Title: (MS) After asking for a refund, my friend was intimidated and threatened with arrest by a business owner claiming to be a police officer. Business owner is continuing to antagonize my friend at her place of work.

Question:
Hello. I have a friend who went to a hair salon to get her hair dyed. She was very dissatisfied with the results and even had some of her hair cut off when she asked not to. She later called back to see if a refund would be possible to which the woman who did her hair said yes, and said she would gladly meet her at my friends workplace (a local restaurant) to give her her money back.

As my friend was waiting in the parking lot, she noticed a gentleman approaching her car. This gentleman was a very common customer at the restaurant so my friend assumed he was coming over to say hello. As she started to open her door, he grabbed the door and swung it open and stood in front of it so she could not close it. He proceeded to yell at her claiming to be the owner of the hair salon and that they do not give refunds. He also claimed that her hair looked "fine" and that she should feel terrible to ask for a refund. He finished by claiming that he is a police officer and that he will arrest her for trespassing if she sets foot in his hair salon again. He then slammed her car door and stormed away.

My friend still sees this gentleman, however, as he still comes in to the restaurant she works at. He now seems intent on antagonizing her. Recently he and the hairdresser who did her hair came in and explicitly asked to be seated in her section. When my friend asked them what they needed, they replied with "a new waitress". My friend (not wanting any conflict) found a new waitress but was ashamed, scared, and embarrassed.

Obviously, the refund is not the issue here. The issue is that she was threatened and intimidated by a man claiming to be a police officer (he never showed any identification) and this man is continuing to go out of his way to belittle and intimidate her.

I have told her to first speak with her employer and let him know what happened with this customer and let him know that she has been threatened and feels intimidated by this man. I also said she should try to get his name and badge number and file a complaint with the local police department. My friend is at a difficult place in her life and does not have the money to hire an attorney.

What would be the best course of action in this situation?

TL:DR - Friend was threatened by a business owner who claimed to be a police officer but didn't show any identification. He continues to come to her place of work and she feels intimidated by him. What would be the best course of action in this situation?

Answer:
 Why hasn't friend called the cops?Answer #2: If there is video footage from her work I would ask her boss to save it. Chances are he probably doesn't have anything in the lots but it's worth a shot. Report him as impersonating a police officer if he is one ask to make a report about his misconduct.  If there was a video you could even give it to the police. Also I would get your friends boss to ban them. Answer #3: To the people giving advice like this guy is actually a cop: really? Because I'm Ryan Reynolds. Answer #4: > I have told her to first speak with her employer and let him know what happened with this customer and let him know that she has been threatened and feels intimidated by this man.

This is the best course of action, if her boss isn't a total asshole he'll deny service to these people for harassing his waitress. YMMV if she works in a corporate place though.


Title: [NV] Hotel Security Staff Entering Without Consent

Question:
During a recent stay at a Caesar's Resort property in Vegas, we discovered that hotel security was conducting room security sweeps without our consent. They were doing this to look for weapons or other contraband as part of a new policy per one of the security personnel. Another person at the hotel had some equipment confiscated during a sweep. I read that under a 2015 ruling, the 4th amendment may have become a more solid protection while staying as a guest at a hotel. The ruling however seemed pretty target to police entering your room and not hotel security.

Does the 4th amendment protections apply to hotel security performing room searches without any obvious security related probable cause type events justifying the need?

Answer: Nah, as far as I know you have no privacy interest when it comes to hotels. You signed a contact when renting a room


Title: Considering starting a small brewery beer subscription box service, any way this is legally possible?

Question:
Good morning! I recently had the idea for a beer subscription box service in which I assemble boxes of beer from small or up and coming breweries and ship it to consumers. I am aware there are TONS of legal ramifications surrounding the shipment/sale of alcohol. So I have a few questions and if anyone can help me navigate the laws (beyond simply reading about the three tier system and ABC laws which I have done) that would be so amazing:

1) I'm based in New Jersey. I would love to know which states (however few) I would be able to do this in (meaning which states could I legally ship beer from and to?)

2) What licenses and taxes would I be subject to, if I started this business?

3) What other costs or liabilities would I need to be worried about with this sort of business?

Any advice on this (beyond "it can't be done," because I know some companies already do this type of thing) would be absolutely amazing. Thank so much and have a great day!

Answer: The only great advice you'll get is that this isn't something you want to do without having a lawyer on your side to guide you through all the legal hoops you need to jump through.


Title: Driver Caught adding unauthorized gratuities to bill!!

Question: Need some advice going forward with this. Today I checked my bank app to view my purchases like I normally do, and I saw that total of my order for a chain food spot was more than what it was when I first checked out. Turns out the delivery driver added a gratuity himself to not only my order, my girlfriend's order as well ( we ordered separately, but at the same time). Called the place and I'm meeting the regional/franchise manager today after work. What am I looking at? Can I press charges? If he did that to us, I know for a fact other people has fallen victim as well. I'm pissed!!!!

Answer:
 If you aren't made whole and reimbursed by management, contact the bank that issued your card and request a chargeback (a customer service # should be on the back of your card).

Explain your situation to the bank and they will take care of you and open their own investigation.

I wouldn't be surprised if the manager handles everything though, and you end up with a full refund and some vouchers or something.
Answer #2: > What am I looking at?

A meeting with the regional/franchise manager. A refund. Likely some free coupons.

> Can I press charges?

No, police do that. You don't really have any evidence that he's done this before. The owner can do his own investigation and submit any evidence of crime to the police. As long as you get back what you are owed, I don't see any civil issue here.

I'm not saying that what this guy did was right. But unless he's done this dozens (even hundreds) of times, this isn't going to be worth a police investigation.


Title: (NY/VA/MA) DMV Breathalyzer Refusal Hearing

Question:
A little over a year ago, I was arrested for a DUI in NYS as a MA licensed driver. I refused the breathalyzer at the station, triggering the civil refusal hearing process with the NY DMV. I went to the hearing, the officer did not show up, so they adjourned it. While this is happening, the entirety of the legal matter was resolved; I pleaded down, paid my fines, served a 90 day license suspension, and was reinstated.

I have since moved to VA, have VA license, and just received notice (more than a year later!) that NY has rescheduled the refusal hearing for the end of the month. Aside from $1250 in total fines if I'm found guilty, I face a 1yr suspension of my license/privilege to drive in NYS.

My understanding is that normally with a suspension in NY as an out-of-state driver, NY would report that suspension to my home state DMV under terms of the drivers license compact, and my home state could reciprocally suspend my license. However, MA is not a member of this compact. NY sent notice of the hearing to the temporary address where I was living in NY (which I listed as a mailing address when this occurred), and my permanent address in MA (the address on my MA license), leading me to believe that NY does not know that I am now a VA licensed driver.

My question is: will VA find out about the NY suspension and move to suspend my license?

Answer:
 If the charges were resolved, I'd try to notify the NY DMV, and/or contact the court that resolved the charges. There's a chance that VA will eventually get wind of the suspension, and it's better to attempt to resolve this vs. ignoring it and ending up with charges in VA for unknowingly driving on a suspended license.Answer #2: >will VA find out about the NY suspension and move to suspend my license?

Yes.

Not to mention, you'd have the whole issue about never being able to get a license anywhere else until you resolve the refusal and the associated reinstatement fees.


Title: Just got a call at 6:15am with a woman claiming that she has a summons to serve me.

Question:
The call was from a local prefix. She also gave me a shady 1800 number to call and a docket number and also told me I'm required to be home between 3-5 to be served. Does this sound legit? I'm kind of thinking it isn't but could use some advice. Thank you.

My location is Oregon.

UPDATE: The courthouse said it's an ongoing scam in my town and the docket number I was given is completely false and not even the format they use.

I want to thank you guys for responding almost immediately to my call for help. Reddit is amazing.

Answer:
 Avoiding service is nearly never a viable plan in the long term.

That said, you're not required to be home just because some lady said so on the phone.


Title: Family member, car accident, wrongful death[?] [AZ]

Question:
I am using a throwaway. I am in need of understanding some legal structures/statutes in AZ. As stated a car accident happened in a major metropolitan area. I am looking to find out the appropriate way and any limitations of obtaining footage from a traffic camera that would have captured the accident on film (especially the mandated retention time that they keep it for). Does it matter if their investigation is concluded or not?

Although the other motorist is responsible for the accident, i would also like to know what protections for administering CPR (or the burden to administer aid) is on the officers on the scene before paramedics/firefighters arrive on scene; especially in the case of removing any helpful civilians from attempting aid.

Are cops in Phoenix/Flagstaff/etc areas mandated to use body cameras?

If you can think of other related statutes, i would be highly interested in them, along with any judgments that might be for/against good Samaritan laws; as they also extending to state personnel would be a bonus. Thank you in advance for anyone who takes the time to read/post.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Your post is very vague. No one can really answer your vague questions. You should talk to a local attorney.

Police do not have to administer first aid, if that is your question.

Edit: looks like there is a bill in the works about body cameras but nothing mandating them currently


Title: Two seperate company contracts state that they own any intellectual property I create while I am employed by them. How does this resolve?

Question: Since getting a second part time job I've been curious about which company lays claim to something I create if they both contractually own it.

Answer: Probably whoever you were with first, and you may be held liable to the second one


Title: 2 days to respond to Out of State Custody

Question:
I'd like to start by saying I plan to contact a lawyer today but I'm looking for a couple basic answers.
Context:
My ex moved from Phoenix, AZ to Portland, OR with my daughter.  At the time I was confused over the break up and did nothing to block the move.  We have been on good terms, I've even flown to stay with them and visit my daughter several times. I paid $500 a month mutually agreed support until a year ago when student loans overwhelmed me $900/m~.  Now roughly 2 years since she moved she submitted custody paperwork and I was served 28 days ago (OR says I have 30 days to reply.)  This has blindsided me because the terms appear to be the worst possible terms for me.  Asking for insurance, life insurance, only 2 day times only a month, full custody etc. My parents have moved across the country to OR to help me setup a place to move to nearby. I need to keep my job until I can move.

1. I'm supposed to be the "responder" in this.  Can have a lawyer simply say that I contest the entire thing or do I have to provide my own terms.
2. Can this be done in two days? Since I've been freaking out over this been so clueless I've waited to the last minute.
3. What quick and dirty information am I likely missing given that I'm asking these questions.

Thank for your time for reading this.  My first reddit post; different as a lurker.

Answer: Asking online is just delaying things further! Call an Oregon family law attorney right away.


Title: [CA] My mom just gave me 2 weeks notice to move out, any ideas on what to do?

Question:
So this is Los Angeles county if it makes any difference. There's probably nothing I can do about it but I'll still ask.

Ive lived here for over 20 years with my mom. Lease is under her name (month to month). It's a 2 bedroom for $950, I've paid the rent for years (no proof since I gave her cash, bad mistake) and everything was good between us. She snapped and wants me and my son out, without warning. She said we have 2 weeks to leave and she found herself an apartment so good luck, it's been planned. I've already sent an email to our property management to see if I can take over her lease at least temporarily. (I'm not too positive since they can charge the new tenant $1600 instead of our $950 so I feel they'd rather have us leave) but fingers crossed.

I don't know what to do. I'm panicking, so sorry if this is all over the place. It's just it happened so randomly and quickly and I need at least another month or so to save for a deposit and first months rent.

She already collected this months rent from me even though she wants us gone in 2 weeks. She told me to leave after collecting it :/ so wish I would've known and given her half of it instead so I could save it towards a new apartment.

I guess my questions are: what should I do or am I shit out of luck? We moved in when I was 5, and now I'm an adult so was I transferred to the lease when I became an adult? Or that's not how it works? Sorry, someone told me they can't just kick me out like that so I wasn't sure what they meant.

My plan is just to stay with an uncle for a month, save money and leave. Thank you so much guys, this blindsided me.

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You're not on the lease.  You're a month-to-month tenant.  She can terminate your tenancy for nearly any reason she wants.

She must, however, give you sixty days notice, in writing, in most circumstances.


Title: I was stupid and my anxiety let me lose $3,000 to an awful human being.

Question:
tl;dr: I moved to a new house, put a subtenant into my apartment in my place without going through the leasing office, leasing office knew about it and was not amused. Woman didn't pay rent, got evicted so I lost my security deposit and owe the apartment complex $500 dollars in legal fees and theres about 2 months of rent (2,000+) that I paid for and the woman didn't. Do I have any recourse?

I lived in an apartment complex in Massachusetts that I had a 12-month lease for. In July, (lease ended on august 15th) I moved to a house and brought in a craigslist subtenant to my apartment (stupid mistake #1). It actually went through her brother in law who gave me the security deposit and first month's rent in cash, as well as signing a paper agreement saying that this was what was happening. The lady moves in and immediately we have problems. She's extremely aggressive and confrontational, I was planning to sell her my furniture for cheap, but she wanted half the already extremely reasonable price and she was so annoying that I just said no. I didn't take the furniture out of the apartment however, because I just didn't have the means. In typical me fashion, I just left the furniture there and neither she nor I said anything about it until everything hit the fan later. (stupid mistake #2, which comes up later).

As august 15th is rolling around, it's clear that this lady isn't going to be approved by the leasing office to renew the lease and stay there. She can't get the right documentation in and keeps stringing me along, saying that an organization is going to step in to help her in time to get it all sorted out before the lease ends. This never happens. August 15th is arriving and she claims she needs to get the eviction notice from the leasing office to get the assistance she needs from the organization in question.

At this point I'm panicking and just want to cut my losses. I offer to return all of her money if she would just leave the damn apartment. After a lot of arguing, she insists she needs the money back first so that she can pay the deposit on another place she found. So with great relief, I return the money, but of course, she doesn't move out.

The eviction notice comes in, and she still doesn't move out. So she gets formally evicted, but of course it's under my name so that doesn't affect her at all.

I was extremely stupid about this whole thing. It was a rough time in my life and my anxiety was at an all time high. The lady in question was extremely aggressive and dominating, and the lady I had to deal with in the leasing office was also extremely aggressive from the very beginning and I just avoided talking to them as much as possible. So I procrastinated every single thing, and one person took advantage of it while the other just made it virtually impossible for my stupidly anxious self to handle it properly.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that in every regard this is ultimately my fault, but it is frustrating and I wonder if there's anything at all that I can do to get some of my money back. I really can't afford this loss.

Edit: i should note that this woman definitely has money. Her husband is a soccer player in Europe.

Answer: Your recourse would be to sue her in small claims for the money you lost.


Title: Can I sue.........myself??

Question:
I have a old instagram account that is of my childhood which is very embarrassing and not what I want people to see when they search my name. I don't know the passwords to any emails or ant accounts so
 do not ask me if there is anything I can try BECAUSE THERE IS NOT TRUST ME I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING. When someone gets a picture taken of them they can sue if they didn't agree to the picture right. Please is there anything I can do I will pay all the money in the world in like court fees or something please someone help

Answer:
 No, you cannot sue yourself. No, you can't sue someone for taking your picture without your permission, unless you have a recognized right to privacy in that place, such as a bathroom. Besides whoever took the picture had your permission, and you gave Instagram permission to host the picture when you uploaded it.

All that said, contact Instagram and explain the situation. Other than that, there isn't really anything that you can do.


Title: I beleive my mom is using my little sister's name to pay for her car

Question:
So my mom bought a new car recently and my parents talk about how we dont have a lot of money all the time. So i found that suspicious

   Fast forward to last week I found a peice of mail adresssed to my 13 year old little sister from the DMV. I didn't open it but i beleive my mom used my little sister's name and information to get a car.

   This wouldnt be the first time my mother has done something lile this. About a year ago my mom used my older brothers credit card to pay a bill and didnt pay it back and used me to cover for her because my brother was really mad (my brother and I have the same first name everyone in my family is adopted).

    My mom also gets money  for us kids from the state to pay for school and other things we need. (clothes, food, etc.) My mom half the time doesnt feed us meanwhile she makes herself and my other mom full meals.

    So now on to my question, what should i do about this. I cant open the mail because it is not mine. How could I bring this up to them or the authorities?

Answer:
 Ok you really need to call CPS like niw if you're not being fed at times. Keep calling cps until they do something positive to help you.
As for the financial issues, try to get some proof, like credit card statement or letter from the dmv, and then take it to the cops. They are unlikely to do much just based on your word alone.


Title: Employee at major clothing retail comp. opened fitting room curtain while undressing

Question:
Isn't this "seclusion upon intrusion" and illegal?

I was shopping at a major clothing store here in Texas (they have 4k+ stores worldwide) when I entered a fitting room around 15 minutes prior to closing to try on 4 garments. This is one of my favorite stores that I've shopped at dozens of times before, even been in the fitting room AT closing time quickly trying something on before buying without a problem.

Upon entering the store 5 minutes prior to this, my family and I were already being rushed. Two employees (they looked like teenagers) approached us to say "our registers will be closing in 7 minutes," which we simply said "ok" to. We knew it was bullshit because this chain still had 20 minutes til close and I know they never just shut don't early for the heck of it.

I walk into the fitting room ready to try on 4 items quickly, because I knew it was getting close to closing. Upon entry was an attendant folding clothes whom I just walked right past into the first open fitting room I saw. She says something but I was walking so quickly to try these on I don’t hear it. I hang up my clothes, closed the curtain, and proceeded to take my shorts off when to my surprise the curtain was yanked open behind me, the fitting room attendant grabbing the clothes I had brought in, and said that they were closed and told me to get out. I was completely shocked by this and quickly closed the curtain since there were male employees working back there, too.

I put my shorts back and go out there to confront her. I was completely humiliated but more than anything pissed that she had the audacity to open the curtain while I was undressing. I asked her what possessed her to do that and she says that the fitting room was closed. I tell her its no excuse for that. I'm pissed and just want to leave, but I had a job interview the next morning and needed the clothes, so I ask for them back so I could just pay for them and leave. There wasn't enough time to go to another store to find something else since the mall this store is in was nearly closing.

Instead of apologizing and just giving me the damn pants and blouses back, she holds them up (she's a few inches taller than me and about 50 lbs heavier) and says "Are you going to go back in the fitting room." This girl was barely 20 and was treating me like this!

I'm beyond pissed. I want to jump over her clothes folding rack and rip her head off, but I decide to just get the hell out of there. Angry, humiliated, mistreated, I snap drop some of the clothes out in the front off of its rack while my family and I head to the front entrance to leave.

The manager runs to the front, shuts the gate and locks it.
I try to pull it open to leave, but it won't budge. My family and I ask over and over to be let out, but the manager refuses, says she’s calling security since I dropped some of the clothing. I tell her it's what the attendant deserves, to pick up after me after just sexually harassing me in the fitting room. I explained what had just happened and the manager looks surprised. She says she didn't know that had happened, while the large girl who had just exposed me undressing is dancing around mocking me because I'm recording the whole thing on my phone and pointing her out as the employee who opened my curtain while I was undressing.

We had to call the cops just to be able to leave. Long story short, I tell the officer I want to file a report on the employee who violated my privacy (or seclusion upon intrusion), but instead of doing this, writes me a "no trespass citation," saying that the store is requesting I not be allowed back and if I try, I'll be arrested.
When I ask why there won’t be a file reported on the employee for exposing me undressing, she says "there is no violation."

I went to see a lawyer about this, who says when we were locked in and refused to be let out by the store, it was false imprisonment, because they had no right to seize our persons, but the part of the employee opening my dressing room curtain "didn't offend him" since people walk around naked in gym locker rooms all the time. Um, how the fuck this is relevant to my humiliation, I had no idea.

He ultimately says my case wouldn't end up winning enough for him to take on.

I don't understand why both the cop and this lawyer are making it seem like what that fitting room attendant did just isn't a big deal. Isn't this illegal and something I should actually be able to sue over?
I've already talked to the regional security manager who spent an hour on the phone apologizing for my and my family's experience, that I had the right to try on my clothes during store hours, which they never close early btw, before I paid for them. He also asked me what he could do to make this right, to which I told him I would like compensation for. He gave my information to the company's insurance company to handle this part of everything, to which I've just been waiting to connect with.

I'm nervous about what to expect here. Can someone give me tips on what I should expect with this casualty claims specialist?
Thank you for taking the time to read

Answer:
 Sounds like you're a repeat offender at this place and the workers got tired of it. Don't waste your money suing them, instead use your money to take a class on human decency.

P.s why is it relevant that the worker needed to be described as "50 pounds larger" than you? Answer #2: If you frequently go to stores to try on clothing right at closing time, the lesson you should learn is to better manage your time. Why must you go clothes-shopping ten minutes before the mall closes?


Title: Judge denied my Guilty plea.?

Question:
I was charged with OWI.  I pleaded guilty, but the judge DENIED my guily plea and now im being summoned to a pre-trial conference. This is my first offence and its a misdemeanor.
What does this mean and what action should i take ?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 It means the judge is trying to save you from your own decisions. Had the judge accepted your plea you would not get a chance to seek a diversion or a plea deal with the prosecutor.

It’s semi common for this to happen if someone is inrepresented and attempts to plead guilty without being fully aware of their options. If you really push it you can plead guilty again later, but take this chance to explore your options first. A lawyer can help.Answer #2: The Judge is doing you a favor by allowing you to (a) retain an attorney or (b) get a public defender on your behalf.Answer #3: This is pretty typical. If he accepted your guilty plea at your initial appearance he'd be likely to give you a much harsher sentence since nobody would have any input. Pretrial conference is just a meeting with your attorney/you and the prosecutor to see if you can agree on a plea deal. You'll set a plea and sentencing date after the Pretrial, if you still want to plead guilty and are good with the recommended sentence by the prosecutor.


Title: Videos being taken at work for social media

Question:
With this new social media craze, our business uses Instagram a lot to promote us. This is ok with me, however I have expressly stated several times I do not want videos taken of myself without my permission. We often do live Instagram videos  where I won't even know they are being taken until I see a camera pointed at me.

Though I feel like this must be against some type of rights in the workplace, I can only find that any time your in public people are allowed to take pictures/videos of you unless it's for commercial purposes. Is Instagram promoting a business considered commercial?

I have never signed anything consenting to this, and I have asked multiple times for it to stop. I don't want to take legal action against my employers either, I just thought maybe if they were infact doing something wrong or illegal they would be more thoughtful about the whole situation.

I'm sure I can't be the only person with this problem considering the social media craze taking over.
Thanks guys

Edit: sorry guys I'm in FL, USA
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Location is not optional. In North Korea, Dear Leader can film you in your bedroom if he wants to, because you're doing the people's work in there.


Title: Caught shoplifting before Christmas, totally freaked out about going to court next week!

Question: So I'm accused of shoplifting over $100 in a Target store. This is in Missouri, and I'm in for intent to steal. I'm an art student without any priors, and I don't have much money at my disposal. How should I go about talking to a lawyer? Should I contact a lawyer? I have a million questions to ask about what to expect.

Answer:
 Of course you need a lawyer. Do you want a criminal record?

Also: stop shoplifting.


Title: (Texas) Someone prank called the cops saying I was masturbating in a car.

Question:
Okay so heres some background info. I am a poor college student, just making it by, trying to get my degree. Today, I decided to go back to my old apartment complex to talk to the people about picking up the check for my deposit from last year that I never got. Unfortunately, they were closed (who closes at 4?) anyways, I went back to my car, put on some sunscreen because it's sunny and I'm white, and went on my way.

I had some time to kill, so I drove around for a bit, and eventually ended up back at my old apartment place, and when I was pulling a U-Turn to get out of the area, a cop pulled me over.

He gave me a run down, said that some guy called the police saying I was masturbating in a car and it "offended him." I wasn't, by the way, I wouldn't even have had time to masturbate, I didn't spend a long enough time in the lot, but anyways. I of course told him I did nothing of the sort, he kept me there for about 20 minutes trying to make me confess to a crime I didn't do, eventually a second officer came up as well (not sure why? kinda intimidating, they wouldn't even let me call my parents.) anyways, long story short, I did nothing and some guy is prank calling the cops on me, and he has absolutely 0 PROOF, I asked. No videos, no pictures, nothing. He knew what my license plate was and my car was there, as well as how I looked, but I actually was at the apartment complex, so that's not hard to see how he'd get that info.

The officer said that he would "write me up" for public lewdity, and send it to the "DA" and that if they wanted to take it they would, whatever that means.

I am a poor college student, I don't have a lot of money, and I know I'm innocent, but I don't want to have to hire a lawyer, etc. What should I do? Will they call me (they got my number.) and am I going to trial?? Thanks for any help!

Edit: I didn't get any tickets or anything, just fyi. But they said they would "write it up" so wahtever that means.

Answer:
 I could see how putting on sunscreen in a car could look bad from the outside. Not a prank, more of a misunderstanding.

In any event, it sounds like they have no proof and it won't go further. If you want more peace of mind, see if your college has a student legal aid service. Many do as a free student benefit.


Title: Is this extortion?

Question:
I play in a recreational basketball league in my hometown. Recently one of the teams showed up with a famous MLB player on their team. He has recently signed a huge contract extension with his team. I recorded video of him playing basketball because I found it interesting.

A popular sportswriter heard rumors that an MLB player was playing basketball in the offseason, an act which is prohibited in his contract due to the risk of injury.  He publishes these rumors in an article.

The MLB player sues the sportswriter for defamation. The sportswriter has no proof that the player was playing basketball and is facing an expensive settlement. I contact the sportswriter and offer to sell him my video for a million dollars.

Is this extortion?

What if I offered to sell the video to the athlete so he can destroy it? What if I threaten to release the video if he doesn't pay me the million?

Answer: It is not extortion. But, your plan will not work. Sportswriter's attorney will subpoena the tape as evidence or you to testify as to what is on the tape/what you saw.


Title: Is it illegal to decompile a free app, change it, and release it to the public for free if you make absolutely no money from it? (No charge, no ads, etc)

Answer:
 That depends on the licensing terms of the software.

Neither the fact that the app was free nor that your charges are free would inherently prevent the publisher from enforcing a license that prohibited this.


Title: My son keeps asking me to buy a Baton for "Self Defense" in Middle School. Georgia.

Question:
I know I probably sound like a shitty ass parent, but I've been thinking about this, Theres been alot of scenario's where students have to put their lives into teachers hands, I have no clue if teachers are willing to take their lives for students, but I would sure as hell run! I've seen videos on getting cheap batons and etc. They seem to be pretty useful for regular EDC. (Every Day Carry)
Please excuse me if I sound like a complete fucktard.

TLDR; Should I buy my 8th grade child a baton for self defense in School?

Georgia, US

Thanks alot to those out there willing to help, Sorry if I sound stupid.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: Your child and you can get into serious trouble if he brings a weapon into school. I won't call you stupid, but I highly advise against doing anything like this.Answer #2: That sounds like a great way to get your kid expelled and/or criminally charged.


Title: Can I stop someone buying a rip off house?

Question:
I’ll preface saying this all relates to Scotland any advice is greatly appreciated
I have just been renting a house for the last 6 months which had nothing but problems.
The house had spacing due to cowboy builders doing an extension, moulding on most walls, the roof needed redone. This is just the shortened list the problems with the house are a mile long, anyway we finally bought our house and our landlord decided to sell the house. The only problem is we got the home report and absolutely nothing is mentioned apart from “ small amounts of moderate moisture in the kitchen”
This is a £420k house and I really don’t want someone buying it and realising it would be cheaper to rip the house down.
Javi got anyway of making her disclose the problems.
Thanks

Answer: /r/legaladviceuk might provide more targeted advice


Title: How would i go about gaining custody of my younger sibling from my unfit mother in another state?

Question:
TX

Sibling is in MD

Answer: You call cps, let them investigate and tell them you are willing to be a placement if necessary


Question: Can you sue a real estate agent for telling you a house you’re selling is going to close before being absolutely certain about it? That just happened to my parents in Missouri. They sold absolutely everything they had and quit their jobs to move to another state because the agent told them it was certain to close. They literally just got the news today that the bank denied the buyers the loan, the same exact day they were going to leave. Now they have nothing and will have to leave anyway because they already quit their jobs in Missouri and sold all their belongings. My dad said he’s going to have to dip into his 401k because of this. I’m so angry! How could that agent assure them of the deal. Any advice will help! Thank you!

Answer: Houses get scheduled to close and then get canceled all the time for various reasons. So I'm assuming the close was scheduled, your realtor gave you the date,  and your parents jumped the gun before the close happened.  And then the close was cancelled for one reason or another.


Title: (USA) (California) (Lassen County) - Can my husband kick me out/off his/our property?

Question:
I’ll try to keep this as short and undramatic as possible.  Basically my marriage has taken a turn for the worse and my husband is threatening to kick me out on my ass.  We’ve been married over a year.  I haven’t worked full time since we married bc he wanted me at home.  I have about $280 to my name.  Both of the cars are in my name at the moment bc he doesn’t qualify for a CA license bc of past DUIs.  One is a 98 Dodge Durango (he drives it around) and the other is a 93 Corolla (my car that I drive).   My car is not driveable because well....he broke it while driving and still hasn’t fixed it.  He has two properties and plenty of money in his account.  He’s been gaslighting and bullying me all day through text and screaming at me over the phone.  ( I’ve posted in /r/narcissticabuse under a different name in the past for support but my situation is getting dangerous and I need help now.)

He’s threatening to come home and throw me out.  Can he do this?  I know we need a divorce but do I have to be living on the street while we do it because he owns everything?  I really need help please.  I’m kind of scared.  Thanks in advance.

Answer: No, he cannot kick you out. That would be an illegal eviction. You may call the police non-emergency line to explain the situation and have an escort back into your home and get what you need, if this is the case. Is it safe for you to go back home and stay there? Do you have anyone that you can stay with locally or elsewhere?


Title: Divorced in WA, US. Ex owes me money on top of prenup agreement and has so far refused to pay either.

Question:
Divorced since October.  My ex had a prenup written that amounted to $x for the number of years we were to be married.  The actual amount comes to less than $2,000, so I wouldn't be too worried about it except for the fact that he now owes me money in addition.  A similar amount, which he claimed he'd be able to pay back within a few paychecks.  Several months later, it's apparent he's going to claim he's unable to repay me until there are actual consequences, if even then.

He is not in dire straits, he just doesn't know how to not waste money on *things* which is why I ultimately felt the need to trust him with a loan in the first place.  He claims to live paycheck to paycheck while showing mutual friends the toys and gadgets he buys.

It's been suggested that my best course of action is informing the court that he's been delinquent on payment of the prenup agreement.  I have since moved out of the state and would rather not travel back in the event a lawsuit became necessary to ever see that loan again, it would just barely cover the cost of the trip.  I'm debating this, and how long I should wait until I call the court.

What can I expect if I do contact the court?  Does a prenup even have as much weight as court-ordered maintenance?  What consequences would he face?  My biggest hangup is that in some states this would mean jailtime and I don't actually think he deserves that.

Answer: Honestly if you can get away from a ex spouse for the low price of $2000 you should probably just let it go and move on.


Title: Is it legal to criticize the court system in United States?

Answer: Free speech would protect your right to criticize the courts as long as you do so in a protected manner. Most critical speech is protected. If you were to criticize the court in court and be disruptive about it, a judge could certainly jail you for contempt of court. It all comes down to how you define "criticize", but for most purposes, it would not pose a problem.Answer #2: Yes. I do it all the time. Answer #3: Sure. Contempt of court notwithstanding. Answer #4: Yep, you can even insult the integrity and character of the judge presiding over your case, going as far to suggest the judge is biased because their last name is Hispanic :Cringe:, as long as the court isn't in session and you're being disruptive, but don't expect any Christmas cards.Answer #5: Yes. You're free to critique it all day long. Just keep in mind "criticizing" does not include making it harder for them to do their job.


Title: I really want to climb a crane but at what cost?

Question:
I live in the UK, I really want to climb a crane. I'd have to sneak onto a construction site to do this. I'm wondering the reprocussions of this if I get caught, and the difference it will make whether I'm over or under 18.

Thanks

Answer: Life ?!


Title: My friend just saw a clip of my husband and I purchasing products at a marijuana dispensary in Colorado. We were unaware that we were being filmed, and no one asked us for permission to be shown on television. Is this legal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You were in a public place, so they can take pictures in a public place.  I don't think you have any sort of claim against the news.


Title: [Serious] US-TX Threats involving court costs and "lost" work hours for defending attempted rapist

Question:
My friend's family is being threatened by the father of a guy who contested their  protective order.

His son denies attempting rape in the incident that prompted the protective order but was given the option by the assistant district attorney to concede the protective order anyway, without additional charges. He contested and told the ADA it was because he wants to keep use of firearms, which are his father's.

He was given a few weeks until the next court date to get a lawyer, which the father supposedly got for him. The father proceeded to threaten the family of the protective order individual, saying that their lawyer always gets what he wants and that he'll force them to not only pay for court costs (the ADA told us from the beginning that they're paying for everything), but that the lawyer will also force them to pay for all the time he takes off work to deal with the court, specifically what he makes by the hour on his scheduled work day, plus he would make them pay for medical issues that arise from the stress he suffers from because of the accusations against his son and that if he had an accident at work, that they would have to pay his medical bills.

I've already filed a police report for his harassment, however, is it truly possible to have a lawyer force the other party to pay for costs and other "damages" in this manner?

Answer:
 Since the ADA is handling this, make sure you let him know what the father is sayingAnswer #2: notify the police and the ADA right away, this is probably enough to charge daddy with witness tampering.

http://codes.findlaw.com/tx/penal-code/penal-sect-36-05.htmlAnswer #3: Don't worry about this fucktard. He isn't even the person with the protective order against him. He has no standing to claim damages for anything relating to the protective order.


Title: Gas station will not refund me my money, how do I file a small claim?

Question:
Hello,

I'm in California. I prepaid $100 at a gas pump. Lifted the hose, tried to pump, saw I parked on the wrong side, and had to leave the pump. Someone else pulled in, pumped on my dime while I went in to ask for a refund. Store only refunded me the balance of what she did not use.

1: Once I lifted the handle and replaced it, did I have a reasonable expectation of a full refund?
2: If I only sue for roughly $50, can I also sue for court costs? I think it's about $20 to file a small claim or so.

Answer: This is between you and that thief. You should file a police report while there's hopefully still video evidence of her license plate.


Title: (CA) Confused and hopeless. Parents Gifted $600 when I was 17, I added $350 of my own money, spent it on computer. They stole computer even though I'm 18 now.

Question: Pretty much what it says in the title. I made the mistake of using my dad's account to buy the PC parts, so they have the receipts. I have witnesses and ways to prove the money was gifted to me, but through what research I did this will likely be an expensive case to open. I've since added to the PC, (now worth $1200), and I'm the sole owner. My mom is acting psychotic and thinks I stole money from her purse, so my dad hid my PC. Am I able to take legal action against them?

Answer:
 Legally.  Yes.  You can call the police to report the theft.

They can also report to the police that they believe you stole money from your mother.  They can also legally evict you and stop supporting you all together.

Alternatively, you can sue them in small claims court for the value of the PC.

Practically, you may want to get relationship advice on how to deal with this.


Title: My in-laws/landlords are trying to move into our basement

Question:
My wife and I rent a single-family home from her parents in Western Maine, USA. There is a lease and we pay monthly rent. Recently they have decided to move into our basement which is not a separate unit, nor is it fit for human occupancy. Despite our protests against the idea, they are insisting on going through with it. The basement has outside access but no other entry. What are our rights in this matter?

[Edit] We have lived in the house for over a year and have struggled with them not paying the mortgage at times. They are also still getting their mail delivered here because they were living in a different house which was not up to code, nor was it fit for occupancy.

Answer:
 If the lease guarantees you use of 100% of the property, then you would be within your legal right to refuse them.

Just because they own the property doesn't mean they can do whatever they want, especially when they've rented the whole property out already.Answer #2: I mean, they legally can't but you are going to have to be diplomatic about how you tell them no. Answer #3: When does your lease expire? No matter what happens, they are moving in or you are moving out at that point.


Title: Someone farming my neighbor's land cut down my tree. I don't really want to sue her, but I do need some resolution. (Michigan)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Tl;dr: How do I find out who cut down my tree? (Michigan)

You could start by asking them the old lady and the neighbor you don't like ...Answer #2: >the tree was several feet on our side of the line.  [........] It's her la nd and someone cut down the tree because (as I've recently found out via satellite photos, and only for a few years - no prescriptive easement, AP, or acquiescence at play) they were mistaken about the boundary

Have you actually had a survey done of your land?  "Surveying" via satellite photos can be off by up to 80 feet, meaning that they may not have been mistaken about the boundary at all.Answer #3: Justice boner cases are especially encouraged here.


Title: Old scumbag landlord who didn't pay judgment a few years ago, just died [Upstate NY]

Question:
Hi, thanks in advance for reading and providing any advice you may have. Appreciate it!

Here's the deal. Rented a house from a nice old man back in late 2009. After a series of break-ins (which I later learned he may have helped orchestrate), my roommate and I decided to end our month to month lease. We informed our landlord, who claimed to have understood. With about 2 weeks left on the lease, this guy changed all the locks on the house while we were out at work. Thinking there was a misunderstanding, we stayed at a friends house close-by for a night and he said he would get new keys to us tomorrow.

Pretty much never heard from the guy again. The next day we called the police to get in the house and get our stuff out, and half of our shit was gone. We took what we could and bailed. Never got our security deposit either, time to take this guy to small claims court.

We go to small claims court and the judge quickly realizes that this nice old man is actually a total crook. Understanding judge awards my friend and I with a judgment for roughly 3,500 bucks. Well as you can guess, the guy doesn't pay. I contact a Marshal to start talking about a lien on his house or truck (can't garnish wages since he works at Firstname Lastname Realty) but smaller town marshal can't help because he has a "business relationship" with the guy. Great. Added bonus: found out this bastard just got out of jail about 4 years ago for HUD fraud! No assets in his name anyways.

Try any possible way to get advice on how to see any of the money, and I find nothing. I get no dollars. Fastforward to today, where I found out that he died. Where does this leave my judgment? Is there any way to check for life insurance, estate money, etc? The family set up a gofundme account for funeral expense donations and it has 1,600 bucks donated to date. Is there anything I can do to recover any of this judgment? Thanks

Answer:
 You can make a claim against his estate with a lawyer's help. You may or may not be able to make a claim on the life insurance money; the rules about that are complex, and I do not know what they are in New York.

Keep in mind that, if the family has had to set up a gofundme account for funeral expenses, that probably means he didn't leave behind much money. So you still may be unable to collect.


Title: MASSIVE HIPPA Violation? Medical Records sent to wrong Email. [US]

Question:
So.... I don't know if it was the FollowMyHealth.com website, or a Hospital in New York, but SOMEBODY fucked up BIG TIME today.

I got emailed a man's hospital discharge paperwork today. It gave ALL his personal information. Name, Age, Phone Numbers, Address, Emergency Contact information, Blood work results, Medications..... EVERYTHING. This is a HUGE HIPPA violation for this guy I think. It even included his email address which is NOTHING like my own. How it got sent to me, I have NO idea. I've never even used that website myself, either, so how they got MY email address either I don't have a clue. Also, he's in New York and I'm in Georgia, so it isn't like we'd both been to the same hospital and a mix-up occurred that way either.

So.... I called the number listed. Total shot in the dark but this was just too important to not try and contact this guy. Thankfully, someone answered after about the 3rd ring. Pretty much went like:

>"Hi, um... is there a [Full Name] here? I'm not a telemarketer, I swear!"

>'Yes, this is he.'

>"Ok, this is going to sound really weird but um.... were you just discharged from the hospital today and tried to get a copy of your medical paperwork emailed to you from FollowMyHealth.com?"

>'Yes?'

>"Okay because.... um.... I just got your paperwork sent to me and it has ALL of your personal information in it. This is a huge HIPPA violation for this to be sent to the wrong person and is really serious. I don't know who messed up, the hospital or the FollowMyHealth website, but somebody did big time because this sort of thing REALLY ought not to happen. It has your email address in here so I can forward it to you."

He told me his email address anyways, so we were both sure that this was indeed his information and yup... spot on. He got it like, 5 seconds later while we were still on the phone.

>'I just got an email from a [My Name].'

>"Yup, thats me.... thats your discharge paperwork, then."

We talked a bit more. He was just trying to get his CT and MRI scan results. I let him know he'd probably need to contact the actual hospital to get that stuff, but at least now he has his discharge paperwork email.

I'm just stunned that this even HAPPENED. I mean just..... wow. He was a nice guy and didn't seem too upset about it, but I let him know that this sort of thing should NOT happen and is a huge privacy and security violation of his personal information. My question is.... is there anything I can do to help him out a bit more? This sort of thing really, really, REALLY should NOT happen and I want to try and do what I can to help make sure it doesn't at least for this guy.

Answer:
 > My question is.... is there anything I can do to help him out a bit more?

Nope.  You have no standing.  Let him handle it.  Answer #2: Let him deal with it. If he needs your help, be available to him.


Title: [Florence,KY] Neighbor's dog(?f) ripped through our fence to attack my (24f) cat (2m)

Question:
**Disclaimer:** I do not condone letting cats outdoors- it was never my intention to and for 2 years of his life I never allowed him outdoors. When I had to move back in with my parents due to a merger at the company I was at he started having behavioral issues with my parent's cat which we are working on and my VET told me to allow him to go outside for exercise. I didn't want to and after this I want to yell at my vet and tell her I told you so at the top of my lungs.

So today while my family and I were in our pool with some family friends visiting from NJ, my cat was out in the yard with us laying and rolling around in the grass. This is an inground pool in the middle of the yard with a shed to the left (if you are looking from our deck) surrounded by mostly grass except for around the pool and under the deck. We have a large white fence at I would say 6-7ft tall that is plastic with wooden posts inside of the ends of each panel. Just a taller picket fence made of plastic.

This fence is only on the right side of our yard for now due to the neighbors on the left which I will get to. So while we were in the pool having fun all of a sudden we heard the sound of plastic breaking apart. This dog had ripped off two panels with its mouth and proceeded to run into our yard- heading straight for my cat. She chased him around the yard once until my cat got desperate and jumped into our pool. The dog jumps after him and proceeds to almost drown itself but still hell bent on getting my cat. My cat loves the water and did just fine and he ran out of the pool as fast as he could.

The dog takes a shortcut and jumps at my younger brother's chest and climbs up his body and onto the pavement and continues to chase my cat. People are trying to get out the pool to get the dog, I'm trying to run to my deck to open the back door for my cat to run in.

He was getting tired and he knew it so he jumped the neighbor on my right's fence which was just a standard metal fence. Her dogs were out at the time though and they proceeded to chase him up the neighbor's tree.

It took an hour to get him down. This tree was the type with no branches for 50 feet and our tallest ladder couldn't even get half way up. The fire department said they couldn't help either. My poor cat is crying out for help, he is tired and I could see him panting from running so much and he is drenched in water.

He finally attempts to come down but because there was nothing to help guide him down he just ends up falling most of the way down and lands on his rear.

Turns out one of his back right claws was ripped out most likely from the tree and it was bleeding real bad. We brought him inside and he went to lay on our dog's bed (which has never done) because he is so tired. I finally am able to get him to go downstairs to my room with food and he doesn't seem like he is limping but you can tell he went through hell and even 3-4 hrs later it seems like he is breathing faster than normal.

He isn't purring like they do sometimes to self comfort and I gave him a gentle to medium rub down to see if he reacts. Nothing seems swollen and we got the bleeding on his foot to stop.

My questions are as follows.

1) My neighbors haven't even offered to fix my parent's fence. How do I go about getting that to happen because I really don't think my parent's have to pay for their dog ripping through it. I haven't had time to inspect the panels to see if it was spur of the moment or if the dog worked on it for awhile and it only gave way today.

2) I want to take my cat to the vet immediately to get xrays and have a vet look over him and let me know he is ok considering he fell almost 50 feet and landed on his back side. Granted he is a 13lb monster of a cat (vet says he is not overweight and that all his weight is muscle and bones and is perfectly healthy at the weight he is at). But I wouldn't have the immediate money to do that I've been working and paying of student loans, the fees from cancelling my apartment before lease, and fixing my car. I'm all out of savings. How do I go about getting these people to pay for my cat's medical fees? Do we even have lawyers for pets?

3) I know its not entirely the dog's fault- but I don't believe this dog is safe to be around other animals/children and I know for a fact they have babies and toddlers next door (their children and respective spouses live with the owners of the house as well as the children). My cat was not at the fence provoking the dog with meows and they can't even see each other he was doing his own thing far away from the fence. That neighbor also has another younger dog I believe from their son moving back home. They clearly don't train their dogs and I know they don't exercise the dogs- they are the type of people that let them out for an hour a day in the backyard and ignore them completely. They don't take these dogs for walks and I've never seen the dog until today. That being said I'm at a cross roads on what to do legally and morally- this dog happens to be a Pitbull. If I report the incident to the police I'm worried this dog will be put down and sprayed across our city as proof that Pitbulls are a nasty breed. I know that the most likely reason this happened is because the dog was bored or cabin fever crazy and decided today was the day to snap. The dog didn't even know basic commands like sit! They don't train the dog and they don't exercise her so that she is entertained and her pent up energy is worked out. I want my neighbors to know this incident is not ok and I'm not just going to brush it under the rug- I want them to be forced to train this dog and go through obedience training and be taught how to take care of this dog properly. But I don't know if I can do that and I'm sure the more likely thing is she will be put down, and I don't want that. She shouldn't have to suffer for their incompetence because I know so many well trained and cared for Pitbulls that would let toddlers paint their toe nails and do well with other animals (even bunnies). But I can't take the chance that this won't happen again and if I found out that dog hurt a child or even worse- broke out of my neighbor's yard and killed another outside cat/dog on a walk- I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. We already had an incident in the neighborhood 5 years ago I believe where someone walking their Pitbull lost the lead and he murdered a cat in its own yard while the owner was outside with it- and the owner could do nothing about it because the cat was outside.

What can I do? Who do I talk to? Is there anyone who has been in this situation?

**TL;DR Pittbull next door ripped my fence apart and chased my cat into my pool and then out of my yard- which he then gets chased by dogs in that yard and up a tree. He fell almost 50 feet, is acting relatively ok but suffered immediate injuries and may have hidden injuries.**

Edit 1: My regular vet is closed on Sundays so I'll have to either find a vet who is open tomorrow or go on Monday.

Edit 2: I'm not sure why the post is being downvoted? Is it the formatting? Or the fact that  I don't want to put a dog to sleep?

Answer:
 You can give your neighbor an itemized bill for all of your damages including the fence, vet bills, medical bills, etc. If they refuse, sue them in small claims. In Kentucky the limit you can sue in small claims court is $2500. They are responsible for keeping their animal under control.

You may also want to consider after that reporting the animal to animal control because today was a cat, tomorrow could be a child's face. Answer #2: You need to call animal control. A dog that is leaving the yard to chase cats needs to be reported. Reporting the dog likely wouldn't result in her being put down at this time, as a) she never actually got the cat and b) lots of communities wont put down an animal with only one complaint, and I'm unsure if this complaint would even qualify.

What calling animal control would probably do is get the owner an earful about controlling their dog and possibly a fine. That could be the reality check your neighbors need, or if it happens again, animal control won't be too happy about it.

Side note: I want to contact my congressman to draft legislation to ban whatever your vet was smoking when they told you to let your cat outside. I have actually never heard of a vet that would be okay with that until now. You might want to part ways with this vet entirely, their advice seems pretty off.


Title: Family feud led to a call to childline with blatant lies

Question:
Due to a family feud, my brother-in-law (at my sister's bidding) called childline and blatantly made stuff up about me. They said that I didn't have anything to take care of my baby (we literally have everything he needs and then some, way more than enough, which of course she knew as they were at my baby shower), they said my house had mold (it doesn't), and that my husband and I are too mentally ill to care for a child (we both have depression and I have anxiety and we both are on antidepressants, hardly makes us unfit parents). They came out to check on the situation and the whole thing was determined to be unfounded and the lady even said and I quote, "its total malarkey that I even had to come out here."  The case was closed.

My brother-in-law is a school principal and therefore a mandated reporter who can easily claim he had real cause for concern. But I do have a text message from him threatening to call and a text from my sister to my mom saying that her husband would punch me in the face. And hundreds of texts of my sister harassing me. This also came after my sister showed up at my house at 10pm pounding on the door and screaming and my brother in law called the police on us saying he hadn't heard from her and was concerned for her safety...because he claimed he thought WE did something to HER when she came to our house late at night to harass us.

I know laws exist to protect good faith reporters, but is there ANYTHING I can legally do to them? This is blatant harassment and done out of malice. They should not be legally protected. They openly threatened and bragged about making the call. Do I have any options for legal action against them?

Answer: Yes. Take all of the texts messages you have to the police. They are clearly harassing you. Ask them about a restraining order.


Title: Are my glasses with my prescription legally mine if they were bought under my parents' insurance? [AR, USA]

Question:
I'm putting this under healthcare law because this is the closest I can think of that applies.

I know the answer to this is probably they're not my property, but I just wanted to make sure.

So, my parents took 4 pairs of my glasses. 3 pairs were old ones, one was a new pair. I'm no longer under their insurance anymore. They are my back up glasses in case the ones I'm currently wearing break. I have very bad eyes and need a very strong prescription of glasses. I cannot read, drive, or function very well without glasses.

Are the glasses legally mine, or do they belong to my parents, because they were bought under my parent's insurance?
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 Who pays for the insurance has no bearing on this question. They were prescribed for you, dispensed to you, and functionally belong to you. There's a bigger argument here, but it's not a legal one. Call your eye doc, tell them what happened. They will offer you options in a cheaper frame or give you the rx to take to Walmart or Target, both good options for cheap glasses.Answer #2: If you bought them, they are yours. If your parents bought them and gave them to you, then they are yours.

It doesn't matter if you were under your parents' insurance when you bought them.  You have every right to call the police and report the theft of your glasses.Answer #3: Not legal advice, but extremely relevant practical world advice: call whoever does your eye exams and get a copy of your prescription.  You'll be asked to prove who you are, but that's about as far as they care. Use this rx to buy glasses online at a hugely popular online retailer.  Expect to wait a few weeks, but you can get backup glasses for, like, $7 a pair if you don't mind "breaking stylistic norms".

Taking your glasses sounds abusive.  You should know that this isn't normal.Answer #4: Glasses lenses are filled specifically for you via a prescription from a Dr. if this was a prescription pill bottle, would there be any doubt it didn’t belong to you as well?


Title: [Cumming, Georgia] Fired possibly over a kidney stone

Question:
I worked as a salesman for a pipe fitting manufacturing company in Cumming, Georgia for slightly more than a year. This was my first job right out of college. At about the one-year mark, I decided working there wasn't for me. I wanted to pursue other passions. So I picked September 16th as my quit date.

About two months ago, I told my boss that I was planning on transitioning out of the company to pursue my other passions full-time. I was just trying to be a good employee and give him a heads-up. He thanked me and said we should discuss it over beers sometime.

My girlfriend, who I've been dating for about a year, suffers from PTSD and depression. I've often (maybe once a month) had to take a day off and just be with her to help her cope. This has never seemed to upset my boss. Last week, however, I had to take Tuesday off to be with my girlfriend, and then I got a kidney stone on Thursday. So I called my boss from the hospital and informed him of the kidney stone via voicemail, and that I wouldn't be in for Thursday and Friday (kidney stones suck).

On Friday, I got a call from HR saying that they were aware of my kidney stone, and also that I was planning on leaving the company, so what they would do is simply pay me (and maintain my health insurance) throughout the end of August, but I wouldn't have to come in anymore. Essentially, they gave me my two-week notice and told me I didn't need to come in anymore. I heard through the grapevine that my boss also requested access to my company email account and said I wasn't allowed on company property anymore. So to me, it sounds like my boss threw a fit about the fact that I only came in for two days last week and tried to fire me on the spot, but frame it like he was doing me a favor somehow to avoid legal issues.

Is there something illegal here? I've essentially been fired, though nobody has given me any document that says so, and I feel like I'm getting paid for an extra two weeks of work so that I don't sue anybody. I have documentation from the hospital that proves the existence of my kidney stone, and I've never received any warnings or talkings-to regarding my attendance.

Being that this is Cumming, Georgia, the company leadership is a bunch of good ol' boys. Thank you very much for reading.

Answer: It sounds kinda like you quit.


Title: My landlord sold a parking spot on our lawn.... help!

Question: My landlord sold a parking spot on our lawn, literally have to step over the strangers car to walk out our back door... we have no places for visitors to park now and the person she sold it to blasts music at 3am(right outside my window). Basically it’s getting to be a real issue and I want to know if it is legal for her to do that?! Please help

Answer:
 In your lease, what spaces are you renting? Does "the premises" that you're renting include the yard?Answer #2: You have not said where you are BUT where I am, short-term camping in parking spaces is a very real problem.  It is possible your community has a minimum rental qualification (for example here in order to rent a space to an RV the landlord has to comply w/certain safety regulations regarding waste disposal, among other things.  Additionally, I could not rent a parking space that would prevent the fire department getting to my neighbors house if my neighbor had a fire.  In the world of beachfront & easements this comes up A LOT).

I would check w/ your community ( in the US start w/the town or county clerk's office) & find out what constitutes a rental.  It may be fine, but you may be able to get the vehicle evicted.

In the meantime, there is certainly a noise ordinance re: playing loud music at 3am.  Put the non- emergency number in your contacts & call every time. You might be able to get the cops to solve your parking lot tenant problem.


Title: Can my apartment complex tow my car that is registered?

Question:
I have 2 cars and when we first leased here we were told one parking spot per adult tenant. 2 cars, 2 spots. One of my cars is old and not currently running but has an antique tag that doesnt expire. They just hired a new gm a few months ago and shes been bitching about it. They havent threatened towing it yet but i know thats going to be coming.

Can the tow a registered car? I tried googling it but every single result was about unregistered cars or expired tags.

Edit: Tenessee

Answer:
 > One of my cars is old and not currently running

Most leases I see explicitly address non-functioning vehicles. The lease could dictate, for example, that the car must be in good condition or risk being towed.


Title: [VA] Failed drug test while on probation after using CBD.

Question:
I just failed a drug test after using CBD edibles and vape cartridge. I am insanely pissed. I had no idea this was possible. I was an everyday/multiple times a day smoker for nearly 15 years. I haven't smoked weed in over a month after getting arrested. The anxiety and depression have been crippling and I thought CBD products could help if I couldn't use anything with THC.

 I'm on probation and they are sending my urine to the lab. Hopefully the lab will prove my innocence, but I have a feeling it won't. Could the THC still be in my system from my cannabis use prior to CBD? I'm flipping out and scared they will throw me in jail after doing NOTHING WRONG. What do I do now?

Answer:
 Many of the "less professional" CBD manufacturers have been found to have product that still contains detectable levels of THC.

You're on probation, you should abstain from ANYTHING refined from an illegal drug.Answer #2: It's possible the CBD products contained just enough THC to dirty a urine test.  It's also possible for THC metabolites to stay in your system longer than a month.

If the terms of your probation prohibit you from getting stoned, you should probably refrain from consuming ALL marijuana products, not just those that are guaranteed to get you high.  There is very little, if any, guarantee that CBD products contain 0 THC.Answer #3: You violated your probation by using drugs. I don’t understand why you are confused.


Title: Ex husband asking for more things

Question: My ex husband and I were officially divorced over a year ago. He has recently come back asking for various furniture items. He shouldn't be entitled to these items since we already split our belongings but I'm worried if I don't give them to him, he'll make more issues. Currently both our names are on my car. I have been making on the payments on it and pay the insurance. If I refuse to give him anything else can he come after me for the car? Should I just block him?

Answer: This will be covered by the terms of the final divorce decree.  If he has been given everything owed under those terms, he has no right to additional assests and can not create any additional legal trouble.


Title: Georgia laws

Question:
In Georgia can a person be found guilty of driving while license suspended if there is no witness?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 It depends what you’re thinking and your situation. Although typically no.

However the punishment for driving with a suspended license can be severe depending on the situation if you do get caught. So I certainly wouldn’t suggest it at all.


Title: Marijuana posession charge in Arizona, but I'm moving to Colorado.

Question:
In May of this year I was caught with marijuana (less than 3 grams) and paraphernalia (a pipe and grinder, both were used so I can't say they were for other things). My friends and I were driving and we all had weed and it smelled in the car. My friend told the cop everything and although I didn't want to admit to anything or consent to the search, I didn't really have a choice because my friend gave him probable cause to do the search by ratting me out. I was compliant and the officer said he wouldn't arrest me or anything like that, but he read me my Miranda rights. I wasn't cuffed or anything but as far as I can tell he did arrest me.

Arizona is really tough on marijuans charges, but I don't have a criminal record and I'm a college student receiving federal aid, so I'm worried about losing it. Normally, for a case like mine you're put through a program where you are drug tested for a bit, do some community service, and take some drug and alcohol classes and your case is dropped and off your record.

However, I'm going to be moving to Colorado and transferring to a different college. I don't know what's going to happen to my case. I haven't gotten a court date yet, but I know it's coming up soon. Does anyone have any idea what's going to happen? Any advice is appreciated.

UPDATE: I called the court system and was transferred to a bunch of different offices, the public defenders, the superior court, and even the county attorney (the number was on the business card that the officer gave me, they couldn't help me because they'd be the ones prosecuting me, oops) In the end I was told that the court has up to 7 years to file felony charges, IF they decide to file, and until I get a notice in the mail I can't do anything. All I can do is update my mailing address until I'm served.

Answer:
 No one knows "what's going to happen."

You'll have to go back to AZ to face charges (or hire a lawyer to appear for you).

Will you being out of state have an effect on how the judge deals with your case or how your probation is served?  Maybe, but no one here can guess how with any reliability.


Title: (Florida) I was around when an auto accident occurred, but was not involved, but victim said I was at fault.

Question:
This sounds stupid, but here's what happened. I was at a 4-way stop sign behind a couple of other cars, with other cars in the other lanes so it was taking a while. In my rearview, I see a car approaching dangerously fast, and reckon that he's going to crash into me. I quickly move to my right, avoiding the car, as he slams on the brakes but still hits the car that was in front of me. It didn't seem like anybody was injured even though there was considerable damage to the cars.

Almost immediately after the crash, the woman that was in front of me exits her car and starts yelling at me, "Why the fuck did you move?! You were supposed to get hit, not me! This is your fault!" and started taking pictures of my car and license plate (and then the car that hit her).

The dangerous driver still hadn't gotten out of the car. But with this crazy lady yelling at me (I seriously don't know how she could think I had any part in that accident), I decided to leave since I was not part of the collision.

When she saw me inch forward to the stop sign to wait my turn (I'm a safe driver, duh) she started yelling, "He's leaving the scene of the crime! Stop him!" and the passenger of her car exited and tried to run in front of my car, but he tripped and fell (looked like he may have hit his head). I casually left the scene and went about my day. All of this was recorded on my dash cam.

Being that I'm not a law person, I just want to make sure that I'm in the clear and don't have anything to worry about. I'm slightly worried mainly that if her passenger sustained an injury during his fall when attempting to arrest me, she'll try to come after me for that (and also of course since I "caused" the accident by refusing to be a victim).

Thank you.

Answer:
 You should absolutely file a report with the police, describe exactly what happened. That way if those people report you as a "Hit and run" or something like that then you have on record that you were not involved.

Obviously, you have no obligation to get hit in order to block others from being hit. And I'm not aware of there being any problem with a non-involved bystander leaving the scene of an accident, especially not if threatened. But they have your license plate number so you might want to get ahead of them in case they report you. It might be a good idea to preemptively report "witnessing" an accident and being accused of being "leaving the scene" with your insurance as well.Answer #2: PLEASE POST THE VIDEO!!!


Title: Can my boyfriend kick me out?

Question:
My boyfriend and I got into a fight on NYE. He left a party we were at in my car and went home. The next day he told me he left a box of clothes in my car and that my keys were in the mailbox. Well I told him I wanted to get more stuff myself such as makeup, toothbrush, etc. He refused to let me in until I threatened to bring a cop with me. He's basically kicking me out for a week and took away my house key and fob for our security system. He owns the house, however, I pay all of the bills and I get mail there proving its my residence. So my question, Can he legally deny me access to the house?

Edit: I live in ohio

Answer:
 > Can he legally deny me access to the house?

No.  You are a tenant and you have rights as such.  He must give you written notice to vacate (the amount of time depends on your location).

You can call the non-emergency police line to tell them you have been illegally evicted.  They will show up and attempt to explain to him what he is doing.  But ultimately what he is doing is civil and not criminal, so the police cannot arrest or cite your boyfriend.Answer #2: No, he cannot. And if you call the police, they *may* require him to let you back into your residence. Just explain that you live there, have lived there for some time, and have documentation to prove it.

If they do not let you back in the house, and you cannot afford a hotel for a few nights, you can look for women's shelters in the area.

What he's doing is illegal, and you can sue him for an illegal eviction, but that process will take some time. Get your own living situation sorted out first.


Title: Can I invoice a company for lost time due to egregiously poor customer service?

Question:
This is a hypothetical. But after a few prominent examples of insane  customer support interactions, I was wondering if there is a point where one could bill the company (e.g. Comcast) for the cost of being talked to in circles for an unacceptably long period of time.

Similarly, if a technician is scheduled to come out to your house (so you have to be home) and s/he never shows, can you bill for lost hours for that, too?

Edit: Can I invoice, and then take them to small claims court if they don't pay and have a reasonable shot at winning/settling?

Answer: Sure, you can "bill" for anything you want.  You can't make them pay it, however, absent a court order.


Title: Is it illegal to start a band called Fuck Bodette?

Question:
My principals name is Mr.Bodette and I really dislike him, along with most people in my school. Would it be illegal to start a band called Fuck Bodette? I was also considering making bumper stickers for it.

Edit: I live in Minnesota, USA.

Answer: Sure. You could probably face pretty serious disciplinary action at school, obviously. Answer #2: Sure, you can name your band whatever you want. You could also act like an adult too.


Title: Neighbor has been following and threatening my Dad and my Dog's lives

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Sounds like you guys need to talk to the police about getting a temporary restraining order. He's threatened violence against your dad and the dog, and has multiple police visits.Answer #2: NAL but NY is one party consent so I would recommend recording the conversation. It's sometimes hard to pursue these cases when it's all based on someone's word.


Title: [Virginia] Marijuana possession & drug paraphernalia. Virginia Court Summons. Greensville.

Question:
So long story short me and three friends were road tripping from MA to NC and on the way my friend got pulled over on the interstate and charged with reckless driving.

The officer said he smelt pot and said if we cooperated he would let us off without arresting us. We all had under a 1/2 ounce on us, individually so he took all of our stuff including my vaporizer.

So then he pulled us all out of the car individually and gave us all a Virginia Uniform Summons. I received two.

Marijuana Possession - [§ 18.2-250.1](https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-250.1)

Possession of drug paraphernalia - [§ 54.1-3466.](https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+54.1-3466)

Other pertinent info:
I'm 21
clean record
not from VA

What's the deal? Am i fucked? What should be my course of action?

Answer:
 Let's give you a FAQ response to the whole pot thing

"I got caught with ______ should I get a lawyer?"

Drug convictions can screw up a lot of stuff.

- your financial aid can be affected
- yes - that includes scholarships
- your ability to get employed in the future can revolve around the outcome
- yes - these charges count
- yes - this can impact where you can rent an apartment
- yes - this can impact you for years
- no - it's not "just some weed" - it's illegal and it's a drug charge
- yes - you need a lawyer
- no - you can't google your way out of this
- no - the cops aren't assholes and this charge isn't bullshit
- no - you're not special
- yes - I'm serious
- yes - you can get kicked out of school for this
- yes - call mommy and daddy and get some help


Title: Someone is driving around on a fake dealer license plate that is linked to my family. A ticket has been issued because the person drove through a toll booth without paying. What do I do?

Question:
Pretty basic. My family owns a car dealership in Michigan, so we all drive on dealer plates. However there are only 4 of us that drive on them consistently. My dad, brother, one of my dads employees, and myself are the only people that ever have a dealer plate in their possession. Only my dad, brother and I are driving on them daily.

Today we received a ticket in the mail from Illinois. A person driving a Ford Edge drove through a toll booth on July 28th without paying, and as a result they sent us a ticket for around 60$. Just for clarification, none of us were anywhere near Illinois recently, and we haven't owned any Ford Edges recently. Also, they sent a picture of the car with the plate, and you can clearly see that it has the same ID number as one of our plates.

The plate shown has actually never left the envelope we received it in. It's a plate we have never used.

What do I do? Can I do anything?

Answer:
 Is it possible that same plate number was reissued at some point? Either it expired and they sent you the same plate # as a replacement or it used to belong to someone else?

In any event I would go to my local police station during normal business hours with the fine and file a report for the stolen tag. Then I would take the report to the DMV and have the plate replaced. Finally with a copy of the report and DMV paperwork I would contest/appeal the fine. I would take care of this ASAP, assuming the plate was stolen/forged, not paying a toll is the least bad thing someone could have done with it.Answer #2: >My family owns a car dealership in Michigan, so we all drive on dealer plates.

>Only my dad, brother and I are driving on them daily.

So is that actually legal?

Edit: looks like it is http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-49534_50300_50309-62752--,00.htmlAnswer #3: My in-laws had something similar to this happen with the state of New Jersey.  Some jackass was using a NJ transporter plate (on multiple cars) to blow tollbooths.  It happened to have a similar number to the registration my FIL had on a *snowmobile.*  In ***Nebraska.***

Took multiple phone calls and letters - including one to the Governor's office - to get the idiots to stop dunning them for money.


Title: Should I run?

Answer:
 When you start your question with -100 karma? AND you forget to actually delete the post before you "delete the post"? You're an idiot troll. No one wants to deal with http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/34zqag/should_i_be_concerned_about_possible_attempted/ again.

Nice try.Answer #2: This is a place to get basic legal advice.

Fleeing to avoid prosecution is a crime.  The most basic legal advice there is is this: don't break the law.

Committing a crime to avoid punishment for another crime is a terrible idea from a legal perspective.

Running almost never makes things better.  It will catch up with you and will be worse when it does.


Title: I am being taken advantage of financially by my housemates and I don't know what to do.

Question: In New Jersey. So this is a complicated situation and I don’t know what to do. I’ll preface this by saying I am renting a house with 11 other poor college students (12 total). We signed a lease over the summer to live in our house for $6000 a month. Before we signed the lease, we all knew exactly what the room/roommate assignments were and that we were all going to pay $550 a month (the extra $50 went towards utilities). Then everything went wrong. Three members of the group, who are brothers, were not happy with their rooms. The only brother who had previously looked at the house before signing the lease falsely promised the others a “spacious double” before they signed the lease. When they moved in and realized that their room was actually smaller they were upset. The landlord, however, told us that he was going to be working on finishing the attic and turning it into a bedroom. We agreed as a house that the brothers could pay reduced $350 a month while the attic was being finished and then they could go up there and pay the full $550. For weeks the brothers harassed the landlord into speeding up the attic process, which he was in no way contractually obligated to do. The unhappy brothers then went to the town and found that the house was actually only zoned for 11 people while the lease was for 12. The brothers responded by not paying any rent. The landlord was made aware of this zoning infraction by the town and he fixed the problem in less than a week by expanding the smaller room that the two brothers were in. Currently, the brothers all have a legal sized room, are using all of our utilities, and are not paying any rent or utilities. They are saying that they will not do so until the landlord pays them back their money from when the house was only legal for 11. They are expecting the remaining 9 housemates to just let them live there for free while we pick up their rent and utilities.  They claim to have a lawyer who is advising them to do this, but they will not provide us with any documentation saying that this is an appropriate plan of action. The landlord has even offered to let them leave the lease and lower the rent to $4500 for a month while we work on finding 3 new housemates to replace them. They are still living here for free and the other housemates are all scared of getting financially screwed. Nothing seems right. We don’t know what to do. I have finals to worry about and really don’t want to deal with this anymore.

Answer: Sue your roomatesAnswer #2: If the house is now legally liveable, on a personal level, take the landlord up on the lower rent and get the brothers out of there. They are going to constantly be a problem. I've had a lot of roommates and this makes me cringe reading it.


Title: Breaking a lease over "quiet enjoyment of the premises"

Question:
I have some new upstairs neighbors, and they're a dozen times worse than anything I've ever seen in 20 years of living in apartments. There's a toddler and a baby living with a single parent. Between the two kids, I can hardly even complete a thought most days.  I haven't gotten a full night's sleep in a week.

The parent seems to be insane, as the toddler's usual bedtime is between 11 pm and midnight. The baby wakes up 2-3 times a night and screams, which wakes the toddler up, who then goes right to her full time job of racing back and forth across the hardwood floor and dive-bombing off the couch. At 3 AM. For half an hour. Insane parent doesn't see anything wrong with this.

For at least 8 hours a day, the kid just pounds on the floor. Three times per second, 55 minutes out of every hour. Intermittent crashing mixed in with pounding, running, screaming, squealing, and a baby with cholic. The parent makes no attempt to limit any of this in any way. The parent also lied on their lease, because there's only supposed to be one person living there.

My landlord is willing to transfer me to another unit, but there won't be one available for at least two months, if I'm lucky. In the meantime, I'm going to have to move in with my sister. They won't let me break my lease.

Am I legally obligated to keep paying them for an uninhabitable disaster area? If I tell them I'm leaving and I'll see them in small claims court, what will likely happen?

Answer:
 First off, you're speaking extremely hyperbolic.  You are not in an uninhabitable disaster area.  Speaking as someone who cleaned up the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, check yourself.

Second off, you're in an apartment.  If you want sound-free privacy, move to a house.

"Quiet enjoyment" does not literally mean that people around you must be quiet.  It means you have the ability to enjoy the premises without intrusion or damage.

It sucks, but all you can do is wait to move.  Get some white noise machines, some sound padding for the ceiling, and ear plugs.

You can also pay whatever penalty your lease prescribes and break your lease to move elsewhere.Answer #2: Quiet enjoyment has nothing to do with noise.  If the neighbors are violating noise ordinances, call the police non emergency number to report it every time they do.  Even if that means multiple calls every night.

Sooner than later they'll get sick of telling these people to shut up and start citing them.  They may also have the option under local law to send the landlord a bill for their time, which would likely prompt him to evict them.


Title: (Virginia) Forced psychiatric hospitalization

Question:
I was forcibly admitted to a behavioral health hospital for being suicidal a couple months ago. The admission was "voluntary" because I was told by a psychiatric urgent care clinic doctor that she could "get an order" to admit me involuntarily if I did not agree.

I drove myself to the clinic and self-reported an overdose of sleeping pills and feeling suicidal to the urgent care clinic two days after the overdose incident. It was a Saturday so I couldn't see my psychiatrist but I had a future appointment booked. I made it clear to the doctor I saw at the clinic that the increased suicidal ideation was linked to the prescription antidepressants I had started taking 6 weeks before. (This is not uncommon and yes, the clinic I went to was capable of prescribing psychiatric medication.)

To be clear: I did NOT want to be admitted and I was not given any other options, despite the fact that it was 2 days after the incident, I self-reported, I drove myself to the clinic, I had an appointment with a psychiatrist (in the same hospital network as the clinic) on the calendar, and I have NO history of resisting treatment. My diagnosis is depression and I have four years of history working collaboratively with mental health professionals.

I was in the hospital for 2 nights and was released as soon as their regular doctor could sign off on it (Monday morning). The doctor there changed my medication and I was 100% better almost immediately. However, this could have been done on an outpatient basis.

Do I have any recourse to take action against this clinic doctor?

Answer:
 You voluntarily admitted yourself. So no, you cannot sue someone for a choice you made. Answer #2: Sounds like the system worked as designed.

You had a choice, you just chose the path of least resistance. That doesn't mean you didn't have a choice -- and even if you did, it sounds like the right thing to do would be to hospitalize you.

I'm glad you're feeling better, and note that it's a direct result of the intervention that was taken to *literally* save your life.


Title: Family Court System is Enabling My Mentally Ill Mother

Question:
My parents married about 15 years ago because my mother was pregnant. While they were married the constantly fought and my mother was dangerously abusive physically and verbally. As a highlight she once grabbed a knife and attempt to stab my father, in what my or may not have been a physical gesture. They divorce when I was 3. Although my father attempted to co-parent my mother forced constant legal conflict and conflict in general. She filed at least 16 motions (she attempt to file over 20), these brought about numerous mediation session. By contrast, my father has only filed 4( 1 on my behalf). Throughout my childhood my mother was verbally and emotionally abusive in a way that qualifies as criminal. She took massive steps to alienate me from my father and turned my childhood into a hell created from her imagination. She threatened to have my dad and stepmother killed since i was toddler. She told me my father was a rapist, I claim that when under oath she admitted was untrue. If you need more details ask.

About 2 years ago she she became so abusive the the court appointed guardian ad litem removed me from her home. After failed therapy session with her(the therapist felt scared for her life), earlier this year the court awarded my father full custody. But she still found ways to insert herself into my life, through emails, texts, gifts(one that included a small knife) and Court motions. We recently filed a restraining order on my out of the fog, out the storm so that these would be prevented, but this morning the judge dismissed it.

So for some context, after the events of the last twelve years my father and stepmother have been diagnosed with PTSD and I've been diagnosed with C-PTSD. We have a letter from a therapist affirming my diagnosis and stating it as a result of my mother presence in my life. I am convinced my mother has borderline personality disorder, as several therapist have suggested, and after reading books on borderline parents I am sure. She is a petite Latina female, and I personally think this has given her an unfair advantage in family court, as few people can see her as an abuser. The emails, texts, gifts(one that included a small knife) and Court motions are almost always followed by nausea, vomiting, stomach aches and insomnia on my part, in addition to emotional distress. During all of the court hearings in the last year I've written letters, because I can't testify or attend the hearings, that describes the abuse I experienced and what I need the courts to do for my well being. But the court always refuses to admit the letters in evidence or allow my father to read them. In the most recent hearing for a restraining order for me against my mother the judge seemed to feel I had be coerced into wanting a restraining order. Once again they refused my letter, and this time, the letter from my therapist. My father offered he meet me in person but the Honorable Judge ignored that request. The court seems to still think a relationship between me and my mom is a good idea. Also I'm 15, in Santa Fe New Mexico, and and year ago the last guardian ad litem recused himself after my mother refused to pay him.

I'm worried for my father, after loses this last motion I'm concerned he may have a nervous breakdown. He's never made his PTSD my problem, but I know he suffers. Im additional upset because I thought I had reached a point in my life we're I could try to recover from my childhood instead of repeating past trauma. This needs to end now. Should I contact the judge directly and force him to meet with me? After bad experiences, my dad doesn't use a lawyer as he's had some bad experiences, should we hire a lawyer again? Additionally we considered suing the New Mexico court system for mishandling our case. I need some kind of plan to stop my mother from further hurting me and my family.

If you need more information please ask. Thank you.

Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: You can't force the judge to meet with you. You can't sue the court system. If this needs to continue being pursued for your well being, your father needs to hire a new attorney.


Title: How to sue without an address?

Question:
I posted a thread a while back about hitting a suitcase with my car due to someone's negligence. I found out who it belonged to, know their name, phone number, Facebook page, wife's name, and a few other small details and after talking to a few of my attorney friends at work, want to proceed with suing them.

I contacted my local small claims area and they are telling me I need an address for him to be served? This seems a little bogus to me. If I provide the court with details why can't they subpoena him and mail him a letter to appear at court? Can someone fill me in how I can proceed? I have thought about having someone else call and pretend to be someone verifying his address in hopes he will give the real one, but I'm not sure how that sits legally.

I am located in Fort Worth

Thank you

Answer:
 > I contacted my local small claims area and they are telling me I need an address for him to be served? This seems a little bogus to me.

It's not.  That's the standard in any civil case.

> If I provide the court with details why can't they subpoena him and mail him a letter to appear at court?

If you don't know where he lives how are they supposed to?

> I have thought about having someone else call and pretend to be someone verifying his address in hopes he will give the real one, but I'm not sure how that sits legally.

Nothing particularly wrong with that.