html


Title: Update:(FL) What can I do about my neighbor calling the police and DCFS on my family over food?

Question:
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4f3bkh/fl_what_can_i_do_about_my_neighbor_calling_the/

He called the cops again yesterday afternoon. The officer was extremely nice and offered to speak to my neighbor and find out what his problem is. My neighbor says he'll continue to call until I stop making my own food. The officer gave me his name and number and told me to call him if my neighbor gives us any trouble.

Answer:
 Would he feel the same way if you grew your own vegetables?Answer #2: By the way, you're doing parenting right. You've traded money for sweat equity and in doing so you've taught your kids the value of hard work and the value of making good nutritional choices even when money is tight. Lesser parents would just Dollar Menu it every day. Answer #3: Thanks!  This made me watch [the Sesame Street film about making cheese](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP4aXT7iNxU).

As a child, I learned from this that all cheese is made by bearded hippies without hairnets.
Answer #4: You should make a loaf of bread for the cop next time. Mmmm. Fresh cinnamon honey wheat.Answer #5: Does your neighbor own or rent? If they rent, would chatting with their landlord be a good idea? I honestly don't know.


Title: Landlord notice to end tenancy in Rhode Island.

Question:
My mother and her boyfriend live in South County, RI. They have rented a house for a little more than 3 years.

Their lease ended at the end of March and they have continued living there since then without a formal agreement. I do not have a copy of their most recent lease.

They had asked to sign a new lease, but the landlord kept putting it off. The landlord had mentioned that she was considering selling the property, but verbally assured them that they could continue living there until the end of the summer at least.

This week, the landlord gave notice that they would need to vacate the property at the end of June so that she can move in.

My mother and her boyfriend, who is recovering from cancer treatment, will have a difficult time finding a new place to live and moving by the end of June.

Do they have any legal options available that would allow them to extend their tenancy and also avoid an eviction record on their credit reports or other severe consequences?

Answer:
 No. They're month to month now and they've been given more than 30 days notice.

The only caveat is if their lease says it automatically renews for another year term.


Title: Hypothetical: If you legally have a wild animal ex: lion, tiger or bear as a pet and it kills someone who's broken into your house with intent to harm would you have to put the animal down?

Question: This doesn't have to do with the gorilla in Ohio. I saw a video about a domesticated bear in Russia and someone commented about how bad it would be if someone broke in. So as my question above asks what would happen if the animal kills the intruder to protect their owner?

Answer: No clue about Russia, but in the U.S. keepers of wild animals are generally strictly liable for any damage they cause.


Title: [CA] If you're stuck in a traffic jam, is it legal to use the bathroom outside your car?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I read none of this except the title.

The answer is "no."


Title: Employment Discrimination against Woman who had child

Question:
We live in Kansas.  My wife works for an organization that is equally supported by the city and county where we live.  She has worked in the job for 1 year and was the assistant in the office before that.  In 2016 she received no raise in pay, even cost of living adjustment. They are preparing the 2017 budget.

We had our first child earlier this year.  My wife's health insurance covers all premiums, including all family.  Before the birth of our child the health insurance paid for my wife and me.  Now for 2017 her insurance would need to cover both of us and our child.  The cost for health insurance coverage is about $7000 extra in the budget.

Her current benefits come through the county because she is seen as a "county" employee.  Her board met recently to set the budget.  One person on the board made the recommendation that they switch her over to a city employee.  By switching her to city benefits they shift much of the cost of the health insurance to us.  They cover her insurance and half of the family.  The cost to us about $7000.

When she was presented with this idea she was told that they would consider this burden in health insurance when determining her salary.  Last night they met and told her that she would be getting no raise in pay AND become a city employee, all because they want to save money.

I believe she has been discriminated against because she is a woman who had a child.  She was told that they discussed my work, as her husband, and my benefits when determining her pay and benefits.  She was lied to when she was told that they would consider this shifted cost when determining her salary.

All of this is compounded by the fact that she is the lowest paid person in her position in our region.  She was hired on at $5000 less than her predecessor made.  Her board has railroaded her.  Do we have a case for discrimination since they have determined her benefits based on her husband's benefits, and additionally they have changed her health insurance benefits because of the cost, even though currently all other county employees get their health insurance totally covered?

The budget is not totally set yet, only recommended.  I'm hoping with some legal advice we could get this reconsidered before they make it official.  Any real legal advice would be very helpful.

Answer: It sounds like your wife is really bad at negotiating salary and benefits and they're walking all over her. That's not illegal or discrimination. If your wife doesn't think her compensation is fair, she is able to prove it by quitting and finding a new position with higher pay. Answer #2: There isn't any evidence of discrimination, as it's common for counties and city boards to tighten their budget as much as possible.  The cost of living raise, unless stated in writing or if she is a union employee is moot, as is what her predecessor made.  You need to look at her employee contract in writing and see what it says about all of this and what changes can be made.  It's likely a situation where her and many others are going to face the consequences of the county or city trying to save money.


Title: First time in court. Is this Normal?

Question:
My wife recently lost a judgement in WV magistrate court to her mother's boyfriend.

Approximately a year ago, her mother and her boyfriend came to our home. Her mother is a drug addict and had been estranged most of her life, only trying to reconnect over the past few years. My wife had been having car trouble, and we weren't able to replace her car just yet. Her mother proposed that her new boyfriend had made it possible for her to do something she never could have. She handed her $7000 in cash and told her to go buy a car. We found a car for $6800, purchased it, and heard nothing more of it until June of this year.

June of this year she received a subpoena from her mother's boyfriend. Stating that he had loaned her $7000 and she refused to pay him back. This was filed in his home county, not our home county where everything took place. Her mother sent word that he was best friends with people in the court house, and she didn't want to go against him. My wife has still to this day never had a conversation with this man.

She denied the claim, and mailed the subpoena back to the courthouse the next day. The subpoena stated that she had only 20 days to respond. We never heard anything back for months. She finally called the courthouse in September to check on the status of everything. They told her that they had never received her answer. She informs them that she sent it the next day, and suddenly they found her answer. We receive a court date in the mail for Oct. 22. When we arrive for court we are told that we aren't on the docket for the day, and after showing the paper we received saying we did in fact have court, they "penciled us in".

The judge seemed entirely convinced from the beginning that she owed them the money. He laughed and said  "if people gave out $7000 gifts, he would hope to be on their Christmas list". They provided not one stitch of proof of any agreement. Her mother showed up, called us liars, and spoke the entire time on her boyfriend's behalf. The actual person who was suing us never said a word. They claimed she had paid $200 as a payment one time. They had no proof of this whatsoever, and we explained that the only money given to them was asked for by the mother due to her being kicked out of his home, nothing to do with a car payment.

In the end the Judge ruled that "We have no written agreement, a dispute over the existence of a verbal agreement, so I rule in favor of the plaintiff in the full amount requested". We said we are to pay $150/month to them until reaching $6800 since he counted that $200 for her mother as a car payment. Plus court costs.

It is one day from a month later, and we have still received no documentation of the ruling, or of the court costs, or anything at all. I feel like we should have definitely used a lawyer in this situation, but this man only used her crackhead mother and it worked out fine for them. Just wondering if these is blatant home cooking in the court system, or normal incompetency issues?

TL;DR Should I receive documentation with court costs and official ruling after a court hearing?

Answer:
 You should get a copy of the judgment, call the court and see about obtaining one.

But I want to quibble with some things you said here just to give you a fuller picture of what happened.  You had a trial at which evidence, in the form of oral testimony was taken. You had two people, the BF and your MIL testify to there being an oral agreement to repay the amount. Moreover, common sense, which judges are not required to ignore, suggests that people do not just give out $7,000 to their GF’s daughter. Your wife countered with whatever testimony she had, and the court found the other side more credible. That’s not no evidence, that’s a pile of evidence, even if it was not physical. Oral agreements are enforceable, so the court ruled that there was one.  You should have gotten an attorney, but the time for that has passed, as likely has the opportunity for any appeal.  You should look into the chance for an appeal however, just to make sure.