Title: My neighbors are becoming more and more difficult, how do I protect myself? (Montana)

Question:
I have lived in a duplex with 2 roommates since January. The duplex is located in a small cul-de-sac with very limited parking. Since parking is so limited, everyone puts their cars wherever they can, including the yellow, illegal areas. My boyfriend lives near me, so we usually drive his car and I have left my car parked outside of my house for a while now. I DO drive my car, maybe 2-3 times a week, but it's not my main mode of transportation.

I live in a small college town, where most people bike or walk anyways. My neighbors in the cul-de-sac are generally super laid back and sweet, except my direct neighbors in the duplex. They are older, unemployed and neurotic. They have come over to our apartment complaining many times about things that do not matter at all. Somebody in the neighborhood threw Coke on their snow-covered yard and they demanded that I come shovel it, even though my roommates and I had nothing to do with it.

They've badgered my landlord since she first bought the apartment, and recently they've complained that they don't like the "look of the new tenants". I don't know what that means, as all of my roommates are good kids, but there is a male and a black female. I think my neighbor doesn't like the fact that a male lives in the house, and she's retaliating.

My neighbor has called the police on my car, where they threatened to tow it because it's "abandoned". It's not abandoned. I use my car regularly, and I do have the right to park there. How can I protect myself? These neighbors have repeatedly called the police about the parking situation in my cul-de-sac, regularly complain to my landlord, and regularly stop by to bitch at us for NO reason.

They are a weird group of people, they literally sit inside their house and watch me and my roommates. They literally stare at us and watch us, like they're trying to find something to complain about.

How can I protect myself? I do not like conflict, and I don't want issues with my neighbors but I don't want my car towed nor do I want police banging on my door again.

Thank you!

Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 > My neighbor has called the police on my car, where they threatened to tow it because it's "abandoned". It's not abandoned

"Abandoned" has a very specific definition under the law. In Montana, a vehicle that doesn't move for between 2 and 5 days(depending on the area where it's left) is abandoned.  Your town may have stricter laws than that.

You can't prevent them from reporting you if your vehicle is in violation of the law.  You'd have some difficulty preventing them from reporting you for likely or believed violations of the law.


Title: Getting my tuition back from my school. GA

Question:
 I've been going to the school since fall of 2015 and I am a year away from graduating. I'm in a very small program, 26 students, and the quality of the program has been terrible since our main teacher quit over a year ago. Since she quit the school has done everything except cancel the program, which would entitle all 26 of us to a full refund. The find a different faculty member every so often with little to no knowledge of what we should be learning. Many of the things the course description listed haven't been taught, and those things were some of the reasons i decided to go to school there. I have written a detailed complaint letter and sent it to my adviser, the dean, the president, and the CEO that runs the chain of schools. If you're interested in the letter I can edit names out and share. I also have 15 other students, with more joining the group, that feel the same way.
What are my best options to getting my money back from the school?

Answer:
 Is your school accredited? If they lose their accreditation, they may be forced to shut down the program, giving you the opportunity to seek a refund. Unfortunately there may be no refund for your time. Answer #2: Send a copy of your letter to the schools accreditor as well as this email address.   CaseTeams@ed.gov

That address is for the federal Department of Education group that audits schools that participate in the federal aid programs.  If for some reason that email address doesn't work reply to this comment and let me know - DeVos has made a lot of changes - if this was one of them I can find you a different contact.


Title: [TX] $30,000 debt due on the 30th, notified six days before Christmas

Question:
I came home today after watching Star Wars with a friend and I noticed something was amiss. My dad was just pulling out of the driveway and I asked him where he was going. He said, "for a drive", which typically means he's going to get his mind off of things. I go in the house and his girlfriend is crying. I ask what is wrong and she says he's going to confront his ex-wife over something. (Something he did not pursue of course.) That something happened to be a $30,000 child support demanded over the span of the year supposedly. It was to my understanding that they had a mutual agreement that she was to get the house in return for not charging him for child support, along with many other amenities which I will elaborate on as best as I can, and as far as I know.

He has ten days to pay it or they'll liquidate his assets.

They divorced in around September 2013 and share one child together. They both have custody for half of the year, 2-week on and off.
They built a house together on her land, of which he made most if not all of the 1600 payments a month on for little over six or seven years - which he ceded to her in the divorce proceedings, along with two cars, a tractor, a truck, and three dogs.

How on earth is she allowed to bill him with this in mind?
We are in threat of losing our entire livelihood. House, remaining two cars (one of which is mine), my college fund (of which I am currently a sophomore), and more importantly, any means of being able to take care of my little brother, let alone pursue any sort of life for myself.

Is there any way that this can be...not-so?

Answer:
 child support is fixed by the court and is unlikely to be anywhere near that expensive. in addition, no reasonable court will order a lump sum payment.

in texas, the child support formula calls for the non-custodial parent to pay 20% of his or her income after taxes but before optional deductions, for one child. 25% for two, 30% for three, etc, up to 60%.

for $30k/year, your dad would need to be pulling in excess of $150k/year.

also, the court can modify the order depending on the situation.

the only way she can force child support is through a court order through a family district court. if he's served with some kind of notice, he needs a family law attorney, documentation of his income, a copy of the divorce decree, and any other formal or informal agreements they have. otherwise, she's blowing smoke.

also, note: if the divorce court ordered a payment, and he hasn't been making it, even if she "agreed" to it, he is well and truly fucked. *only* a court can modify a support order in that way in texas. however, it's unlikely he'd be required to shit all $30k at once. it might still be painful, but enforcement doesn't usually go that fast, and even if it did, he'd have been getting notices from the attorney general's office about this for a long time.


Title: [CT] Debtor not paying Creditor in Bankruptcy Case

Question:
I successfully sued someone for gross negligence and got a judgement for $86K.  I attached a lien to their condo and shortly after that they filed for bankruptcy.  The Bankruptcy Judge crammed my $86K down to $6K because I was third in line and the Bankruptcy plan was approved.  This was over the Summer, I think late May or June 2016.

In August 2016, the Trustee sent me a check for $400+/- as per the Bankruptcy Plan.  Then nothing.  My Attorney has contacted the Bankruptcy Trustee several times, but "there's just no money there".  We will be coming up to 7 months without a check this month.

My Attorney is suggesting to give it time because he knows that it's going to cost me a ton of money in fees to pursue it.  I think one check in 7 months is plenty of time.  I want to either get the Bankruptcy Plan thrown out because she's not paying it (and my $86K lien gets restored), or get the payments started again (so I can at least collect $.07/dollar).

Are these my only two options?

ETA: Yes, it is a chapter 13.

Answer:
 Listen to your lawyer.  This issue is complicated far beyond any credible internet legal advice.

If you don't trust your lawyer, you might consider seeking a second opinion from another qualified local attorney.

But in the broadest sense, proceeding as a creditor in a bankruptcy filing can be expensive.  It may well be the case that there simply isn't sufficient opportunity to recover that money to justify the expense of proceeding.


Title: My brother wants to give me his land and mineral rights...

Question:
Texas.

My mother passed away several years ago, and left a bit of land with mineral rights to my brother and I. He no longer wants his land or mineral rights. The royalty payments are not very much, and he doesn't want to pay the taxes on the land anymore.

I am not in a position to buy his share at the moment, so we were thinking of him giving/selling for $100 the land and rights to me and I will pay the taxes and collect the royalties until he is in a position to afford the taxes again, at that time, I will give it back to him or sell it back for the same price I paid for it less the amount I've collected minus taxes paid.

Will this be expensive to have an attorney draw up?  Do we need an attorney?

Thanks!

Answer:
 Yes absolutely. Family and money are dangerous things to mix. You want your agreement to be iron clad and clear as day. Any gray areas are potential sources of conflict.

I think it's probably better for you to buy it outright with no strings attached or for him to just keep it.


Title: Can I legally move out/runaway at age 17 in michigan?

Question: Im a senior in highschool living in michigan, I can easily find a job and pay to live my rent to live with a friend who is also in highschool,  im basically wondering if I chose to leave my house with my clothes and have my friend drive me to school from his house and everything what legal trouble could me or my friend/friends parents get in? If there is no legal way possible for me to get in trouble since im 17 I will be leaving. Please let me know!

Answer: Actually just talked about this in another thread. 17 in Michigan is a gray area age. Not an adult, not a juvenile, but parents are still obligated to provide for you unless you're emancipated from their guardianship. The Michigan statute for aiding/harbouring a runaway specifically states it's only an offense to knowingly keep a person **under 17** (meaning 16 and below) who they know is a runaway.


Title: [CA]Taking Pictures at work

Question:
I work as an engineer for a company in California.  Today while at work, i witnessed a contractor (does not work for my company) performing an act that is in violation of OSHA guidelines, and company policy.  In response to this, i approached the contractor, and said "Excuse me" (to get his attention) "I'm going to need you to put on the appropriate safety gear."  The contractor was visibly upset, and loudly stated that there was no way to do his job with the required safety gear, and then continued to do the unsafe act.  In response i took out my phone and took a picture of the contractor to send to my safety director, and VPs.  At this point the contractor ceased his unsafe action, then approached me, asking if wanted him to leave (in a confrontational way, not a questioning way), and repeated his previous response that there was not a safe way to do what he was doing.   I told him that i did not want him to leave, but that he could not continue to do what he was doing in the way he was doing it, and they would need to find a safe way to do it.  Then i left the area, as the contractor seemed confrontational, and i didnt see any other way to defuse the situation.

I sent out an email detailing the contractors unsafe actions, and our VP immediately responded confirming that this was in violation of our policies, and asking the PM in charge of the project to address it with the employee.

This afternoon, our Safety Director approached the contractor in question with the picture, and according to an email i just got, when the contractor saw the image, he got irate, and has elected not to return to our job site.
Note: My company does allow me to take pictures on the worksite, and i have communicated safety issues such as this without being asked to stop.
I did not ask the contractor if i could take a picture of him.  He did not ask me to delete the picture that i took of him, but he may not have realized that i took it (I thought that it was obvious)
My questions are as follows:
1) Was it legal for me to take a picture of this contractor.  He was working on our property, where i have permission to take photographs.
2) If requested, should i give a statement to HR with the information that i listed above?
3) Is there anything that i need to be aware of in this situation that was nearing activity that was not legal?
Thank you for your time.

Answer:
 There was no reasonable expectation of privacy and you're not using the picture to profit in any way. You simply took steps to ensure company policy was followed and report violations. The contractor failed to follow policy, that's on him.

There isn't anything to be worried about on your part.


Title: My mom (NC) is struggling with her very scary brother (OK), he is trying to make her sign a trust amendment TODAY that would give her brother's girlfriend (OK) money from the trust.

Question:
Hello folks!
I am in serious need of some help here. Long story short, my mom (56f) has one of those families that is a...toxic mess. She got far far away, but the passing of her father 2 months ago has bubbled up a bunch of legal concerns. Three of my grandfather's four children are in a trust in the state of OK. One of them, Uncle C, was removed from the trust.  There is Uncle C (he is devastatingly insane/toxic/addict) Uncle L (the head of the trust) Uncle S (doesn't really matter.) and my mom. My grandfather is L senior, so that is what I will call him.

So, my uncle C is essentially a very sick man. Drug addict, constantly being arrested for physically assaulting his girlfriend T, and he stole a bunch of money from my grandfather, etc. C and his girlfriend T are constantly getting in physical altercations fueled by drugs and alcohol. They get arrested all the time. C was removed from the will and trust by the grandfather, but it was not done with a reason given. Uncle C has been squatting in my grandpa's house in OK, but my other uncle L finally got him out and L cleaned up the house and put it on sale.

Uncle C has drafted up some sort of..contract that he wants the executor of the estate, uncle L, and my mom to sign. My mom does not have to sign, but she is scared that as a member of the trust she will be financially responsible for this contract. Uncle C is DEMANDING that Uncle L signs this TODAY and uncle L is afraid of him and going to sign. My mom is trying to contact attorneys to fully understand this situation, but I am hoping I can get some insight here as well before uncle L signs tonight. There is one more uncle, uncle S that is calling my mom and harassing her but I suppose he is not involved in the grand scheme of things.

I am going to type this darn thing out as my mom sent me a photo of it:

I, L, of (address) am trustee of L seniors trust including (grandpa's house)

As trustee of the L seniors trust, I also represent two of my siblings, specifically (my mom) and Uncle S. Through registration of the (courthouse) of this signed and notarized document I acknowledge that any personal items including furniture have been distributed to various people, Including uncle C

I further acknowledge as trustee of L senior's trust that the trust will not attempt to challenge the possession, or disposal of any of the afore mentioned personal items or furniture the L senior's trust and I, L, am satisfied with the distribution and subsequent ownership of any afore mentioned items. This includes a (nice ford truck) specifically with VIN _____ that is in possession of uncle C. The L senior trust no longer assumes any legal responsibility for the ford truck.

FUTHERMORE: I, uncle C (address) accept ownership of the afore mentioned nice ford truck vin ____ and all of the legal and financial responsibilities thereof and relinquish any an all claim of ownership forever more including any claim by any of my heirs to the real property of (grandpa's house) and will not receive, nor attempt to collect or receive any monies or personal gain from any sale or disposal of said property, more specifically, the legal description is the real property described as (grandpa's house.)

Then there are places for uncle L and uncle C getting the truck to sign.

My mom and uncle L do not care about any items in the house. The next form is what concerns me the most:

**I, L, of (address) am Trustee of L senior's trust including the real property located at (grandpa's address). As trustee I hearby acknowledge the legitimate debt incurred by L senior to T's (c's girlfriend!!!!) for services rendered for his assisted living, at L senior's request. The debt is represented by a bill submitted by T for her services for four-thousand five hundred dollars. ($4,500.00)**

**Furthermore, as trustee of L senior's trust, I acknowledge that since the debt remained unpaid at the time of L senior's death, the subsequent debt is now owed by the L senior's trust and will be paid in full by either certified check or cashier's check made out to T not late than the closing date of the sale of the above mentioned real property held by the L senior's trust (address).**

Then places to sign.

My mom is freaking out, C and T both stole a BUNCH of money from my grandpa. There was an adult protective services investigation, but they weren't able to find much because it was hidden well. C's kids were found to have stolen a lot of money from my grandpa, including the money to buy the nice ford truck listed above that no one has been making payments on. No one pressed on with protective services because C's kids "promised to stop" ?? I am at a loss. This is such a mess. T did not take care of my grandpa in ANY WAY. He had dementia, and they all, T, C, and C's kids had my grandpa constantly write them checks for thousands and they completely drained my grandpa dry. I can't imagine the thousands of dollars C and T and C's kids got from my grandpa. My mom is fine with not getting a penny if it means she can be ride of these horrible people. She does not, however, want to be responsible for T and C getting any money from the sale of the house. We feel it is VERY concerning that uncle C is pushing for a signature today, and that there is something awful going on. Does anyone have any insight here?

To further complicate things, **the closing attorney for my grandpa's house is C's attorney that helped him draft this.** This concerns my mom and I greatly. We think C wants cash and the truck, because he knows something that will affect the sale of the house. No liens were put up against the house, I believe.

The questions my mom has, as she does not reddit:
Why is my grandpa's house listed as one of C's residences?
Why is C's  attorney able to handle the closing? As C was removed from the trust by my grandpa.
Why doesn't it say the trust has to pay T if there are insufficient funds?
If there are no funds left to leins from C's son's debt (the one who bought the truck) does that mean my mom has to pay T out of her own pocket because she's listed in the trust?

Let me know if anything does not make sense or I need more info. C is incredibly cold, calculating, malicious, and pushed my grandpa to put his life insurance policy towards C while grandpa was confused from dementia and that's why C has the money to hire a lawyer. He hasn't had a job in lord knows how long.

Thank you for reading, you wonderful people.

edit:
My grandpa removed uncle C from the trust. L senior's attorney spoke to L senior before he passed, and said he was satisfied with L senior's level of being sound of mind when he made the decision to remove C. If uncle L does not sign today, uncle C says he will sue the trust, and uncle L is scared the trust will lose everything.

Answer:
 Trustees have a fiduciary duty to the beneficiaries of the trust they administer. If Uncle L signs a contract that is contrary to the terms of the trust _and_ contrary to the interests of the beneficiaries, the beneficiaries may be able to sue him to recover any lost assets, and sue to have him replaced with a new trustee.

Uncle L should absolutely not sign _anything_ from Uncles S and C without having it reviewed by his own lawyer or a lawyer operating on behalf of the trust first. If Uncles S and C are threatening violence, Uncle L should call the cops, rather than acquiescing. Otherwise, Uncles S and C can sue if they have some valid basis to demand that the trust do something - that's not a threat, that's just the next step in the process of enforcing the trust's duties.


Title: [IL] New apartment asking for "additional income." Do I have recourse if they refuse to lease?

Question: I'm moving to Chicago to start medical residency. Found an apartment for 1900/mo. Applied in office and got the  indication that everything was set. Just received email saying I need to provide "extra income source" or bank statement with full year of rent. My salary is 56k and credit score of 700. Do I have any options if they refuse to rent? I don't have the time to fly back to Chicago and look for another place, and they already took $500 app fee.

Answer: 😅 500 fee?  Sounds like you may have gotten scamed.Answer #2: Yes they can refuse to rent. That is legal. You have a 41% rent/income which is extremely high. It is reasonable to require this.


Title: Following detox for an alleged DUI I was jailed for nearly 36 hours until PR Bonded by court. How in gods name is that legal? (Denver, CO)

Question: When my ex got detoxed we picked her up immediately, not even a bond, just picked her up and she had to go back for court. My friend a similar situation. Why was I jailed for so long? I still haven't even plead.

Answer:
 No idea since you really didn't give details.

But can I say that you have an awesome group of people who you associate with. Answer #2: With no other details, we can't begin to guess.


Title: (Ill,Chicago) My mom is suing my dad for continued child support while I am in College. My mom asked for a public defender, didn't get one. My dad has his own. What can she do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Public defenders are for criminal cases. You are under no obligation to help your mother if you're too stressed out. She's free to stop helping you with college, particularly if she can't get support.Answer #2: On a re-read, I think it's unlikely that you can get a court to order child support for you now that you're 18, in IL, and seem to have no unusual circumstances.

You are able to work and earn income yourself. Welcome to adulting.

It sounds like financial stressors are foremost on your mother's mind, and that even though you are starting school you will have to also figure out how to contribute financially to your own living expenses. If you have absolutely no clue where to start, check your school's financial aid &/or career services offices, and look into whether you're eligible for any paid work study positions or internships. Done correctly, these can be used to satisfy credit requirements, so it doesn't actually eat into your course load.Answer #3: Illinois divorce law can require the parent to both cover college expenses.
http://ilfamilylaw.com/new-divorce-law-on-college-expenses/


Title: Landlord withholding security deposit because they think I'm going to testify against them in custody battle (Texas)

Question:
I recently moved out of a house where I lived with the landlord. My other roommate moved out on the same day. The landlord looked over her room, said all was good, and paid her the security deposit in cash.

I had to wait for my landlord to take a phone call before she was able to check me out, which was fine because I wanted to do some last minute spot cleaning (wasn't necessary, but I like to leave things nice). After reviewing my room, she said that everything looked great and asked me for my Paypal information. She said she didn't have anymore cash and asked if Paypal was fine. I agreed.

I asked her if we could go ahead and make the transfer that night so I didn't have to worry about it and she followed up with a strong "No." and said she would be waiting for 30-90 days to refund my security deposit. I asked why she was doing that after just paying my other roommate in cash.

Her response was that her Ex's lawyer had contacted her lawyer to inform them that a "friend of mine" had contacted them and offered to stand as a witness against her character and also that I engaged in illegal activities in the home making it unsafe for their child to visit.

She currently has supervised visitation of the child and is fighting a kidnapping case (charged with kidnapping her own child). I was completely taken back because besides hearing her vent about the custody battle, I know very little details about the case and did not know she had a pending felony when I moved in.

She told me that she was holding onto my deposit for the maximum legally allowed time to deter me from testifying against her in her custody battle. A friend of mine that was helping clean the house was in the room when she said this, as well as the locksmith she hired to change the locks as we were checking out (I got his information after this happened).

This seems really really crazy to me and I'm not sure what to do. I never got involved in this case, never even thought about getting involved, and don't want to spend any more time dealing with this person, I just want my deposit back. I don't know who the person is that they have to testify that I make the house unfit for visitation, or if that is even a real possibility.

In Texas, the only laws I can see about deposit refunding is that the landlord has 30 days to return it.

What should I do? Just wait out the 30 days and hope it gets refunded?

Thank you for taking the time to read!

Answer:
 > She told me that she was holding onto my deposit for the maximum legally allowed time to deter me from testifying against her in her custody battle.

It's nice of her to admit that she's attempting to extort you and tamper with a witness. I'm sure the police will appreciate her being so forthright.

If you don't get your deposit in 30 days sue her in small claims. Answer #2: IANAL, but I would wait for the maximum time allowed of 30 days. If they haven't provided you the deposit back, then file a suit in small claims court on the 31st day. Make the suit for 3x the deposit amount as well as the fees associated with small claims court, unless that amount would put it over the maximum amount allowed in small claims. Be sure to provide the judge a copy of the police report that will be created when you contact the police about the landlord attempting to tamper with a prospective witness. Answer #3: You are going to have to wait for the 30 days to be over. As soon as they are over, you can sue. Try to document everything that she did and get your ex roommate to help you if possible.


Title: My doctor required me to take a random urine screening before I could get my medication. I tested positive for THC (marijuana). MA allows recreational use of marijuana for adults 21+. Is my doctor allowed to stop prescribing me this medication still despite this?

Answer:
 They could, yes. They're 100% allowed to start and stop a prescription at their own discretion. Will they? Depends. They may cease your prescription if THC negatively affects you in combination with said medication. Otherwise, I don't know why they'd refuse to give you medication solely because you use marijuana.

**EDIT:** Why were you required to take a UA beforehand? I've only heard of this being a requirement for women to test if they're pregnant before starting certain medications. Answer #2: Absent certain emergency situations, your doctor isn't ever required to prescribe you anything, at all.

Doubly so if you've been lying to him about taking marijuana.  Answer #3: Yes.  Get a new doctor or quit using MJ if the medication is that important to you.  When the doctor or their medical group decided to start testing patients, they had to draw a line somewhere, and unfortunately for you, they drew the line with MJ on the "illegal" side.  It might be for insurance reasons, or policy of the medical group, or whatever.


Title: [CA] Landlord wants to raise rent for adding new roommate to the lease

Question:
We are two tenants living in a three bedroom house. We decided to lease the house on the premise that we would occupy two bedrooms, and later find a third roommate for the third unoccupied bedroom. The landlord agreed to this, and we also had an email exchange where we asked about the process for adding the third roommate to the lease (before we signed the lease), and he said that it would simply require amending the lease to include the name of the third tenant.

However, now that we've signed the lease and moved-in, we notified him we were planning to move the third roommate in soon. He then told us we would need to sign a new lease and there would be a "rent increase due to wear and tear caused by the additional tenant".

Is he allowed to raise the rent like this, despite us notifying him of our intent to have a third roommate prior to signing the lease (and him acknowledging this in writing without mentioning any rent increase to add the third)?

Answer: You guys might be out of luck.


Title: How do I find someone who doesn’t want to be found (NYC)

Question:
So my aunt has blocked my whole family from all social media. We know a phone number she uses - we’ve been calling for two weeks now but she won’t pick up. I don’t even know if she uses it anymore. She hasn’t talked to us since my uncle passed away. Well she was never friendly and does have a mental illness.

We need my deceased uncle’s id/passport in order to help split the inheritance my grandmother left amongst his children since he’s not here with us anymore. We don’t have the death certificate but the consulate said it was fine if we had his id/passport. (The inheritance is in another country) Do I get the police involved? How do I track her down?

Also, can we request a wellness check on the two little children she has with her? We haven’t heard from them in almost a year.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Why don't you have the death certificate? Who's the executor of the estate?

If not your aunt, then the executor should be able to simply request a copy of the death certificate from the funeral home.

If the executor is your aunt, you may need to petition the court to have someone else appointed if she is not doing her duty in administering the estate by blocking all communication.

Not a lawyer!


Title: NYC: Landlord Died, Rent Was Reduced, New Landlord Wants Rent To Return To Original Rate

Question:
Hi, I have a bit of a situation, and i'm looking for advice.
In 2016 my landlord died. The monthly (stabilized) rent that I was paying under this landlord was $1000.
After my landlord died, my property manager offered me a rent reduction bringing my rent down to a preferred rent of $550 (legal rent $650). His reason for doing this is unknown to me.
I signed a new lease that shows this reduction in rent, and my new lease and rent amount have been registered with the city of New York.
The building has now been purchased by a new owner, and I was informed yesterday that they are going to request that I return to paying my original rent of $1,000. I was also informed that they intend to do major capital improvements on the building, which would further increase my rent after they pass these costs onto the tenants.
My question is - do I have to accept my rent reverting back to its original rate?
Can they force me to do this, or do they have to accept my new reduced rent, despite the fact that it was altered after the passing of my landlord?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: When does your lease end and how much notice did they give you of the increase?


Title: Fake ID taken away in PA

Question: Hello, this is a throwaway account for obvious reasons. About a month  ago me and some friends went out downtown, I’m underage so obviously I’m using a fake (yes I know, dumb idea in the first place), it usually works but for some reason this time it doesn’t and the bouncer takes it away, just tells me to leave. I don’t think much of it assuming he’ll just throw it away. Come today, I’m in the bathroom and my mother is doing something around the house and can’t answer the door. I come out and she says two people came to the door. They put a business card from the Pennsylvania liquor enforcement in our mail box saying “[My Name] please call me ASAP”. So I called back and the lady is coming over tomorrow morning to discuss things, she told me about it being some type of traffic ticket thing and that I could get it expunged. I’m kind of freaking out and don’t know what to do, I don’t have much money to afford an attorney or anything like that.

Answer: These guys are [Pennsylvania State Police](https://www.psp.pa.gov/LCE/Pages/default.aspx). They are cops, and cops are allowed to lie to you. The general advice around here is to not talk to police officers without an attorney.


Title: [PA, USA] If we were stopped by police but not arrested, should we expect follow up?

Question: This was a first time offense, the officers searched us and confiscated some paint (for graffiti). We cooperated fully and they let us go without an arrest. Should I be worried, or is this my one time warning?

Answer:
 Chances are that this was your warning.  If they had a specific crime that they could pin on you they most likely would have.

The most likely consequence is that you are now on that cop's radar as a troublemaker.  He will likely stop you again in the future to try to see if you are up to no good.

Take the warning.  Stop any illegal shit that you are up.


Title: [Update 3] To being intentional run down while on a motorcycle. CA >Weird legal maneuvering inside...

Question:
[Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/34rhb4/ca_was_intentionally_ran_over_on_my_motorcycle/)

[Update](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/398e9s/update_and_follow_up_question_to_being/)

[2nd Update](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3ltxon/update_2_to_being_intentionally_ran_down_on_my/)

In case you don't want to click links... I was riding my motorcycle and split through stopped traffic to the front of the light. Unbeknownst to me, this enraged a crazy old man.

He cut me off and raced to the next light. I didn't yet know he had a problem with me and went to the front again.

He flipped out, yelled, tried to side swipe me, and ultimately chased me down and hit me from the rear while I was slowing to evade him. I was thrown off my bike and the force was so great, the bike went 130' without me on it.

I had a fractured tibia and about a dozen torn muscles and ligaments in my left leg.

He has been charged with 2 felonies. Assault and battery with a deadly weapon and inflicting great bodily injury.

He has been to his arraignment and multiple pre-trials since October of last year.

Currently, he/his lawyers got a doctor to say he's suffering from dementia and unfit for trial. The DA has appointed 2 psychologists to independently review this claim. I'm not sure what disposition he'll be in regarding the criminal component if he's found to be suffering from some degree of dementia.

I'm not a doctor and I'm not saying he doesn't have dementia, but god damn was he driving that car well to weave in and out of traffic and eventually get me despite my best efforts.

So here's the weird bit... We have responded to all the interrogatories and fully cooperated with the defense's requests for information.

They are not cooperating AT ALL with our discovery request. The DA told my lawyer that the defense has the criminal report as of 10/2015. And I'm not kidding at all, their lawyer is saying they don't have the criminal report or complaint from the DA.

There have been 6 hearings the defense has attended to date regarding the criminal matters and they're pretending like they don't have the criminal complaint or the report used to file that.

So they(defense) are saying, in essence, the prosecution has denied the defendant's constitutional right to discovery.

We know that has to be bullshit. So we filed a motion to compel.

There are two attorneys for the defendant in this. The civil and criminal. We made the request of the civil attorney, and he is who showed up at the motion to compel.

He said the criminal attorney is the one that said the DA hasn't given him the discovery. So the judge ordered the criminal attorney through this hearing to state in an affidavit that the DA is not cooperating with him.

A lot of hearsay here which will prove to be bullshit delay tactics, but I can't believe anyone would pretend the DA hasn't handed that info over. To what end?

My lawyers are racking up unnecessary hours on this, and I'm sure the court will remunerate us for this but it's so unneeded.

And unless something weird happens, the civil trial starts this December.

I welcome your thoughts and questions. This seems to be a pretty wild ride so far.

Answer:
 I'm surprised they haven't moved to stay the civil matter completely until the criminal case is resolved.  If they wanted to do this, it would be granted by the court.

Have your attorneys attempted settlement discussions with his insurer?  Mediation? Answer #2: Sounds like the guys playing the "drag it out" method, in which you throw money at your legal team to keep you from getting fucked over by your bad decisions as long as possible. This almost never ends well for the person being defended via this method.  Answer #3: >I'm sure the court will remunerate us for this but it's so unneeded.

Well you will win eventually, but that doesn't mean you will actually make money after lawyers take everything from your client.


Title: Landlord wants to increase rent because my parents moved in

Question:
Hello,

I rent a 2.5 bedroom apartment in Bay Area, CA. Recently, my landlord informed me that he will be raising my rent since my parents have started to live with me.

The contract mentions that only two people (me and my brother) will be living in the premises. I know that this was a stupid mistake by me to not question this condition at the time.

What is the best course of action for this matter?
Can the landlord evict me if I refuse to pay increased rent?

Thank you for reading.

Answer:
 >Can the landlord evict me if I refuse to pay increased rent?

If your lease says the only occupants are to be you and your brother, they can evict you for violating that portion of your lease. Requesting that you pay increased rent is very generous on their part.Answer #2: >The contract mentions that only two people (me and my brother) will be living in the premises. I know that this was a stupid mistake by me to not question this condition at the time.

You mention a contract, do you mean a lease? If the lease specifies that only you and your brother will be living there, and your parents moving in without the landlord's permission and amending the lease, most likely is a violation and subject to eviction


Title: Being baited to break the law

Question:
Posting multiple places for much needed help.  This is in the USA, Ohio.

My phones, iPad, and other devices and online accounts have been compromised since going homeless.  My family most likely has put things on my devices (or someone they know did) which enabled someone to bring up videos and other media so I would click on it giving whoever is behind this evidence they need to ruin my life and credibility for good.

The perpetrators, whoever is behind this, is wanting evidence of law breaking activity I believe to destroy my life, and recently I just finally gave in to them to get the attempts at destroying my life to stop.  I don’t know what to do if I even can do anything about this.  The specific type of law has no statutes of limitations in most states or a really long amount of years, like 20+.  I think I’m just fucked.  Sorry in advance if this isn’t enough info.

Answer:
 If you truly believe this, do a factory reset of the phone. No installed apps will exist after.

But this honestly sounds like a mental health issue.


Title: So I’m getting sued but I lost the papers

Question: Hi, I love in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I was served civil court papers in March and now I can’t find them. I’m pretty sure what the date and time was on them however I don’t remember what credit company is suing me or what the attorneys are for that company. I’m not sure what I’m suppose to do, should I go in there and start asking the attorneys if they have a paper for me? I’ve searched everywhere and can’t find the original papers that were served to me. I have been to civil court for collections before so I know the process, they call out the attorneys names and you follow them, but since I don’t know the attorneys name or the credit company that is suing me, I’m not sure who I should talk to or what I should do. Any help is appreciated.

Answer: Go to the court you are sued in and ask for a copy of the paperwork.


Title: (Illinois) A car dealership sold me a used car from Canada in October, 2015 - I walked out of the building with title. Now they're saying they've been having trouble getting title since the purchase and I need to go back to the dealership to get a different car. Am I entitled to damages?

Question: I also contacted my auto insurance agent to find out what this means for my policy.  Thankfully, I have neither had an accident nor gotten a ticket with this car, but I'm interested in what would have happened if I had.  Did I ever really possess title to this car?  Has anyone else experienced anything like this?  What should I expect when I go to the dealership to "exchange" vehicles?  I'm grateful for any input.

Answer: Do you have a valid title? If so, tell them to pound sand.


Title: Is it illegal to lie about your age on shutterstock

Question: Shutterstock is a website where you can upload pictures for people to download like stock photos it says that you must be 18 years or older to do so and have to send in a picture of your ID if I were to photoshop my ID to say I was 18 would that be illegal and if so what kind of trouble would I be getting in thanks

Answer: Fraud is illegal


Title: My house may get condemned. What will happen to our stuff?

Question:
Hello,

My roommates and I currently live in Philadelphia, close to the city. Prior to all this situational stuff, we had a random guy knock on our door looking for a package he accidentally got sent here since he claimed to be the tenant before us and before he left he warned us that the place had gotten condemned and that he couldn't get his stuff and we should seriously be on the lookout. That was the first red flag for us. About three days later, our landlord began digging out the empty lot next to ours to construct a new property since he owns the lot. Well, during this digging the workers noticed that the exterior wall of our house began to fall off and after some inspection they realized that both the foundation and the wall of our house needs to be re-inforced (after hearing this we realized that the random guy's claims were true). The landlord proceeded to kick us out of our house that day for our safety because they didn't want the house to fall over/cave in with us living there.

Three days before thanksgiving, the landlord gave us an update and notified us of what needs to be done and explained that the property was livable while construction of a new wall/foundation happens and during this time we would receive free rent and utilities for our troubles and that construction would begin on December 1st, lasting up to six weeks. He also gave us permission to terminate the lease at any time during construction if it gets bad for us (we decided it was best to stay since we get free rent and try to find a new place while this happens).

Today is December 4th. I received a call from my landlord that they had begun to reinforce the foundation of the house and realized that it was worse than expected and he has hired an engineer to inspect it tomorrow morning but as a result, for our safety, no one can stay at the house for the night.

We did not sign up for renter's insurance since we didn't even know about this problem at all and suspect that our house is in big trouble. With that being said, will we still be able to get our stuff if it is deemed condemned and what is our best choice of action? Any help would be great, thanks!

Answer:
 I have no idea what to do but this is the millionth reason why everyone needs to have renter's insurance. There have been so many stories on Reddit about people losing everything because of fires, floods, hurricanes, etc. You really cannot go without it these days.

Hopefully someone will chime with good advice.


Title: Minnesota: New apartment landlords asks us to pay rent online, but now charges a convenience fee for it.

Question:
Title.

The alternative way to pay is via money order, but apparently there is still a convenience fee of sorts with this.

They do not accept personal checks anymore.

Answer: How does your lease say the rent can be paid?Answer #2: What does your lease say about rent payments?  That is what you are obligated to follow by law.   If this "convenience fee" is not in it, you are not obligated to pay.   If the LL won't listen to reason, you can sue them in small claims court for the extra amount you had to pay.


Title: How to report father for sex abuse

Question: Mom and i recently found out my father (divored) has been molesting my sisters but they hid it for years because they didnt want to lose their dad. We tried to report him but they sent cops and cps to our mom trying to charge her for it  because there's no proof against him. Also, my sisters said they found child porn on his phone but they didnt mention it to cops because they were telling them theyll go to a foster home.  How can we report him for that instead? My sisters dont see him no more

Answer:
 I find the police's, and the CPS responses to be odd.

How old are you?  The topic of this conversation is pretty far out of the bounds of what we handle here.  And, if you are a minor, discussing it would be reckless.

My generic advice would be (apart from calling the police and CPS) that your mother needs to seek therapy for the children.

The therapists would be mandatory reporters, and if there are signs of abuse, they would be required by law to make the report.  And, perhaps the report would be taken more seriously coming from them.


Title: Driver claiming my spouse ran him off the road. Came to my house, pushed him and brought several "witnesses"

Question:
Located in Mississippi.
My spouse leaves for work at 5:11. 5:45 I get a text saying that a man was pounding on the door. Outside there was several other people waiting in my yard

Spouse opens the door, thinking someone was hurt. Guy pushes him and steps inside our house and claims my spouse ran him off the road.

The claim is that they were driving in the opposite directions on a two lane road and my boyfriend "swerved" to run him off the road. The car claiming this is a red truck. (My SO says there was only one other car around them, a white car,)

SO said he had a normal drive home and never saw any car run off the road.

I call the sheriffs department at my work and tell them several people are at my house, one threatening my SO.

It is important to note the accuser also threatened to "know the sherif"

Only one sherif shows up to my house. He "takes statements" yet writes nothing. I cannot tell if everyone that arrived to my house is claiming to be a witness or if just the one white car following added to the statement.

My understanding is that this was a no contact accident. My SO denies any involvement and would've noticed a car going off the road. He never would aggressively engage another driver like that.

He wrote down a statement and emailed one to himself as a time stamp. He is going to go to the station tomorrow and have his statement actually written down and going to call his insurance and make a statement.

My SO also notes that the car that was "wrecked" later pulled into the driveway and appeared to just be muddy. He couldn't see any damage but didn't go out to take photos or anything.

We are concerned by this claim and the credibility of at least one witness. He doesn't know how other people came into the situation because he said he can only remember one car behind him when he passed the red truck.

I personally think his phone records should be pulled to ensure he wasn't texting or driving.

Any advice would be appreciated. It is wigging us out that he drove around to look for my SO's car with his "witnesses" 20 mins after the incident and came to our home.  We are concerned the fact he has witnesses and we have none. Boyfriend has great insurance that have been helpful. He had been in other accidents where it was always the fault of the other driver.

UPDATE: Called insurance, they said it was his fault for swerving and not to worry. Since it was no contact is was essentially his fault. Thanks everyone

Answer:
 Sounds like a scam. Keep your insurance company informed.Answer #2: Your boyfriend should report this matter to his insurance company, as there will likely be a claim made.  Until or unless further action is taken, there's nothing else to be done.Answer #3: This screams of scam.

How exactly would this person know where the car that ran them off the road live?

Even if they "have a friend" at the sheriff, if the Sheriff gave them the info of the driver from the plate(who got the plate exactly, they don't make it clear) that is a HUGE access violation and would get that officer into a load of shit. I would mark this as the biggest red flag. Answer #4: This sounds like a pretty common scam. There was even a post with this exact situation just a few weeks ago. Don't pay anyone, and call the police if they won't go away.Answer #5: If someone shows up to your house and pushes you and enters your home without permission, they have committed a number of torts.

I don't know the exact law in Mississippi, but in California, just pushing your spouse is assault and battery. Entering your home without permission would be trespass.

If the facts as you stated are true, the driver of the red truck screwed up.


Title: [MD] Boyfriend loses job because they mixed up his and his father's records.

Question:
My boyfriend just lost his job because they thought he had a sex offense charge. The issue is that they saw his father's records not my boyfriend's. My Bf is a Jr. And things like this (small things until now) happen all the time. Now he has lost his job, insurance, etc. because of this.

Is there anything we can do? Because now it'll have on his job history that he was fired because of this. Also he told them when he got the job that his father had all those charges and it would come up if they searched him without the Jr at the end. After a year this happens.

Help.

Edit!!!

So, through some talking with my boyfriend, a lawyer, and with his employer ( ex employer) not only have we found out over a dozen people were fired that day with the exact reason of "something in their background". Now there are talks of them wanting to file a lawsuit againdt the employer. Thank you everyone so so so much for your advice.

Answer:
 How did HR respond when he told them they did an investigation on the wrong person?Answer #2: Here are his rights for the background check process. Although it will appear to be for credit checks it also covers any type of background check.

The timing is very strange.

I would also reach out to the EEOC if they have been violated.

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdfAnswer #3: Ianal: from an HR side your BF was hired and was in the process of onboarding/working. HR did the background check, which came back with issues. they fired him because of said issues and when he brought up, that it was the wrong person they said oops? sounds like someone is lying either A) your BF is not a good employee and this was his companies way of getting rid of him B) this companies HR team needs to be retrained/fired and a new team brought in.

as others have said file for unemployment and maybe thank his stars he got out before something worst happen with this company. Answer #4: >Because now it'll have on his job history that he was fired because of this

There is no such "job history" for them to look at. He can explain it was a mixup with someone who shares his name and hopefully most employers will understand. Or he can decline to mention hat employer.

It's not like there is a permanent record it's going on or anything though. It sucks but I don't think this will have a permanent effect.


Title: [Canada] how do I get my ex-girlfriend/common law to leave my house, both names are on title and mortgage.

Question:
My ex and I bought a house about 8 years ago, about a couple years after we bought the house she lost her job. For the past 5 years she has floated from job to job, she kept getting fired.

Over that time period I have paid for everything, I pay for both cars, the mortgage, insurance, you name it ... everything.

Things have been very rocky for a while but shit finally hit the fan and I confronted her about not helping with anything. She than told me she is $25,000 in debt and can't help.

We have no kids, are not married but are common law. I have mostly put up with this shit because I feel bad for her, if she leaves she has nothing, no car, no benefits.... she doesn't even know how to work a computer properly.

But, I just can't take it, financially and mentally I feel trapped with a freeloader and it has become unbearable.

I know I need to get a lawyer involved but i don't know what the best approach is, I also know for damn sure that she won't sign anything because she is the only one that will be losing out.

And for the record, I do feel bad, I know as I type this it makes me look like a bad person since it would only ruin her life but we just can't live like this for the rest of our lives.

I want to keep the house the house if possible, I have invested way to much into it and the market is has blown up so I probably gain a lot to sell but finding a new place would be hard and more expensive.

Thanks in advance for any help on where to start.

Answer: It's not "my" house, it's "our house." You buy her half.  Answer #2: If she is a joint owner you will have to buy out her half.


Title: [Florida] Sue both the husband and wife or just the husband?

Question: My property was damaged by a water leak originating from a neighboring vacant rental property.  The defendant's insurance refused to compensate me and my property is not insured.  Fortunately, the amount at stake is small - repairs cost a little more than $700.  Nonetheless, I don't think I should have to bear the cost of damage originating from my neighbor.  Since the out-of-state owners of the neighboring property failed to respond to my demand letters (one sent to an office address and one sent to a home address), I am now preparing a small claims court filing.  The neighboring property is held by a trust with a husband and a wife as trustees.  Should I name both the husband and the wife in my filing or would it simplify things if I just name the husband?

Answer: Name them all, husband, wife, and trust, just to cover your bases.


Title: I work for online retailer, how do I report credit card fraud?

Question:
I help run an online store, and last night we had a customer attempt to place four orders using four different credit cards, each getting declined. The credit cards belong to four different individuals and come from three different states. The shipping address was always the same, with the guy changing his last name to match those on the credit card. We have the guy's IP address and I did a whitepages search on the shipping address and it looks like that's his real home address.

What do I do from here? I would like this guy to get caught. I am located in Michigan, by the way. The alleged fraudulent customer is located in Pennsylvania.

Answer:
 I would call the local police department in the area of the shipping address.Answer #2: I used to work in online retail, and while I didn't deal with fraud directly, I worked with people who did.

1) Contact the local police.  They may or may not be able to help.

2) Contact the credit card issuers.  They will certainly care.

3) Contact the [USPS Postal Inspection Service](https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/).  Since the perpetrator was going to have these goods shipped to them, the postal inspectors will be interested.  They helped my company break up a ring of fraudsters back in the day.  Most people don't realize the Postal Inspection Service is a fully-fledged federal law enforcement agency.  They carry guns, can execute federal search warrants, make arrests...the whole nine yards.  If it involves the mail and is illegal, they don't mess around.Answer #3: Call the credit card companies.  Let them deal with it.Answer #4: Contact the sheriff and the police in the county for the shipping address, and explain the situation to them.

Tell them that you believe someone at that address may be directly and knowingly using stolen credit cards, or that there could be an unwitting "reshipping mule" located at that address (google the phrase if you don't know what it is).  In my experience the sheriff will be more interested in the police.

Here are a couple of links about reshipping mules:

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/10/shady-reshipping-centers-exposed-part-i/

http://blog.al.com/live/2011/07/chatom_ala_woman_admits_to_par.html


Title: My dog bit a care worker visiting my nan and is now suing us and we’ve had to give up the dog, even though she’s at fault! I want to counter sue, advice please! (Ireland)

Question:
My parents live on a farm with their two dogs, one of who was a rescue. He is lovely dog, however he is a guard dog and will bark and act wary to people he doesn’t recognise.

My nan requires care workers three times a day and is meant to be 2-1 care but is normally 1-1. Due to the dogs behaviour there is a sign before entering the farm warning of the dogs, another “beware the dog” sign closer to the house and even notes in the care plan that say to call ahead, knock before entering etc. To make sure the dogs are put away before entering.

Previously this year a new carer, arrived early without notice when the dogs were out and she tried to push them away, and was smacking them with paper folders, one of the dogs bit her in defensive. She is currently in the process of suing. This case isn’t the issue however.

Last week a carer that has been visiting the family before, turned up 15 minutes early, walked straight into the house without announcing herself and again in a moment of confusion and defence one of the dogs bit her.

She is now suing, saying she didn’t arrive early (member of the family was at home and knows she was early, sadly cctv wasn’t working). She is also claiming that both dogs bit her. One of the dogs we know has previous but only as a defensive guard dog doing his job after being attacked, but the other dog is an absolute softy and would never bite someone.

They have also stopped care for my Nan, who as I said before requires three visits a day from at least one carer.

We have sent the guard dog to his previous owner as precaution instead of him being taken away or put down.

The stress of one of the family dogs being sent away and the pressure of now looking after the nan is all too much for my mother.

This whole situation would’ve been avoided if the carer had paid attention to the notes and signs provided.

Is there anyway to counter sue or something else we could do so that we don’t have to lose the dog and can get care for my nan back in place?

Sorry for the long post! Any help is much appreciated!

TLDR: carer entered house unannounced and got bitten by guard dog. She’s now suing, taking away full time care for my nan and we’ve had to give the dog away. All of which could’ve been avoided if she read her notes saying to call ahead. Can we counter sue for emotional distress of something else?

Answer:
 Get a chain lock for inside the door, so care workers cannot inadvertently enter before the dogs are put away.

Care workers are going to arrive early sometimes, and are going to feel at home to enter. It's their workplace, and they tend to grow close to the person they're working for, familiar. Answer #2: How about locking up your dogs on days you know they are coming.  Seriously.   It sounds that legally you were negligent. Answer #3: You'll want r/legaladviceireland.Answer #4: What would you sue for?Answer #5: I don't see anyway you can sue to force them to continue care. Absent a contract they can cease service just like you can cease service, and even more so if they determine to be negligence on your part and safety concerns for their employees.

You need a lawyer. This is the second person suing you because of a dog bite. Even if it was a different dog this time they might be able to make a case that you have been negligent by not taking proper precautions.

"Due to the dogs behavior...". A lawyer would eat that statement up. All the more reason you need one.


Title: Home partially ruined from Hurricane Mathew. Insurance company low balling on repairs. My 83 mother still has no roof and half the siding is gone on her house. Is it worth filing a lawsuit? FL

Question:
Title pretty much explains everything. We are at an impasse. We have 4 different roofing companies provide estimates and the cheapest estimate is $9,000 to fix my Mother's roof. She has additional damages to the house at about $3000.

State Farm is only willing to pay $6000 for a roof and all other damages to the house. This is half of our lowest estimates. They are basing the amount off a software program per the agent.

We are getting no where and it is causing a lot of duress to my mother as she has no roof, her siding is gone on one half of the house and her back porch was blown out.

What should we do? She wants to work with them but they keep low balling her by thousands of dollars.

Not sure if it matters, we are in FL and she has never missed a home owners insurance payment, and her house is paid off.

Answer:
 You should pop over to /r/insurance

I have a family member who works in insurance.  I remember his advice to be "ask for their Florida Insurance License Number" and you might be able to report them to the state.  He was just going through trouble with his claim in SC, and once he asked this question (and learned his adjuster wasn't actually licensed in his state) his next call back was from a new adjuster with a much better offer.

So yeah, before you spend money on a public adjuster (which would be a last step) pop over to /r/insurance and ask their advice.


Title: Got a car title transferred to me and address is off by one number. [Travis County - Texas]

Question:
Just recently transferred a car from my dad to me and they copied my address down wrong and my new title should be 2700 my street address but it is 2706 my street address. Does this really matter, and if so are they going to try and charge me for their mistake?

Don't know if it makes a difference but the address they put on it does not technically exist.

Answer: Just show up and ask them to fix it. They will not charge you to correct it.


Title: Landlord leaves a note and says when they will come do maintenance but doesn’t ask if it’s okay

Question: The post sums it up pretty good. The other day the landlord of my apartment emailed me saying when they will be doing a routine maintenance check of the apartment. Unfortunately I was not able to be in my apartment at the time and they left a note on the door saying they went through my apartment anyways. I was unaware until I saw a note on my door. Can a landlord do this? I feel invaded.

Answer: I believe they only legally need to give 24 (maybe 48 hours) notice. They do not need approval.


Title: (Utah) I got a ticket for having a car with out of date registration that is always in the garage

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Utah DMV laws say you are correct, a non operational car does not need it's registration renewed until it will be on the road again.

Fight the ticket and report the ticketing officer to his/her supierors for harassment

edit: Also I may be wrong but I don't believe police can walk onto your property for shits and giggles to see if a sticker is out of date.  Don't they need at least some prior reason beforehand.  Wouldn't it be a violation of your 4th amendment rights if a police officer came onto your property without a warrant and begins searching for something to ticket or arrest you on?


Title: Credit card was skimmed at gas station and used in another state, and credit union refuses to dismiss the $20,000 in false charges. Considering Bankruptcy

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Bankruptcy?  That's silly.  Complain to the state banking regulators and CFPB, quick before it gets defunded.

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0213-lost-or-stolen-credit-atm-and-debit-cards

http://www.flofr.com/StaticPages/DivisionOfFinancialInstitutions.htm

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/Answer #2: File a complaint with CFPB and your state attorney general. A bank has 15 days to respond (which can be extended if necessary) and will have to provide their reason why think think it is a valid debt and not fraud. Answer #3: >so we disputed the charges, but the card is through a local small credit union.

 How did you do the disputing? Like, describe the process.


Title: Ripped off by Grand Canyon Univ.; School Claims I owe up to $2000+

Question:
Basically, I had been wanting to finish my Bachelor's degree, but due to location, there weren't any opportunities for me close-by. I figured Grand Canyon University online might be my best option. Despite all the red-flags early-on, my student advisor told me I would receive a scholarship and that my tuition would be covered upon enrolling for the upcoming semester. Everything seemed fine, until the end of the semester arrives and I receive a letter from MOHELA with an invoice of around $4,856 in student loans. First, I had never authorized for a loan to be taken out in my name, and second I was never made aware that my "financial aid" was actually a federal loan.  I immediately called MOHELA and was told that since it was 30 days past the day they were withdrawn and that I had completed the semester, there was nothing that could be done and I would need to pay them off. Around the same time I was figuring this all out, I had already been enrolled for the next semester of classes. About the 2nd week into classes, I had downloaded all my invoices, took screenshots of all the emails between myself and my advisor, requested an official transcript, and called my advisor to have myself immediately withdrawn from the university. I find out another $1,786 loan has been taken out to cover the semester, and that since I was already in the 2nd week of classes, I would not be eligible to receive any tuition refund. The loan was reversed, since, "Federal law and regulations do not allow GCU to keep federal grant or loan amounts when a student promptly withdraws from a course," But GCU is now stating that I owe them the $1786 for the entire semester; they have been threatening to send my balance to collections immediately.

Is there anything at all I can do to reverse the charge? Is any of this even legal? Thank you to everyone in advance.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 The university can't even grant you a federal loan unless you sign paperwork granting them permission to do so. Are you 100% positive you didn't?

Also, when was the second semester? Some colleges have withdrawal deadlines that can come up pretty quick, especially if it was during the summer semester.


Title: Girlfriend got 2 traffic tickets from a state trooper made out to the wrong person.

Question:
We live in Birmingham, AL. Girlfriend got pulled over by a trooper who saw her on a cell phone but she was using the GPS. I suppose he really wanted to throw the book at her, because he gave her a ticket for improper lane usage (he said she was swerving within her own lane), following too closely (during rush hour traffic), and a written warning for an estimated 3 miles over the speed limit. When he handed her the tickets, she waited for him to leave before she left. And she didn't bother with them until she got to her destination.

When she looked at them, she noticed the name was wrong. And as she kept reading, almost everything was wrong. Name, birthday, physical descriptions, driver license number. The only thing correct was the license plate, which is registered to her father.

I just checked the online ticket pay website for our county, and the tickets must be pulled up under the other woman's birthday with her ticket number. Nothing shows up with the ticket number and her actual birthday.

What should she do here? Her court date is coming up in a few days, and this was very recent.

UPDATE: She went up there and explained her situation to the magistrate, and they voided the tickets.

Answer:
 >who saw her on a cell phone but she was using the GPS

Just as an aside, distracted driving while typing into a GPS is still distracted driving. There's nothing about a GPS that magically makes it legal to fiddle with while drivingAnswer #2: How wrong are they? Are they off by a letter/number or is the name completely different (like her name is Alice and they wrote Britany)? If it is just minor mistakes then it does not invalidate the ticket.


Title: [Massachusetts] If a person demands validation of debt from a debt collector, is there a deadline by which such debt collector must respond?

Question: I know that a debt collector cannot continue to attempt to collect a debt until such time as they do validate the debt in question after receiving a written demand for the same, but is there any law or regulation that requires the debt collector to actually validate the debt withing however-many days of receipt of a demand for validation?

Answer: None at all.


Title: Got paraphernalia taken away; how to get it back?

Question: I got charged for possession of Marijuana and the officers took the vaporizer they found in the car. Is there any way I can get that back? It's $300 and by definition a tobacco vaporizer so I don't see how they can keep it

Answer:
 >It's $300 and by definition a tobacco vaporizer so I don't see how they can keep it

Because:

1. It's evidence in a pending criminal prosecution; and
2. You were using it to consume a controlled substance.


Title: Living in MA and my employer is giving me three months to 'improve' or I'm fired?

Question:
Again in MA. I work at starbucks as a shift manager for the last 10 months and have now been employed with the company for 4 1/2 years.

According to my store manager I am not improving fast enough and according to my district manager I am not a good manager and have been faced with an ultimatum:

get my shite together in 3 months or I am fired (she used the word terminated)

Basically I am trying to figure out my legal options I understand that MA is an at will state. But the company has policies in place so no one can be wrongfully fired. I don't want to resort to it but if I somehow fail the three month trial can I sue for any reason?

Also if I was fired for this reason would I be able to and how would I file for unemployment?

Answer:
 Sue for what... you got a huge curtesy and heads up for being a poor manager, I suggest you take this time to improve.

If 3 months come and you get fired... it’s not because they threw a dart at a list a names, it’s because your not good at your job in their eyes and no longer want you employed.

This is pretty cut and dry, not sure why you have any concerns here. If your first thought was to sue them and not “how can I take this time to improve”... then you likely are doing a poor job.Answer #2: They're actually being really nice by giving you a 3 month leeway to improve. They could fire you tomorrow because you don't live up to their standards, whatever those standards may be, realistic or otherwise.

Your only option is to get a new job if that happens.

Other advise: have you asked them what is wrong? Are you working with them to fix this? See how you can improve, according to their standards, in order to keep your job.


Title: (OR) Landlord hasn't been on top of charging us for water bill and now wants the last 8 months worth immediately.

Question: I have been renting an apartment with my girlfriend and one roommate since December. Our landlord charged us for the water bill for December but just hasn't been since. She emailed us yesterday asking for January through August's at the soonest convenience. As individuals who all live paycheck to paycheck, getting all this together ASAP is a little uncomfortable, but doable. Do we have any protections due to the lack of notice/consistency or do we just have to pay up and deal with it?

Answer:
 No. You knew every month that it was a bill you needed to pay. And should have been budgeted in.

You can certainly tell your LL that you need time to pay it. But don't expect a ton of time


Title: Can I take action against this surgeon? VA

Question:
I am new to this and would just like some advice on this situation. When my wisdom teeth started to grow and cause me pain, my dentist referred me to an oral surgeon. The first red flag occurred during my consultation with him. I spent the majority of the appointment making it clear to him that I am SEVERELY allergic to penicillin. That day he wrote me a prescription because I was set to have my wisdom teeth removed 4 days later. When my mom and I went to have the prescription filled, we asked the pharmacist if the prescription had any relation to penicillin. The pharmacist told us that it was penicillin. I was pissed but my mother told me that we had to go through with it because this was the only place nearby that would take my insurance. On the day of the surgery when he went to insert the IV needle, he didn’t wipe my arm with alcohol. Then he couldn’t get the needle in so he tried again and again. It got to the point where he had stabbed me twelve times as I was begging him to stop as well as the nurses telling him to stop. When I came out of surgery my mother asked why I looked like a human pin cushion. He claimed
I was being difficult which is untrue. As soon as I woke up, I knew something was wrong. I was still on the anesthetic but I could feel this awful pain in the top right side of my mouth. I am on video saying that it hurts. He told me to shut up. When I went back to the dentist it turns out that he left the top right hole opened and the skin that grew back didn’t cover the hole, but it covered my back molars which is quite painful to deal with. I was told that it will probably require surgery to fix his screw up. I’d rather die than go back to that madman. What can I do? This happened at the end of September 2019.

Answer: any claims of medical malpractice are beyond internet help. you'll need a lawyer to guide you, many will do a free consultation.


Title: My parents landlord gave my parents 24 hours to get their dog out of the house, when the dog is on their lease.

Question:
My dad got a call from the leasing management saying he had 24 hours to get the dog off the property despite all dogs in the home being in their lease.

The reason for this is that a neighbor reported my parents dog for “viciously attacking her dog” two days ago.
My dad was taking the dog potty, had her on a lease since she was sicker then normal, and the lady walking her dog, allowed the dog on one of the extend leashes to go in my parents yard, our dog proceeding to jump eagerly on their dog once, my dad  moved our dog away and put her inside, went out to talk to the lady, and she had left.
Now she went to the management and told them this lie, saying his eye is kind of bulging out now, since our dog jumped and bite her dog viciously.
My dad said he was there at the time, that his dog did not bite her dog, but if she accidentally scratched the other dogs eye, he’d happily pay for medical bills if she brought those to him, but she has not gone to the vet or have any photos showing injuries. My dad is freaked out about what to do.
He told them if she has no photos or vet bills, or any proof that this vicious attack supposedly happened, why should he have to remove his old sick dog (13 year old shihtzu) that has no history of ever being violent or aggressive.

What steps should my dad take to keep his dog and his home (it’s his trailer and he’s renting the plot of land)

Location: Illinois

Answer:
 Well ultimately if they don't remove the dog and the landlord moves to evict them they can go to court to fight it.Answer #2: What does the lease say about their ability to remove dogs?Answer #3: Based on what you replied on other comments... You will probably want to talk to a lawyer and have them deal with your landlord to review your lease and the conditions.

Right now, your parents do not have to do anything.  It sounds like the management company complained to your landlord and he is complaining to your parents.

The HOA do not need any burden of proof because they have 'sole discretion' in the matter and their rules are typically included by reference in the lease.  However...

1. The Management Company complained to your landlord, not the HOA  Board of Directors.

2. Your landlord told your parents by phone with 24 hours notice.  They must offer 7 days written notice.

If the HOA Board decrees you must remove the dog, you have 7 days to handle it after written notice.  You could petition them to reconsider.  There may be legal grounds.  But the neighbor who was attacked might also be on the HOA Board or very friendly with them, and in that case anything you do will be meaningless.


Title: Already lost security deposit, now hit with "cleaning fee"

Question:
Location: New York state.

My girlfriend broke her lease early, which as stipulated in her lease agreement requires her to lose the security deposit and pay an extra month's rent. She was fine with this and paid both on time.

When she moved out, we gave the apartment a quick cleaning. Swept the floors, wiped down the inside of the fridge, etc. Definitely not a super thorough job, but certainly clean. And it was definitely cleaner than when she first moved in.

The landlord had given her a cleaning checklist with very specific requests, but he was also showing the apartment at noon the day she was moving out and driving 7hrs away, so we were really pressured to pack up and get out their quickly.

This week she got an email from her now ex-landlord demanding she pay over 100 bucks in cleaning fees for not scrubbing the toilet and shower, amongst a couple other minor things.

My feeling is she should just ignore him. She already lost the security deposit and paid an extra months rent, so him asking for money because the toilet wasn't scrubbed seems absolutely ridiculous to me. On the otherhand, could this come back to bite her? Could he hurt her credit score in some way, send the charge to collections, or sue her in small claims court?

Answer:
 Pay the fee. The other charges were legit, and you don't get to just ignore a fee on the basis of "we've already paid a bunch of fees".

You should have paid the whole $0.89 for a can of Comet, so nobody else had to clean up your nasty toilet


Title: My student needs a place to stay and I want to help by offering my spare room.

Question:
I teach English at a title 1 high school in Florida. I taught this student three years ago (my first year teaching) and we have stayed close in contact while he goes through the rest of his years. I bonded with him because he came to me for a lot of support while transitioning in his 9th grade year (his sexual orientation) and going through a lot of other stuff at home. I connected him with counselors and advocated for him throughout the years.

This child’s father lost his housing recently and is homeless and his mom is in a halfway house trying to save money to get a place. The student had been living with his girlfriend, but when she broke up with him she also asked him to leave. Today is the absolute last weekend.

I have been hearing from the student that his mom will be getting them a place soon for AWHILE (at least 4 months) so I am totally understanding of the fact that he will probably end up staying with me past the 3 weeks they say he will. In the meantime, I just want to make sure I have temporary guardianship and take care of any other legal liabilities.

I’m going to be talking with the mom very soon and I would like to go into the conversation prepared! Any advice would help.

Answer:
 Legally this is unlikely to be an issue as described. Temporary guardianship is unlikely to be necessary.

Professionally this will be ruinous. I cannot state that more clearly.


Title: Beating a Speeding Violation

Question:
I got a speeding violation in the bay area in California two weeks ago, court date is 4/27 and I plan on attending.
This is the first major traffic violation I've done, not including a carpool lane violation a month prior.

Can I best the ticket? I was going on cruise control at 83 on hwy 101 at 2am but the cop said he tagged me at 84. He wrote on the ticket that I was going "80+".
I had pot in the car but I passed the dui test he gave me so I was clean off that and he gave my stuff back.
I heard that if I ask for a court extention I can come back at a later date and if the cop doesn't show up they'll drop the violation.

How can I beat this ticket?

Answer: What's your defense? You just admitted your were speeding. Cruise control is not exact. It's totally possible you were going 84 if your cruise was set to 83.


Title: Was defrauded $80k, what are my options?

Question:
CA, USA

I was presented an opportunity to invest in a machine shop (25% stake) for $150k.  The person I did the deal with was a friend of a friend.  He was actually trying to get 50% ownership by offering to work and help out the business.  So I was making small payments weekly because I was waiting for the paperwork to finalize and to sign.  It never happened.  Then all of a sudden the machine shop closed down overnight and screwed all the customers, vendors and employees.
The person that took my money said I was screwed and that he is trying to find the owner and sue him.
Anyways, he told me that my money was lost, but I know for a fact that he never gave any money to the owner because the employees told me about their arrangement and deal.
This happened in 2012.  I recently revisited this issue by hiring a collection lawyer to see what he can do.
He said that I knew the money was lost and knew the risk.

My question is this:
Isn't this a crime and fraud for someone trying to sell something they don't own.
Secondly, since he kept my money and never gave it to the company, am I entitled to get it back.
He never gave me an official contract to sign, because he was trying to get the deal done to get 50% of the company which never came through.

Answer:
 >Isn't this a crime and fraud for someone trying to sell something they don't own.

If the guy didn't make any misrepresentations, then nothing was fraudulent.  From the sounds of your post, you were buying in at 25% for $150k.  The guy you were paying was buying in at 50% and you were staking him in return for 25% ownership going to you.  It sounds like you knew of the set up, so I don't know where any fraud may have occurred in your mind.

>Secondly, since he kept my money and never gave it to the company, am I entitled to get it back.

I don't know what evidence you have to prove that, but regardless you can still sue him for breach of contract.  But since this all boils down to he-said-she-said it will probably be a mess.


Title: IL--Dad leading my mom into financial ruin with foreclosure and fake divorce

Question:
My parents bought a house in central IL in the summer of 02.  Not sure what the term of the mortgage was, but it was a point of contention between my folks that my dad refused outright for my mom to have her name on the house.  He's always been "like that" so she was just like ooook considering he was earning I'd say probably 80% of the income anyway.  So, time passes, and the financial roles swap.

My mom went overseas for a job in the middle east and my dad decided to sit at home and do nothing.  I want to say she went over there in 03 or 04.  They got a power of attorney so that he could make decisions on her behalf, and she sent him money every month to support him and pay the bills etc.  She said in the course of her time overseas she sent him--with the clear written intent of what the money was for--enough money to pay off the mortgage as well as make several desperately necessary repairs to the home.   In nearly 10 years he did none of that and the house fell in to an almost unliveable level of disrepair.

So, in 2011, Obama pulls out the troops and the support contractors from the middle east, and my mom's job vanishes.  She has enough savings to stay afloat but soon gets a similar job stateside to what she was doing overseas and flourishes once again.  She says her final year before her most recent promotion she gave him $80k for the same stuff--necessary repairs and to pay down the mortgage.  Once again that never happened and the money has effectively vanished.

She decided enough was enough when her promotion brought her to central Iowa.  She was willing to continue paying for the house and to give him his allowance because we had spent so much time there and she really came to imagine it as the "family home".  She just didn't want to feel emotionally beholden to him anymore.  She officially moved out of the house and got a place here in IA in January of 2016.

He served her with papers in August (July or August) of 2016, outlining terms of separation.  He would get all the joint retirement accounts, he would basically keep anything of value between them aside from the property that was strictly hers (some handguns, her motorcycle, that kind of stuff), and she would have to pay him $508 a month in not-alimony.  She agreed to the terms (being too exhausted by her job and dealing with him for 30 years already) and signed the paperwork and now refers to herself as divorced.  I told her many many times before she signed--"fight this.  It does not say divorce anywhere on these papers.  Get out of this while he is instigating the bullshit" but he and his lawyers told her "it will be like you are divorced" so she took it as a divorce.

Since the papers were signed and filed, my father has abandoned the house and filed for bankruptcy.  I believe January or March or something (it was winter still) of 2017 was when he moved out and moved to a townhouse thing in Omaha.  He walked away from everything he couldn't fit into a uhaul trailer (this part isn't really important it's just offensive because it's a lifetime worth of stuff and memories my dad just turned and walked away from I guess expecting the bank to come and sell it or burn it or whatever--memories of an entire family just bullshit to him) and left it all behind.  My mom kept getting letters from some mortgage company by whenever she would call and ask about it, the phone operators would tell her she was not on "the account" and could be given no information.  My dad told her to forward those letters to his lawyers because they were supposed to be handling everything.

Today (Saturday the 19th), while my mom was out working, a man came to the door and asked if I was my mother.  I said no, and explained who I was.  He asked if she lived here and I said yes.  I asked who he was and he said he was supposed to drop this off--hands me a thick stack of papers stapled together in the corner--and got in his car and left.  I looked through it and it is a summons to central illinois, presumably for the foreclosure of the house.

After looking through the papers, I see copies of "something" (second mortgage contract is what it turned out to be) with both of my parents initials on each line, but my mother doesn't sign her initials like that.  I look hard at each page's initials, thinking it is just a quirk of the copying/faxing/printing process it must have had to go through.  Then, I see it, on the last pages, my father's signature and his hand signing her signature with the phrase "with (father's name) as attorney in fact" several times.  The date is sometime in 2012--after she came back from overseas and after she took a job that kept her on the road 5 days a week.

She has been working tirelessly for over a decade to earn piles and piles of money that have vanished right before her eyes.  She has become so exhausted mentally that she doesn't even consider it anymore when she is confronted with evidence that he is screwing her for all she is worth.  He even got a divorce from her when I was a small child that she swears she NEVER signed (they remarried obv).  He has been playing games and grinding her down for so long that she can't fight back anymore.  I guess to wrap this up I have a few questions:

1.  Would a power of attorney have an expiration date?  If so, would it be written in somewhere?  Would it be something like "until xyz date" or "until abc event happens" or would it be entirely dependent on the individual power of attorney my father was acting on?

2.  I need to get my mom divorced from him for real.  I know it's not legally my place to do all this stuff on her behalf, but could it be possible for me to take her separation agreement to a local lawyer and say something like "she agreed to all this but could you draft a DIVORCE paper that has everything except this bullshit not-alimony" or would I be wasting everyone's time?  I don't think I could convince her to see a lawyer even if she didn't work from sunup to sundown 6 days a week (honestly wish I was exaggerating here but this is her life)--at least I don't think I could do it unless all the little fiddly details were worked out and all she had to do was just read something and sign.

3.  Dad explained to me this Monday (the 14th) the not-alimony was a loophole of IL law that equalized financial discrepancies between married couples where one earns much more than the other.  I call it a loophole because when he had all the paperwork drawn up, it was for his expenses at the house that he KNEW he was going to be abandoning.  He based an entire document and not-alimony payment on IL law when my mother was not a resident of IL for over a year and he KNEW he was going to be moving to NE shortly after finalizing the paperwork.  Could there be any way to weaken the foundation of the not-alimony due to the circumstances of the paperwork?

3a.  I am very afraid that my mother (being a defendant listed on this paperwork with my dad and some other organizations) will be entirely on the hook for this foreclosure because of this second mortgage signed exclusively by my father, partly in her name, even though the owner on all this paperwork is listing his own name exclusively.  Since she is the only one with a remotely viable means of income (he gets military disability and not-alimony to survive, and some retirement account he said he doesn't touch), what will happen?  Her heart is broken over the house.  It is in ruins and we live 5 hours away anyway.  She doesn't want to attempt to save it in any way.  Will she be expected to pay back the second mortgage?

3b.  My father took all the savings they were building together with the separation oaperwork, including 401ks and stuff they both contributed to.  Are these accounts able to be garnished for whatever legal fees come up, or will it be entirely from my mom's pocket?

My dad kept pushing her all this past year to get a bankruptcy going and she couldn't figure out why since her credit and everything was still ok and she was still managing to keep her head above water.  I think she is in shock and denial about this second mortgage and foreclosure business.  She behaves as if she believes it is entirely on him.  She is utterly defeated otherwise.

What can I do or prepare to get this over with as smoothly as possible?  Am i able to do anything to protect my mom from financial disaster?  Where do I start?

Thanks so much for reading and I know there was so much to get through.  Like all these issues this is intensely personal for me--I tried to limit it to just the facts and leave out emotional flavor text but I wasn't able to keep it all in.  I have never found myself in this situation before and I want to be able to be calm and prepared for my mom for when it starts to get real for her.

Answer:
 Your mother needs an attorney immediately. Your father used his power of attorney to put her on a second mortgage, and who knows what other financial obligations without her knowledge. This is going to be a mess that only a local attorney can help with.Answer #2: Okay, I will admit I certainly did not read your novel.

From skimming it, it sounds like this is your mother's fight, not yours. Being as it it seems large amounts of money/property/etc are involved, your mother needs an attorney, not Reddit. That is, if she wants to fight this.


Title: (IL) Employer let health insurance lapse

Question:
I work in Illinois for a company incorporated in Delaware.  A portion of my health insurance premiums are pulled of out my paycheck and a portion are paid by the company I work for.

My health insurance termed due to non payment by my employer a few (3) months ago. I just recently discovered that my insurance termed, as far as I knew up until this point I was covered and my insurance claims were being processed like normal.

I was not notified by my provider that my claims were being denied, my insurance company did not notify me my coverage was lapsing, and my employer didn't notify me that they weren't paying the premiums.  I feel pretty blindsided finding out that I have been uninsured for the last few months.

I have an ongoing medical condition that requires weekly visits and I while I've been paying my co-pay I'm worried about what happens to the extra part of the bill that would normally go to my insurance.

I've a few questions:

What obligations do I have to pay the outstanding insurance claims that will be rejected since I no longer am covered by that insurance provider?

Are there any legal obligations for my employer in regards to the outstanding medical bills?

Have I incurred a tax penalty for remaining without insurance for the three months I thought I was insured but wasn't this year?

What safeguards can I put in place to ensure going forward that my coverage does not lapse due to issues like this in the future, should I have been checking my insurance every month to make sure it remained active?

Topic:
Insurance

Answer: Is your employer working to fix this?  Health insurance drops policy holders at a drop of a hat.  It is possible that your employer is working with their agent to get it retroactively reinstated.  While this process goes on, providers get rejections and send you bills saying you weren't covered.  Is this similar to what happened or did you employer say they don't have the money and stopped paying and you're SOL?


Title: [England] Is my employer legally required to provide keys for locked areas that I need to access?

Question:
Where I work, we support information display screens. To access these screens, we have to unlock a cupboard behind the screen where the PC is kept.

A while ago the key for these cupboards was lost and my manager refused to buy a replacement because "we keep losing them" (this is the second one that's been lost).

I had a call for one of these screens and asked my manager what I should do. He told me to try to open the lock with a screwdriver.

After messing around for hours trying to get it open, I finally managed to get it open with some pliers.

This really isn't acceptable that I spent hours trying to pick a lock when I could have had it open in under a minute if I had the key for it.

So I have two questions:

1. Is my employer required by law to provide keys for these cupboards?

2. Was I breaking a law by picking the lock?

I'm planning to email him asking him to order a replacement key anyway, but I'd like to know if the law requires it before I email him.

Let me know if you need me to clarify anything.

Thanks.

Answer: If your employer wants to pay you to pick a lock they own, that is perfectly legal. That was your assigned task; get the lock open. They could buy 100 locks and tell you to spend the next month getting them all open with a screwdriver. As long as you were not put in any sort of danger and got paid for the time, there is nothing you can do.


Title: What am I supposed to say when I plead not guilty for speeding?

Question: I originally selected "guilty" on my speeding ticket because well, I was speeding and police have records of these things. Apparently I am naive. The associate at the court house acted like I was insane for selecting guilty, so we changed it. I'm going back to court today. What the heck am I supposed to say when everyone knows I was speeding?

Answer:
 I have no idea what you should say.

You could try "I would like to go to traffic school."

Or you can ask the prosecutor if he'd entertain a plea to a non-moving violation as a plea bargain.

Or you can ask for some kind of pre-trial diversion.

It's different everywhere, and we don't know where you are because you didn't tell us.


Title: First degree murder defense

Question:
My significant other was recently charged with murder in Colorado. He is in dire need of a good criminal defense but we are very poor and can not possibly afford one. He is definitely not guilty of the murder. He's already been in jail for 6 months. He has one prior offense for drug possession from nearly seven years ago. What resources are available to expedite his release?

Edit*- he has a public defender.

Answer: If you have a public defender then follow his or her instructions.  If you can't afford a lawyer, that's basically the only option.