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a2uxal

legaladvice_train

Human: (MO)Served with a restraining order for my sister and her children. I haven’t seen/spoken with her for months: She claims my mothers residence is hers and now I can’t go to my elderly mothers house anymore. She doesn’t live there. This is the same sister who used technology and key logging software to stalk; harass and terrorize myself and my infant daughter almost one year ago now. I took my daughter on vacation and when we left for Disney World, everything was fine we were bffs again whatever. I made the mistake of trusting her to check on my home while we were away and was surprised to get a call from my landlord asking why there is a family of six suddenly living in my home and using my space, clothing, everything down to the shampoo she watered down so I wouldn’t notice, please. Apparently, she was seeing a new boyfriend and pretending that she lived in my home and acted like it was her own. I caught on when I noticed the family photos were turned around and some other smaller nuisances that you notice as a home owner. So, suddenly my sister despises me for some bogus reason so she doesn’t look like a fraud to her latest victim and I’m the scapegoat, just like back in childhood. My sister filed a restraining order for herself and her three children who have had to come spend time with me in secret on their dads weeks due to this sudden change of heart. She is making me out to be a stalker and a drug addict all of the things that SHE IS because she knows I could get her for breaking and entering or something like that if I really wanted to, I would assume. She put my mothers address down as hers and now I can’t go anywhere near my moms house. All of this was done without me ever seeing or talking to my sister. I haven’t had contact with her for months for obvious reasons. There’s a court date set and god only knows what kind of crazy narcissistic bs she’s gonna pull. I stick to the truth and the tapes of her using my property as her own. Is there anything else I should do/be aware of? Assistant:

eb1ruxi

eb1uhbq

She's going to have to prove she lives there and that won't be easy. It wouldn't hurt talking to an attorney just for the heck of it ​

Does she receive aid (housing allowance,money,medical) from the State for her and the children? If she does, whch address does she use on that paperwork, Her house or your Mom's house? If she is using her address on the aid file you could use it to show she does not live at your Mom's house.

ng5nic

legaladvice_train

Human: My neighbor has been harassing me for years. They've now learned my schedule and are waiting for me to leave for work each morning. Stalking? Harassment? (Chicago IL) Hi! My neighbor has been harassing me for years and it's making me so anxious. I live alone. \-Any time I use my door past 8pm (to check the mail, to let someone in, or my partner leaves for the night), they get up from whatever they are doing to open and slam their door. \-If I've used my door too many times (I call it "door quota") even before their 8pm bedtime, they start slamming doors and banging pots and pans. God forbid I take two trips out to the trash and three trips to the basement to do laundry! I never do laundry or take out the trash past 8pm. \-I had my partner and two friends over playing a board game, he called the cops because of the noise. When the cops arrived, they said they could not hear us, even from right inside the hallway! We were not being loud. \-They have turned off my power (3x in a row- I caught him coming up the stairs from the basement after shutting it off the 2nd and 3rd time!) \-I am pretty sure they have put dirt in my laundry. No proof it was them, but the rest of my neighbors are great and you need to live in the building to get into the laundry room. \-For a couple of weeks, they were putting garbage in the shared hallway in front of my door (eggshells, onion shavings, diced apple). \-He stomped on one of my packages. I have this on camera. \-Their newest thing, which has me the most worried, is that they have learned my schedule and are waiting in their kitchen each morning at 6:30 to bang pots and pans. This morning, it was extra aggressive and paired with loud, fake laughter. Someone else in the building had people over late last night and it must have kept them awake so they were mad. But I was home by myself and in bed by 9:30, so it certainly wasn't me. So they now know my daily schedule and are taking out their anger at other people on me instead. I have not had more than one person over at my home in months, I never play loud music past 8pm, and I limit my door use as much as possible. They have made me such a huge part of their daily lives and I just want to be left alone. I'm now nervous to leave my house for work every morning. The HOA put a camera in the hallway and I have a camera from my unit pointed out to the parking lot to make sure he doesn't mess with my car or follow me to work. I have changed so many of my daily habits to accommodate them and at this point I am so stressed and scared when I leave my unit. They also have a similar history with other neighbors- they have thrown away gardening stakes ("Don't plant flowers in front of my window!"), turned off a neighbor's electricity several times a week for months until we had to hire an electrician who told us that nothing was wrong with the power! (crazy neighbor accused this other neighbor of "hacking" his TV so that's why he was turning off his power) and put dirt in someone else's laundry (they must have slammed the laundry room door too loudly!) I'm alarmed that they have taken the time to get to know my daily schedule. I've gone to the police to try to file a report a few times in the past but they said they couldn't help me, door slamming isn't harassment, I don't have enough proof, etc. Is this harassment? What can I do? I own the condo and can't really afford to move. They have escalated things before and I would not put it past them to escalate things again. Please advise! Assistant:

gypg0bk

gypgavl

Is there a condo association that can get involved?

Have you gone to the police with your video of them damaging your property (stomping on your package)?

ng5nic

legaladvice_train

Human: My neighbor has been harassing me for years. They've now learned my schedule and are waiting for me to leave for work each morning. Stalking? Harassment? (Chicago IL) Hi! My neighbor has been harassing me for years and it's making me so anxious. I live alone. \-Any time I use my door past 8pm (to check the mail, to let someone in, or my partner leaves for the night), they get up from whatever they are doing to open and slam their door. \-If I've used my door too many times (I call it "door quota") even before their 8pm bedtime, they start slamming doors and banging pots and pans. God forbid I take two trips out to the trash and three trips to the basement to do laundry! I never do laundry or take out the trash past 8pm. \-I had my partner and two friends over playing a board game, he called the cops because of the noise. When the cops arrived, they said they could not hear us, even from right inside the hallway! We were not being loud. \-They have turned off my power (3x in a row- I caught him coming up the stairs from the basement after shutting it off the 2nd and 3rd time!) \-I am pretty sure they have put dirt in my laundry. No proof it was them, but the rest of my neighbors are great and you need to live in the building to get into the laundry room. \-For a couple of weeks, they were putting garbage in the shared hallway in front of my door (eggshells, onion shavings, diced apple). \-He stomped on one of my packages. I have this on camera. \-Their newest thing, which has me the most worried, is that they have learned my schedule and are waiting in their kitchen each morning at 6:30 to bang pots and pans. This morning, it was extra aggressive and paired with loud, fake laughter. Someone else in the building had people over late last night and it must have kept them awake so they were mad. But I was home by myself and in bed by 9:30, so it certainly wasn't me. So they now know my daily schedule and are taking out their anger at other people on me instead. I have not had more than one person over at my home in months, I never play loud music past 8pm, and I limit my door use as much as possible. They have made me such a huge part of their daily lives and I just want to be left alone. I'm now nervous to leave my house for work every morning. The HOA put a camera in the hallway and I have a camera from my unit pointed out to the parking lot to make sure he doesn't mess with my car or follow me to work. I have changed so many of my daily habits to accommodate them and at this point I am so stressed and scared when I leave my unit. They also have a similar history with other neighbors- they have thrown away gardening stakes ("Don't plant flowers in front of my window!"), turned off a neighbor's electricity several times a week for months until we had to hire an electrician who told us that nothing was wrong with the power! (crazy neighbor accused this other neighbor of "hacking" his TV so that's why he was turning off his power) and put dirt in someone else's laundry (they must have slammed the laundry room door too loudly!) I'm alarmed that they have taken the time to get to know my daily schedule. I've gone to the police to try to file a report a few times in the past but they said they couldn't help me, door slamming isn't harassment, I don't have enough proof, etc. Is this harassment? What can I do? I own the condo and can't really afford to move. They have escalated things before and I would not put it past them to escalate things again. Please advise! Assistant:

gypg0bk

gypm6qv

Is there a condo association that can get involved?

How is this person allowed access to the breaker panel? That should be under lock and key, condo association should deal with that.

ng5nic

legaladvice_train

Human: My neighbor has been harassing me for years. They've now learned my schedule and are waiting for me to leave for work each morning. Stalking? Harassment? (Chicago IL) Hi! My neighbor has been harassing me for years and it's making me so anxious. I live alone. \-Any time I use my door past 8pm (to check the mail, to let someone in, or my partner leaves for the night), they get up from whatever they are doing to open and slam their door. \-If I've used my door too many times (I call it "door quota") even before their 8pm bedtime, they start slamming doors and banging pots and pans. God forbid I take two trips out to the trash and three trips to the basement to do laundry! I never do laundry or take out the trash past 8pm. \-I had my partner and two friends over playing a board game, he called the cops because of the noise. When the cops arrived, they said they could not hear us, even from right inside the hallway! We were not being loud. \-They have turned off my power (3x in a row- I caught him coming up the stairs from the basement after shutting it off the 2nd and 3rd time!) \-I am pretty sure they have put dirt in my laundry. No proof it was them, but the rest of my neighbors are great and you need to live in the building to get into the laundry room. \-For a couple of weeks, they were putting garbage in the shared hallway in front of my door (eggshells, onion shavings, diced apple). \-He stomped on one of my packages. I have this on camera. \-Their newest thing, which has me the most worried, is that they have learned my schedule and are waiting in their kitchen each morning at 6:30 to bang pots and pans. This morning, it was extra aggressive and paired with loud, fake laughter. Someone else in the building had people over late last night and it must have kept them awake so they were mad. But I was home by myself and in bed by 9:30, so it certainly wasn't me. So they now know my daily schedule and are taking out their anger at other people on me instead. I have not had more than one person over at my home in months, I never play loud music past 8pm, and I limit my door use as much as possible. They have made me such a huge part of their daily lives and I just want to be left alone. I'm now nervous to leave my house for work every morning. The HOA put a camera in the hallway and I have a camera from my unit pointed out to the parking lot to make sure he doesn't mess with my car or follow me to work. I have changed so many of my daily habits to accommodate them and at this point I am so stressed and scared when I leave my unit. They also have a similar history with other neighbors- they have thrown away gardening stakes ("Don't plant flowers in front of my window!"), turned off a neighbor's electricity several times a week for months until we had to hire an electrician who told us that nothing was wrong with the power! (crazy neighbor accused this other neighbor of "hacking" his TV so that's why he was turning off his power) and put dirt in someone else's laundry (they must have slammed the laundry room door too loudly!) I'm alarmed that they have taken the time to get to know my daily schedule. I've gone to the police to try to file a report a few times in the past but they said they couldn't help me, door slamming isn't harassment, I don't have enough proof, etc. Is this harassment? What can I do? I own the condo and can't really afford to move. They have escalated things before and I would not put it past them to escalate things again. Please advise! Assistant:

gypg0bk

gyqnkro

Is there a condo association that can get involved?

How big is your HOA and roughly what percentage of condos in your HOA are being affected by this guy? Your best bet would be to band together, go to all of the HOA meetings and work on getting some enforcement of the existing CCRs or work on creating some new CCRs to go after this guy. The HOA has a *tremendous* amount of power over individual owners - start getting them to use it to stop this guy. The HOA can make it far, far too expensive for this guy to harass you and your neighbors and can file liens or even foreclose if he doesn't pay up. This is pretty much one of only a handful of things an HOA is truly useful for - take advantage of it!

wz5rcg

legaladvice_train

Human: Father has been stalking me for 20 years, help! Good morning Reddit. Here goes: My parents divorced in 1997 due to my father's serial adultery and financial lies. Shortly after, when I was about 15, a family court judge granted me right of self-determination due to the trauma he had put me through (domestic violence, exposure to pornographic material, verbal, mental and emotional abuse on too many occasions to list). Since that time, I maybe spoke to him once or twice. We have not exchanged words in a decade. Out of his four children, only one of them is in contact with him - he was much younger than I was and had a different parental experience. I have requested many times that this brother and his wife do not tell our father about my personal life. And yet, they have told him personal details about my relationships, my job, etc. I went no contact with them, but they still receive information through my mom. The chain of fuckery goes like this : ME > MOM > BROTHER > STALKER. This week he sent a completely unhinged letter to my work address, where it was received and opened by a coworker. (It's a government office and pretty routine for us to receive personally addressed mail due to the calls we get, so this isn't surprising or out of the scope of their job). It has a lot of personal information in it, and while my coworker said she didn't read it, it's possible that she did or others did - it is my belief he did this in an attempt to injure me professionally. He knows I don't want any contact with him, but every once in a while he pops up like a herpes sore to send me some reminder that if he wants, he can find me no matter where I go in the country. I'm filing a police report and a TPO, but I doubt the TPO will be granted because his physical violence and abuse took place 20 years ago and because my mother is so conflict-avoidant it went undocumented by police. Also, I live in NV and he lives in VA I need some guidance on how to protect myself from my father, my brother and maybe even my mom. I don't want to go no contact with her but it's on the table after twenty years of just wanting to be left alone to have a normal life without my abuser in it. What can I do? Assistant:

im1r73r

im10th1

I'm sorry but since you've identified that the flow of information begins with your mother, the most practical option is to cut her off.

You could try contacting a domestic violence organisation, they will have experience dealing with issues such as this and will be able to give you advice and resources

wz5rcg

legaladvice_train

Human: Father has been stalking me for 20 years, help! Good morning Reddit. Here goes: My parents divorced in 1997 due to my father's serial adultery and financial lies. Shortly after, when I was about 15, a family court judge granted me right of self-determination due to the trauma he had put me through (domestic violence, exposure to pornographic material, verbal, mental and emotional abuse on too many occasions to list). Since that time, I maybe spoke to him once or twice. We have not exchanged words in a decade. Out of his four children, only one of them is in contact with him - he was much younger than I was and had a different parental experience. I have requested many times that this brother and his wife do not tell our father about my personal life. And yet, they have told him personal details about my relationships, my job, etc. I went no contact with them, but they still receive information through my mom. The chain of fuckery goes like this : ME > MOM > BROTHER > STALKER. This week he sent a completely unhinged letter to my work address, where it was received and opened by a coworker. (It's a government office and pretty routine for us to receive personally addressed mail due to the calls we get, so this isn't surprising or out of the scope of their job). It has a lot of personal information in it, and while my coworker said she didn't read it, it's possible that she did or others did - it is my belief he did this in an attempt to injure me professionally. He knows I don't want any contact with him, but every once in a while he pops up like a herpes sore to send me some reminder that if he wants, he can find me no matter where I go in the country. I'm filing a police report and a TPO, but I doubt the TPO will be granted because his physical violence and abuse took place 20 years ago and because my mother is so conflict-avoidant it went undocumented by police. Also, I live in NV and he lives in VA I need some guidance on how to protect myself from my father, my brother and maybe even my mom. I don't want to go no contact with her but it's on the table after twenty years of just wanting to be left alone to have a normal life without my abuser in it. What can I do? Assistant:

im1covw

im1r73r

A women's shelter may also have resources for this type of thing that they might be able to help with. Many shelters for women have ways to help people running from abusive relationships, being stalked, harassed etc.

I'm sorry but since you've identified that the flow of information begins with your mother, the most practical option is to cut her off.

6d8scm

legaladvice_train

Human: (NC) Landlord has been stealing electricity over the past 12 months. My roommates and I have recently discovered that our landlord has been stealing electricity from us to power his business office that is located in the backyard of our rental house. We discovered this when our power was temporarily disconnected for a late payment and our landlord came and asked if we had any power about 30 minutes after we were disconnected. We then realized that our late payments should have no affect on his offices power supply and thus determining that he has been leaching power from our lines without telling us. There is no meter on his office and no evidence that he has his own account with the power company. We rent through a 3rd party realtor and upon confronting them they said they will not be able to handle anything as it is between us and the landlord, but that our landlord has requested our previous electricity bills for the past few months. So it seems that our landlord is willing to back pay us whatever electricity he has used over the past 12 months but my concern is how to determine what exactly he owes us. His office space is about the size of a 2 car garage with its own A/C unit and he runs a carpentry business where he is in the office around 8-10 hours a day repairing furniture. What would be a proper way to go about finding out how much our landlord owes us for electricity and what legal action would there be if he refuses to pay a fair amount? Thank you for any insight you all can provide! Assistant:

di0vc2h

di0qojb

You should contact the utility company and ask if they are willing to pursue a theft of service claim. They should investigate, especially if any "homemade" wiring is involved. If you really want to blow up the landlord, look into the zoning for the property. He likely doesn't have the permits to be running a commercial business in a residential neighborhood. I would think a "dirty" business like carpentry (requiring ventilation for particulate and chemicals for finishes, proper disposal of flammable material, etc.) would be out of place next to people's homes. The neighbors would be very unhappy to hear about it, too.

The easiest way is to prorate by square foot. The most accurate way would be to get the office on a separate meter and then use the average of the next three months ratio to the use of the house.

7sywm1

legaladvice_train

Human: bill to an unbelievable extent given I live in a 700 sq ft home and I am getting an electric bill in the mid 300s while other people I know rarely spend more than 100 per month. I called the electric company to dispute this they sent a tech over to verify I was using that much electricity but I objected so the tech pointed out that all of our electric meters were lined up together so he suggested I go to my house and turn off all the electricity to my house through the circuit breakers then see if the meter was still running up. I did this then ran some errands for a few hours then checked back and sure enough I had used several kWh even though I had no electricity going to my home. I called my landlord who then looked over the meter box and noticed that my neighbors meter wasn't even hooked up. He then looked at the jumper box nearby and saw that yes he was siphoning off my electricity. He then spoke with the electric company and they didn't give him all the details but they did state they shut off his electricity back in March '17 for non payment. I have since had the police come by take pictures and document everything. I have yet to press charges because really I just want my money back and need advice on the best way to do it. I did the math and between my average per month usage in 2016 compared to 2017 to today by electric bill went up by over 1200 dollars. My landlord has been unable to contact the neighbor and the guy isn't around at the moment because he is working out of town. I have called the electric company and they won't make any adjustments or credits for me because the guy was stealing from me not them. I still owe on a $350 bill with another one coming up that will be similar and I am not sure how I can afford it. Assistant:

dt8hzen

dt8qw3h

--- > http://imgur.com/a/myIAb --- *I am a bot whose sole purpose is to improve the timeliness and accuracy of responses in this subreddit.* --- **It appears you forgot to include your location in the title or body of your post. Please update the body of your original post to include this information.** --- ***Do NOT delete this post - Instead, simply edit the post with the requested information.*** --- Author: /u/Rozul Title: **(Cali) Neighbor has been siphoning electricity for months.** Original Post: > My electric bill and usage had basically doubled last year. I originally believed it was myself and the two people I live with being careless about leaving our tv, lights and computers running. I would get the bill each month and then just give a usual "Hey, electric bill is still up, let's be more careful this month" then move on. Recently it has gotten colder and my electric usage nearly tripled along with my bill to an unbelievable extent given I live in a 700 sq ft home and I am getting an electric bill in the mid 300s while other people I know rarely spend more than 100 per month. > > I called the electric company to dispute this they sent a tech over to verify I was using that much electricity but I objected so the tech pointed out that all of our electric meters were lined up together so he suggested I go to my house and turn off all the electricity to my house through the circuit breakers then see if the meter was still running up. I did this then ran some errands for a few hours then checked back and sure enough I had used several kWh even though I had no electricity going to my home. > > I called my landlord who then looked over the meter box and noticed that my neighbors meter wasn't even hooked up. He then looked at the jumper box nearby and saw that yes he was siphoning off my electricity. He then spoke with the electric company and they didn't give him all the details but they did state they shut off his electricity back in March '17 for non payment. I have since had the police come by take pictures and document everything. > > I have yet to press charges because really I just want my money back and need advice on the best way to do it. I did the math and between my average per month usage in 2016 compared to 2017 to today by electric bill went up by over 1200 dollars. My landlord has been unable to contact the neighbor and the guy isn't around at the moment because he is working out of town. I have called the electric company and they won't make any adjustments or credits for me because the guy was stealing from me not them. I still owe on a $350 bill with another one coming up that will be similar and I am not sure how I can afford it. > > --- LocationBot 4.0 | GitHub (Coming Soon) | Statistics | Report Issues

Don't overlook the liability of the landlord in this. I assume that your lease does not obligate you to pay for your neighbor's utilities. The overcharge could be the result of the landlord's faulty wiring, or the landlord's failure to prevent tampering with the jumper box. It seems like the neighbor is another tenant of the same landlord, but I think you have arguments here even if he is not.

7sywm1

legaladvice_train

Human: (Cali) Neighbor has been siphoning electricity for months. My electric bill and usage had basically doubled last year. I originally believed it was myself and the two people I live with being careless about leaving our tv, lights and computers running. I would get the bill each month and then just give a usual "Hey, electric bill is still up, let's be more careful this month" then move on. Recently it has gotten colder and my electric usage nearly tripled along with my bill to an unbelievable extent given I live in a 700 sq ft home and I am getting an electric bill in the mid 300s while other people I know rarely spend more than 100 per month. I called the electric company to dispute this they sent a tech over to verify I was using that much electricity but I objected so the tech pointed out that all of our electric meters were lined up together so he suggested I go to my house and turn off all the electricity to my house through the circuit breakers then see if the meter was still running up. I did this then ran some errands for a few hours then checked back and sure enough I had used several kWh even though I had no electricity going to my home. I called my landlord who then looked over the meter box and noticed that my neighbors meter wasn't even hooked up. He then looked at the jumper box nearby and saw that yes he was siphoning off my electricity. He then spoke with the electric company and they didn't give him all the details but they did state they shut off his electricity back in March '17 for non payment. I have since had the police come by take pictures and document everything. I have yet to press charges because really I just want my money back and need advice on the best way to do it. I did the math and between my average per month usage in 2016 compared to 2017 to today by electric bill went up by over 1200 dollars. My landlord has been unable to contact the neighbor and the guy isn't around at the moment because he is working out of town. I have called the electric company and they won't make any adjustments or credits for me because the guy was stealing from me not them. I still owe on a $350 bill with another one coming up that will be similar and I am not sure how I can afford it. Assistant:

dt9aa9x

dt8x1rw

Ask the police for a case number or copy of the report. Contact the electric company with this information. Ask for their special agent or investigation department. In California, public utilities have their own police forces that will work with law enforcement. The junction box between the meters and the individual main breakers should have a seal installed by the utility. Tampering with it is further evidence of the crime. If over $950 in value it's a felony. Is the neighbor still connected to your meter? If so, check with the police before asking your landlord to have an electrician disconnect it. They may want to set up a sting. Don't try to disconnect it yourself. Depending on where the tap was made, you may not be able to de-energize the circuit without pulling the meter. >I have yet to press charges because really I just want my money back and need advice on the best way to do it. You don't technically press charges. The prosecutor and police do. You can request prosecution but it isn't actually your call. As far as getting your money back, the District Attorney's victim restitution program may be able to help. When you contact the utility's investigation department and open a case, mention that you're strapped for cash and ask them to work with their billing department to cut you some slack. Tenants who steal electricity and tamper with utilities typically aren't good tenants. If your landlord is on your side see if they'll put some pressure on the neighbor.

Sue the landlord, the maintenance worker in his individual capacity and the tenant. It’s always better to have a judge decide WHICH entity is liable than whether one person is liable. Don’t call the police. Go to the police station and ask for an appointment with an investigator. Insist on charges being filed.

7sywm1

legaladvice_train

Human: bill to an unbelievable extent given I live in a 700 sq ft home and I am getting an electric bill in the mid 300s while other people I know rarely spend more than 100 per month. I called the electric company to dispute this they sent a tech over to verify I was using that much electricity but I objected so the tech pointed out that all of our electric meters were lined up together so he suggested I go to my house and turn off all the electricity to my house through the circuit breakers then see if the meter was still running up. I did this then ran some errands for a few hours then checked back and sure enough I had used several kWh even though I had no electricity going to my home. I called my landlord who then looked over the meter box and noticed that my neighbors meter wasn't even hooked up. He then looked at the jumper box nearby and saw that yes he was siphoning off my electricity. He then spoke with the electric company and they didn't give him all the details but they did state they shut off his electricity back in March '17 for non payment. I have since had the police come by take pictures and document everything. I have yet to press charges because really I just want my money back and need advice on the best way to do it. I did the math and between my average per month usage in 2016 compared to 2017 to today by electric bill went up by over 1200 dollars. My landlord has been unable to contact the neighbor and the guy isn't around at the moment because he is working out of town. I have called the electric company and they won't make any adjustments or credits for me because the guy was stealing from me not them. I still owe on a $350 bill with another one coming up that will be similar and I am not sure how I can afford it. Assistant:

dt8hzen

dt9aa9x

--- > http://imgur.com/a/myIAb --- *I am a bot whose sole purpose is to improve the timeliness and accuracy of responses in this subreddit.* --- **It appears you forgot to include your location in the title or body of your post. Please update the body of your original post to include this information.** --- ***Do NOT delete this post - Instead, simply edit the post with the requested information.*** --- Author: /u/Rozul Title: **(Cali) Neighbor has been siphoning electricity for months.** Original Post: > My electric bill and usage had basically doubled last year. I originally believed it was myself and the two people I live with being careless about leaving our tv, lights and computers running. I would get the bill each month and then just give a usual "Hey, electric bill is still up, let's be more careful this month" then move on. Recently it has gotten colder and my electric usage nearly tripled along with my bill to an unbelievable extent given I live in a 700 sq ft home and I am getting an electric bill in the mid 300s while other people I know rarely spend more than 100 per month. > > I called the electric company to dispute this they sent a tech over to verify I was using that much electricity but I objected so the tech pointed out that all of our electric meters were lined up together so he suggested I go to my house and turn off all the electricity to my house through the circuit breakers then see if the meter was still running up. I did this then ran some errands for a few hours then checked back and sure enough I had used several kWh even though I had no electricity going to my home. > > I called my landlord who then looked over the meter box and noticed that my neighbors meter wasn't even hooked up. He then looked at the jumper box nearby and saw that yes he was siphoning off my electricity. He then spoke with the electric company and they didn't give him all the details but they did state they shut off his electricity back in March '17 for non payment. I have since had the police come by take pictures and document everything. > > I have yet to press charges because really I just want my money back and need advice on the best way to do it. I did the math and between my average per month usage in 2016 compared to 2017 to today by electric bill went up by over 1200 dollars. My landlord has been unable to contact the neighbor and the guy isn't around at the moment because he is working out of town. I have called the electric company and they won't make any adjustments or credits for me because the guy was stealing from me not them. I still owe on a $350 bill with another one coming up that will be similar and I am not sure how I can afford it. > > --- LocationBot 4.0 | GitHub (Coming Soon) | Statistics | Report Issues

Ask the police for a case number or copy of the report. Contact the electric company with this information. Ask for their special agent or investigation department. In California, public utilities have their own police forces that will work with law enforcement. The junction box between the meters and the individual main breakers should have a seal installed by the utility. Tampering with it is further evidence of the crime. If over $950 in value it's a felony. Is the neighbor still connected to your meter? If so, check with the police before asking your landlord to have an electrician disconnect it. They may want to set up a sting. Don't try to disconnect it yourself. Depending on where the tap was made, you may not be able to de-energize the circuit without pulling the meter. >I have yet to press charges because really I just want my money back and need advice on the best way to do it. You don't technically press charges. The prosecutor and police do. You can request prosecution but it isn't actually your call. As far as getting your money back, the District Attorney's victim restitution program may be able to help. When you contact the utility's investigation department and open a case, mention that you're strapped for cash and ask them to work with their billing department to cut you some slack. Tenants who steal electricity and tamper with utilities typically aren't good tenants. If your landlord is on your side see if they'll put some pressure on the neighbor.

jiitv4

legaladvice_train

Human: Neighbor keeps stealing power for electric car. My neighbor and I have a shared driveway. I own my house but the neighboring house is a rental. Last year, I bought an electric car, and paid to have a charger installed on my side of the driveway. When I installed it, the previous tenants asked if they could use it on two occasions for guests who had electric cars, and I agreed that they could. Well, the new tenants apparently feel that they're welcome to use it whenever they like to charge their own car. They've actually unplugged my car in order to plug in theirs on a couple of occasions. Of course, this uses my power, but also prevents me from charging my own car, which has caused problems. I went over and asked them to stop using my power, and they were extremely rude and said that it was included in their lease, and that their landlord told them it was included in the property. Talking to them has been completely useless. In fact, when I unplugged their car and plugged in my own, they came over and banged on the door, threatening to sue me. I haven't been able to get in touch with their landlord. The third or fourth time I found them charging their car on my plug, I called the police, who told me that this was a civil matter, and wouldn't intervene. What can I do, at this point, to stop them from using my charger? This is in Indiana. Assistant:

ga6qx4y

ga73q0j

The police *might* not be correct about this being solely a civil matter. Depending on the setup in place, the neighbor might be trespassing. Regardless, it doesn't matter what the landlord communicated to your neighbor. Your plug means your electricity. Even if the landlord mistakenly offered it as part of the rental (which I doubt or else the neighbor never would've asked permission in the beginning before becoming more presumptuous), that doesn't mean you owe the neighbor anything. Anyway, you do have a valid civil claim against your neighbor for the value of the electricity they have stolen. However, electricity is relatively cheap so a few nights of charging probably only amounts to a few dollars. Without knowing your exact setup, it's not possible to know which of these might be of use, but some ideas: * Does your car have a setting which prevents the charging cable from being unplugged if the car is locked? * Can you set up alerts with your car to let you know when charging has been interrupted? * Can you move your car into your garage to charge? * Can you control the breaker for the charging spot? * Can you get a physical lock for the charging cable? Like a cover that goes over the end of the cable so it cannot be plugged in. * Can you get a cable that is so short that it barely reached your car and cannot reach wherever your neighbor is parked?

Civil matter is BS. It's theft and criminal. I work for an electric utility and when people are caught bypassing the meter (stealing electricity) the popo join us as we visit them to deal with the problem. I would push harder with the police.

jiitv4

legaladvice_train

Human: Neighbor keeps stealing power for electric car. My neighbor and I have a shared driveway. I own my house but the neighboring house is a rental. Last year, I bought an electric car, and paid to have a charger installed on my side of the driveway. When I installed it, the previous tenants asked if they could use it on two occasions for guests who had electric cars, and I agreed that they could. Well, the new tenants apparently feel that they're welcome to use it whenever they like to charge their own car. They've actually unplugged my car in order to plug in theirs on a couple of occasions. Of course, this uses my power, but also prevents me from charging my own car, which has caused problems. I went over and asked them to stop using my power, and they were extremely rude and said that it was included in their lease, and that their landlord told them it was included in the property. Talking to them has been completely useless. In fact, when I unplugged their car and plugged in my own, they came over and banged on the door, threatening to sue me. I haven't been able to get in touch with their landlord. The third or fourth time I found them charging their car on my plug, I called the police, who told me that this was a civil matter, and wouldn't intervene. What can I do, at this point, to stop them from using my charger? This is in Indiana. Assistant:

ga71wqh

ga73q0j

Not a lawyer Everybody is suggesting how to secure your plug, which is good, but my top priority would be finding their landlord. Can’t suggest how is best for you but I’d just call all the local letting agents, check council/land registry records, and google the address in some form to find listings for starters. Your neighbours sound like fucking nutters so better someone else tells them to stop

Civil matter is BS. It's theft and criminal. I work for an electric utility and when people are caught bypassing the meter (stealing electricity) the popo join us as we visit them to deal with the problem. I would push harder with the police.

jiitv4

legaladvice_train

Human: Neighbor keeps stealing power for electric car. My neighbor and I have a shared driveway. I own my house but the neighboring house is a rental. Last year, I bought an electric car, and paid to have a charger installed on my side of the driveway. When I installed it, the previous tenants asked if they could use it on two occasions for guests who had electric cars, and I agreed that they could. Well, the new tenants apparently feel that they're welcome to use it whenever they like to charge their own car. They've actually unplugged my car in order to plug in theirs on a couple of occasions. Of course, this uses my power, but also prevents me from charging my own car, which has caused problems. I went over and asked them to stop using my power, and they were extremely rude and said that it was included in their lease, and that their landlord told them it was included in the property. Talking to them has been completely useless. In fact, when I unplugged their car and plugged in my own, they came over and banged on the door, threatening to sue me. I haven't been able to get in touch with their landlord. The third or fourth time I found them charging their car on my plug, I called the police, who told me that this was a civil matter, and wouldn't intervene. What can I do, at this point, to stop them from using my charger? This is in Indiana. Assistant:

ga6rhr9

ga73q0j

You can call the police and escalate as this is considered theft of service/trespass. You can also add a disconnect for the charger that is locking. Or deactivate the breaker. I would send them a certified letter to cease and desist as well as to the landlord. If it continues file suit in court for theft of service and name both landlord and tenant, even for a nominal. Sum a recorded win is enforcement and makes the landlord consider eviction

Civil matter is BS. It's theft and criminal. I work for an electric utility and when people are caught bypassing the meter (stealing electricity) the popo join us as we visit them to deal with the problem. I would push harder with the police.

jiitv4

legaladvice_train

Human: Neighbor keeps stealing power for electric car. My neighbor and I have a shared driveway. I own my house but the neighboring house is a rental. Last year, I bought an electric car, and paid to have a charger installed on my side of the driveway. When I installed it, the previous tenants asked if they could use it on two occasions for guests who had electric cars, and I agreed that they could. Well, the new tenants apparently feel that they're welcome to use it whenever they like to charge their own car. They've actually unplugged my car in order to plug in theirs on a couple of occasions. Of course, this uses my power, but also prevents me from charging my own car, which has caused problems. I went over and asked them to stop using my power, and they were extremely rude and said that it was included in their lease, and that their landlord told them it was included in the property. Talking to them has been completely useless. In fact, when I unplugged their car and plugged in my own, they came over and banged on the door, threatening to sue me. I haven't been able to get in touch with their landlord. The third or fourth time I found them charging their car on my plug, I called the police, who told me that this was a civil matter, and wouldn't intervene. What can I do, at this point, to stop them from using my charger? This is in Indiana. Assistant:

ga73q0j

ga6yvsc

Civil matter is BS. It's theft and criminal. I work for an electric utility and when people are caught bypassing the meter (stealing electricity) the popo join us as we visit them to deal with the problem. I would push harder with the police.

I’d get a disconnect Hooked up to it and only turn it on when you need it. Any Electrition would be able to do this.

jiitv4

legaladvice_train

Human: Neighbor keeps stealing power for electric car. My neighbor and I have a shared driveway. I own my house but the neighboring house is a rental. Last year, I bought an electric car, and paid to have a charger installed on my side of the driveway. When I installed it, the previous tenants asked if they could use it on two occasions for guests who had electric cars, and I agreed that they could. Well, the new tenants apparently feel that they're welcome to use it whenever they like to charge their own car. They've actually unplugged my car in order to plug in theirs on a couple of occasions. Of course, this uses my power, but also prevents me from charging my own car, which has caused problems. I went over and asked them to stop using my power, and they were extremely rude and said that it was included in their lease, and that their landlord told them it was included in the property. Talking to them has been completely useless. In fact, when I unplugged their car and plugged in my own, they came over and banged on the door, threatening to sue me. I haven't been able to get in touch with their landlord. The third or fourth time I found them charging their car on my plug, I called the police, who told me that this was a civil matter, and wouldn't intervene. What can I do, at this point, to stop them from using my charger? This is in Indiana. Assistant:

ga6qx4y

ga6x0oh

The police *might* not be correct about this being solely a civil matter. Depending on the setup in place, the neighbor might be trespassing. Regardless, it doesn't matter what the landlord communicated to your neighbor. Your plug means your electricity. Even if the landlord mistakenly offered it as part of the rental (which I doubt or else the neighbor never would've asked permission in the beginning before becoming more presumptuous), that doesn't mean you owe the neighbor anything. Anyway, you do have a valid civil claim against your neighbor for the value of the electricity they have stolen. However, electricity is relatively cheap so a few nights of charging probably only amounts to a few dollars. Without knowing your exact setup, it's not possible to know which of these might be of use, but some ideas: * Does your car have a setting which prevents the charging cable from being unplugged if the car is locked? * Can you set up alerts with your car to let you know when charging has been interrupted? * Can you move your car into your garage to charge? * Can you control the breaker for the charging spot? * Can you get a physical lock for the charging cable? Like a cover that goes over the end of the cable so it cannot be plugged in. * Can you get a cable that is so short that it barely reached your car and cannot reach wherever your neighbor is parked?

Send a certified letter to the tenant demanding they stop using the charger. It is not included in their lease as you own the charger. If they continue to use it call the police for every instance. Also consider a dash camera that can be activated without having you drive the car. Installing cameras around your house would be good and have one pointed at the car charging area. Everytime they unplug your car you will have evidence.

rdmbdc

legaladvice_train

Human: My neighbor that I don’t get along with is my mailman. My mail has been going missing. I have lived next door to him and his family for the past 10 years and we’ve never had an issue until recently. He has also been our mailman for the last 2 years when his route changed to include our street. During covid him and his wife filed for a divorce and it turned messy. Since neither of them could afford to move out, she would often come over to my house to take a break from the tension. Her and I were friends and would hang out before the divorce but I didn’t want to “pick sides” because I still had to live next door to him too. I even politely refused when she asked me to be a character witness for her because I didn’t want things to be awkward. Well, about 6 months ago he confronted me outside my house saying that I’m a horrible neighbor and I’m helping his wife screw him out of money. I brushed it off to him being angry about the divorce in general and the fact that we were still friends. Over the next couple of months he would regularly yell at me about little things that he didn’t have an issue with before like a tree branch hanging in his yard or my dogs barking. Then I started realizing that some of my important mail from the IRS or the state was not being delivered. This has happened 6-7 times in the last 4 months. I will request another document to be sent since I never received it and I won’t get that one either. Im getting all other types of mail expect the important ones. I have never had an issue with mail not being delivered/ going missing before this so it just seems suspicious that it’s happening now. I don’t know how to prove it but I know it was him. During the divorce his wife tried to block him from being able to deliver her mail because she also said she was missing mail but apparently the post office dismissed her. What can I do legally and how do I prove this? I do not want him handling my mail if he hates me. Assistant:

ho24x0r

ho2015f

Consider signing up for the Postal Service's Informed Delivery service. If it's available in your area, Informed Delivery will email you a picture of the letter-size mail that will be delivered in a day or two, and has a way to report missing mail.

Call the postal police. They are probably the scariest law enforcement organization in the US. Tell them you want to file a report.

rdmbdc

legaladvice_train

Human: My neighbor that I don’t get along with is my mailman. My mail has been going missing. I have lived next door to him and his family for the past 10 years and we’ve never had an issue until recently. He has also been our mailman for the last 2 years when his route changed to include our street. During covid him and his wife filed for a divorce and it turned messy. Since neither of them could afford to move out, she would often come over to my house to take a break from the tension. Her and I were friends and would hang out before the divorce but I didn’t want to “pick sides” because I still had to live next door to him too. I even politely refused when she asked me to be a character witness for her because I didn’t want things to be awkward. Well, about 6 months ago he confronted me outside my house saying that I’m a horrible neighbor and I’m helping his wife screw him out of money. I brushed it off to him being angry about the divorce in general and the fact that we were still friends. Over the next couple of months he would regularly yell at me about little things that he didn’t have an issue with before like a tree branch hanging in his yard or my dogs barking. Then I started realizing that some of my important mail from the IRS or the state was not being delivered. This has happened 6-7 times in the last 4 months. I will request another document to be sent since I never received it and I won’t get that one either. Im getting all other types of mail expect the important ones. I have never had an issue with mail not being delivered/ going missing before this so it just seems suspicious that it’s happening now. I don’t know how to prove it but I know it was him. During the divorce his wife tried to block him from being able to deliver her mail because she also said she was missing mail but apparently the post office dismissed her. What can I do legally and how do I prove this? I do not want him handling my mail if he hates me. Assistant:

ho24x0r

ho24otx

Consider signing up for the Postal Service's Informed Delivery service. If it's available in your area, Informed Delivery will email you a picture of the letter-size mail that will be delivered in a day or two, and has a way to report missing mail.

Get a PO Box for important mail. Forward your regular mail to the new PO Box. Problem solved for now. File a written report first with the Postmaster at your post office.

rdmbdc

legaladvice_train

Human: My neighbor that I don’t get along with is my mailman. My mail has been going missing. I have lived next door to him and his family for the past 10 years and we’ve never had an issue until recently. He has also been our mailman for the last 2 years when his route changed to include our street. During covid him and his wife filed for a divorce and it turned messy. Since neither of them could afford to move out, she would often come over to my house to take a break from the tension. Her and I were friends and would hang out before the divorce but I didn’t want to “pick sides” because I still had to live next door to him too. I even politely refused when she asked me to be a character witness for her because I didn’t want things to be awkward. Well, about 6 months ago he confronted me outside my house saying that I’m a horrible neighbor and I’m helping his wife screw him out of money. I brushed it off to him being angry about the divorce in general and the fact that we were still friends. Over the next couple of months he would regularly yell at me about little things that he didn’t have an issue with before like a tree branch hanging in his yard or my dogs barking. Then I started realizing that some of my important mail from the IRS or the state was not being delivered. This has happened 6-7 times in the last 4 months. I will request another document to be sent since I never received it and I won’t get that one either. Im getting all other types of mail expect the important ones. I have never had an issue with mail not being delivered/ going missing before this so it just seems suspicious that it’s happening now. I don’t know how to prove it but I know it was him. During the divorce his wife tried to block him from being able to deliver her mail because she also said she was missing mail but apparently the post office dismissed her. What can I do legally and how do I prove this? I do not want him handling my mail if he hates me. Assistant:

ho2mhoi

ho24otx

Informed delivery is your record of proof. There's a lot of factors going on with the postal service right now that have made things overall not ideal from any angle, to put it politely. It could be a lot of things. It could be a call to the station. It could be getting a PO Box and seeing if it's an issue of the regular bid assignment's behavior being in error or a blameless technological happenstance. You can always file for a Harassment Restraining Order, but it sounds like a good way to ruin the fragile peace between property lines. A little camera would capture movement near your mailbox and combined with Informed Delivery emails, it may isolate when and where the error is taking place.

Get a PO Box for important mail. Forward your regular mail to the new PO Box. Problem solved for now. File a written report first with the Postmaster at your post office.

z0ix4s

legaladvice_train

Human: Seeking advice on how to handle a misidentification issue that has plagued me for the last 4 years. So here’s the situation: There is an individual wanted by Interpol (for murder) who by extremely unfortunate coincidence, has the same exact name and DOB as me. Besides that, everything else is different; birthplace, nationality, height, weight. Despite that, it’s been a shitshow for me every time I have to go through passport control in another country (I managed to acquire a redress number from DHS so that I don’t have issues at US immigration, as I’m a US Citizen). A whole group of officers would gather and stare at me like a criminal while my wife and daughter are standing next to me. Just recently in Barcelona during our first night there, I got a knock on my hotel room at 4am with 2 Spanish cops asking me about my identity while I was half asleep. Before that, I’ve been questioned in a couple other countries I visited, got delayed starting a new job because it came up during the background check, and was surrounded by multiple cops during a routine traffic stop in my neighborhood because it came up in their database. Fortunately, an officer at Lisbon passport control recently told me that the Interpol notice will expire in August 2024, but there’s no guarantee that it won’t be renewed by the country that wants to find this person, which obviously will continue my issues. My question is, is there anything I can do from a legal aspect that can protect me from these suspicions from law enforcement authorities? The last thing I want is someone aggressive decide to arrest me and ask questions later while I’m in another country with my family. This individual has been the bane of my existence, and I wish I could offer money to have him caught. Assistant:

ix6kjxi

ix6ul8p

Have you contacted Interpol?

Your best bet is likely to contact INTERPOL to see if they can help resolve this. The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files is the body that handles issues with data in INTERPOL's systems.

z0ix4s

legaladvice_train

Human: Seeking advice on how to handle a misidentification issue that has plagued me for the last 4 years. So here’s the situation: There is an individual wanted by Interpol (for murder) who by extremely unfortunate coincidence, has the same exact name and DOB as me. Besides that, everything else is different; birthplace, nationality, height, weight. Despite that, it’s been a shitshow for me every time I have to go through passport control in another country (I managed to acquire a redress number from DHS so that I don’t have issues at US immigration, as I’m a US Citizen). A whole group of officers would gather and stare at me like a criminal while my wife and daughter are standing next to me. Just recently in Barcelona during our first night there, I got a knock on my hotel room at 4am with 2 Spanish cops asking me about my identity while I was half asleep. Before that, I’ve been questioned in a couple other countries I visited, got delayed starting a new job because it came up during the background check, and was surrounded by multiple cops during a routine traffic stop in my neighborhood because it came up in their database. Fortunately, an officer at Lisbon passport control recently told me that the Interpol notice will expire in August 2024, but there’s no guarantee that it won’t be renewed by the country that wants to find this person, which obviously will continue my issues. My question is, is there anything I can do from a legal aspect that can protect me from these suspicions from law enforcement authorities? The last thing I want is someone aggressive decide to arrest me and ask questions later while I’m in another country with my family. This individual has been the bane of my existence, and I wish I could offer money to have him caught. Assistant:

ix6ul8p

ix6fmfp

Your best bet is likely to contact INTERPOL to see if they can help resolve this. The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files is the body that handles issues with data in INTERPOL's systems.

r/LegalAdviceEurope/ may be another good place to post. This sub is mostly US specific advice.

d5rwda

legaladvice_train

Human: My GF’s restaurant job is claiming more tips than she actually makes per week resulting in her getting a $0 net pay from them on her check. Management denies it and gives us the run around. Who do we go to for this type of situation? Her paycheck shows about $1,400 claimed tips with about $1,200 in taxable deductions(take home cash I am assuming) but in reality she’s likely walked home around $500 in this period. This is based on 34 total hours of work, 17 hours a week. Some shifts are banquets that she will work and they get paid out to her on the check rather than cash but with a $0 check she makes nothing from that shift. There’s a lot to this and it just blows my mind. Assistant:

f0ny74o

f0nsvpo

Between the tips being cashed out and the taxes on the tips being taken out of the paycheck, it's not unusual for servers to end up with zero net pay on their check. Some restaurants do report a minimum percentage of tips to avoid getting in trouble with IRS, it's possible that could be happening here. Without understanding exactly what she's walking away with every day in tips and the specifics of her paystub, it's hard to say for sure if something illegal is happening. If restaurant says they are paying credit card tips on her check and not cashing them out at end of shift, then her paycheck should definitely be higher unless everyone tips in cash.

What location?

d5rwda

legaladvice_train

Human: My GF’s restaurant job is claiming more tips than she actually makes per week resulting in her getting a $0 net pay from them on her check. Management denies it and gives us the run around. Who do we go to for this type of situation? Her paycheck shows about $1,400 claimed tips with about $1,200 in taxable deductions(take home cash I am assuming) but in reality she’s likely walked home around $500 in this period. This is based on 34 total hours of work, 17 hours a week. Some shifts are banquets that she will work and they get paid out to her on the check rather than cash but with a $0 check she makes nothing from that shift. There’s a lot to this and it just blows my mind. Assistant:

f0nsvpo

f0o1vi7

What location?

You need to break down how much she made in cash tips, how much in credit card tips, and how much she tips out to bussers, etc. From there, you compare those numbers with the cash and credit card tip amounts that the restaurant is reporting and you'll be able to see where they are overestimating her tips. In general, the tips being claimed should be at least 12% of the server's sales to avoid IRS issues. Servers usually something right around 12% or so. It would be unusual for a server to claim more than about 15-17% of sales. So you can also check her sales for those two weeks as a sanity check. At $500 in claimed tips, her sales for 2 weeks should be around $4,200, which seems pretty low, tbh. At $1,400 in claimed tips, her sales should be $11,500 or so, which sounds like it's closer to accurate, but maybe a bit high for 6 - 7 shifts. Both parties may be a bit off in their accounting here. Her best bet is to start keeping very accurate and detailed logs of all her tips for a pay period, and then going back to management with her results. In the meantime, she might have some luck asking another server to look over her pay stub to see if anything looks unusual.

69zzao

legaladvice_train

Human: Kansas: My neighbors appear to be hiding a vehicle between my rental home's fence, and their garage. It is parked on grass that i am responsible for mowing, so i assume "my property". If its stolen, or was involved in a crime, could i get in trouble? They covered the plate with a paper towel... Assistant:

dhb4bx7

dhavrl8

Maybe they're trying to avoid getting it repo'd? Although what's the point if they can't drive it.

If you like your neighbors, ask what's going on or if they can move it periodically so you can keep mowing. If you do not like them, call the police non-emergency number and report the plate and make, stating that you found it hidden. Is there a chance a 3rd party stashed it and they don't know it's there?

9qtdvv

legaladvice_train

Human: Landlord has been harassing me about "neighbors' complaints about cat smell." Today she admitted she was lying about the complaints and the smell. How do I stop the harassment? (Note: I admit this is a crazy situation. I wouldn't believe it myself if it weren't happening to me, but I've documented everything.) ​ I'm an apartment tenant who moved to a city in New York State in November last year. For the first nine months I lived here, things were peaceful and I got along well with the landlord and maintenance. In July, when I was paying my rent, the landlord told me that there had been "complaints" from the neighbors about a smell coming from my apartment. I was very apologetic, but I was also a bit confused as I didn't notice any odd smells in my place. I have two cats, but I'd been keeping their litterboxes clean. I had cats in the two apartments I'd lived in prior to moving here, and there hadn't been any complaints there or in the nine months prior here. But I promised to be extra vigilant about any smells, and I was. ​ Then at the beginning of this month when I paid my rent again, the landlord again referred to "neighbors' complaints" about smells from my apartment. I said I'd again make sure any smells were taken care of--even though neither I nor anyone else could smell anything off--and again I did. Two weeks later there was a threatening note my door claiming that I was not keeping my apartment "to standard" and that this was a "final warning". This time I was a bit more angry about it, as I had really been vigilant about everything--new litter pans, deodorants everywhere, cleaned apartment from top to bottom in those two weeks, the works. I could smell absolutely nothing in my apartment, even if I put my face right next to the litterbox! The landlord told me she would come to my apartment in person today. As it happened this morning there were a couple maintenance men fixing the washing machine in the room next to mine. I asked them if they'd noticed "anything unusual" in the hallway by my door...they said they did not, no smells or anything else. I was getting a little suspicious. ​ Sure enough about an hour later the landlord comes over and immediately starts complaining about "overwhelming smells" coming from my door. I mentioned what the maintenance men had just said about the hallway. She claimed "well it's cat pee and it has to be your apartment because nobody else in this building has cats." (Totally false...in fact the neighbor directly across the hall also has two cats!) She continued on by saying "well the neighbors are sure that it's coming from your apartment." I asked how the neighbors could be certain of that. Then she backtracked. "*Well actually the neighbors haven't made any complaints*, but I think there's a cat smell here." Then she claimed that she knew there was a cat smell "because I can tell when you come to pay the rent." Uh...really? "*OK maybe it isn't cat smell*, I don't know, maybe you smell bad? I don't know." I was totally speechless. Then she quickly made excuses, saying she'd be back next week, and took off. ​ I realize this is a situation almost too stupid for words, but I'm at my wits' end here. Basically the landlord is threatening me over a totally non-existent problem, compounding it by lying about "neighbors' complaints" that never happened, and topping it off by insulting me about alleged bad body odor. (And yes I'll be the first to agree that people are immune to their own body odor, but she's claimed that it can be smelled in the hallway outside of my apartment even when I haven't been there for days!) I'm not sure what the legal remedy might be for this, but this harassment absolutely has to stop. I'm furious that I've been lied to, threatened, and insulted over this. Assistant:

e8c3q8m

e8c5uad

Yeahhh... I work in property management and agree with the previous comment. Your landlord is gearing up for something involved with you specifically. It’s unprofessional. I would leave as soon as possible which is likely what she wants you to do.

Legal advice: landlord hasn't done anything illegal. If she files for eviction, show up. Practical: no more friendly chats. Email only, strictly business. Send rent via your bank's bill pay, or certified mail. If you must speak in person, record her. There's something fishy afoot, either in her intentions or in her noodle.

tujr78

legaladvice_train

Human: My mother was fired abruptly after 25+ years of service My mother worked at Wendys for around 28 years and last week she was fired for "upsetting a coworker". No written warning, as per the policy in the handbook. Was told she had been given two prior verbal warnings but that was it. In the last couple years it had come to my mothers attention, through various conversations with her coworkers, that employees just starting out were being paid more than my mother. And that other employees were getting raise increases more than my mother. After 28 years you would think she would be at least making the same amount as people starting. My question is, is there a case here on the pay discrepancy alone? How could she go about legal action against her former employer and whose attention would she need to get? She is located in PA. She will be 60 this year and is a widow, and now being unemployed may be tough to pursue this cause if it is a lost one from the get go. The Wendys is I believe a franchise location, but it may have went corporate a couple years ago. Assistant:

i34xsbh

i351hpl

When your mother turns 60 because she is a widow she will be eligible to draw off her husband's Social Security account (if this is in the USA and he paid into SSA). So I hope that will be able to help you. Normally, you have to have a written warning after a verbal warning before you can be fired but consult with an attorney who specializes in age discrimination cases.

Yeah you can be fired for being mean. You can be fired for almost any reason, save for reasons forbidden by law (being a woman, for example, Caroline Products FN4 and whatever else has come after, been awhile since I took Con Law). But she has a ton of experience. She should apply to damn near any fast food joint that needs people and get a job. I am sure she knows the jkb well enough to be a shift Mgr. So when she does that, she needs to go back and thank the people at Wendy's for forcing her from her comfort zone and getting the promotion and raise she deserved.

tujr78

legaladvice_train

Human: My mother was fired abruptly after 25+ years of service My mother worked at Wendys for around 28 years and last week she was fired for "upsetting a coworker". No written warning, as per the policy in the handbook. Was told she had been given two prior verbal warnings but that was it. In the last couple years it had come to my mothers attention, through various conversations with her coworkers, that employees just starting out were being paid more than my mother. And that other employees were getting raise increases more than my mother. After 28 years you would think she would be at least making the same amount as people starting. My question is, is there a case here on the pay discrepancy alone? How could she go about legal action against her former employer and whose attention would she need to get? She is located in PA. She will be 60 this year and is a widow, and now being unemployed may be tough to pursue this cause if it is a lost one from the get go. The Wendys is I believe a franchise location, but it may have went corporate a couple years ago. Assistant:

i353nua

i35xbnb

If she was being paid less than new employees then she can apply at another fast food restaurant and make more money. Is she losing benefits?

*In the last couple years it had come to my mothers attention, through various conversations with her coworkers, that employees just starting out were being paid more than my mother.* This is everywhere. In today's job market, the way to raise your income is to change jobs. Staying in the same fast food job for over 20 years is not the way to make money or advance yourself. Not even saying you have to get out of fast food, you just have to change jobs often at least every 5 years or so to get paid.

7qg8gn

legaladvice_train

Human: WV - My girlfriend works as an RA at a university, and they’ve told her she’s not allowed to work more than 10 hours anywhere besides the university. Is this legal? She’s been working as an RA for a while and recently picked up a promotion, but they’ve told her the entire time that she’s only allowed to work 10 hours a week total. So she can’t go pick up weekend shifts at Walmart or wherever and make any extra money. Is this totally legal? If it’s not, what can she do to express that tactfully, and what resources can she use to convey that she in fact can work more than they want to allow? Thanks a bunch everyone. Assistant:

dsoyh5q

dsoyfkb

If it's in her agreement, yes, it's legal. An RA is a resource for the students in the dorm. Having RAs who are never there between work and classes and their social lives isn't beneficial to the school or the students.

Yes it is legal. They can set any conditions of employment unless it is discrimination of a protected class. She accepts them by working there.

7qg8gn

legaladvice_train

Human: WV - My girlfriend works as an RA at a university, and they’ve told her she’s not allowed to work more than 10 hours anywhere besides the university. Is this legal? She’s been working as an RA for a while and recently picked up a promotion, but they’ve told her the entire time that she’s only allowed to work 10 hours a week total. So she can’t go pick up weekend shifts at Walmart or wherever and make any extra money. Is this totally legal? If it’s not, what can she do to express that tactfully, and what resources can she use to convey that she in fact can work more than they want to allow? Thanks a bunch everyone. Assistant:

dsoygfo

dsoyh5q

It's legal for them to fire her as an RA if she has another job.

If it's in her agreement, yes, it's legal. An RA is a resource for the students in the dorm. Having RAs who are never there between work and classes and their social lives isn't beneficial to the school or the students.

zmdpcp

legaladvice_train

Human: My GF made me write a signed document stating that if I cheat on her again, I have to send her $10k. Will this actually hold any power over me? The location is Charlotte, North Carolina. It's not that I will ever cheat on her, it's just scary giving rise to the possibility of this being held over me, and it wasn't even written in there that it becomes void if we break up. She was recording me write it but didn't get me signing it on camera. I'm mainly looking for peace of mind that it can't actually be used against me and it was honestly just supposed to be kind of funny for us and a way to help us move on, but the more I think about it, the more its kinda freakin me out. Heres a link to a photo of it. https://imgur.com/a/BDri8rz Any help is appreciated! Assistant:

j0b2io0

j0ajhvd

>and it wasn't even written in there that it becomes void if we break up If you break up with her, you can't be cheating on her. But it only specifies women, so you can engage with men as much as you want, so go wild! As others have mentioned, I don't think this would hold up and you two really should just move on from one another.

The document does not mention when you would need the pay the money or give a puppy. Also, you need to pay Alyssa the money but who is Alyssa? Is it the same Alyssa whose names is blanked out? There are many things wrong with this document.

zmdpcp

legaladvice_train

Human: My GF made me write a signed document stating that if I cheat on her again, I have to send her $10k. Will this actually hold any power over me? The location is Charlotte, North Carolina. It's not that I will ever cheat on her, it's just scary giving rise to the possibility of this being held over me, and it wasn't even written in there that it becomes void if we break up. She was recording me write it but didn't get me signing it on camera. I'm mainly looking for peace of mind that it can't actually be used against me and it was honestly just supposed to be kind of funny for us and a way to help us move on, but the more I think about it, the more its kinda freakin me out. Heres a link to a photo of it. https://imgur.com/a/BDri8rz Any help is appreciated! Assistant:

j0aibyi

j0b2io0

No.

>and it wasn't even written in there that it becomes void if we break up If you break up with her, you can't be cheating on her. But it only specifies women, so you can engage with men as much as you want, so go wild! As others have mentioned, I don't think this would hold up and you two really should just move on from one another.

zmdpcp

legaladvice_train

Human: My GF made me write a signed document stating that if I cheat on her again, I have to send her $10k. Will this actually hold any power over me? The location is Charlotte, North Carolina. It's not that I will ever cheat on her, it's just scary giving rise to the possibility of this being held over me, and it wasn't even written in there that it becomes void if we break up. She was recording me write it but didn't get me signing it on camera. I'm mainly looking for peace of mind that it can't actually be used against me and it was honestly just supposed to be kind of funny for us and a way to help us move on, but the more I think about it, the more its kinda freakin me out. Heres a link to a photo of it. https://imgur.com/a/BDri8rz Any help is appreciated! Assistant:

j0ajhvd

j0alhko

The document does not mention when you would need the pay the money or give a puppy. Also, you need to pay Alyssa the money but who is Alyssa? Is it the same Alyssa whose names is blanked out? There are many things wrong with this document.

It appears to lack consideration. A contract requires consideration. Consideration being what she offers in return for the consideration you provided her. Both parties must offer some form of consideration. For instance, a piece of paper that says "IOU $60 dollars - signed X" is worthless because it lacks consideration. But a piece of paper that says "IOU $60 dollars in exchange for mowing my yard - signed X" is enforceable. Because the consideration exchanged for that $60 dollars is mowing the yard. Consideration must be provided by both parties.

zmdpcp

legaladvice_train

Human: My GF made me write a signed document stating that if I cheat on her again, I have to send her $10k. Will this actually hold any power over me? The location is Charlotte, North Carolina. It's not that I will ever cheat on her, it's just scary giving rise to the possibility of this being held over me, and it wasn't even written in there that it becomes void if we break up. She was recording me write it but didn't get me signing it on camera. I'm mainly looking for peace of mind that it can't actually be used against me and it was honestly just supposed to be kind of funny for us and a way to help us move on, but the more I think about it, the more its kinda freakin me out. Heres a link to a photo of it. https://imgur.com/a/BDri8rz Any help is appreciated! Assistant:

j0alhko

j0aibyi

It appears to lack consideration. A contract requires consideration. Consideration being what she offers in return for the consideration you provided her. Both parties must offer some form of consideration. For instance, a piece of paper that says "IOU $60 dollars - signed X" is worthless because it lacks consideration. But a piece of paper that says "IOU $60 dollars in exchange for mowing my yard - signed X" is enforceable. Because the consideration exchanged for that $60 dollars is mowing the yard. Consideration must be provided by both parties.

No.

zmdpcp

legaladvice_train

Human: My GF made me write a signed document stating that if I cheat on her again, I have to send her $10k. Will this actually hold any power over me? The location is Charlotte, North Carolina. It's not that I will ever cheat on her, it's just scary giving rise to the possibility of this being held over me, and it wasn't even written in there that it becomes void if we break up. She was recording me write it but didn't get me signing it on camera. I'm mainly looking for peace of mind that it can't actually be used against me and it was honestly just supposed to be kind of funny for us and a way to help us move on, but the more I think about it, the more its kinda freakin me out. Heres a link to a photo of it. https://imgur.com/a/BDri8rz Any help is appreciated! Assistant:

j0ajhvd

j0aibyi

The document does not mention when you would need the pay the money or give a puppy. Also, you need to pay Alyssa the money but who is Alyssa? Is it the same Alyssa whose names is blanked out? There are many things wrong with this document.

No.

l2sdrp

legaladvice_train

Human: Wife using breast pump at work and coworkers are giving her a hard time - VA My wife and I have a 4 month old. She works at a public high school. Each day she is allotted 2-3 breaks per day to pump. These breaks are at specific times based on her schedule. Originally, they tried to put her in a bathroom to pump, but she objected. So then they found a break room with running water and a refrigerator and created a makeshift "room" using tall filing cabinets. She is fine with this arrangement. Initially there were times where supervisors are upset with her because she can't cover other teacher's classes due to her pumping schedule. I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but it stresses her out. Now there is one particular woman who isn't happy the my wife is pumping in this room. I guess because other people are in there. This woman started a text chain with everyone in the special education department (wife's department) except my wife. The purpose of this was this lady asking if anyone else had a problem with my wife pumping in that room. My wife found out about this when a friend of hers told her about the text chain because she didn't want to be talking about her behind her back. Now this lady has gone to the head of the SpEd department complaining that someone walked in on my wife pumping. This is a straight up lie because it is not possible to see my wife without her seeing you as well or without climbing on top of and across multiple filing cabinets. This morning this lady came in to the room when my wife was pumping and said "I thought you weren't allowed to pump in here anymore." My wife informed her that none of the other areas provided to her has reasonable access to refrigeration or running water. One was literally an electrical closet on the other side of the building. Plus no one had told her anything even remotely close to that. My wife replied that it is not her (wife's) responsibility to find an adequate place to pump. It is the schools responsibility to provide an adequate space. The lady then told my wife that she would find something else by the end of the day. This lady's constant harping on this has really stressed out my wife. It is actually affecting her milk supply. She gets less than half the amount when pumping at work than when she pumps at home. I'm also very frustrated. At what point is this harassment, hostile work environment, or some other violation of state/federal law? What's the best way to handle this if things continue to deteriorate? Assistant:

gk7jshc

gk7j67h

Assuming this lady is just some random other employee, your wife should report the harassment to her management.

Is your wife part of a union? If so, she should speak with her union rep. If not (or in addition to), she absolutely should address this with the administration.

l2sdrp

legaladvice_train

Human: Wife using breast pump at work and coworkers are giving her a hard time - VA My wife and I have a 4 month old. She works at a public high school. Each day she is allotted 2-3 breaks per day to pump. These breaks are at specific times based on her schedule. Originally, they tried to put her in a bathroom to pump, but she objected. So then they found a break room with running water and a refrigerator and created a makeshift "room" using tall filing cabinets. She is fine with this arrangement. Initially there were times where supervisors are upset with her because she can't cover other teacher's classes due to her pumping schedule. I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but it stresses her out. Now there is one particular woman who isn't happy the my wife is pumping in this room. I guess because other people are in there. This woman started a text chain with everyone in the special education department (wife's department) except my wife. The purpose of this was this lady asking if anyone else had a problem with my wife pumping in that room. My wife found out about this when a friend of hers told her about the text chain because she didn't want to be talking about her behind her back. Now this lady has gone to the head of the SpEd department complaining that someone walked in on my wife pumping. This is a straight up lie because it is not possible to see my wife without her seeing you as well or without climbing on top of and across multiple filing cabinets. This morning this lady came in to the room when my wife was pumping and said "I thought you weren't allowed to pump in here anymore." My wife informed her that none of the other areas provided to her has reasonable access to refrigeration or running water. One was literally an electrical closet on the other side of the building. Plus no one had told her anything even remotely close to that. My wife replied that it is not her (wife's) responsibility to find an adequate place to pump. It is the schools responsibility to provide an adequate space. The lady then told my wife that she would find something else by the end of the day. This lady's constant harping on this has really stressed out my wife. It is actually affecting her milk supply. She gets less than half the amount when pumping at work than when she pumps at home. I'm also very frustrated. At what point is this harassment, hostile work environment, or some other violation of state/federal law? What's the best way to handle this if things continue to deteriorate? Assistant:

gk7jshc

gk7jgr5

Assuming this lady is just some random other employee, your wife should report the harassment to her management.

Not a lawyer, just a lurker. Sounds like this "lady" needs to be reminded that it's a federal law that your wife be provided both the time and a non-bathroom space to pump. If I were her, I'd reach out to either/both the school's HR department and/or teacher's union (of applicable). I would think that both/either would want to nip this in the bud before it escalates into am obvious legal issues that would open them to liability (again, Not a lawyer, but my thinking is that if this woman gets it in her mind to barge in on your wife to prove a point, your wife could make a car for harassment, assault, etc. My understanding is that the employer has to provide a non-bathroom space with a locking door.) Side advice: get your wife a nice set of headphones or ear buds, so she can listen to something nice and calming while pumping at work. May help ease the stress by both providing a calming atmosphere, and blocking out any remarks, comments, or questions from this person.

l2sdrp

legaladvice_train

Human: Wife using breast pump at work and coworkers are giving her a hard time - VA My wife and I have a 4 month old. She works at a public high school. Each day she is allotted 2-3 breaks per day to pump. These breaks are at specific times based on her schedule. Originally, they tried to put her in a bathroom to pump, but she objected. So then they found a break room with running water and a refrigerator and created a makeshift "room" using tall filing cabinets. She is fine with this arrangement. Initially there were times where supervisors are upset with her because she can't cover other teacher's classes due to her pumping schedule. I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but it stresses her out. Now there is one particular woman who isn't happy the my wife is pumping in this room. I guess because other people are in there. This woman started a text chain with everyone in the special education department (wife's department) except my wife. The purpose of this was this lady asking if anyone else had a problem with my wife pumping in that room. My wife found out about this when a friend of hers told her about the text chain because she didn't want to be talking about her behind her back. Now this lady has gone to the head of the SpEd department complaining that someone walked in on my wife pumping. This is a straight up lie because it is not possible to see my wife without her seeing you as well or without climbing on top of and across multiple filing cabinets. This morning this lady came in to the room when my wife was pumping and said "I thought you weren't allowed to pump in here anymore." My wife informed her that none of the other areas provided to her has reasonable access to refrigeration or running water. One was literally an electrical closet on the other side of the building. Plus no one had told her anything even remotely close to that. My wife replied that it is not her (wife's) responsibility to find an adequate place to pump. It is the schools responsibility to provide an adequate space. The lady then told my wife that she would find something else by the end of the day. This lady's constant harping on this has really stressed out my wife. It is actually affecting her milk supply. She gets less than half the amount when pumping at work than when she pumps at home. I'm also very frustrated. At what point is this harassment, hostile work environment, or some other violation of state/federal law? What's the best way to handle this if things continue to deteriorate? Assistant:

gk7kcxq

gk7j67h

It appears she is being harassed. Here is the Virginia state law protecting her right: Enacted in 2015, Va. Code § 32.1-370 states in relevant part, “A mother may breastfeed in any place where the mother is lawfully present…” If you have a question or concern about this law or feel your rights have been violated please email vabreastfeeds@vdh.virginia.gov Also a school employee specific law can be found here: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?141+ful+HB720ER+pdf And to save you a click: “Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: 1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 22.1-79.5 as follows: § 22.1-79.5. Employee lactation support policy. Each local school board shall adopt a policy to set aside, in each school in the school division, a non-restroom location that is shielded from the public view to be designated as an area in which any mother who is employed by the local school board or enrolled as a student may take breaks of reasonable length during the school day to express milk to feed her child until the child reaches the age of one.” Your wife may also have additional rights if she is a member of a teachers union. She could also take this matter to HR or straight to the Board of Education. Edit: The first one, Va. Code § 32.1-370 covers breastfeeding on Commonwealth property so not applicable unless it’s a school owned or operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. But the second one, § 22.1-79.5 would apply to all public (presumably) schools.

Is your wife part of a union? If so, she should speak with her union rep. If not (or in addition to), she absolutely should address this with the administration.

l2sdrp

legaladvice_train

Human: Wife using breast pump at work and coworkers are giving her a hard time - VA My wife and I have a 4 month old. She works at a public high school. Each day she is allotted 2-3 breaks per day to pump. These breaks are at specific times based on her schedule. Originally, they tried to put her in a bathroom to pump, but she objected. So then they found a break room with running water and a refrigerator and created a makeshift "room" using tall filing cabinets. She is fine with this arrangement. Initially there were times where supervisors are upset with her because she can't cover other teacher's classes due to her pumping schedule. I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but it stresses her out. Now there is one particular woman who isn't happy the my wife is pumping in this room. I guess because other people are in there. This woman started a text chain with everyone in the special education department (wife's department) except my wife. The purpose of this was this lady asking if anyone else had a problem with my wife pumping in that room. My wife found out about this when a friend of hers told her about the text chain because she didn't want to be talking about her behind her back. Now this lady has gone to the head of the SpEd department complaining that someone walked in on my wife pumping. This is a straight up lie because it is not possible to see my wife without her seeing you as well or without climbing on top of and across multiple filing cabinets. This morning this lady came in to the room when my wife was pumping and said "I thought you weren't allowed to pump in here anymore." My wife informed her that none of the other areas provided to her has reasonable access to refrigeration or running water. One was literally an electrical closet on the other side of the building. Plus no one had told her anything even remotely close to that. My wife replied that it is not her (wife's) responsibility to find an adequate place to pump. It is the schools responsibility to provide an adequate space. The lady then told my wife that she would find something else by the end of the day. This lady's constant harping on this has really stressed out my wife. It is actually affecting her milk supply. She gets less than half the amount when pumping at work than when she pumps at home. I'm also very frustrated. At what point is this harassment, hostile work environment, or some other violation of state/federal law? What's the best way to handle this if things continue to deteriorate? Assistant:

gk7kcxq

gk7jgr5

It appears she is being harassed. Here is the Virginia state law protecting her right: Enacted in 2015, Va. Code § 32.1-370 states in relevant part, “A mother may breastfeed in any place where the mother is lawfully present…” If you have a question or concern about this law or feel your rights have been violated please email vabreastfeeds@vdh.virginia.gov Also a school employee specific law can be found here: https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?141+ful+HB720ER+pdf And to save you a click: “Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: 1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 22.1-79.5 as follows: § 22.1-79.5. Employee lactation support policy. Each local school board shall adopt a policy to set aside, in each school in the school division, a non-restroom location that is shielded from the public view to be designated as an area in which any mother who is employed by the local school board or enrolled as a student may take breaks of reasonable length during the school day to express milk to feed her child until the child reaches the age of one.” Your wife may also have additional rights if she is a member of a teachers union. She could also take this matter to HR or straight to the Board of Education. Edit: The first one, Va. Code § 32.1-370 covers breastfeeding on Commonwealth property so not applicable unless it’s a school owned or operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. But the second one, § 22.1-79.5 would apply to all public (presumably) schools.

Not a lawyer, just a lurker. Sounds like this "lady" needs to be reminded that it's a federal law that your wife be provided both the time and a non-bathroom space to pump. If I were her, I'd reach out to either/both the school's HR department and/or teacher's union (of applicable). I would think that both/either would want to nip this in the bud before it escalates into am obvious legal issues that would open them to liability (again, Not a lawyer, but my thinking is that if this woman gets it in her mind to barge in on your wife to prove a point, your wife could make a car for harassment, assault, etc. My understanding is that the employer has to provide a non-bathroom space with a locking door.) Side advice: get your wife a nice set of headphones or ear buds, so she can listen to something nice and calming while pumping at work. May help ease the stress by both providing a calming atmosphere, and blocking out any remarks, comments, or questions from this person.

b0kr80

legaladvice_train

Human: My longterm employer has changed policy after 7 years and is attempting to hold a pay period of salary. Background: I was hired approximately 7 years ago by a mid-sized organization in NYC and have worked here very happily since. Regular pay raises, solid benefits, generally a good place to work. A week ago, I was told that due to a change in hiring moving forward, all new fulltime employees have their first pay periods pay withheld, to begin pay at the end of the second pay period they are employed. The reason I was told this is that the Org would like to 'bring it's more senior fulltime employees into compliance' with a policy set up more than 7 years after I signed an employment contract I still have onhand today. It plans to do this by either withholding the first pay period of my salary this upcoming financial year(August, for us) OR by 'loaning' me my salary, and then having me pay it back interest free of 24 pay periods. I am aware they cannot legally dun money from my paycheck, so they want to set it up where I am writing them checks. This also effects about 20+ more people in an org of about 250. This was introduced on the heels of 'a 4% raise', which is wholly consumed by this plan of theirs. It will in effect if they can do this cut my pay about 5 dollars a pay period. The entirety of the situation seems incredibly sketchy to me, which is sad, as the organization has not done something like this before, and it feels really unpleasant. Does anyone here have any insight? Assistant:

eif89hv

eif9uoy

Yes it's legal as long as they pay you at least semi monthly.

Can you clarify, are they changing your pay schedule (e.g., going from weekly to every other week, or from every other week to once a month)? If so, you will get that money (same amount per year), just at a different time. Or are they expecting a week or two weeks of work that you will *never* get paid for (so your amount per year goes down)? If the former, changing the pay schedule is legal. If the latter, that is problematic.

96wfos

legaladvice_train

Human: [KY]My girlfriend of seven years passed away last week. Is the maternal side of her family allowed to deny me entry to her funeral/wake/burial site if the paternal side is okay with granting me access to them? Location - Kentucky. My girlfriend passed away unexpectedly last week. We were in a relationship for 7 years, and we had a four-year-old son together. Her funeral is this Tuesday. Because her mother's side of the family did not agree with us being in a same-sex relationship, they are saying that they are going to refuse to allow me into the funeral home for her wake and for her funeral, and refuse to allow me access to her grave site at the cemetery at any point in the future. Her father's side of the family was more accepting of our relationship, and says that they would not protest if I showed up to the wake, funeral, or grave site. Can I be barred from the funeral/wake/grave site if only one side of the family disagrees with me being there? What would happen if I showed up to the funeral even though the maternal side of her family has requested that I not attend? Is there anything I can do? Assistant:

e43qcel

e43ptuw

I'm so very sorry for your loss and that your gf's mother's family are being this way. As far as the funeral is concerned, the family members who are in charge of and pay for the funeral can specify who can attend. It's unfortunate and awful that homophobic families can and sometimes do exclude same-sex partners from funerals, but it happens. It happened to a friend of mine when he lost his fiancé. Perhaps her father's family can advocate on your behalf if they are sharing the cost of the funeral. As far as the cemetery is concerned, it's not up to them who can visit a grave. That's up to whomever owns the cemetery. Generally, cemeteries are open to the public and they do not bar people just because the family doesn't like them.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Are they expecting your child would also be barred from attending? I was kept away from my dad's funeral because of a feud between my mum and his mum. I regret it even 30 years later. Could you ring the nice side of the family and ask them to take you with them as part of their group.

96wfos

legaladvice_train

Human: [KY]My girlfriend of seven years passed away last week. Is the maternal side of her family allowed to deny me entry to her funeral/wake/burial site if the paternal side is okay with granting me access to them? Location - Kentucky. My girlfriend passed away unexpectedly last week. We were in a relationship for 7 years, and we had a four-year-old son together. Her funeral is this Tuesday. Because her mother's side of the family did not agree with us being in a same-sex relationship, they are saying that they are going to refuse to allow me into the funeral home for her wake and for her funeral, and refuse to allow me access to her grave site at the cemetery at any point in the future. Her father's side of the family was more accepting of our relationship, and says that they would not protest if I showed up to the wake, funeral, or grave site. Can I be barred from the funeral/wake/grave site if only one side of the family disagrees with me being there? What would happen if I showed up to the funeral even though the maternal side of her family has requested that I not attend? Is there anything I can do? Assistant:

e43qhb5

e446ikx

Sorry for your loss. They can likely block you from the funeral home, and the wake. Though if it's a large enough event you should be able to attend discreetly. However, they do not control the cemetery, which is publicly accessible. You should be able to go to her grave site unless she is buried someplace very unusual.

Maybe a hail Mary, but you could try contacting the funeral home and explain your relationship and they might accommodate you and your child to have a private moment with your girlfriend before or after the service. I am sorry for your loss.

96wfos

legaladvice_train

Human: [KY]My girlfriend of seven years passed away last week. Is the maternal side of her family allowed to deny me entry to her funeral/wake/burial site if the paternal side is okay with granting me access to them? Location - Kentucky. My girlfriend passed away unexpectedly last week. We were in a relationship for 7 years, and we had a four-year-old son together. Her funeral is this Tuesday. Because her mother's side of the family did not agree with us being in a same-sex relationship, they are saying that they are going to refuse to allow me into the funeral home for her wake and for her funeral, and refuse to allow me access to her grave site at the cemetery at any point in the future. Her father's side of the family was more accepting of our relationship, and says that they would not protest if I showed up to the wake, funeral, or grave site. Can I be barred from the funeral/wake/grave site if only one side of the family disagrees with me being there? What would happen if I showed up to the funeral even though the maternal side of her family has requested that I not attend? Is there anything I can do? Assistant:

e446ikx

e43xtv1

Maybe a hail Mary, but you could try contacting the funeral home and explain your relationship and they might accommodate you and your child to have a private moment with your girlfriend before or after the service. I am sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry, I hope you and your son can recover from this soon. My own girlfriend has a heart condition, and I've had these exact same fears myself because her family are very unpleasant about her being gay. Legally speaking, it's a private function on private land, so if they're paying then yes you can be legally barred. My suggestion is to REALLY get in with your FIL's side, and failing that... honestly, hold your own memorial. Your partner loved you, you loved and love her, your son loves his mothers. I'm sure the family you have outside her blood relatives loved her and love you still. Hold your own memorial - perhaps even at the cemetery itself with permission from the owners. If the FIL is paying for half the event, then I would say the legal basis for them ejecting you becomes a lot more ambiguous. I would honestly turn up anyway, because in your position I wouldn't be able to stop myself, but do be aware that there's a good chance you will have the police called and if you do, then legally the chance is better than not that they will win. I'm so sorry for you and your son's loss. But even if you can't attend the funeral or the wake, they cannot bar you from the grave site and they can _never_ take away the love you have together, or the seven years of joy you shared. They are trying to turn your love into a way to hurt you, but never forget that your partner chose you and your son over them. They're doing this because they're bitter that _you two won_. Even in her passing, you've won together. Don't forget that.

96wfos

legaladvice_train

Human: [KY]My girlfriend of seven years passed away last week. Is the maternal side of her family allowed to deny me entry to her funeral/wake/burial site if the paternal side is okay with granting me access to them? Location - Kentucky. My girlfriend passed away unexpectedly last week. We were in a relationship for 7 years, and we had a four-year-old son together. Her funeral is this Tuesday. Because her mother's side of the family did not agree with us being in a same-sex relationship, they are saying that they are going to refuse to allow me into the funeral home for her wake and for her funeral, and refuse to allow me access to her grave site at the cemetery at any point in the future. Her father's side of the family was more accepting of our relationship, and says that they would not protest if I showed up to the wake, funeral, or grave site. Can I be barred from the funeral/wake/grave site if only one side of the family disagrees with me being there? What would happen if I showed up to the funeral even though the maternal side of her family has requested that I not attend? Is there anything I can do? Assistant:

e443f4k

e446ikx

Unless this is some kind of bizarre swanky secret cemetery, regardless of the funeral and memorial outcome, you should be able to go and visit the grave afterward anytime you want, and the cemetery will not even approach you at all, let alone ID you and then check a list to see if you're allowed in. Absolute worst case scenario here (I'll defer to the advice of others on the topic of the funeral itself) you can always wait another week or so for the heat to die down and then just go to the grave-site yourself.

Maybe a hail Mary, but you could try contacting the funeral home and explain your relationship and they might accommodate you and your child to have a private moment with your girlfriend before or after the service. I am sorry for your loss.

2tvigj

legaladvice_train

Human: (US) Car accident while delivering for restaurant I work at caused insurance to drop me, now being sued by drivers who rear-ended me for $30k. I made $15k last year. Help me. My life is pretty much ruined, and I need some help figuring out what to do about it. I've been contacting lawyers, but I'm 25 and this whole process is new to me. Here's what happened: I was delivering an order for the restaurant I worked for. This was in November. While on the expressway, a Christmas tree falls off the car in front of my car, and I immediately slowed and cut the wheel to try and swerve, but I was rear-ended by the car behind me. Their car hit me so hard that I was pushed into the next lane, where I was rear-ended again. I'm not talking side-swiped or anything, straight-up destroyed my entire trunk, which was full of the food I was delivering. No one was hurt, but everyone's cars were fucked. They all saw what happened and stated what happened with the tree in the police report, but the vehicle carrying the tree, that caused the accident, was never found. I expected my insurance to pull through, and I was rear-ended because someone else dropped a fucking tree on the highway, so I figured I had just lost my car, and was happy to be alive. I call my boss to tell him what happened, and he asked me if I told them I was delivering. I said yes, because I was wearing my work uniform and there was food from the trunk exploded all over the highway -- there was no hiding it, and I never would have thought to lie in this kind of situation. Turns out my boss never told me that driving while working, without being commercially insured, allows your insurance company to drop your coverage. He knew for two years I was driving uninsured, sometimes for two hours at a time, and never said anything. So, after my insurance company received the police report, they dropped me retroactively. That means I technically didn't have insurance when that accident happened, so the drivers of vehicles that rear-ended me are now suing me to the tune of $30,000. I don't understand how it's possible, since I was not blamed for the accident by the insurance investigators. It was ruled a "no fault accident". Also the police report states the only reason I made a lane change was because of the force of impact, and I was rear-ended twice -- that usually rules out fault, automatically. But no, this is really my life right now. My boss KNEW this was a likelihood, and I feel the only reason he never told me about it was because he knew I wouldn't deliver if I had to pay extra insurance for it. I wasn't even scheduled that day, and I don't think I was clocked in (I just came in to run the delivery because he was busy as hell). I quit because working for him ruined my life, and I don't regret it. Do I even have a chance of getting out of this alive? At this point, I'm starting to see living through the accident as the opposite of a blessing. Assistant:

co2or1w

co31wzo

It's possible b/c most likely they rescinded your policy for misrepresentation. When you took out the policy you didn't indicate you were using the vehicle for business purposes, and some carriers consider this error or mistake on your part as misleading them to influence (decrease) your rates and that is material misrepresentation. That factor would have had a HUGE effect on your rates, I surmise. The drivers who rear ended you are stupid for suing you. You aren't the proximate cause of this accdient. You took an emergency evasive action and they were unable to avoid hitting you. If anything, I'd say you would have a case to sue THEM for following too closely IF AND ONLY IF you never left your lane (ie swerved into the next lane over in front of them). You need to talk to an attorney since you have no insurance company to defend this. I know you can't afford it, but you need to figure out how to.

1. It is almost certain that your employer is liable for damages incurred while you were driving for work. 2. You have a strong counter-suit because rearending someone is almost always ruled the fault of the person who rear-ends (they were following too closely for safety). 3. Talk to a lawyer. You should be able to get a 30 minute free consultation.

2tvigj

legaladvice_train

Human: (US) Car accident while delivering for restaurant I work at caused insurance to drop me, now being sued by drivers who rear-ended me for $30k. I made $15k last year. Help me. My life is pretty much ruined, and I need some help figuring out what to do about it. I've been contacting lawyers, but I'm 25 and this whole process is new to me. Here's what happened: I was delivering an order for the restaurant I worked for. This was in November. While on the expressway, a Christmas tree falls off the car in front of my car, and I immediately slowed and cut the wheel to try and swerve, but I was rear-ended by the car behind me. Their car hit me so hard that I was pushed into the next lane, where I was rear-ended again. I'm not talking side-swiped or anything, straight-up destroyed my entire trunk, which was full of the food I was delivering. No one was hurt, but everyone's cars were fucked. They all saw what happened and stated what happened with the tree in the police report, but the vehicle carrying the tree, that caused the accident, was never found. I expected my insurance to pull through, and I was rear-ended because someone else dropped a fucking tree on the highway, so I figured I had just lost my car, and was happy to be alive. I call my boss to tell him what happened, and he asked me if I told them I was delivering. I said yes, because I was wearing my work uniform and there was food from the trunk exploded all over the highway -- there was no hiding it, and I never would have thought to lie in this kind of situation. Turns out my boss never told me that driving while working, without being commercially insured, allows your insurance company to drop your coverage. He knew for two years I was driving uninsured, sometimes for two hours at a time, and never said anything. So, after my insurance company received the police report, they dropped me retroactively. That means I technically didn't have insurance when that accident happened, so the drivers of vehicles that rear-ended me are now suing me to the tune of $30,000. I don't understand how it's possible, since I was not blamed for the accident by the insurance investigators. It was ruled a "no fault accident". Also the police report states the only reason I made a lane change was because of the force of impact, and I was rear-ended twice -- that usually rules out fault, automatically. But no, this is really my life right now. My boss KNEW this was a likelihood, and I feel the only reason he never told me about it was because he knew I wouldn't deliver if I had to pay extra insurance for it. I wasn't even scheduled that day, and I don't think I was clocked in (I just came in to run the delivery because he was busy as hell). I quit because working for him ruined my life, and I don't regret it. Do I even have a chance of getting out of this alive? At this point, I'm starting to see living through the accident as the opposite of a blessing. Assistant:

co31wzo

co2tdf0

1. It is almost certain that your employer is liable for damages incurred while you were driving for work. 2. You have a strong counter-suit because rearending someone is almost always ruled the fault of the person who rear-ends (they were following too closely for safety). 3. Talk to a lawyer. You should be able to get a 30 minute free consultation.

If you had asked about this for your agent and he said it would be covered, you could sue your agent. That is a very common exclusion in auto policies, nearly all p&c companies actually, this is also why reading your 20 page declaration sheet is important. I am an insurance agent in Illinois and that is one question I ask every one of my insureds is do you use the vehicle for any business use. :( Im sorry it happened to you.

2tvigj

legaladvice_train

Human: (US) Car accident while delivering for restaurant I work at caused insurance to drop me, now being sued by drivers who rear-ended me for $30k. I made $15k last year. Help me. My life is pretty much ruined, and I need some help figuring out what to do about it. I've been contacting lawyers, but I'm 25 and this whole process is new to me. Here's what happened: I was delivering an order for the restaurant I worked for. This was in November. While on the expressway, a Christmas tree falls off the car in front of my car, and I immediately slowed and cut the wheel to try and swerve, but I was rear-ended by the car behind me. Their car hit me so hard that I was pushed into the next lane, where I was rear-ended again. I'm not talking side-swiped or anything, straight-up destroyed my entire trunk, which was full of the food I was delivering. No one was hurt, but everyone's cars were fucked. They all saw what happened and stated what happened with the tree in the police report, but the vehicle carrying the tree, that caused the accident, was never found. I expected my insurance to pull through, and I was rear-ended because someone else dropped a fucking tree on the highway, so I figured I had just lost my car, and was happy to be alive. I call my boss to tell him what happened, and he asked me if I told them I was delivering. I said yes, because I was wearing my work uniform and there was food from the trunk exploded all over the highway -- there was no hiding it, and I never would have thought to lie in this kind of situation. Turns out my boss never told me that driving while working, without being commercially insured, allows your insurance company to drop your coverage. He knew for two years I was driving uninsured, sometimes for two hours at a time, and never said anything. So, after my insurance company received the police report, they dropped me retroactively. That means I technically didn't have insurance when that accident happened, so the drivers of vehicles that rear-ended me are now suing me to the tune of $30,000. I don't understand how it's possible, since I was not blamed for the accident by the insurance investigators. It was ruled a "no fault accident". Also the police report states the only reason I made a lane change was because of the force of impact, and I was rear-ended twice -- that usually rules out fault, automatically. But no, this is really my life right now. My boss KNEW this was a likelihood, and I feel the only reason he never told me about it was because he knew I wouldn't deliver if I had to pay extra insurance for it. I wasn't even scheduled that day, and I don't think I was clocked in (I just came in to run the delivery because he was busy as hell). I quit because working for him ruined my life, and I don't regret it. Do I even have a chance of getting out of this alive? At this point, I'm starting to see living through the accident as the opposite of a blessing. Assistant:

co31wzo

co2t7le

1. It is almost certain that your employer is liable for damages incurred while you were driving for work. 2. You have a strong counter-suit because rearending someone is almost always ruled the fault of the person who rear-ends (they were following too closely for safety). 3. Talk to a lawyer. You should be able to get a 30 minute free consultation.

I am not a lawyer, Its legal arm twisting, blame assignment is pretty clear in rear end cases, you drove well if you were able to avoid the car in front, as long as the police report does not say you changed lanes, you have a good change of winning and the lawyer should be able to recover costs. So go talk to a lawyer, your life is not ruined. Cheer up ! You may however lose your license as states are strict about people without insurance causing accidents. In WA you definitely lose it for some time.

2tvigj

legaladvice_train

Human: (US) Car accident while delivering for restaurant I work at caused insurance to drop me, now being sued by drivers who rear-ended me for $30k. I made $15k last year. Help me. My life is pretty much ruined, and I need some help figuring out what to do about it. I've been contacting lawyers, but I'm 25 and this whole process is new to me. Here's what happened: I was delivering an order for the restaurant I worked for. This was in November. While on the expressway, a Christmas tree falls off the car in front of my car, and I immediately slowed and cut the wheel to try and swerve, but I was rear-ended by the car behind me. Their car hit me so hard that I was pushed into the next lane, where I was rear-ended again. I'm not talking side-swiped or anything, straight-up destroyed my entire trunk, which was full of the food I was delivering. No one was hurt, but everyone's cars were fucked. They all saw what happened and stated what happened with the tree in the police report, but the vehicle carrying the tree, that caused the accident, was never found. I expected my insurance to pull through, and I was rear-ended because someone else dropped a fucking tree on the highway, so I figured I had just lost my car, and was happy to be alive. I call my boss to tell him what happened, and he asked me if I told them I was delivering. I said yes, because I was wearing my work uniform and there was food from the trunk exploded all over the highway -- there was no hiding it, and I never would have thought to lie in this kind of situation. Turns out my boss never told me that driving while working, without being commercially insured, allows your insurance company to drop your coverage. He knew for two years I was driving uninsured, sometimes for two hours at a time, and never said anything. So, after my insurance company received the police report, they dropped me retroactively. That means I technically didn't have insurance when that accident happened, so the drivers of vehicles that rear-ended me are now suing me to the tune of $30,000. I don't understand how it's possible, since I was not blamed for the accident by the insurance investigators. It was ruled a "no fault accident". Also the police report states the only reason I made a lane change was because of the force of impact, and I was rear-ended twice -- that usually rules out fault, automatically. But no, this is really my life right now. My boss KNEW this was a likelihood, and I feel the only reason he never told me about it was because he knew I wouldn't deliver if I had to pay extra insurance for it. I wasn't even scheduled that day, and I don't think I was clocked in (I just came in to run the delivery because he was busy as hell). I quit because working for him ruined my life, and I don't regret it. Do I even have a chance of getting out of this alive? At this point, I'm starting to see living through the accident as the opposite of a blessing. Assistant:

co36a18

co2tdf0

I am a lawyer. I do insurance work. You need one. Whether the carrier can enforce an exclusion retroactively is an open question. Whether you were an agent of the pizza place in the course of your employment is pretty clear. The impact ( okay, its a pun) is that there may be coverage. You just have to get a lawyer to figure it out. StarryC makes some good points, too. There are lots of insurance defense and insurance coverage attorneys around. When I need someone in an area I am not familiar with I use www.Martindale.com website, lawyer search. Filter for the city where the accident happened and insurance defense or coverage, maybe plaintiffs personal injury. Plaintiff lawyers like to get paid so they often know a lot about getting insurance to cover a loss.

If you had asked about this for your agent and he said it would be covered, you could sue your agent. That is a very common exclusion in auto policies, nearly all p&c companies actually, this is also why reading your 20 page declaration sheet is important. I am an insurance agent in Illinois and that is one question I ask every one of my insureds is do you use the vehicle for any business use. :( Im sorry it happened to you.

2tvigj

legaladvice_train

Human: (US) Car accident while delivering for restaurant I work at caused insurance to drop me, now being sued by drivers who rear-ended me for $30k. I made $15k last year. Help me. My life is pretty much ruined, and I need some help figuring out what to do about it. I've been contacting lawyers, but I'm 25 and this whole process is new to me. Here's what happened: I was delivering an order for the restaurant I worked for. This was in November. While on the expressway, a Christmas tree falls off the car in front of my car, and I immediately slowed and cut the wheel to try and swerve, but I was rear-ended by the car behind me. Their car hit me so hard that I was pushed into the next lane, where I was rear-ended again. I'm not talking side-swiped or anything, straight-up destroyed my entire trunk, which was full of the food I was delivering. No one was hurt, but everyone's cars were fucked. They all saw what happened and stated what happened with the tree in the police report, but the vehicle carrying the tree, that caused the accident, was never found. I expected my insurance to pull through, and I was rear-ended because someone else dropped a fucking tree on the highway, so I figured I had just lost my car, and was happy to be alive. I call my boss to tell him what happened, and he asked me if I told them I was delivering. I said yes, because I was wearing my work uniform and there was food from the trunk exploded all over the highway -- there was no hiding it, and I never would have thought to lie in this kind of situation. Turns out my boss never told me that driving while working, without being commercially insured, allows your insurance company to drop your coverage. He knew for two years I was driving uninsured, sometimes for two hours at a time, and never said anything. So, after my insurance company received the police report, they dropped me retroactively. That means I technically didn't have insurance when that accident happened, so the drivers of vehicles that rear-ended me are now suing me to the tune of $30,000. I don't understand how it's possible, since I was not blamed for the accident by the insurance investigators. It was ruled a "no fault accident". Also the police report states the only reason I made a lane change was because of the force of impact, and I was rear-ended twice -- that usually rules out fault, automatically. But no, this is really my life right now. My boss KNEW this was a likelihood, and I feel the only reason he never told me about it was because he knew I wouldn't deliver if I had to pay extra insurance for it. I wasn't even scheduled that day, and I don't think I was clocked in (I just came in to run the delivery because he was busy as hell). I quit because working for him ruined my life, and I don't regret it. Do I even have a chance of getting out of this alive? At this point, I'm starting to see living through the accident as the opposite of a blessing. Assistant:

co2t7le

co36a18

I am not a lawyer, Its legal arm twisting, blame assignment is pretty clear in rear end cases, you drove well if you were able to avoid the car in front, as long as the police report does not say you changed lanes, you have a good change of winning and the lawyer should be able to recover costs. So go talk to a lawyer, your life is not ruined. Cheer up ! You may however lose your license as states are strict about people without insurance causing accidents. In WA you definitely lose it for some time.

I am a lawyer. I do insurance work. You need one. Whether the carrier can enforce an exclusion retroactively is an open question. Whether you were an agent of the pizza place in the course of your employment is pretty clear. The impact ( okay, its a pun) is that there may be coverage. You just have to get a lawyer to figure it out. StarryC makes some good points, too. There are lots of insurance defense and insurance coverage attorneys around. When I need someone in an area I am not familiar with I use www.Martindale.com website, lawyer search. Filter for the city where the accident happened and insurance defense or coverage, maybe plaintiffs personal injury. Plaintiff lawyers like to get paid so they often know a lot about getting insurance to cover a loss.

rezirc

legaladvice_train

Human: My mother and I are being sued over a car accident that I don’t recall happening. NY 2 days ago, a process server showed up at my house and served me and my mother court documents for a personal injury lawsuit against us. A man is alleging I rear-ended him on Dec 18, 2018, & caused him so much injury that he has lasting, debilitating, permanent injuries. At that time period I was driving a Subaru that was registered & insured to my mother. However: #1 I have zero recollection of being involved in a car accident at all whatsoever on the date alleged. #2 there was never a claim put into my mothers car insurance for any accident. #3 my car had no front end damage (I found a pic from a few months later & the front end is totally intact). #4 there is no accident report or police report for that day/time under my moms cars’ VIN #. Now if I rear-ended someone so badly that they’re still badly injured 3 years later, I’m SURE the police would have came, an accident report would have been taken, & my mothers car insurance would be involved. Moreover, if rear-ended someone THAT badly, my mothers Subaru would have had extensive front-end damage & would have had to be fixed at a body shop through her car insurance. My entire extended family (including my 13 year old daughter) do not remember me being involved in an accident or Moms Subaru having any front-end damage & they also do not recall that Subaru getting any body work done at any shop. I no longer have the car, it was totaled in an accident about 6 months later. (Which is unrelated but I want to add this fact to show that the Subaru hasnt had that car insurance for about 2 & 1/2 years now.) What are my & Moms' options? Should I hire a private investigator to do surveillance on the man suing us, to see if this man is as injured as he claims? Should my mother contact the car insurance she had on the Subaru at the time? I’m sure we need to contact a lawyer. But my biggest concern is, how can I prove in court that i didn't hit this dude??? Assistant:

hoaw4pt

hoawfzu

He needs to prove in court that you hit him, though you have been served so a consultation with a lawyer is highly recommended

You should do nothing except try to figure out where you were that day using your phone's location services, calendar, and other resources. Your assumptions about car damage and the police being called aren't necessarily correct. A low-speed collision can cause soft tissue damage that isn't immediately apparent. Does the complaint state the location of the accident? Is that somewhere you go? Your mother should contact the insurance company she had at the time immediately. They should provide an attorney.

rezirc

legaladvice_train

Human: My mother and I are being sued over a car accident that I don’t recall happening. NY 2 days ago, a process server showed up at my house and served me and my mother court documents for a personal injury lawsuit against us. A man is alleging I rear-ended him on Dec 18, 2018, & caused him so much injury that he has lasting, debilitating, permanent injuries. At that time period I was driving a Subaru that was registered & insured to my mother. However: #1 I have zero recollection of being involved in a car accident at all whatsoever on the date alleged. #2 there was never a claim put into my mothers car insurance for any accident. #3 my car had no front end damage (I found a pic from a few months later & the front end is totally intact). #4 there is no accident report or police report for that day/time under my moms cars’ VIN #. Now if I rear-ended someone so badly that they’re still badly injured 3 years later, I’m SURE the police would have came, an accident report would have been taken, & my mothers car insurance would be involved. Moreover, if rear-ended someone THAT badly, my mothers Subaru would have had extensive front-end damage & would have had to be fixed at a body shop through her car insurance. My entire extended family (including my 13 year old daughter) do not remember me being involved in an accident or Moms Subaru having any front-end damage & they also do not recall that Subaru getting any body work done at any shop. I no longer have the car, it was totaled in an accident about 6 months later. (Which is unrelated but I want to add this fact to show that the Subaru hasnt had that car insurance for about 2 & 1/2 years now.) What are my & Moms' options? Should I hire a private investigator to do surveillance on the man suing us, to see if this man is as injured as he claims? Should my mother contact the car insurance she had on the Subaru at the time? I’m sure we need to contact a lawyer. But my biggest concern is, how can I prove in court that i didn't hit this dude??? Assistant:

hoawflt

hoawfzu

I think that more importantly, what proof does he have showing that you rear-ended him? Were there proof attached to the court documents? Do you recall being in the neighborhood or road that he claims the accident occured? I'm sure there are street cameras that can prove that but 3yrs ago footages may not exist anymore. I don't see how this will hold up in court at all without proof. Get yourself a good lawyer and fight it.

You should do nothing except try to figure out where you were that day using your phone's location services, calendar, and other resources. Your assumptions about car damage and the police being called aren't necessarily correct. A low-speed collision can cause soft tissue damage that isn't immediately apparent. Does the complaint state the location of the accident? Is that somewhere you go? Your mother should contact the insurance company she had at the time immediately. They should provide an attorney.

rezirc

legaladvice_train

Human: My mother and I are being sued over a car accident that I don’t recall happening. NY 2 days ago, a process server showed up at my house and served me and my mother court documents for a personal injury lawsuit against us. A man is alleging I rear-ended him on Dec 18, 2018, & caused him so much injury that he has lasting, debilitating, permanent injuries. At that time period I was driving a Subaru that was registered & insured to my mother. However: #1 I have zero recollection of being involved in a car accident at all whatsoever on the date alleged. #2 there was never a claim put into my mothers car insurance for any accident. #3 my car had no front end damage (I found a pic from a few months later & the front end is totally intact). #4 there is no accident report or police report for that day/time under my moms cars’ VIN #. Now if I rear-ended someone so badly that they’re still badly injured 3 years later, I’m SURE the police would have came, an accident report would have been taken, & my mothers car insurance would be involved. Moreover, if rear-ended someone THAT badly, my mothers Subaru would have had extensive front-end damage & would have had to be fixed at a body shop through her car insurance. My entire extended family (including my 13 year old daughter) do not remember me being involved in an accident or Moms Subaru having any front-end damage & they also do not recall that Subaru getting any body work done at any shop. I no longer have the car, it was totaled in an accident about 6 months later. (Which is unrelated but I want to add this fact to show that the Subaru hasnt had that car insurance for about 2 & 1/2 years now.) What are my & Moms' options? Should I hire a private investigator to do surveillance on the man suing us, to see if this man is as injured as he claims? Should my mother contact the car insurance she had on the Subaru at the time? I’m sure we need to contact a lawyer. But my biggest concern is, how can I prove in court that i didn't hit this dude??? Assistant:

hobk8t8

hobs9at

The picture from a few months later can't be used as they can just say you got it repaired between the accident and when the picture was taken. The fact that there is no police report or any attempt at a claim within three years is the best evidence you have. File an answer to the claim that you dispute this to ensure there isn't a summary judgment prior to the court date.

See if you have any bank statements, debit card purchases, credit card purchases from that date and time that can put you in a different location.

rezirc

legaladvice_train

Human: My mother and I are being sued over a car accident that I don’t recall happening. NY 2 days ago, a process server showed up at my house and served me and my mother court documents for a personal injury lawsuit against us. A man is alleging I rear-ended him on Dec 18, 2018, & caused him so much injury that he has lasting, debilitating, permanent injuries. At that time period I was driving a Subaru that was registered & insured to my mother. However: #1 I have zero recollection of being involved in a car accident at all whatsoever on the date alleged. #2 there was never a claim put into my mothers car insurance for any accident. #3 my car had no front end damage (I found a pic from a few months later & the front end is totally intact). #4 there is no accident report or police report for that day/time under my moms cars’ VIN #. Now if I rear-ended someone so badly that they’re still badly injured 3 years later, I’m SURE the police would have came, an accident report would have been taken, & my mothers car insurance would be involved. Moreover, if rear-ended someone THAT badly, my mothers Subaru would have had extensive front-end damage & would have had to be fixed at a body shop through her car insurance. My entire extended family (including my 13 year old daughter) do not remember me being involved in an accident or Moms Subaru having any front-end damage & they also do not recall that Subaru getting any body work done at any shop. I no longer have the car, it was totaled in an accident about 6 months later. (Which is unrelated but I want to add this fact to show that the Subaru hasnt had that car insurance for about 2 & 1/2 years now.) What are my & Moms' options? Should I hire a private investigator to do surveillance on the man suing us, to see if this man is as injured as he claims? Should my mother contact the car insurance she had on the Subaru at the time? I’m sure we need to contact a lawyer. But my biggest concern is, how can I prove in court that i didn't hit this dude??? Assistant:

hoawflt

hobs9at

I think that more importantly, what proof does he have showing that you rear-ended him? Were there proof attached to the court documents? Do you recall being in the neighborhood or road that he claims the accident occured? I'm sure there are street cameras that can prove that but 3yrs ago footages may not exist anymore. I don't see how this will hold up in court at all without proof. Get yourself a good lawyer and fight it.

See if you have any bank statements, debit card purchases, credit card purchases from that date and time that can put you in a different location.

rezirc

legaladvice_train

Human: My mother and I are being sued over a car accident that I don’t recall happening. NY 2 days ago, a process server showed up at my house and served me and my mother court documents for a personal injury lawsuit against us. A man is alleging I rear-ended him on Dec 18, 2018, & caused him so much injury that he has lasting, debilitating, permanent injuries. At that time period I was driving a Subaru that was registered & insured to my mother. However: #1 I have zero recollection of being involved in a car accident at all whatsoever on the date alleged. #2 there was never a claim put into my mothers car insurance for any accident. #3 my car had no front end damage (I found a pic from a few months later & the front end is totally intact). #4 there is no accident report or police report for that day/time under my moms cars’ VIN #. Now if I rear-ended someone so badly that they’re still badly injured 3 years later, I’m SURE the police would have came, an accident report would have been taken, & my mothers car insurance would be involved. Moreover, if rear-ended someone THAT badly, my mothers Subaru would have had extensive front-end damage & would have had to be fixed at a body shop through her car insurance. My entire extended family (including my 13 year old daughter) do not remember me being involved in an accident or Moms Subaru having any front-end damage & they also do not recall that Subaru getting any body work done at any shop. I no longer have the car, it was totaled in an accident about 6 months later. (Which is unrelated but I want to add this fact to show that the Subaru hasnt had that car insurance for about 2 & 1/2 years now.) What are my & Moms' options? Should I hire a private investigator to do surveillance on the man suing us, to see if this man is as injured as he claims? Should my mother contact the car insurance she had on the Subaru at the time? I’m sure we need to contact a lawyer. But my biggest concern is, how can I prove in court that i didn't hit this dude??? Assistant:

hobk8t8

hobzemk

The picture from a few months later can't be used as they can just say you got it repaired between the accident and when the picture was taken. The fact that there is no police report or any attempt at a claim within three years is the best evidence you have. File an answer to the claim that you dispute this to ensure there isn't a summary judgment prior to the court date.

1) Call your insurance company and advise them of being served. Send them documents as well as anything you can find proving you were not involved. 2) The insurance company will assign the matter to an attorney, either in house or out depending on conflict check. The attorney will call you before filing an answer. MAKE SURE TO ADVISE THEM THAT YOU ARE CLAIMING NON-INVOLVEMENT as it should be pled as an affirmative defense in the answer. 3) Work with the attorney and insurance company. You will probably have to give a deposition. Some NY counties are plaintiff friendly and some are defense friendly. Depending on the county the insurance company might decide to fight or settle (even when claiming noninvolvement)

7fbesg

legaladvice_train

Human: [PA] I'm being sued for a car accident that my brother caused while driving my car, but my brother has never driven my car Two days before Thanksgiving, I got served with a lawsuit claiming that around a year and a half ago, my brother rear ended someone while he was using my car. The person he hit is now suing for medical expenses and lost wages. It says they want less than $50,000 but not exactly how much. It also says that my brother appeared impaired and that I was negligent for letting him borrow my car. There's no mention of the police being called or anything, but since I've never been sued before I don't know if it would say if they had been. My brother was a heroin addict, he died a few months after this accident in another car accident where he nodded out behind the wheel. I hadn't seen or spoken to him in nearly two years before that. I never let him borrow my car, I know my husband would have never let him borrow it. It was never stolen, and he couldn't have had access to my keys and just taken it without asking. I doubt he even knew where I was living at the time this happened, because we had only just bought our house. My guess is that he was in an accident in a friend's car or a stolen car and just told the person that it was his sister's. The lawsuit says it was a blue Toyota Camry, which is what I drive. But there are a million blue Toyota Camries on the road, so that could be a coincidence. I already called my insurance and explained the situation to them. They said that one of their lawyers will get in touch with me, but not until Monday or Tuesday because of the holiday, so I've just been googling liability and negligent entrustment and making myself crazy. My understanding is that it's hard to prove that you didn't willingly loan out your car if it's a friend or family member who was driving it, but I can't really find much about my specific situation. I'm really starting to worry that I'm going to lose. Does it seem like I have a real chance of proving that it wasn't my car in the accident? Could it be possible that there's a police report proving that the car was registered to someone else and they filed the lawsuit before double checking, or is that something a lawyer would make sure of beforehand? Also, if this lady *didn't* call the police even though she thought my brother was driving around high, would that have any bearing on anything? Any help or advice would be much appreciated, I have no idea what to expect here and I can't stop imagining all the ways this could turn out terrible. Assistant:

dqapn66

dqarfr1

Also, is it an actual summons from a court with a filing date stamped on it or a letter from an attorney?

If there was no police report filed then its this drivers word vs your deceased brother. The insurance company will provide you a lawyer. Id suggest you dig through your records and make sure you can place the car in your possession on the date of the incident.

dwswdj

legaladvice_train

Human: I (19M) am planning to report myself to my college for the sexual assault of a (ex)close friend (18F). What should I be prepared for. This happened in Michigan. This has all been so sudden and scary. I never thought I would be this person. After coming back from a party a week ago she and I engaged in sexual activity. I'm not sure how much detail I should go into so I'll just summarize. After returning from a party she and I were both fairly intoxicated. At this point I was aware that she was significantly more intoxicated than I was and that her judgement was impaired. Maybe 1-2 hours later we were in private. She told me that she was beginning to sober up. She initiated contact by moving my hand onto her breasts. I asked for and recieved consent twice. No clothing was ever removed and I only used my hands (I'm sorry if I'm using weird language I really dont know how to talk about this comfortably). This went on for a while until she abruptly got up and left. The next morning a recieved a text telling me that I comitted sexual assault, and that she did not plan on reporting me to the college or the police as long as I never tried to contact her. I have not attempted to contact her. I feel extreme guilt. This person was a close friend and I can't live peacefully knowing I hurt anyone this badly let alone somebody this important to me. I believed everything was consensual. Im not sure if I had reason to know if she was mentally incapable to consent given the circurmstances. I feel that the right thing to do is to report myself to my college to at least open am investigation. If I comitted assault I don't want to run away from it. What should I be prepared to face, and what should I do before I report the incident? What should I do in general? Assistant:

f7laeqq

f7l9qdh

Legal advice: Do not contact the police about this. Do not contact your university about this. There are absolutely zero ways this goes good for you, and a few where it goes neutral and the cop looks at you like your nuts for trying to turn yourself in for something that *is not a crime.* You were both drunk. She initiated contact, you asked for consent, you didn't try to force her to stay when she left. You have done absolutely nothing wrong and this is one of the many situations that is not improved by the addition of police. Contacting a lawyer for a consultation might be a good idea because there is a chance she'll change her mind and call the police, but for now if you want to prepare for this coming up save a written copy of what happened. Basically what you wrote here. Personal advice: Dude you're gas lighting the shit out of yourself right now and making yourself feel guilty for something you did not even remotely do. I have no clue why this friend of yours reacted like this, that's on her. For now just don't contact her like she asked and move on from that friendship. Definitely don't tell people you assaulted her because *you did not*. It sounds like you've already rendered a guilty verdict for yourself. Honestly man, seek some therapy, and get some help clearing your head. Breathe and calm down and don't do anything drastic that will *legitimately ruin your life.* A sex crime investigation will haunt you like a wraith forever, even if you are declared innocent.

The simplest course of action is to respect her wishes and never contact her again. Save that text message. Take screenshots and photos of it and keep those somewhere safe. Contacting law enforcement violates her wishes, because they will contact her and ask her questions; you're forcing your decision on her. Did she literally use the words "sexual assault", or did she say something like "I was drunk and that was a stupid idea"? Consent is a very nuanced, very delicate issue. We could fill an entire sub with a discussion of consent and we'd only scratch the surface. It is both a binary (either all involved parties consent, or consent wasn't given) and broad spectrum issue. For example: a couple has sex while one of them is screaming "no, stop". Was consent violated? What if they were roleplaying? What if they weren't? As an outsider, you lack the context to determine consent, so you can't possibly say. Only the parties directly involved have the right to determine consent. That's why the law has such a hard time figuring out consent. We make blanket, general statements like "you can't consent while intoxicated", and that's often correct. But there are also situations where that's wrong. For example, if a couple has sex while intoxicated and they both freely consented to the act before, during, and after the act. Should the law tell one party "no, you're wrong, you don't have the right to consent"? If so, who? The facts that you describe are what's called "mitigating". She initiated the sexual contact. You asked for consent, and she affirmed. You asked again, and she affirmed again. If either of you at any point said anything not positive, such as "I'm not sure this is a good idea", "maybe we should stop", "I don't know about this", etc, then consent was revoked and you both need to immediately stop. But you don't mention anything like that. We don't like to acknowledge this, but sometimes people make bad decisions and improperly blame others. None of us were there so we can't say if that was the case. But from a purely legal perspective, contacting law enforcement forces your decision to engage in self-flagellation on her. If you violated her consent -- and it doesn't sound like you did -- then she is the only one who has the right to decide how to proceed. You have no authority to take that away from her.

dwswdj

legaladvice_train

Human: I (19M) am planning to report myself to my college for the sexual assault of a (ex)close friend (18F). What should I be prepared for. This happened in Michigan. This has all been so sudden and scary. I never thought I would be this person. After coming back from a party a week ago she and I engaged in sexual activity. I'm not sure how much detail I should go into so I'll just summarize. After returning from a party she and I were both fairly intoxicated. At this point I was aware that she was significantly more intoxicated than I was and that her judgement was impaired. Maybe 1-2 hours later we were in private. She told me that she was beginning to sober up. She initiated contact by moving my hand onto her breasts. I asked for and recieved consent twice. No clothing was ever removed and I only used my hands (I'm sorry if I'm using weird language I really dont know how to talk about this comfortably). This went on for a while until she abruptly got up and left. The next morning a recieved a text telling me that I comitted sexual assault, and that she did not plan on reporting me to the college or the police as long as I never tried to contact her. I have not attempted to contact her. I feel extreme guilt. This person was a close friend and I can't live peacefully knowing I hurt anyone this badly let alone somebody this important to me. I believed everything was consensual. Im not sure if I had reason to know if she was mentally incapable to consent given the circurmstances. I feel that the right thing to do is to report myself to my college to at least open am investigation. If I comitted assault I don't want to run away from it. What should I be prepared to face, and what should I do before I report the incident? What should I do in general? Assistant:

f7laeqq

f7l9b9l

Legal advice: Do not contact the police about this. Do not contact your university about this. There are absolutely zero ways this goes good for you, and a few where it goes neutral and the cop looks at you like your nuts for trying to turn yourself in for something that *is not a crime.* You were both drunk. She initiated contact, you asked for consent, you didn't try to force her to stay when she left. You have done absolutely nothing wrong and this is one of the many situations that is not improved by the addition of police. Contacting a lawyer for a consultation might be a good idea because there is a chance she'll change her mind and call the police, but for now if you want to prepare for this coming up save a written copy of what happened. Basically what you wrote here. Personal advice: Dude you're gas lighting the shit out of yourself right now and making yourself feel guilty for something you did not even remotely do. I have no clue why this friend of yours reacted like this, that's on her. For now just don't contact her like she asked and move on from that friendship. Definitely don't tell people you assaulted her because *you did not*. It sounds like you've already rendered a guilty verdict for yourself. Honestly man, seek some therapy, and get some help clearing your head. Breathe and calm down and don't do anything drastic that will *legitimately ruin your life.* A sex crime investigation will haunt you like a wraith forever, even if you are declared innocent.

If she's not reporting it, don't report it yourself. Bringing it into the college's policy/legal system is likely to result in them talking to her about, and it certainly doesn't sound as if she wants to discuss the experience with strangers, possibly on several occasions. Talk to a counselor on campus about it, both about your own feelings and what would be practical to do going forward. But don't involve the authorities or punishment system if she doesn't want to do that herself. It won't help her or you feel any better.

dwswdj

legaladvice_train

Human: I (19M) am planning to report myself to my college for the sexual assault of a (ex)close friend (18F). What should I be prepared for. This happened in Michigan. This has all been so sudden and scary. I never thought I would be this person. After coming back from a party a week ago she and I engaged in sexual activity. I'm not sure how much detail I should go into so I'll just summarize. After returning from a party she and I were both fairly intoxicated. At this point I was aware that she was significantly more intoxicated than I was and that her judgement was impaired. Maybe 1-2 hours later we were in private. She told me that she was beginning to sober up. She initiated contact by moving my hand onto her breasts. I asked for and recieved consent twice. No clothing was ever removed and I only used my hands (I'm sorry if I'm using weird language I really dont know how to talk about this comfortably). This went on for a while until she abruptly got up and left. The next morning a recieved a text telling me that I comitted sexual assault, and that she did not plan on reporting me to the college or the police as long as I never tried to contact her. I have not attempted to contact her. I feel extreme guilt. This person was a close friend and I can't live peacefully knowing I hurt anyone this badly let alone somebody this important to me. I believed everything was consensual. Im not sure if I had reason to know if she was mentally incapable to consent given the circurmstances. I feel that the right thing to do is to report myself to my college to at least open am investigation. If I comitted assault I don't want to run away from it. What should I be prepared to face, and what should I do before I report the incident? What should I do in general? Assistant:

f7laeqq

f7l8ybb

Legal advice: Do not contact the police about this. Do not contact your university about this. There are absolutely zero ways this goes good for you, and a few where it goes neutral and the cop looks at you like your nuts for trying to turn yourself in for something that *is not a crime.* You were both drunk. She initiated contact, you asked for consent, you didn't try to force her to stay when she left. You have done absolutely nothing wrong and this is one of the many situations that is not improved by the addition of police. Contacting a lawyer for a consultation might be a good idea because there is a chance she'll change her mind and call the police, but for now if you want to prepare for this coming up save a written copy of what happened. Basically what you wrote here. Personal advice: Dude you're gas lighting the shit out of yourself right now and making yourself feel guilty for something you did not even remotely do. I have no clue why this friend of yours reacted like this, that's on her. For now just don't contact her like she asked and move on from that friendship. Definitely don't tell people you assaulted her because *you did not*. It sounds like you've already rendered a guilty verdict for yourself. Honestly man, seek some therapy, and get some help clearing your head. Breathe and calm down and don't do anything drastic that will *legitimately ruin your life.* A sex crime investigation will haunt you like a wraith forever, even if you are declared innocent.

The right thing to do is honor her wish and do not contact her. Beyond that, what you describe is not assault. DO NOT REPORT YOURSELF. BASED ON YOUR NARRATIVE YOU COMMITTED NO CRIME.

dwswdj

legaladvice_train

Human: I (19M) am planning to report myself to my college for the sexual assault of a (ex)close friend (18F). What should I be prepared for. This happened in Michigan. This has all been so sudden and scary. I never thought I would be this person. After coming back from a party a week ago she and I engaged in sexual activity. I'm not sure how much detail I should go into so I'll just summarize. After returning from a party she and I were both fairly intoxicated. At this point I was aware that she was significantly more intoxicated than I was and that her judgement was impaired. Maybe 1-2 hours later we were in private. She told me that she was beginning to sober up. She initiated contact by moving my hand onto her breasts. I asked for and recieved consent twice. No clothing was ever removed and I only used my hands (I'm sorry if I'm using weird language I really dont know how to talk about this comfortably). This went on for a while until she abruptly got up and left. The next morning a recieved a text telling me that I comitted sexual assault, and that she did not plan on reporting me to the college or the police as long as I never tried to contact her. I have not attempted to contact her. I feel extreme guilt. This person was a close friend and I can't live peacefully knowing I hurt anyone this badly let alone somebody this important to me. I believed everything was consensual. Im not sure if I had reason to know if she was mentally incapable to consent given the circurmstances. I feel that the right thing to do is to report myself to my college to at least open am investigation. If I comitted assault I don't want to run away from it. What should I be prepared to face, and what should I do before I report the incident? What should I do in general? Assistant:

f7l8ybb

f7l9qdh

The right thing to do is honor her wish and do not contact her. Beyond that, what you describe is not assault. DO NOT REPORT YOURSELF. BASED ON YOUR NARRATIVE YOU COMMITTED NO CRIME.

The simplest course of action is to respect her wishes and never contact her again. Save that text message. Take screenshots and photos of it and keep those somewhere safe. Contacting law enforcement violates her wishes, because they will contact her and ask her questions; you're forcing your decision on her. Did she literally use the words "sexual assault", or did she say something like "I was drunk and that was a stupid idea"? Consent is a very nuanced, very delicate issue. We could fill an entire sub with a discussion of consent and we'd only scratch the surface. It is both a binary (either all involved parties consent, or consent wasn't given) and broad spectrum issue. For example: a couple has sex while one of them is screaming "no, stop". Was consent violated? What if they were roleplaying? What if they weren't? As an outsider, you lack the context to determine consent, so you can't possibly say. Only the parties directly involved have the right to determine consent. That's why the law has such a hard time figuring out consent. We make blanket, general statements like "you can't consent while intoxicated", and that's often correct. But there are also situations where that's wrong. For example, if a couple has sex while intoxicated and they both freely consented to the act before, during, and after the act. Should the law tell one party "no, you're wrong, you don't have the right to consent"? If so, who? The facts that you describe are what's called "mitigating". She initiated the sexual contact. You asked for consent, and she affirmed. You asked again, and she affirmed again. If either of you at any point said anything not positive, such as "I'm not sure this is a good idea", "maybe we should stop", "I don't know about this", etc, then consent was revoked and you both need to immediately stop. But you don't mention anything like that. We don't like to acknowledge this, but sometimes people make bad decisions and improperly blame others. None of us were there so we can't say if that was the case. But from a purely legal perspective, contacting law enforcement forces your decision to engage in self-flagellation on her. If you violated her consent -- and it doesn't sound like you did -- then she is the only one who has the right to decide how to proceed. You have no authority to take that away from her.

azgpa2

legaladvice_train

Human: [FL] Being sued for car accident 2 years ago after receiving a demand letter This is in Florida. 1 month ago I got a demand letter. I notified my insurance. They said they would call me back. Still haven't heard from them. I wrote an email to the lawyer in the letter stating that I deny any responsibilities regarding the accident since it was not my fault and that was stated in the police report. Yesterday (Mar 9) I got a summon to a civil court by an officer. What should I do now? Should I call my insurance or contact a lawyer of my own? Will my insurance provide me a lawyer needed? It's obvious I was not at fault in the accident, if I won the case, will all the fees be covered by the one who sue me? Assistant:

ei7shlh

ei85mso

Police don't determine fault in an accident as it's a civil case, not criminal. As others said, notify the insurance company you had at the time. They will provide an attorney to represent you

Contact your insurance ASAP. If you don’t get help from them before your summons date, make sure you appear in court with your police report stating you weren’t at fault. Do not blow off the summons.

azgpa2

legaladvice_train

Human: [FL] Being sued for car accident 2 years ago after receiving a demand letter This is in Florida. 1 month ago I got a demand letter. I notified my insurance. They said they would call me back. Still haven't heard from them. I wrote an email to the lawyer in the letter stating that I deny any responsibilities regarding the accident since it was not my fault and that was stated in the police report. Yesterday (Mar 9) I got a summon to a civil court by an officer. What should I do now? Should I call my insurance or contact a lawyer of my own? Will my insurance provide me a lawyer needed? It's obvious I was not at fault in the accident, if I won the case, will all the fees be covered by the one who sue me? Assistant:

ei87hcy

ei7shlh

Definitely call your insurance company. They should be able to provide a lawyer. Also you should never talk to the other side without a lawyer. Ever. Even if it seems helpful it's not. They can use even the smallest thing you said to them against you.

Police don't determine fault in an accident as it's a civil case, not criminal. As others said, notify the insurance company you had at the time. They will provide an attorney to represent you

fcz20r

legaladvice_train

Human: (NY) Being sued three years after a car accident happened. I am destitute, what will happen? I rear ended a car in 2017, their car was relatively fine, but mine was totaled. My insurance covered everything and their medical as far as I know. Three years later, after a series of bad luck (wife was laid off recently, medical emergencies not covered by insurance) I receive a notice that I am being sued for injuries caused by the accident. They filed just days before the three year anniversary, but I did not receive the summons until two months after they filed. This is completely new to me, I have no assets, and I have no idea what to do. Assistant:

fje4lr7

fjdwy8b

Take a deep breath and let the insurance know right away. Probably they did not wanted to accept the insurance settlement and that's why they're trying to sue you directly. Which won't work anyway because like you said, you have no assets. It would be like squeezing blood from a rock. Went through this same exact thing back in 2011 and thankfully, insurance took care of it all....

Notify the automobile insurance carrier you had when the accident happened.

jmn7m4

legaladvice_train

Human: I threw away my coworker's rotten food that was stored in the shared fridge, but now I'm being accused of theft and destruction of property. This the weirdest timeline. We have a shared fridge at work. Some people can't seem to leave it clean, so the other day I decided to clean it and throw away what was rotting in it. There were containers with moldy and disgusting food that have been there for weeks, yogurt that expired months ago and other disgusting old stuff all belonging to the same person. I asked them several times to throw it away but they didn't. In the end I threw it all away because of the risk of food poisoning for everyone. Now my coworker is upset I did this because they say some of it might still have been good (it wasn't). They're accusing me of theft and want to report me to the police and HR for stealing and destroying their property. Could destroying this inedible food really be considered theft and/or destruction of property? I know this sounds really dumb but I'd like to be sure. Assistant:

gaw5p25

gaw8ddq

--- > http://imgur.com/a/myIAb --- *I am a bot whose sole purpose is to improve the timeliness and accuracy of responses in this subreddit.* --- **It appears you forgot to include your location in the title or body of your post. Please update the body of your original post to include this information.** --- ***Do NOT delete this post - Instead, simply edit the post with the requested information.*** --- Author: /u/JeremyC19throwaway Title: **I threw away my coworker's rotten food that was stored in the shared fridge, but now I'm being accused of theft and destruction of property.** Original Post: > This the weirdest timeline. We have a shared fridge at work. Some people can't seem to leave it clean, so the other day I decided to clean it and throw away what was rotting in it. There were containers with moldy and disgusting food that have been there for weeks, yogurt that expired months ago and other disgusting old stuff all belonging to the same person. I asked them several times to throw it away but they didn't. In the end I threw it all away because of the risk of food poisoning for everyone. Now my coworker is upset I did this because they say some of it might still have been good (it wasn't). They're accusing me of theft and want to report me to the police and HR for stealing and destroying their property. Could destroying this inedible food really be considered theft and/or destruction of property? I know this sounds really dumb but I'd like to be sure. --- LocationBot 4.999987654321 7/51nds | Report Issues | >!QUtV1ZTJDb1pVQ!< | >!MlMWVTSFpEci1WU!<

Technically it's theft. I can't imagine the police taking it seriously though. If you actually are questioned, get a lawyer. Otherwise ignore them. They could sue you, likely in small claims. It should be easy to defend against and the Judge will probably not be impressed by the plaintiff. Even if you somehow lose you'll just have to repay the cost of the food and containers. Your workplace could fire you for this if they want. They would be pretty stupid if they did, but they could.

jmn7m4

legaladvice_train

Human: I threw away my coworker's rotten food that was stored in the shared fridge, but now I'm being accused of theft and destruction of property. This the weirdest timeline. We have a shared fridge at work. Some people can't seem to leave it clean, so the other day I decided to clean it and throw away what was rotting in it. There were containers with moldy and disgusting food that have been there for weeks, yogurt that expired months ago and other disgusting old stuff all belonging to the same person. I asked them several times to throw it away but they didn't. In the end I threw it all away because of the risk of food poisoning for everyone. Now my coworker is upset I did this because they say some of it might still have been good (it wasn't). They're accusing me of theft and want to report me to the police and HR for stealing and destroying their property. Could destroying this inedible food really be considered theft and/or destruction of property? I know this sounds really dumb but I'd like to be sure. Assistant:

gawpo58

gax0qkg

In the future, bring something like this up to management. It’s not worth losing your job over something so stupid and it gives you a witness to what you were describing.

>They're accusing me of theft and want to report me to the police and HR for stealing and destroying their property. The police are almost certainly going to give exactly zero shits about a workplace refrigerator dispute. That aspect just isn't worth worrying about. HR can treat this nearly any way they want. They can do nothing, they can fire both of you, or they can do almost anything in between. But if you tell them that you only threw away spoiled food, most reasonable HR folks aren't going to give you any grief.

jmn7m4

legaladvice_train

Human: I threw away my coworker's rotten food that was stored in the shared fridge, but now I'm being accused of theft and destruction of property. This the weirdest timeline. We have a shared fridge at work. Some people can't seem to leave it clean, so the other day I decided to clean it and throw away what was rotting in it. There were containers with moldy and disgusting food that have been there for weeks, yogurt that expired months ago and other disgusting old stuff all belonging to the same person. I asked them several times to throw it away but they didn't. In the end I threw it all away because of the risk of food poisoning for everyone. Now my coworker is upset I did this because they say some of it might still have been good (it wasn't). They're accusing me of theft and want to report me to the police and HR for stealing and destroying their property. Could destroying this inedible food really be considered theft and/or destruction of property? I know this sounds really dumb but I'd like to be sure. Assistant:

gax0qkg

gaww8un

>They're accusing me of theft and want to report me to the police and HR for stealing and destroying their property. The police are almost certainly going to give exactly zero shits about a workplace refrigerator dispute. That aspect just isn't worth worrying about. HR can treat this nearly any way they want. They can do nothing, they can fire both of you, or they can do almost anything in between. But if you tell them that you only threw away spoiled food, most reasonable HR folks aren't going to give you any grief.

For the future you should ask your company to put up a sign that says every Friday at 5pm the refrigerator will be cleaned out and anything left inside will be thrown in the trash. My old job had that and it seemed to work well.

jmn7m4

legaladvice_train

Human: I threw away my coworker's rotten food that was stored in the shared fridge, but now I'm being accused of theft and destruction of property. This the weirdest timeline. We have a shared fridge at work. Some people can't seem to leave it clean, so the other day I decided to clean it and throw away what was rotting in it. There were containers with moldy and disgusting food that have been there for weeks, yogurt that expired months ago and other disgusting old stuff all belonging to the same person. I asked them several times to throw it away but they didn't. In the end I threw it all away because of the risk of food poisoning for everyone. Now my coworker is upset I did this because they say some of it might still have been good (it wasn't). They're accusing me of theft and want to report me to the police and HR for stealing and destroying their property. Could destroying this inedible food really be considered theft and/or destruction of property? I know this sounds really dumb but I'd like to be sure. Assistant:

gawzzni

gax0qkg

The value of this in small claims court is less than the filing fee in most states. Highly unlikely and the judge would laugh. &#x200B; The police would be highly unlikely to take this seriously and would likely laugh. &#x200B; Your HR may take it seriously, in which case I would dust off the ole' resume. But based on the fridge, this doesn't sound like a well run business. &#x200B; TL;DR: Your exposure on this is really low.

>They're accusing me of theft and want to report me to the police and HR for stealing and destroying their property. The police are almost certainly going to give exactly zero shits about a workplace refrigerator dispute. That aspect just isn't worth worrying about. HR can treat this nearly any way they want. They can do nothing, they can fire both of you, or they can do almost anything in between. But if you tell them that you only threw away spoiled food, most reasonable HR folks aren't going to give you any grief.

jmn7m4

legaladvice_train

Human: I threw away my coworker's rotten food that was stored in the shared fridge, but now I'm being accused of theft and destruction of property. This the weirdest timeline. We have a shared fridge at work. Some people can't seem to leave it clean, so the other day I decided to clean it and throw away what was rotting in it. There were containers with moldy and disgusting food that have been there for weeks, yogurt that expired months ago and other disgusting old stuff all belonging to the same person. I asked them several times to throw it away but they didn't. In the end I threw it all away because of the risk of food poisoning for everyone. Now my coworker is upset I did this because they say some of it might still have been good (it wasn't). They're accusing me of theft and want to report me to the police and HR for stealing and destroying their property. Could destroying this inedible food really be considered theft and/or destruction of property? I know this sounds really dumb but I'd like to be sure. Assistant:

gax0mxi

gax0qkg

Legally, you don't have much to worry about, as no judge is going to entertain "he threw away my rotting mouldy food from thr fridge so that's theft/destruction of property" unless it was some super expensive aged A5 wagyu or something. However. your potentially bigger issue is with your employer. Typically employers will designate someone (usually office manager or cleaner) to periodically clean fridge. They cover themselves by having policies in place and sending out email reminders that rotten or expired food will be thrown out. You may have broken company policy by taking matters into your own hands, and HR might get involved depending on how by the book your office is.

>They're accusing me of theft and want to report me to the police and HR for stealing and destroying their property. The police are almost certainly going to give exactly zero shits about a workplace refrigerator dispute. That aspect just isn't worth worrying about. HR can treat this nearly any way they want. They can do nothing, they can fire both of you, or they can do almost anything in between. But if you tell them that you only threw away spoiled food, most reasonable HR folks aren't going to give you any grief.

3p3a4v

legaladvice_train

Human: [US] FBI agent called and said I may be a victim of identity theft and wants to meet me at my house. Is it okay for me to share information him? Hi everyone, Our phone lines were down for a few days, but they went back up today. One of the messages we got was for me, from someone from the FBI. I trust he is an FBI agent because he had my name, address, he had quite a lot of information about whatever the case was, and he provided his work and cell number for me to call. When I called, he said that their office in another state was tipped off that my name and addressed (which he provided for me) were used in an attempt to purchase a something very expensive (it's some kind of industrial equipment. I forgot what it's called) on eBay in March, and they don't believe it was legitimate. I confirmed that I made no such purchase. He also provided a phone number that I don't recognize and asked if it was me, and that they were sending text messages with the seller. I also confirmed that was not me. He said he saw on my social media page that I said have a server and that it was hacked. He asked if I still had any IP addresses or logs, but I told him no, there were no logs, and I wiped the server clean. I only started to notice that my server was compromised when one day I went to look at a log and saw that it, along with all of the other logs were gone, including SSH logins and IP addresses. I wiped it and reinstalled it because I felt like it was the only way I could be sure that my server was no longer compromised. The only suspicious thing I noticed about that was was I was frequently IP blocked and unblocked from Craigslist.org every few weeks (probably in March, when happened). I didn't know why, and I have never IP blocked from Craigslist been since I reset my server. He told me to look at consumer.gov and consumerfinance.gov and he told me to look at my credit report, my past transactions and anything on eBay that may look suspicious. There are no suspicious transactions and my credit is in good standing. He wants to come over to talk and look at my server and my past eBay transactions and stuff on Monday. I told him it's okay, but I'm not sure if I'll regret that or not. There's nothing I have to hide, but I am a little concerned about my server. Is this okay for him to look at this information? Also, one last thing I'm concerned about is that I have, in the past, pirated music. He wouldn't care about that, would he? What's the best course of action? Assistant:

cw2uya2

cw2y7bd

Make sure it's not a scam before doing anything else. Your name and address are public, you have no idea that any of the case information is true. Is the social media page with the info on your server public? If not, how did he gain access to it? Did he say which field office he works for? Call that field office directly from the phone number on their website, not the number he gave you, explain the situation, and ask for more info and to speak to the agent. You could also offer to meet him at his office (which should be in a federal building) or at the local police station and bring with you any server logs and eBay records. Even if it's not a scam, it seems strange to allow the fbi direct access to your computer without a good idea of exactly what they plan to do and how they plan to do it. Is there something he can do to learn more about the hack that you couldn't? Are you really comfortable letting some random person who cold-called you mess around on your home server?

> I trust he is an FBI agent because he had my name, address, Almost like somebody in the ID theft business would...

3p3a4v

legaladvice_train

Human: [US] FBI agent called and said I may be a victim of identity theft and wants to meet me at my house. Is it okay for me to share information him? Hi everyone, Our phone lines were down for a few days, but they went back up today. One of the messages we got was for me, from someone from the FBI. I trust he is an FBI agent because he had my name, address, he had quite a lot of information about whatever the case was, and he provided his work and cell number for me to call. When I called, he said that their office in another state was tipped off that my name and addressed (which he provided for me) were used in an attempt to purchase a something very expensive (it's some kind of industrial equipment. I forgot what it's called) on eBay in March, and they don't believe it was legitimate. I confirmed that I made no such purchase. He also provided a phone number that I don't recognize and asked if it was me, and that they were sending text messages with the seller. I also confirmed that was not me. He said he saw on my social media page that I said have a server and that it was hacked. He asked if I still had any IP addresses or logs, but I told him no, there were no logs, and I wiped the server clean. I only started to notice that my server was compromised when one day I went to look at a log and saw that it, along with all of the other logs were gone, including SSH logins and IP addresses. I wiped it and reinstalled it because I felt like it was the only way I could be sure that my server was no longer compromised. The only suspicious thing I noticed about that was was I was frequently IP blocked and unblocked from Craigslist.org every few weeks (probably in March, when happened). I didn't know why, and I have never IP blocked from Craigslist been since I reset my server. He told me to look at consumer.gov and consumerfinance.gov and he told me to look at my credit report, my past transactions and anything on eBay that may look suspicious. There are no suspicious transactions and my credit is in good standing. He wants to come over to talk and look at my server and my past eBay transactions and stuff on Monday. I told him it's okay, but I'm not sure if I'll regret that or not. There's nothing I have to hide, but I am a little concerned about my server. Is this okay for him to look at this information? Also, one last thing I'm concerned about is that I have, in the past, pirated music. He wouldn't care about that, would he? What's the best course of action? Assistant:

cw2y7bd

cw2y6pq

> I trust he is an FBI agent because he had my name, address, Almost like somebody in the ID theft business would...

Don't meet him at your house the first time, meet him at his office. Let him show you the evidence first. I can't see any reason he would need to access your stuff.

4aq8wc

legaladvice_train

Human: [CA,USA]Received letter from The Judge Mathis Show informing me that I am being sued in small claims even though I've received no notice through the local court Earlier today I received an overnight delivery from FedEx with a letter inside from The Judge Mathis Show informing me that I am being sued in small claims and that they want me to call them to see about being on their show. The thing is I haven't gotten anything in the mail or been served with any type of papers saying that I've been sued. My brother is one of those people who try to sue everybody and anybody and I have heard that he has been planning on suing our family but I can't confirm that. &nbsp; Right now I'd like to know what are my options available to me and what could potentially happen should I follow those routes? The letter from The Judge Mathis Show say if I am selected to go on their show that I'll be paid an appearance fee, have travel expenses paid for, and if I lose the case they will pay it off for me. This sounds good but because of my profession I don't think going on a nationally televised court show would be very beneficial. &nbsp; If I don't get served does that mean I am not responsible for any of this? What if I never get anything letting me know I am being sued and don't know when the court date is, will I lose by default and be held liable to pay the amount I am being sued for? &nbsp; If/When I do receive notice of being sued will I be able to file a counter-suit? Or is that something I have to do separately? &nbsp; If there other defendants involved do we each get held accountable separately? Like if it's something I had no involvement in then the case against me would be dismissed right? &nbsp; I think that's about all the questions and concerns I have at the moment but if there are some things I should be aware of please let me know and feel free to mention it. I've never been sued and am not too familiar with the process of it. Assistant:

d12oqzx

d12l9if

As already pointed out, the show is not a real judge and not a real court. But that doesn't mean that your brother hasn't actually sued you in a real small claims court and you just haven't been served yet. You should be able to look at the paperwork the show sent to determine if it's been filed in your local small claims court. If so, you'll likely be served eventually. If a judge deems service sufficient (even if you aren't personally served) and you don't show up, yes you will lose by default and there will be a judgment against you. You don't want that. It could screw up your credit, it will be a hassle to argue you weren't served and get it overturned, lots of issues. Yes (in all jurisdictions i know of), once you get served, you have a certain number of days to file an answer, which can include a countersuit. Generally small claims courts have a limit as to how much you can recover, so if you sue for too much you wouldn't be able to counter-sue as part of the same case and the case would move to a regular (not small claims) court. If there are other defendants, you each could be held liable for the full amount or it could be apportioned to each as a percentage or if you have no involvement you could be dismissed or not be held accountable at all.

> If I don't get served does that mean I am not responsible for any of this? Maybe. You can always argue improper service as a defense against a judgment. The chances of you succeeding there are difficult to estimate. As you've surmised, it's possible for you to lose the suit without ever being **personally** served - there are acceptable methods of alternative service. You should immediately start trying to find this suit - ignoring it **does not** help you at all. You need to mount a defense.

4aq8wc

legaladvice_train

Human: [CA,USA]Received letter from The Judge Mathis Show informing me that I am being sued in small claims even though I've received no notice through the local court Earlier today I received an overnight delivery from FedEx with a letter inside from The Judge Mathis Show informing me that I am being sued in small claims and that they want me to call them to see about being on their show. The thing is I haven't gotten anything in the mail or been served with any type of papers saying that I've been sued. My brother is one of those people who try to sue everybody and anybody and I have heard that he has been planning on suing our family but I can't confirm that. &nbsp; Right now I'd like to know what are my options available to me and what could potentially happen should I follow those routes? The letter from The Judge Mathis Show say if I am selected to go on their show that I'll be paid an appearance fee, have travel expenses paid for, and if I lose the case they will pay it off for me. This sounds good but because of my profession I don't think going on a nationally televised court show would be very beneficial. &nbsp; If I don't get served does that mean I am not responsible for any of this? What if I never get anything letting me know I am being sued and don't know when the court date is, will I lose by default and be held liable to pay the amount I am being sued for? &nbsp; If/When I do receive notice of being sued will I be able to file a counter-suit? Or is that something I have to do separately? &nbsp; If there other defendants involved do we each get held accountable separately? Like if it's something I had no involvement in then the case against me would be dismissed right? &nbsp; I think that's about all the questions and concerns I have at the moment but if there are some things I should be aware of please let me know and feel free to mention it. I've never been sued and am not too familiar with the process of it. Assistant:

d12oqzx

d12lxy4

As already pointed out, the show is not a real judge and not a real court. But that doesn't mean that your brother hasn't actually sued you in a real small claims court and you just haven't been served yet. You should be able to look at the paperwork the show sent to determine if it's been filed in your local small claims court. If so, you'll likely be served eventually. If a judge deems service sufficient (even if you aren't personally served) and you don't show up, yes you will lose by default and there will be a judgment against you. You don't want that. It could screw up your credit, it will be a hassle to argue you weren't served and get it overturned, lots of issues. Yes (in all jurisdictions i know of), once you get served, you have a certain number of days to file an answer, which can include a countersuit. Generally small claims courts have a limit as to how much you can recover, so if you sue for too much you wouldn't be able to counter-sue as part of the same case and the case would move to a regular (not small claims) court. If there are other defendants, you each could be held liable for the full amount or it could be apportioned to each as a percentage or if you have no involvement you could be dismissed or not be held accountable at all.

Judge Mathis isn't a real judge and the show isn't a real court. Someone probably submitted their 'case' against you to the show for some sweet real life karma and money. So if you don't want to go on the show, ignore the mailing. If you do, you'll get paid.

4aq8wc

legaladvice_train

Human: [CA,USA]Received letter from The Judge Mathis Show informing me that I am being sued in small claims even though I've received no notice through the local court Earlier today I received an overnight delivery from FedEx with a letter inside from The Judge Mathis Show informing me that I am being sued in small claims and that they want me to call them to see about being on their show. The thing is I haven't gotten anything in the mail or been served with any type of papers saying that I've been sued. My brother is one of those people who try to sue everybody and anybody and I have heard that he has been planning on suing our family but I can't confirm that. &nbsp; Right now I'd like to know what are my options available to me and what could potentially happen should I follow those routes? The letter from The Judge Mathis Show say if I am selected to go on their show that I'll be paid an appearance fee, have travel expenses paid for, and if I lose the case they will pay it off for me. This sounds good but because of my profession I don't think going on a nationally televised court show would be very beneficial. &nbsp; If I don't get served does that mean I am not responsible for any of this? What if I never get anything letting me know I am being sued and don't know when the court date is, will I lose by default and be held liable to pay the amount I am being sued for? &nbsp; If/When I do receive notice of being sued will I be able to file a counter-suit? Or is that something I have to do separately? &nbsp; If there other defendants involved do we each get held accountable separately? Like if it's something I had no involvement in then the case against me would be dismissed right? &nbsp; I think that's about all the questions and concerns I have at the moment but if there are some things I should be aware of please let me know and feel free to mention it. I've never been sued and am not too familiar with the process of it. Assistant:

d12lj6v

d12l9if

You can call the courthouse and have them look up the file. Does the paperwork have a case number? If not, just call and give them the names listed. Odds are that someone from the show is browsing newly filled cases. I would think you will be served within the next week. Unless they can't find you. Which isn't a good thing.

> If I don't get served does that mean I am not responsible for any of this? Maybe. You can always argue improper service as a defense against a judgment. The chances of you succeeding there are difficult to estimate. As you've surmised, it's possible for you to lose the suit without ever being **personally** served - there are acceptable methods of alternative service. You should immediately start trying to find this suit - ignoring it **does not** help you at all. You need to mount a defense.

rrvfx8

legaladvice_train

Human: I hit an unleashed and got sued in a small claim court. What are my options? This happened back in late October. The owner had an unleashed dog that ran into my car. I was driving at 20mph. The incident was recorded on dashcam as well. The owner was basically blaming me and cussing me out when I stopped and got out of the car to check up on her dog. Luckily, the dog ended up with a broken leg and not in a life-threatened situation. They then requested me to pay for their medical bills which costs 6k. I told them that I'm not liable for their expenses since their dog technically ran into my car. They pushed it further and threatened to bring this to court. I have been reading other posts with similar situation. It seems that others agreed the owner is at fault here. However, I received a letter that they are suing me in a small claim court claiming that I'm responsible for their medical expenses. This is my first time getting sued. Reddit, please ease my mind. Am I legally responsible for this person dog's bills? &#x200B; **TLDR:** Unleashed dog ran into my and and the owner is bring me to court. My hearing is next month. I got a video of the unleashed dog running into my car. Assistant:

hqipwgs

hqiqep6

Do you have liability insurance? Make a claim and let them deal with it.

You car insurance may be your best option.

rrvfx8

legaladvice_train

Human: I hit an unleashed and got sued in a small claim court. What are my options? This happened back in late October. The owner had an unleashed dog that ran into my car. I was driving at 20mph. The incident was recorded on dashcam as well. The owner was basically blaming me and cussing me out when I stopped and got out of the car to check up on her dog. Luckily, the dog ended up with a broken leg and not in a life-threatened situation. They then requested me to pay for their medical bills which costs 6k. I told them that I'm not liable for their expenses since their dog technically ran into my car. They pushed it further and threatened to bring this to court. I have been reading other posts with similar situation. It seems that others agreed the owner is at fault here. However, I received a letter that they are suing me in a small claim court claiming that I'm responsible for their medical expenses. This is my first time getting sued. Reddit, please ease my mind. Am I legally responsible for this person dog's bills? &#x200B; **TLDR:** Unleashed dog ran into my and and the owner is bring me to court. My hearing is next month. I got a video of the unleashed dog running into my car. Assistant:

hqjxa58

hqipwgs

Not only are you not liable for any damages to them, but they are actually liable for any damages to you or your car (where there any?) It's just a matter of whether you want your insurance to handle it or to handle it yourself.

Do you have liability insurance? Make a claim and let them deal with it.

rrvfx8

legaladvice_train

Human: I hit an unleashed and got sued in a small claim court. What are my options? This happened back in late October. The owner had an unleashed dog that ran into my car. I was driving at 20mph. The incident was recorded on dashcam as well. The owner was basically blaming me and cussing me out when I stopped and got out of the car to check up on her dog. Luckily, the dog ended up with a broken leg and not in a life-threatened situation. They then requested me to pay for their medical bills which costs 6k. I told them that I'm not liable for their expenses since their dog technically ran into my car. They pushed it further and threatened to bring this to court. I have been reading other posts with similar situation. It seems that others agreed the owner is at fault here. However, I received a letter that they are suing me in a small claim court claiming that I'm responsible for their medical expenses. This is my first time getting sued. Reddit, please ease my mind. Am I legally responsible for this person dog's bills? &#x200B; **TLDR:** Unleashed dog ran into my and and the owner is bring me to court. My hearing is next month. I got a video of the unleashed dog running into my car. Assistant:

hqjjs6z

hqjxa58

If the owner was negligent in protecting their property from injury its on them. Dog outside without a leash is willful negligence

Not only are you not liable for any damages to them, but they are actually liable for any damages to you or your car (where there any?) It's just a matter of whether you want your insurance to handle it or to handle it yourself.

rrvfx8

legaladvice_train

Human: I hit an unleashed and got sued in a small claim court. What are my options? This happened back in late October. The owner had an unleashed dog that ran into my car. I was driving at 20mph. The incident was recorded on dashcam as well. The owner was basically blaming me and cussing me out when I stopped and got out of the car to check up on her dog. Luckily, the dog ended up with a broken leg and not in a life-threatened situation. They then requested me to pay for their medical bills which costs 6k. I told them that I'm not liable for their expenses since their dog technically ran into my car. They pushed it further and threatened to bring this to court. I have been reading other posts with similar situation. It seems that others agreed the owner is at fault here. However, I received a letter that they are suing me in a small claim court claiming that I'm responsible for their medical expenses. This is my first time getting sued. Reddit, please ease my mind. Am I legally responsible for this person dog's bills? &#x200B; **TLDR:** Unleashed dog ran into my and and the owner is bring me to court. My hearing is next month. I got a video of the unleashed dog running into my car. Assistant:

hqjxa58

hqjk1b7

Not only are you not liable for any damages to them, but they are actually liable for any damages to you or your car (where there any?) It's just a matter of whether you want your insurance to handle it or to handle it yourself.

We're there damages to your car from the dog? I'd look into countersuing for them

rrvfx8

legaladvice_train

Human: I hit an unleashed and got sued in a small claim court. What are my options? This happened back in late October. The owner had an unleashed dog that ran into my car. I was driving at 20mph. The incident was recorded on dashcam as well. The owner was basically blaming me and cussing me out when I stopped and got out of the car to check up on her dog. Luckily, the dog ended up with a broken leg and not in a life-threatened situation. They then requested me to pay for their medical bills which costs 6k. I told them that I'm not liable for their expenses since their dog technically ran into my car. They pushed it further and threatened to bring this to court. I have been reading other posts with similar situation. It seems that others agreed the owner is at fault here. However, I received a letter that they are suing me in a small claim court claiming that I'm responsible for their medical expenses. This is my first time getting sued. Reddit, please ease my mind. Am I legally responsible for this person dog's bills? &#x200B; **TLDR:** Unleashed dog ran into my and and the owner is bring me to court. My hearing is next month. I got a video of the unleashed dog running into my car. Assistant:

hqj08il

hqjxa58

(Assuming United States based on Imperial units) Is this letter an official court filing that you were served with? - An official court filing has the name of the court at the top. For example, where I live, it would say "Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for the County of ________". - An official claim will have something like "John Doe, plaintiff v. Your Name, defendant" immediately below the name of the court. To the right of that should be a case number. - The papers should bear a "filed" stamp or some other mark from the court. - Regular mail does not count. Court papers must be sent via certified mail, or delivered by hand, or delivered by a process server or police officer. Otherwise, the "service" of the lawsuit was not done properly and the lawsuit cannot proceed. Once you have verified you have actually been served with a lawsuit, you must file an answer to the suit, typically within 14 to 30 days, depending on state law. The papers will include instructions on how to file an answer to the case, as well as any associated fees you must pay. You usually have three options: - Concede the case and pay the plaintiffs (the people suing you). This means you are admitting that you are liable. - Demand a hearing in court by a judge. This is the best option if you don't think you are liable. Your case will be heard by a judge who will determine whether you are liable. This takes place in small claims court and you don't need to hire a lawyer. The rules are relaxed to accommodate non-lawyers in court. - Demand a jury trial. In most states, this moves the case out of small claims court and into regular civil court. This comes with all the bells and whistles. Both sides will need to hire lawyers, and a jury will be empanelled to decide whether you are liable in a full, formal trial. The process moves at a scenic pace and allows for the lawyers to exchange fire in court and negotiate out of court. Obviously, this is a bit ridiculous for just a few thousand dollars, but it is technically your right.

Not only are you not liable for any damages to them, but they are actually liable for any damages to you or your car (where there any?) It's just a matter of whether you want your insurance to handle it or to handle it yourself.

d6m98p

legaladvice_train

Human: I was laid off after spouse reported sexual harassment by supervisor (Hawaii) Spouse and I work for the same company, and have similar positions, and have for many years. It is a very specialized industry, only a handful of employers in the state where we can use our skills. It is a highly paid position that requires very specific training. Spouse recently reported our immediate supervisor for sexual harassment based on some inappropriate behavior that occurred at work over several months. A few weeks after the sexual harassment was reported, I was laid off due for economic reasons. However I have more seniority and more experience than other employees that were not laid off, and I have always had stellar employee reviews and no write ups for anything. The supervisor was interviewed about the incidents by HR, but no other disciplinary action has happened that we know about. There have not been additional harassment incidents since this. We believe I was let go in retaliation for the harassment report, because they know that for me to get a comparable job in the same industry, we would likely need to relocate, so my spouse would quit and move with me. Is this illegal, and how would we prove that it was done as retaliation? Assistant:

f0ug784

f0ub822

"However I have more seniority and more experience than other employees that were not laid off" &#x200B; I don't agree with what the employer did. But, if you were paid more than other employees and **the company actually had budget issues**, then there is some justification for letting you go. From the company's perspective they could let go of one employee (you) or multiple other employees. My point, is that its better to prove retaliation by looking at the proximity of your termination with the complaint.

Contact the Hawaii Civil Right Commission: http://labor.hawaii.gov/hcrc/ Phone numbers can be found here: http://labor.hawaii.gov/hcrc/contact/

rsg4id

legaladvice_train

Human: I was fired for reporting sexual harrassment. What can I do to make sure this never happens again to another woman? I was an Assistant Manager for a big retail chain. I was fired today for what I know is retaliation for turning in a report for sexual harrassment and a hostile work environment on my Manager. Let's rewind so you can get the whole picture, 3 months ago a few coworkers and I got together to file a sexual harrassment report against our Manager. He was being hostile with me and holding my job over my head in order to scare me into submission. He also said disgusting sexual shit to and around me, as well as to my coworkers. He also was telling disgusting jokes and saying things like, 'I hit women, check my record', which he is currently in legal trouble for Domestic Violence against his ex wife. I was scared to file the report because I have kids and I NEEDED my job so bad, but I know what's right is right so I did end up writing the report along with a few other coworkers. I even stated in my report that I was'scared to write this because I need my job'. Well a month passes from the time we turned it in. Nothing happens. 2 months later, still nothing happens. Then 3 weeks ago a coworker told me the District Manager stopped by and said he had the reports and asked if she was ok. Nothing else was ever said. Nothing happened, no phone call, no questions, no interviews, nothing. Well, in the mean time after we found out the District Manager had the reports, our Manager changed. He stopped making sexual jokes and remarks and started being mean, irritable, and even more hostile towards those of us who made the reports. He also began threatening our jobs, hours, and schedules even more than before. Almost as if he were tipped off.. Well today, 3months after the reports were sent in, I got fired via text message. With the bogus excuse of attendance even though I had called out and had notes.. I know whole heartedly that me being fired was retaliation for turning him into HR. My coworkers, who I'm still in contact with, say their jobs are being threatened by him as well. He has already gotten into trouble for this type of stuff before. He was moved to our store because he was turned in for sexual harrassment at his old store. It's bullshit, he's rewarded while we are punished. I worked hard at my job y'all. I needed my job. I'm now at home crying in bed because I don't know what to do now for my kids. I was always taught to stand up for whats right and to not be scared, but Now Im wondering if I should of just let him do it. I'm a sexual assault survivor and this whole situation has had me fucked up all day. It's not right, there's no way this is legal is it? What can I do to make sure this company/Manager can NEVER do this to another female employee ever again. I never want another woman to experience the trauma I did with this company. ***I also have picture proof of the actual report I filled out along with texts he has sent** Assistant:

hqmdzdi

hqmc8zu

Assuming this is in the United States, it sounds like a federal EEOC / state human rights case to me. Reporting workplace sexual harassment is a protected activity and retaliation is illegal. EEOC cases begin with a complaint filed online (preferably), then a phone interview.

Given your username, I am presuming you are in California. First off, what you describe him as doing is illegal under federal law and retaliation for filing a complaint under federal law. You can report the manager and company to the EEOC for the original actions as well as for the retaliation. California law extends the federal protections quite well, and you can instead report the original action to the DFEH \- you only need to file with either the EEOC or DFEH as any report will be automatically cross filed by the government. You can also report the retaliation to the DLSE. California is generally pretty good about employee protections, including for whistleblowers, which you counted as once you filed the claim.

8kikxf

legaladvice_train

Human: I take medication for my anxiety. Manager is demanding to know what it is in front of other employees and after weeks of not telling him, he has started berating me in front of my coworkers not to take it in front of them (Georgia) My friend doesn’t use reddit, but I told him about this sub. So I’m letting him post on my account: I work at a warehouse, I’ve been there for two straight years, hardly any absences, I come in whenever they call. I like to work, it’s what I do. In the past year I’ve been diagnosed with severe anxiety... also a possibility of PTSD due to my brother’s Suicide and Father’s death, and then grandmother’s death soon after. I have not gone to the therapist recommended to me, yet. I do not feel I am ready to discuss such things face to face. Regardless, this medicine has made an amazing difference. It’s been about 3 years since the above trauma, and this is the first thing I’ve tried or even realized I could try and my doctor and I have found the best dose so far. Anyway, my supervisor/manager is already a jerk, but I get by and just do what I’m told. I’m actually pretty secretive about my medication, but due to the job our bags and pockets are checked at the end of the night before leaving. He has seen my prescription bottles (there are two medications I can take, one on a timed schedule, and the other when I need something to really calm me down) and since then has constantly asked me about it. In front of my other coworkers. Me not wanting to talk about it has seemed to light a fire under him to find out. Tonight it escalated to the point of him yelling at me in front of my coworkers and telling me not to take my medication in front of them. Well if they didn’t know I took medicine, now they do. So much for HIPPA.... I don’t feel like explaining this to anyone, or why I take anxiety medicine. Is he allowed to do this? Is there any retaliation I can do calmly to get him to back off? Please help. It would be very appreciated. Assistant:

dz81vln

dz8365w

This might not address your issue in the way you expect, but in many jobs where safety is at issue, you may have signed something upon your hiring that says you'll disclose if you're on any medications that may effect your ability to do your job. For example, if you're on benzodiazepines, that might be one category if medications that's included. You want to go over your hiring paperwork carefully so that when you move forward \(whatever your next steps are with your boss\), you are on solid footing.

I just want to start off by saying that you don’t have to talk about that to your therapist and still get useful therapy - one thing therapists do is give you advice and coping skills on how to manage your symptoms. They don’t exist to dig into your past, especially when the cause of the trauma is so clear. According to this EEOC source, it looks like the privacy sections of the ADA covers all employees, not just employees with accommodations. Your next step should be to go to HR, or if there is no HR, the next supervisor up.

8kikxf

legaladvice_train

Human: I take medication for my anxiety. Manager is demanding to know what it is in front of other employees and after weeks of not telling him, he has started berating me in front of my coworkers not to take it in front of them (Georgia) My friend doesn’t use reddit, but I told him about this sub. So I’m letting him post on my account: I work at a warehouse, I’ve been there for two straight years, hardly any absences, I come in whenever they call. I like to work, it’s what I do. In the past year I’ve been diagnosed with severe anxiety... also a possibility of PTSD due to my brother’s Suicide and Father’s death, and then grandmother’s death soon after. I have not gone to the therapist recommended to me, yet. I do not feel I am ready to discuss such things face to face. Regardless, this medicine has made an amazing difference. It’s been about 3 years since the above trauma, and this is the first thing I’ve tried or even realized I could try and my doctor and I have found the best dose so far. Anyway, my supervisor/manager is already a jerk, but I get by and just do what I’m told. I’m actually pretty secretive about my medication, but due to the job our bags and pockets are checked at the end of the night before leaving. He has seen my prescription bottles (there are two medications I can take, one on a timed schedule, and the other when I need something to really calm me down) and since then has constantly asked me about it. In front of my other coworkers. Me not wanting to talk about it has seemed to light a fire under him to find out. Tonight it escalated to the point of him yelling at me in front of my coworkers and telling me not to take my medication in front of them. Well if they didn’t know I took medicine, now they do. So much for HIPPA.... I don’t feel like explaining this to anyone, or why I take anxiety medicine. Is he allowed to do this? Is there any retaliation I can do calmly to get him to back off? Please help. It would be very appreciated. Assistant:

dz7zjnm

dz8365w

HIPAA applies specifically to medical professionals. Your boss at the warehouse is not bound by the HIPAA. Your boss has a responsibility to make sure you aren't taking mind-altering drugs if you are going to operate or be around heavy machinery, like fork lifts common in a warehouse. He has a responsibility to all the employees he manages to keep them safe. He can ask. You aren't required to tell him. He can also fire you for not telling him. Your best solution would be to sit down privately with your boss and explain that you feel uncomfortable discussing the reasons for taking the medication, but show that the medication doesn't impact your ability to do your job, and doesn't have dangerous side effects.

I just want to start off by saying that you don’t have to talk about that to your therapist and still get useful therapy - one thing therapists do is give you advice and coping skills on how to manage your symptoms. They don’t exist to dig into your past, especially when the cause of the trauma is so clear. According to this EEOC source, it looks like the privacy sections of the ADA covers all employees, not just employees with accommodations. Your next step should be to go to HR, or if there is no HR, the next supervisor up.

k2hysc

legaladvice_train

Human: how? I’m a 20 years old female student living in Quebec, Canada. I moved in with my roommate (33,M) last July. I met him through an add that he posted when he was looking for a roommate. He seemed like a pretty decent guy, no red flags about him so I agreed to move in. He told me he has a cat that rarely comes out of the storage room and is very shy. That’s all. Turns out, the cat, Gus, is a living demon. Usually, I’m very good with animals. My mom always said I was gifted because I’ve always been able to approach, tame and comfort any animal I’ve ever met. But not this cat. Gus has some serious behavioral issues. At first, it started with him pooping and peeing everywhere in the apartment, especially on the couch. No big deal, just gotta clean it and it’s forgotten. It never came out of the storage room, to the point where my roommate had to put his food and water bowls and his litter box in the storage room. I get it, I’m an intruder in his space. I thought if I gave the cat lots of space and let it take it’s time, it would get used to my presence. It did the complete opposite. Since September, the cat waits for me to wake up and get out of my bedroom in the morning, and attacks me. It claws my legs and hisses and freaks out as soon as it sees me, and I almost never really notice it first, as it hides and waits for me to get close enough. So almost every morning, I get surprise-attacked as soon as I wake up. I told my roommate multiple times about this, and he never cared. The cat also screams bloody murder every single night, it’s so loud even the neighbors hear it (we live in an apartment building). The cat really sounds like it’s in agony, it’s really frightening. The cat shows ALL signs of anxiety disorder. I’ve tried every way of talking to my roommate about it, even offered to pay for half of the vet bill if we take it there, but my roommate doesn’t want to hear it. He keeps buying essential oil diffuser and catnip, expecting it to magically solve the issue. I suggested once that my roommate put the cat on antidepressants, and my roommate was so offended by it, he kicked me out and gave me 1 month to find another place and leave. He said that clearly I’m not compatible with the cat, so I have to move. I didn’t sign the lease when I moved in (I know, foolish), so I found another place and I’m moving in December 12th. I have proof of every single discussion we’ve had, since we only talk through texting, due to him working night shifts so I barely see him. What makes my blood boil is that this poor cat is suffering, yet my roommate doesn’t want to do anything about it. He’s never taken the cat to the vet, he’s never even held the cat and he never pets it, since it’s always in the storage room. Tonight, I was on my way to leave the apartment, when the cat jumped out of nowhere and started attacking me. Since I’m getting used to his attacks, I always wear jeans, thick slippers and my winter coat when I’m outside my bedroom, as protection. But the cat bit my hand and wouldn’t let go. I tried to shake it off but it just kept digging his teeth in. Eventually it let go and i ran to the neighbors, screaming that I needed help. I was covered in blood and having a panic attack, so they took me to the hospital. I had to get stitches, antibiotics and I’m on sick leave until December 1rst. The cat bit so deep my muscle was exposed but luckily intact. I still can’t move my thumb or wrist because of the swelling. I have proof of all of this (pictures, screenshots). Can I sue my roommate? For what motives? Can I do something about the cat? Can I call someone to remove it from here and give it an proper shot at life? Assistant:

gdvdcd0

gdv1s52

Canadian. Animal care graduate. Essential oils is toxic to cats. It damages their lungs and can cause a multitude of problems heart, blood, and brain. This cat sounds feral, needs an assessment to properly diagnosis what is up. You can report this as an animal attack for sure but in regards to a sue best to check with your police station as laws differ in each province. Report it to spca or animal humane society in Quebec. Your ex roommate is enabling not helping the poor animal.

Essential oil diffusers can be toxic to cats. Maybe the poor thing is in pain too.

k2hysc

legaladvice_train

Human: how? I’m a 20 years old female student living in Quebec, Canada. I moved in with my roommate (33,M) last July. I met him through an add that he posted when he was looking for a roommate. He seemed like a pretty decent guy, no red flags about him so I agreed to move in. He told me he has a cat that rarely comes out of the storage room and is very shy. That’s all. Turns out, the cat, Gus, is a living demon. Usually, I’m very good with animals. My mom always said I was gifted because I’ve always been able to approach, tame and comfort any animal I’ve ever met. But not this cat. Gus has some serious behavioral issues. At first, it started with him pooping and peeing everywhere in the apartment, especially on the couch. No big deal, just gotta clean it and it’s forgotten. It never came out of the storage room, to the point where my roommate had to put his food and water bowls and his litter box in the storage room. I get it, I’m an intruder in his space. I thought if I gave the cat lots of space and let it take it’s time, it would get used to my presence. It did the complete opposite. Since September, the cat waits for me to wake up and get out of my bedroom in the morning, and attacks me. It claws my legs and hisses and freaks out as soon as it sees me, and I almost never really notice it first, as it hides and waits for me to get close enough. So almost every morning, I get surprise-attacked as soon as I wake up. I told my roommate multiple times about this, and he never cared. The cat also screams bloody murder every single night, it’s so loud even the neighbors hear it (we live in an apartment building). The cat really sounds like it’s in agony, it’s really frightening. The cat shows ALL signs of anxiety disorder. I’ve tried every way of talking to my roommate about it, even offered to pay for half of the vet bill if we take it there, but my roommate doesn’t want to hear it. He keeps buying essential oil diffuser and catnip, expecting it to magically solve the issue. I suggested once that my roommate put the cat on antidepressants, and my roommate was so offended by it, he kicked me out and gave me 1 month to find another place and leave. He said that clearly I’m not compatible with the cat, so I have to move. I didn’t sign the lease when I moved in (I know, foolish), so I found another place and I’m moving in December 12th. I have proof of every single discussion we’ve had, since we only talk through texting, due to him working night shifts so I barely see him. What makes my blood boil is that this poor cat is suffering, yet my roommate doesn’t want to do anything about it. He’s never taken the cat to the vet, he’s never even held the cat and he never pets it, since it’s always in the storage room. Tonight, I was on my way to leave the apartment, when the cat jumped out of nowhere and started attacking me. Since I’m getting used to his attacks, I always wear jeans, thick slippers and my winter coat when I’m outside my bedroom, as protection. But the cat bit my hand and wouldn’t let go. I tried to shake it off but it just kept digging his teeth in. Eventually it let go and i ran to the neighbors, screaming that I needed help. I was covered in blood and having a panic attack, so they took me to the hospital. I had to get stitches, antibiotics and I’m on sick leave until December 1rst. The cat bit so deep my muscle was exposed but luckily intact. I still can’t move my thumb or wrist because of the swelling. I have proof of all of this (pictures, screenshots). Can I sue my roommate? For what motives? Can I do something about the cat? Can I call someone to remove it from here and give it an proper shot at life? Assistant:

gdvdcd0

gdufw4m

Canadian. Animal care graduate. Essential oils is toxic to cats. It damages their lungs and can cause a multitude of problems heart, blood, and brain. This cat sounds feral, needs an assessment to properly diagnosis what is up. You can report this as an animal attack for sure but in regards to a sue best to check with your police station as laws differ in each province. Report it to spca or animal humane society in Quebec. Your ex roommate is enabling not helping the poor animal.

Tbh it sounds like this cat is fatal or has a severe case of anxiety and ptsd and something keeps triggering it. Yes you can sue for you medical bills and also report this to animal control. If he’s never been to the vet there is a chance they will want to quarantine the cat for rabies and they may ask you to get the shots to be on the safe side.

k2hysc

legaladvice_train

Human: out of the storage room and is very shy. That’s all. Turns out, the cat, Gus, is a living demon. Usually, I’m very good with animals. My mom always said I was gifted because I’ve always been able to approach, tame and comfort any animal I’ve ever met. But not this cat. Gus has some serious behavioral issues. At first, it started with him pooping and peeing everywhere in the apartment, especially on the couch. No big deal, just gotta clean it and it’s forgotten. It never came out of the storage room, to the point where my roommate had to put his food and water bowls and his litter box in the storage room. I get it, I’m an intruder in his space. I thought if I gave the cat lots of space and let it take it’s time, it would get used to my presence. It did the complete opposite. Since September, the cat waits for me to wake up and get out of my bedroom in the morning, and attacks me. It claws my legs and hisses and freaks out as soon as it sees me, and I almost never really notice it first, as it hides and waits for me to get close enough. So almost every morning, I get surprise-attacked as soon as I wake up. I told my roommate multiple times about this, and he never cared. The cat also screams bloody murder every single night, it’s so loud even the neighbors hear it (we live in an apartment building). The cat really sounds like it’s in agony, it’s really frightening. The cat shows ALL signs of anxiety disorder. I’ve tried every way of talking to my roommate about it, even offered to pay for half of the vet bill if we take it there, but my roommate doesn’t want to hear it. He keeps buying essential oil diffuser and catnip, expecting it to magically solve the issue. I suggested once that my roommate put the cat on antidepressants, and my roommate was so offended by it, he kicked me out and gave me 1 month to find another place and leave. He said that clearly I’m not compatible with the cat, so I have to move. I didn’t sign the lease when I moved in (I know, foolish), so I found another place and I’m moving in December 12th. I have proof of every single discussion we’ve had, since we only talk through texting, due to him working night shifts so I barely see him. What makes my blood boil is that this poor cat is suffering, yet my roommate doesn’t want to do anything about it. He’s never taken the cat to the vet, he’s never even held the cat and he never pets it, since it’s always in the storage room. Tonight, I was on my way to leave the apartment, when the cat jumped out of nowhere and started attacking me. Since I’m getting used to his attacks, I always wear jeans, thick slippers and my winter coat when I’m outside my bedroom, as protection. But the cat bit my hand and wouldn’t let go. I tried to shake it off but it just kept digging his teeth in. Eventually it let go and i ran to the neighbors, screaming that I needed help. I was covered in blood and having a panic attack, so they took me to the hospital. I had to get stitches, antibiotics and I’m on sick leave until December 1rst. The cat bit so deep my muscle was exposed but luckily intact. I still can’t move my thumb or wrist because of the swelling. I have proof of all of this (pictures, screenshots). Can I sue my roommate? For what motives? Can I do something about the cat? Can I call someone to remove it from here and give it an proper shot at life? Assistant:

gduf23b

gdvdcd0

B-3.1 Loi sur le bien être et la sécurité de l'animal. (animal protection law Québec). It could be difficult to prove negligence. But if you can, then the SPA Québec can come and take the cat. You can contact them (below) for guidance. It would put it up for adoption, and will likely get put down due to behaviour. Alternatively, if it did get away, it wouldn't survive the winter in Canada. Unfortunately, its best bet would be to stay with the allegedly neglectful owner. For the damages, I would argue that the owner is liable. http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/ShowDoc/cs/B-3.1 https://spadequebec.ca/denoncer-2/

Canadian. Animal care graduate. Essential oils is toxic to cats. It damages their lungs and can cause a multitude of problems heart, blood, and brain. This cat sounds feral, needs an assessment to properly diagnosis what is up. You can report this as an animal attack for sure but in regards to a sue best to check with your police station as laws differ in each province. Report it to spca or animal humane society in Quebec. Your ex roommate is enabling not helping the poor animal.

k2hysc

legaladvice_train

Human: out of the storage room and is very shy. That’s all. Turns out, the cat, Gus, is a living demon. Usually, I’m very good with animals. My mom always said I was gifted because I’ve always been able to approach, tame and comfort any animal I’ve ever met. But not this cat. Gus has some serious behavioral issues. At first, it started with him pooping and peeing everywhere in the apartment, especially on the couch. No big deal, just gotta clean it and it’s forgotten. It never came out of the storage room, to the point where my roommate had to put his food and water bowls and his litter box in the storage room. I get it, I’m an intruder in his space. I thought if I gave the cat lots of space and let it take it’s time, it would get used to my presence. It did the complete opposite. Since September, the cat waits for me to wake up and get out of my bedroom in the morning, and attacks me. It claws my legs and hisses and freaks out as soon as it sees me, and I almost never really notice it first, as it hides and waits for me to get close enough. So almost every morning, I get surprise-attacked as soon as I wake up. I told my roommate multiple times about this, and he never cared. The cat also screams bloody murder every single night, it’s so loud even the neighbors hear it (we live in an apartment building). The cat really sounds like it’s in agony, it’s really frightening. The cat shows ALL signs of anxiety disorder. I’ve tried every way of talking to my roommate about it, even offered to pay for half of the vet bill if we take it there, but my roommate doesn’t want to hear it. He keeps buying essential oil diffuser and catnip, expecting it to magically solve the issue. I suggested once that my roommate put the cat on antidepressants, and my roommate was so offended by it, he kicked me out and gave me 1 month to find another place and leave. He said that clearly I’m not compatible with the cat, so I have to move. I didn’t sign the lease when I moved in (I know, foolish), so I found another place and I’m moving in December 12th. I have proof of every single discussion we’ve had, since we only talk through texting, due to him working night shifts so I barely see him. What makes my blood boil is that this poor cat is suffering, yet my roommate doesn’t want to do anything about it. He’s never taken the cat to the vet, he’s never even held the cat and he never pets it, since it’s always in the storage room. Tonight, I was on my way to leave the apartment, when the cat jumped out of nowhere and started attacking me. Since I’m getting used to his attacks, I always wear jeans, thick slippers and my winter coat when I’m outside my bedroom, as protection. But the cat bit my hand and wouldn’t let go. I tried to shake it off but it just kept digging his teeth in. Eventually it let go and i ran to the neighbors, screaming that I needed help. I was covered in blood and having a panic attack, so they took me to the hospital. I had to get stitches, antibiotics and I’m on sick leave until December 1rst. The cat bit so deep my muscle was exposed but luckily intact. I still can’t move my thumb or wrist because of the swelling. I have proof of all of this (pictures, screenshots). Can I sue my roommate? For what motives? Can I do something about the cat? Can I call someone to remove it from here and give it an proper shot at life? Assistant:

gduf23b

gdv1s52

B-3.1 Loi sur le bien être et la sécurité de l'animal. (animal protection law Québec). It could be difficult to prove negligence. But if you can, then the SPA Québec can come and take the cat. You can contact them (below) for guidance. It would put it up for adoption, and will likely get put down due to behaviour. Alternatively, if it did get away, it wouldn't survive the winter in Canada. Unfortunately, its best bet would be to stay with the allegedly neglectful owner. For the damages, I would argue that the owner is liable. http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/ShowDoc/cs/B-3.1 https://spadequebec.ca/denoncer-2/

Essential oil diffusers can be toxic to cats. Maybe the poor thing is in pain too.

k2hysc

legaladvice_train

Human: out of the storage room and is very shy. That’s all. Turns out, the cat, Gus, is a living demon. Usually, I’m very good with animals. My mom always said I was gifted because I’ve always been able to approach, tame and comfort any animal I’ve ever met. But not this cat. Gus has some serious behavioral issues. At first, it started with him pooping and peeing everywhere in the apartment, especially on the couch. No big deal, just gotta clean it and it’s forgotten. It never came out of the storage room, to the point where my roommate had to put his food and water bowls and his litter box in the storage room. I get it, I’m an intruder in his space. I thought if I gave the cat lots of space and let it take it’s time, it would get used to my presence. It did the complete opposite. Since September, the cat waits for me to wake up and get out of my bedroom in the morning, and attacks me. It claws my legs and hisses and freaks out as soon as it sees me, and I almost never really notice it first, as it hides and waits for me to get close enough. So almost every morning, I get surprise-attacked as soon as I wake up. I told my roommate multiple times about this, and he never cared. The cat also screams bloody murder every single night, it’s so loud even the neighbors hear it (we live in an apartment building). The cat really sounds like it’s in agony, it’s really frightening. The cat shows ALL signs of anxiety disorder. I’ve tried every way of talking to my roommate about it, even offered to pay for half of the vet bill if we take it there, but my roommate doesn’t want to hear it. He keeps buying essential oil diffuser and catnip, expecting it to magically solve the issue. I suggested once that my roommate put the cat on antidepressants, and my roommate was so offended by it, he kicked me out and gave me 1 month to find another place and leave. He said that clearly I’m not compatible with the cat, so I have to move. I didn’t sign the lease when I moved in (I know, foolish), so I found another place and I’m moving in December 12th. I have proof of every single discussion we’ve had, since we only talk through texting, due to him working night shifts so I barely see him. What makes my blood boil is that this poor cat is suffering, yet my roommate doesn’t want to do anything about it. He’s never taken the cat to the vet, he’s never even held the cat and he never pets it, since it’s always in the storage room. Tonight, I was on my way to leave the apartment, when the cat jumped out of nowhere and started attacking me. Since I’m getting used to his attacks, I always wear jeans, thick slippers and my winter coat when I’m outside my bedroom, as protection. But the cat bit my hand and wouldn’t let go. I tried to shake it off but it just kept digging his teeth in. Eventually it let go and i ran to the neighbors, screaming that I needed help. I was covered in blood and having a panic attack, so they took me to the hospital. I had to get stitches, antibiotics and I’m on sick leave until December 1rst. The cat bit so deep my muscle was exposed but luckily intact. I still can’t move my thumb or wrist because of the swelling. I have proof of all of this (pictures, screenshots). Can I sue my roommate? For what motives? Can I do something about the cat? Can I call someone to remove it from here and give it an proper shot at life? Assistant:

gduf23b

gdufw4m

B-3.1 Loi sur le bien être et la sécurité de l'animal. (animal protection law Québec). It could be difficult to prove negligence. But if you can, then the SPA Québec can come and take the cat. You can contact them (below) for guidance. It would put it up for adoption, and will likely get put down due to behaviour. Alternatively, if it did get away, it wouldn't survive the winter in Canada. Unfortunately, its best bet would be to stay with the allegedly neglectful owner. For the damages, I would argue that the owner is liable. http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/ShowDoc/cs/B-3.1 https://spadequebec.ca/denoncer-2/

Tbh it sounds like this cat is fatal or has a severe case of anxiety and ptsd and something keeps triggering it. Yes you can sue for you medical bills and also report this to animal control. If he’s never been to the vet there is a chance they will want to quarantine the cat for rabies and they may ask you to get the shots to be on the safe side.

y51xab

legaladvice_train

Human: Is it legal for my mom to take all my money? F19 disabled, TEXAS hello, ill keep this short but give as much info as i can. I am disabled, i have high functioning autism, although i can not work due to childhood abuse (amplifying my two other reasons) + no social skills + cant function with strangers. i make $631 a month from social security i make 461 from social security retirement (my father) and 170 (social security disability) My mother is my payee. She always has been, she charges me rent, thats reasonable as i am an adult. But she charges me $624 in rent + bills. Knowing im left with $7. I'm struggling to survive and am at a loss of what to do. She could care less. It was a "oh well too bad you're an adult" when i tried to beg her to lower my rent and have mercy on me. Is this legal? If so is there anything i can do on social securities end? I can't live this way. I have called and they informed me they put in a request for me but nothing ever happened from then on. I live off food stamps as well, thats the only thing i can say keeps me afloat, but i go hungry 7-10 days waiting for my next amount. If i had adequate social security benefits i wouldn't starve or live in fear. Any advice or help is appreciated. Assistant:

isholpr

ishfdl7

Not a lawyer and not in Texas, but I work at an agency that serves adults with disabilities. OP, this is considered financial abuse. What your mom is doing is not allowed. Anyone that you interact with as disability support for you is a mandated reporter. So if you have a case manager, any in-home therapies, a day program, a doctor you trust, etc. you can talk to any of those people. Tell them that your mother is financially abusing you and gives you only $7 a month, that you don’t have enough to eat as a result, and that you need help. They can help you get a case started with Adult Protective Services, and this is what APS is for.

Are you sure she does not have guardianship? The benefits you listed are uncommon for a 19-year-old to receive and if you didn't apply, someone did for you. If you were a disabled child her legal obligation to support you continues indefinitely. If she is your abuser she is not going to let you save up and move out. $1100/month is not a lot and it's going to be your income for a while. Working could jeopardize your social security. You shouldn't try to work until you understand how that will effect your income. I'd recommend contacting Disability Rights Texas. https://www.disabilityrightstx.org/en/home/ There are also legal aid organizations in your area that can confirm whether she has legal guardianship. If she does that is something you must challenge before you cam be independent.

y51xab

legaladvice_train

Human: Is it legal for my mom to take all my money? F19 disabled, TEXAS hello, ill keep this short but give as much info as i can. I am disabled, i have high functioning autism, although i can not work due to childhood abuse (amplifying my two other reasons) + no social skills + cant function with strangers. i make $631 a month from social security i make 461 from social security retirement (my father) and 170 (social security disability) My mother is my payee. She always has been, she charges me rent, thats reasonable as i am an adult. But she charges me $624 in rent + bills. Knowing im left with $7. I'm struggling to survive and am at a loss of what to do. She could care less. It was a "oh well too bad you're an adult" when i tried to beg her to lower my rent and have mercy on me. Is this legal? If so is there anything i can do on social securities end? I can't live this way. I have called and they informed me they put in a request for me but nothing ever happened from then on. I live off food stamps as well, thats the only thing i can say keeps me afloat, but i go hungry 7-10 days waiting for my next amount. If i had adequate social security benefits i wouldn't starve or live in fear. Any advice or help is appreciated. Assistant:

isji576

isjrcz4

People are saying to contact APS but I also think you should contact your local developmental disability services agency. In my state, each county has a board of DD. It may be different in Texas, but you should be able to get help from them specific to your autism diagnosis. I did a Google search and this is what I found (https://tcdd.texas.gov/). I would encourage you to contact them. APS may refer you to them, but often times agencies don't communicate with each other and they might not even know to do that. You can get ongoing support from them and it may greatly improve the quality of your life. I want to encourage you by saying that you don't have to live this way. You can get help to find another SSI payee, and people who can help you live your day to day life. It just may take a while. Just reach out to them. In the meantime, have you looked into local food pantries? Often times they can even deliver if you can't get there. I wish you the best and hope you don't have to deal with this much longer. ❤️

I'm going to disagree with everyone who says that this is ipso facto financial abuse. OP gets room, board, and utilities (also clothing and other supplies?) for $624 per month, which seems quite reasonable. u/Napalmenator and a few others make the correct point that OP is perfectly free to change the payee and find a different living situation. ·

y51xab

legaladvice_train

Human: Is it legal for my mom to take all my money? F19 disabled, TEXAS hello, ill keep this short but give as much info as i can. I am disabled, i have high functioning autism, although i can not work due to childhood abuse (amplifying my two other reasons) + no social skills + cant function with strangers. i make $631 a month from social security i make 461 from social security retirement (my father) and 170 (social security disability) My mother is my payee. She always has been, she charges me rent, thats reasonable as i am an adult. But she charges me $624 in rent + bills. Knowing im left with $7. I'm struggling to survive and am at a loss of what to do. She could care less. It was a "oh well too bad you're an adult" when i tried to beg her to lower my rent and have mercy on me. Is this legal? If so is there anything i can do on social securities end? I can't live this way. I have called and they informed me they put in a request for me but nothing ever happened from then on. I live off food stamps as well, thats the only thing i can say keeps me afloat, but i go hungry 7-10 days waiting for my next amount. If i had adequate social security benefits i wouldn't starve or live in fear. Any advice or help is appreciated. Assistant:

isj14l9

isjrcz4

You day there is no conservatorship or guardianship in place over you, and you are an independent adult... so this is pressure, abuse and bullying, not a legal arrangement. You can change your payee. If you are having trouble, give a call to Adult Protective Services. They will be able to advise you and probably provide practical help

I'm going to disagree with everyone who says that this is ipso facto financial abuse. OP gets room, board, and utilities (also clothing and other supplies?) for $624 per month, which seems quite reasonable. u/Napalmenator and a few others make the correct point that OP is perfectly free to change the payee and find a different living situation. ·

y51xab

legaladvice_train

Human: Is it legal for my mom to take all my money? F19 disabled, TEXAS hello, ill keep this short but give as much info as i can. I am disabled, i have high functioning autism, although i can not work due to childhood abuse (amplifying my two other reasons) + no social skills + cant function with strangers. i make $631 a month from social security i make 461 from social security retirement (my father) and 170 (social security disability) My mother is my payee. She always has been, she charges me rent, thats reasonable as i am an adult. But she charges me $624 in rent + bills. Knowing im left with $7. I'm struggling to survive and am at a loss of what to do. She could care less. It was a "oh well too bad you're an adult" when i tried to beg her to lower my rent and have mercy on me. Is this legal? If so is there anything i can do on social securities end? I can't live this way. I have called and they informed me they put in a request for me but nothing ever happened from then on. I live off food stamps as well, thats the only thing i can say keeps me afloat, but i go hungry 7-10 days waiting for my next amount. If i had adequate social security benefits i wouldn't starve or live in fear. Any advice or help is appreciated. Assistant:

isjrcz4

isjj2e0

I'm going to disagree with everyone who says that this is ipso facto financial abuse. OP gets room, board, and utilities (also clothing and other supplies?) for $624 per month, which seems quite reasonable. u/Napalmenator and a few others make the correct point that OP is perfectly free to change the payee and find a different living situation. ·

You need to get a hold of social security and tell them you need your money sent to you and deposited in your own account. Once you have a hold of your money you can apply for affordable housing. It's usually called section 8 housing but it's rent based on your income. The waiting list is usually 6-8 months long, so apply now, while you're waiting for housing you can deal with social security. You're an adult, it sounds like you can make decisions by yourself, have you ever signed a paper stating your mother was your guardian? If not you are entitled to all your money and you should be getting it, not her

a82wts

legaladvice_train

Human: Mom is withholding important documents for me (my ss card, green card, etc) Location: Wisconsin USA My mom and I got into an argument on thanksgiving, took my car, cut me off the phone plan etc. A week later she had convinced me to have lunch with her, where she asked if I could give her my ss card, green card, passport because she wanted to file for my citizenship. I know it sounds dumb but I agreed. Turns out my permanent residence card expires next year, and filing for citizenship would take about a year. Plus I’m only 19, and I’m broke af and I figured I would trust her to cover it. She also agreed to give me my car back. Anyways, we got into a another fight. She went back on her agreement of giving me my car back (which just fucks me over because I moved out of the city to live in a rural area. Now I can’t really get a job without being able to transport myself). I asked her to give me back my documents and she keeps ignoring me and when she finally replied she said no. What do I do? Assistant:

ec7jdbu

ec7j5bt

Go to apartment. Contact police. Tell them you want a civil standby while you retrieve your property. Whose name is the car in?

Can you get your documents back without her knowledge?

8xe2ub

legaladvice_train

Human: (Interstate) My brother gutted our mom's Estate Account via online transfer after the court had transferred the estate executorship away from him. Is this criminal embezzlement? I'm a little riled up about this and hope you all will bear with me if some editorializing makes it's way in... I'll try to keep it bare bones... My mother (in VT) passed away a few years ago and set my brother (based in CA) as the executor of her Estate which was worth a few hundred grand plus some other assets that required liquidating like stocks and jewelry. After two years of not filing needed paperwork with the Probate Court for various reasons, my brother agreed to transfer the executorship to me (based in CO) so I could close the Estate. After the Executorship transfer I tried ineffectually for a year to obtain all of the account, property, and tax documents I needed from my brother- which I take partial responsibility for, as I was at that point giving him every benefit of the doubt and making my requests verbally by phone and then repeatedly accepted the myriad reasons he was never able to come through. After almost exactly a year, at a follow up hearing by phone, the Probate judge explicitly told him to send me the info I needed. That same day my brother texted the account info for the Estate Account he'd set up and I went in to take it over later that week. Upon accessing the account I immediately learned two things had happened over the prior years: - My brother had utterly drained the Estate account (my mom's life savings plus her freshly sold property), direct depositing 1-3K to what I assume was his personal account every week or two via online transfer. - He continued doing so even after the transfer of Executorship, logging into the Estate Account and initiating further transfers at a noticeably accelerated pace and bringing the account balance to less than a dollar 3 months prior to that hearing and sending me the account info. Honestly, the whole thing threw me into a real depressed tailspin. I've now spent the last year agonizing over what to do next and feeling as though it's my family duty to protect my brother from the consequences of his actions though it means eating them myself. However during a recent (recorded) conversation with him, he was very clear in saying that he consciously and malevolently put me in this position as vengeance for years-old resentments he's held over an argument with my wife. He further stated that he turned the executorship over to me to begin with because I "couldn't do it" (which I believe means bring myself to document with the probate court his misuse of his position). At this point I'm done. I'm done waiting and stalling the Probate court and I'm done trying to rationalize his actions into my problem to fix. Obviously he have our issues but it never occurred to me that his apparent lack of integrity around money was consciously malicious. If he wants to argue or even fight with me he can always do so- he's my brother for chrissake- but to use my inheritance and my mom's last wishes as a weapon to attack me with is just too much. I'm now looking to bring whatever consequences he's earned home to roost and close the Estate along with this embarrassing chapter in our family's history. I'm hoping, but not expecting, that when the dust has settled he may even be willing to give being brothers another go. I'm fairly confident that the way he handled the money in the account while he was Executor is civilly actionable. However, my big questions is this: By accessing the Estate Account and transferring tens of thousands from it into his private account *after* stepping down as Executor/Administrator, did he also cross the line into *criminally* actionable? If so, what crime would this be considered? Assistant:

e22ly0m

e22ocjk

Lawyer time. This is a lot of money, time, and complication that you don't want to take on by yourself.

>I've now spent the last year agonizing over what to do next and feeling as though it's my family duty to protect my brother from the consequences of his actions though it means eating them myself. It is 100% not your "family duty" to keep your felonious brother out of trouble for crimes he committed completely under his own free will. Hell, if anything you'd better throw him under the bus in case the scrutiny comes pointing to YOU.

8xe2ub

legaladvice_train

Human: that required liquidating like stocks and jewelry. After two years of not filing needed paperwork with the Probate Court for various reasons, my brother agreed to transfer the executorship to me (based in CO) so I could close the Estate. After the Executorship transfer I tried ineffectually for a year to obtain all of the account, property, and tax documents I needed from my brother- which I take partial responsibility for, as I was at that point giving him every benefit of the doubt and making my requests verbally by phone and then repeatedly accepted the myriad reasons he was never able to come through. After almost exactly a year, at a follow up hearing by phone, the Probate judge explicitly told him to send me the info I needed. That same day my brother texted the account info for the Estate Account he'd set up and I went in to take it over later that week. Upon accessing the account I immediately learned two things had happened over the prior years: - My brother had utterly drained the Estate account (my mom's life savings plus her freshly sold property), direct depositing 1-3K to what I assume was his personal account every week or two via online transfer. - He continued doing so even after the transfer of Executorship, logging into the Estate Account and initiating further transfers at a noticeably accelerated pace and bringing the account balance to less than a dollar 3 months prior to that hearing and sending me the account info. Honestly, the whole thing threw me into a real depressed tailspin. I've now spent the last year agonizing over what to do next and feeling as though it's my family duty to protect my brother from the consequences of his actions though it means eating them myself. However during a recent (recorded) conversation with him, he was very clear in saying that he consciously and malevolently put me in this position as vengeance for years-old resentments he's held over an argument with my wife. He further stated that he turned the executorship over to me to begin with because I "couldn't do it" (which I believe means bring myself to document with the probate court his misuse of his position). At this point I'm done. I'm done waiting and stalling the Probate court and I'm done trying to rationalize his actions into my problem to fix. Obviously he have our issues but it never occurred to me that his apparent lack of integrity around money was consciously malicious. If he wants to argue or even fight with me he can always do so- he's my brother for chrissake- but to use my inheritance and my mom's last wishes as a weapon to attack me with is just too much. I'm now looking to bring whatever consequences he's earned home to roost and close the Estate along with this embarrassing chapter in our family's history. I'm hoping, but not expecting, that when the dust has settled he may even be willing to give being brothers another go. I'm fairly confident that the way he handled the money in the account while he was Executor is civilly actionable. However, my big questions is this: By accessing the Estate Account and transferring tens of thousands from it into his private account *after* stepping down as Executor/Administrator, did he also cross the line into *criminally* actionable? If so, what crime would this be considered? Assistant:

e22s9sd

e22rfg6

Posting separately vs. edit of prior post, so you're sure to see. The Vermont Statutes Online >**§ 2534. Executor or administrator** > >An executor or administrator who embezzles or fraudulently converts to his or her own use, money, obligations, securities or other effects or property belonging to the estate of which he or she is executor or administrator, shall be guilty of larceny and shall be imprisoned not more than 10 years or fined not more than $1,000.00, or both. (Amended 1971, No. 199 (Adj. Sess.), § 15; 1981, No. 223 (Adj. Sess.), § 23.) And this re: statute of limitations in Vermont: >**§ 4501. Limitation of prosecutions for certain crimes** > >(b) Prosecutions for manslaughter, lewd and lascivious conduct, sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult, grand larceny, robbery, burglary, embezzlement, forgery, bribery offenses, false claims, fraud under 33 V.S.A. § 141(d), and felony tax offenses shall be commenced **within six years after the commission of the offense, and not after.**

Article excerpts (full article linked), similar stealing executor situation, (in MA, and not VT): After Lying and Embezzling from Her Mother’s Estate, Daughter is Jailed >*Ultimately \daughter\] was charged with two counts of larceny, two counts of perjury and two counts of embezzlement.* > >*\[Daughter\] was sentenced to 18 months in jail and five years of probation. She must also pay restitution to other family members for the money she stole. Her husband was sentenced to 18 months in jail, but the majority of that sentence was suspended.* [What Happens When the Executor of the Will Steals the Money? Besides useful information, article mentions state laws specifying "window" during which other heirs can take \legal\] action against executor. Couldn't find what Vermont has to say about a "statute of limitations" on civil suit or criminal charges (if law allows) in such cases. Here's detailed discussion of laws governing misdeeds by executors of Vermont estates: [Living Well on Other People's Money ~~Can he be charged with a criminal act under Vermont statues? Not clear to me.~~ At the very least, consult with an attorney who specializes in probate/estate law, for expert guidance. Too much at stake, and it would be criminal in and of itself for your brother to get away with this egregious behavior. **Edit to add: See separate post re: Vermont statutes** **found later.**

8xe2ub

legaladvice_train

Human: that required liquidating like stocks and jewelry. After two years of not filing needed paperwork with the Probate Court for various reasons, my brother agreed to transfer the executorship to me (based in CO) so I could close the Estate. After the Executorship transfer I tried ineffectually for a year to obtain all of the account, property, and tax documents I needed from my brother- which I take partial responsibility for, as I was at that point giving him every benefit of the doubt and making my requests verbally by phone and then repeatedly accepted the myriad reasons he was never able to come through. After almost exactly a year, at a follow up hearing by phone, the Probate judge explicitly told him to send me the info I needed. That same day my brother texted the account info for the Estate Account he'd set up and I went in to take it over later that week. Upon accessing the account I immediately learned two things had happened over the prior years: - My brother had utterly drained the Estate account (my mom's life savings plus her freshly sold property), direct depositing 1-3K to what I assume was his personal account every week or two via online transfer. - He continued doing so even after the transfer of Executorship, logging into the Estate Account and initiating further transfers at a noticeably accelerated pace and bringing the account balance to less than a dollar 3 months prior to that hearing and sending me the account info. Honestly, the whole thing threw me into a real depressed tailspin. I've now spent the last year agonizing over what to do next and feeling as though it's my family duty to protect my brother from the consequences of his actions though it means eating them myself. However during a recent (recorded) conversation with him, he was very clear in saying that he consciously and malevolently put me in this position as vengeance for years-old resentments he's held over an argument with my wife. He further stated that he turned the executorship over to me to begin with because I "couldn't do it" (which I believe means bring myself to document with the probate court his misuse of his position). At this point I'm done. I'm done waiting and stalling the Probate court and I'm done trying to rationalize his actions into my problem to fix. Obviously he have our issues but it never occurred to me that his apparent lack of integrity around money was consciously malicious. If he wants to argue or even fight with me he can always do so- he's my brother for chrissake- but to use my inheritance and my mom's last wishes as a weapon to attack me with is just too much. I'm now looking to bring whatever consequences he's earned home to roost and close the Estate along with this embarrassing chapter in our family's history. I'm hoping, but not expecting, that when the dust has settled he may even be willing to give being brothers another go. I'm fairly confident that the way he handled the money in the account while he was Executor is civilly actionable. However, my big questions is this: By accessing the Estate Account and transferring tens of thousands from it into his private account *after* stepping down as Executor/Administrator, did he also cross the line into *criminally* actionable? If so, what crime would this be considered? Assistant:

e22wx34

e22rfg6

(not a lawyer, but I have been an executor). Are there any other heirs besides you and your brother? Now that you're the executor you have a fiduciary duty to all the heirs, which I believe means that you have a duty to them to attempt to recover what your brother stole from the estate. Make sure you get as much detail as possible out of the financial institutions involved. Not just the estate account(s) but if at all possible, her personal accounts before her assets were moved into the estate accounts.

Article excerpts (full article linked), similar stealing executor situation, (in MA, and not VT): After Lying and Embezzling from Her Mother’s Estate, Daughter is Jailed >*Ultimately \daughter\] was charged with two counts of larceny, two counts of perjury and two counts of embezzlement.* > >*\[Daughter\] was sentenced to 18 months in jail and five years of probation. She must also pay restitution to other family members for the money she stole. Her husband was sentenced to 18 months in jail, but the majority of that sentence was suspended.* [What Happens When the Executor of the Will Steals the Money? Besides useful information, article mentions state laws specifying "window" during which other heirs can take \legal\] action against executor. Couldn't find what Vermont has to say about a "statute of limitations" on civil suit or criminal charges (if law allows) in such cases. Here's detailed discussion of laws governing misdeeds by executors of Vermont estates: [Living Well on Other People's Money ~~Can he be charged with a criminal act under Vermont statues? Not clear to me.~~ At the very least, consult with an attorney who specializes in probate/estate law, for expert guidance. Too much at stake, and it would be criminal in and of itself for your brother to get away with this egregious behavior. **Edit to add: See separate post re: Vermont statutes** **found later.**

8xe2ub

legaladvice_train

Human: that required liquidating like stocks and jewelry. After two years of not filing needed paperwork with the Probate Court for various reasons, my brother agreed to transfer the executorship to me (based in CO) so I could close the Estate. After the Executorship transfer I tried ineffectually for a year to obtain all of the account, property, and tax documents I needed from my brother- which I take partial responsibility for, as I was at that point giving him every benefit of the doubt and making my requests verbally by phone and then repeatedly accepted the myriad reasons he was never able to come through. After almost exactly a year, at a follow up hearing by phone, the Probate judge explicitly told him to send me the info I needed. That same day my brother texted the account info for the Estate Account he'd set up and I went in to take it over later that week. Upon accessing the account I immediately learned two things had happened over the prior years: - My brother had utterly drained the Estate account (my mom's life savings plus her freshly sold property), direct depositing 1-3K to what I assume was his personal account every week or two via online transfer. - He continued doing so even after the transfer of Executorship, logging into the Estate Account and initiating further transfers at a noticeably accelerated pace and bringing the account balance to less than a dollar 3 months prior to that hearing and sending me the account info. Honestly, the whole thing threw me into a real depressed tailspin. I've now spent the last year agonizing over what to do next and feeling as though it's my family duty to protect my brother from the consequences of his actions though it means eating them myself. However during a recent (recorded) conversation with him, he was very clear in saying that he consciously and malevolently put me in this position as vengeance for years-old resentments he's held over an argument with my wife. He further stated that he turned the executorship over to me to begin with because I "couldn't do it" (which I believe means bring myself to document with the probate court his misuse of his position). At this point I'm done. I'm done waiting and stalling the Probate court and I'm done trying to rationalize his actions into my problem to fix. Obviously he have our issues but it never occurred to me that his apparent lack of integrity around money was consciously malicious. If he wants to argue or even fight with me he can always do so- he's my brother for chrissake- but to use my inheritance and my mom's last wishes as a weapon to attack me with is just too much. I'm now looking to bring whatever consequences he's earned home to roost and close the Estate along with this embarrassing chapter in our family's history. I'm hoping, but not expecting, that when the dust has settled he may even be willing to give being brothers another go. I'm fairly confident that the way he handled the money in the account while he was Executor is civilly actionable. However, my big questions is this: By accessing the Estate Account and transferring tens of thousands from it into his private account *after* stepping down as Executor/Administrator, did he also cross the line into *criminally* actionable? If so, what crime would this be considered? Assistant:

e22rfg6

e22wf89

Article excerpts (full article linked), similar stealing executor situation, (in MA, and not VT): After Lying and Embezzling from Her Mother’s Estate, Daughter is Jailed >*Ultimately \daughter\] was charged with two counts of larceny, two counts of perjury and two counts of embezzlement.* > >*\[Daughter\] was sentenced to 18 months in jail and five years of probation. She must also pay restitution to other family members for the money she stole. Her husband was sentenced to 18 months in jail, but the majority of that sentence was suspended.* [What Happens When the Executor of the Will Steals the Money? Besides useful information, article mentions state laws specifying "window" during which other heirs can take \legal\] action against executor. Couldn't find what Vermont has to say about a "statute of limitations" on civil suit or criminal charges (if law allows) in such cases. Here's detailed discussion of laws governing misdeeds by executors of Vermont estates: [Living Well on Other People's Money ~~Can he be charged with a criminal act under Vermont statues? Not clear to me.~~ At the very least, consult with an attorney who specializes in probate/estate law, for expert guidance. Too much at stake, and it would be criminal in and of itself for your brother to get away with this egregious behavior. **Edit to add: See separate post re: Vermont statutes** **found later.**

OP, do you know if your brother was bonded? This will make recovering the money significantly easier, as it will shift the burden to the bond agency to go after him civilly. It's entirely possible, however, that if your mother waived bond in her Will, that he was not bonded.

8xe2ub

legaladvice_train

Human: that required liquidating like stocks and jewelry. After two years of not filing needed paperwork with the Probate Court for various reasons, my brother agreed to transfer the executorship to me (based in CO) so I could close the Estate. After the Executorship transfer I tried ineffectually for a year to obtain all of the account, property, and tax documents I needed from my brother- which I take partial responsibility for, as I was at that point giving him every benefit of the doubt and making my requests verbally by phone and then repeatedly accepted the myriad reasons he was never able to come through. After almost exactly a year, at a follow up hearing by phone, the Probate judge explicitly told him to send me the info I needed. That same day my brother texted the account info for the Estate Account he'd set up and I went in to take it over later that week. Upon accessing the account I immediately learned two things had happened over the prior years: - My brother had utterly drained the Estate account (my mom's life savings plus her freshly sold property), direct depositing 1-3K to what I assume was his personal account every week or two via online transfer. - He continued doing so even after the transfer of Executorship, logging into the Estate Account and initiating further transfers at a noticeably accelerated pace and bringing the account balance to less than a dollar 3 months prior to that hearing and sending me the account info. Honestly, the whole thing threw me into a real depressed tailspin. I've now spent the last year agonizing over what to do next and feeling as though it's my family duty to protect my brother from the consequences of his actions though it means eating them myself. However during a recent (recorded) conversation with him, he was very clear in saying that he consciously and malevolently put me in this position as vengeance for years-old resentments he's held over an argument with my wife. He further stated that he turned the executorship over to me to begin with because I "couldn't do it" (which I believe means bring myself to document with the probate court his misuse of his position). At this point I'm done. I'm done waiting and stalling the Probate court and I'm done trying to rationalize his actions into my problem to fix. Obviously he have our issues but it never occurred to me that his apparent lack of integrity around money was consciously malicious. If he wants to argue or even fight with me he can always do so- he's my brother for chrissake- but to use my inheritance and my mom's last wishes as a weapon to attack me with is just too much. I'm now looking to bring whatever consequences he's earned home to roost and close the Estate along with this embarrassing chapter in our family's history. I'm hoping, but not expecting, that when the dust has settled he may even be willing to give being brothers another go. I'm fairly confident that the way he handled the money in the account while he was Executor is civilly actionable. However, my big questions is this: By accessing the Estate Account and transferring tens of thousands from it into his private account *after* stepping down as Executor/Administrator, did he also cross the line into *criminally* actionable? If so, what crime would this be considered? Assistant:

e22zcmo

e22rfg6

> direct depositing 1-3K to what I assume was his personal account every week or two via online transfer. Additionally, doesn't this sound like structuring? Did he do this so it wouldn't have to be reported?

Article excerpts (full article linked), similar stealing executor situation, (in MA, and not VT): After Lying and Embezzling from Her Mother’s Estate, Daughter is Jailed >*Ultimately \daughter\] was charged with two counts of larceny, two counts of perjury and two counts of embezzlement.* > >*\[Daughter\] was sentenced to 18 months in jail and five years of probation. She must also pay restitution to other family members for the money she stole. Her husband was sentenced to 18 months in jail, but the majority of that sentence was suspended.* [What Happens When the Executor of the Will Steals the Money? Besides useful information, article mentions state laws specifying "window" during which other heirs can take \legal\] action against executor. Couldn't find what Vermont has to say about a "statute of limitations" on civil suit or criminal charges (if law allows) in such cases. Here's detailed discussion of laws governing misdeeds by executors of Vermont estates: [Living Well on Other People's Money ~~Can he be charged with a criminal act under Vermont statues? Not clear to me.~~ At the very least, consult with an attorney who specializes in probate/estate law, for expert guidance. Too much at stake, and it would be criminal in and of itself for your brother to get away with this egregious behavior. **Edit to add: See separate post re: Vermont statutes** **found later.**

p0y38b

legaladvice_train

Human: (Denmark) A TikTok user is stealing my content and going viral, which could have consequences for my future career Hi! I spent a lot of time making these videos a few years back, where I took public access TV and edited it to death, to make it crazy, awkward and surreal. I never put ads on it or anything, because I used other peoples material but according to my management, what I did falls under both “fair use” and “remix”, because the original content is distorted to such a degree, that it became something entirely new. If you know Vic Berger, it’s kinda like that, but even more far out and specifically targeted for a danish audience. Anyway, the content never went super viral, but had a moderate cult following, which eventually led to me getting work with TV - so for me, it turned out to be super important, and helped me build my career. Lately, my stuff has started to go viral on TikTok though, as lots of people are uploading various clips from my channel, and presenting it as their own stuff. I have no problem with this, as long as they credit me, and in most cases it’s as simple as me asking them to do so, and everything is good. But now there is this one guy, who has become viral almost solely with content I made, and who refuses to credit me and instead insults me, and uses his following to make it look like I had nothing to do with the content. I figure the best way to go about this now, is to make a copyright claim, but this is where it all gets a bit weird, because the stuff I made, is “technically” not my own stuff, because it is made from other peoples material, whom I assume would be considered the “real” copyright owners - but it being public access TV, funded by the state, the rule in Denmark is actually that the actual TV-programs, before I edited them, is public domain - but to my understanding, I would own the rights to the “remix” (being the clips I posted). So yeah, this is where I’m at. I’m pretty sure the rules for copyright on TikTok are the same all over the world, so I was hoping someone here could help me. How do I go about this? Thank you in advance! Assistant:

h8a8egq

h89oqgz

Regardless of whether or not your work was fair use, you still own any creative work you did on top of the original source. In the same way game youtubers own the content they record of themselves playing without owning the copyright to game content underneath. You can file a copyright claim at https://www.tiktok.com/legal/report/Copyright?lang=en not sure how effective the response is on Tiktok but if it's anything like youtube their channel will suffer for getting copyright claimed.

Have you contacted TikTok directly?

p0y38b

legaladvice_train

Human: (Denmark) A TikTok user is stealing my content and going viral, which could have consequences for my future career Hi! I spent a lot of time making these videos a few years back, where I took public access TV and edited it to death, to make it crazy, awkward and surreal. I never put ads on it or anything, because I used other peoples material but according to my management, what I did falls under both “fair use” and “remix”, because the original content is distorted to such a degree, that it became something entirely new. If you know Vic Berger, it’s kinda like that, but even more far out and specifically targeted for a danish audience. Anyway, the content never went super viral, but had a moderate cult following, which eventually led to me getting work with TV - so for me, it turned out to be super important, and helped me build my career. Lately, my stuff has started to go viral on TikTok though, as lots of people are uploading various clips from my channel, and presenting it as their own stuff. I have no problem with this, as long as they credit me, and in most cases it’s as simple as me asking them to do so, and everything is good. But now there is this one guy, who has become viral almost solely with content I made, and who refuses to credit me and instead insults me, and uses his following to make it look like I had nothing to do with the content. I figure the best way to go about this now, is to make a copyright claim, but this is where it all gets a bit weird, because the stuff I made, is “technically” not my own stuff, because it is made from other peoples material, whom I assume would be considered the “real” copyright owners - but it being public access TV, funded by the state, the rule in Denmark is actually that the actual TV-programs, before I edited them, is public domain - but to my understanding, I would own the rights to the “remix” (being the clips I posted). So yeah, this is where I’m at. I’m pretty sure the rules for copyright on TikTok are the same all over the world, so I was hoping someone here could help me. How do I go about this? Thank you in advance! Assistant:

h8a08n6

h8a8egq

Is this other creator located in the US?

Regardless of whether or not your work was fair use, you still own any creative work you did on top of the original source. In the same way game youtubers own the content they record of themselves playing without owning the copyright to game content underneath. You can file a copyright claim at https://www.tiktok.com/legal/report/Copyright?lang=en not sure how effective the response is on Tiktok but if it's anything like youtube their channel will suffer for getting copyright claimed.

zer8em

legaladvice_train

Human: Paid a patent attorney a $6500 retainer and, in one month, they went through the entire retainer and almost doubled it - I got a monthly invoice for ~$12k. Is it normal for law firms not to alert their client once the retainer is depleted? Basically wondering if this is normal or if I should question why I wasn't told to expect to pay double. This is my first time using a patent attorney, so genuinely asking if I should just pay the bill or if I should question this because it is a lot of money, and I kind of didn't expect to get that large of a bill in one month. The invoice did include an FTO search charge for $3000 they had to outsource. Thanks in advance for any opinions/insight. Assistant:

iz8nuai

iz868ub

OP, that's not an unusual amount for drafting and filing a nonprovisional utility patent application in the US. I typically quote a flat fee of $12-15k for that, but also set forth how much prosecution is likely to cost and how the fees will occur over time - remember, filing is just the first step, and it typically takes 2-3 years to get a patent, depending on the area of technology and whether you take other steps to expedite it, whether you go to appeal, etc. But if you have any questions about the bill, talk to your attorney and find out what the full estimate will be, what your retainer has covered, etc. The nice thing about patent prosecution, unlike litigation, is that it tends to be relatively predictable - we deal with hundreds of cases simultaneously, so we get very used to how much an "average" bill should be.

The retainer isn't the max you'll pay. It's just a way to ensure they can get paid for at least initial required. Things come up and they cost. You're free to question it, but it's rare it's going to be $ back in your pocket. You can have a discussion about the plan nad costs of it.

zer8em

legaladvice_train

Human: Paid a patent attorney a $6500 retainer and, in one month, they went through the entire retainer and almost doubled it - I got a monthly invoice for ~$12k. Is it normal for law firms not to alert their client once the retainer is depleted? Basically wondering if this is normal or if I should question why I wasn't told to expect to pay double. This is my first time using a patent attorney, so genuinely asking if I should just pay the bill or if I should question this because it is a lot of money, and I kind of didn't expect to get that large of a bill in one month. The invoice did include an FTO search charge for $3000 they had to outsource. Thanks in advance for any opinions/insight. Assistant:

iz9k8kp

iz9cv8b

Not a lawyer, 15 years in academic tech transfer as an in house patent paralegal. Whether the charges are reasonable or not really depends on what you had them do. A provisional patent usually runs $1-7k, but it's only good for a year. And the cost is highly dependent on the content of the filing. Whether it's just a cover sheet or a PCT/Non-provisional ready filing. A PCT/Non-provisional can run $10-20k depending on claims and area. And that's just to file, not to prosecute. And wouldn't include prior art searching and drawings. If you filed Non-provisional, you should have a reprieve for a bit with your first office action being several months to a year out. Plan on budgeting $5-10k for response to office actions as well. And anticipate having around 3 office actions over the course of prosecution. But could be more. As others stated, it's not a quick process. And it can be very expensive. There are other firms with different fee structures. Make sure you're not paying attorney time for work that should be done by a paralegal. You can transfer your file to a different firm if you need to. It's important to have an attorney or patent agent that operates in the area of your invention. This cuts costs on the attorney learning curve. You don't want an IP attorney who focuses on chemistry if your invention is in electrical engineering. Overall, the cost so far isn't alarming. But definitely review your bills closely. You can push back on expenses that seem unreasonable. Or if some work appears that it could have been done by a junior attorney or paralegal and was billed at the partner rate. And definitely ask for a fee sheet. In the end, anticipate spending a WHOLE lot more. And prepare yourself that your patent application could also be denied. This is where having a good attorney do a review of the claims before making a decision to file is worth it. It's a sunk cost but can save you tens of thousands in the long run if there's no patentability or freedom to operate. Just because something is patentable, doesn't mean you should file. Good luck!

Are you getting a utility patent or a design patent? That's reasonable for a utility patent.

71fvpn

legaladvice_train

Human: (New York) neighbor kid is a terror who bangs on doors parents dgaf I live in a lively neighborhood with lots of children who know each other and knock on doors to ask them to come out to play. Most are polite and knock, wait then go away without an answer but one kid, who's roughly 6-8 year old, will pound and bang and shout if you ignore him at your door. I removed my doorbell when i moved in but my friends say he pairs his behavior with ringing the bell over and over. We've had to endure this and he only leaves when someone tell him to buzz off. To top it off he appears to be homeschooled and doesn't seem to grasp or care that the school aged kids arent home during the day so there's no peace to this. We're all tired of it and no one wants to deal with him or his parents. His parents dont care at all. His mom just says "well why didn't you answer the door?". I dont think we need to explain some of us have babies who sleep in the day, have a kid attached to their boob, aren't dressed, playing live games online or hell, some of us are just dont want to talk to anyone and are trying to take a damn nap. Another element to this is we're all military so any drama here can spill over into our spouses' work and reflect poorly on them considering this kid's dad is an officer and she's some kind of vicious, vindictive hound dog we all politely keep at arm's length during work related gatherings. What legal avenue can i, or we collectively take to remedy this situation? I feel calling the cops is overkill since he's only a kid (plus the mom will presume who called based on who's door he was knocking on when the cops pull up) and might even encourage him because he seems to love the attention. Hes a known bully and enjoys taunting his vicitims to the point of getting the victim's parents to talk to his mom, only to get her to yell at the victim's parents and he ramps up his verbal abuse towards that kid. There's plenty of video footage of his behavior from multiple houses but, again, his mom has made a huge stink before over seeing her kid's picture online from a family event, she makes a point to tell people taking pictures of their own kids playing at the park they do not have permission to photograph or post online any pictures he might be in, even in the background so idk how "dont film my kid" works with proof of his attention seeking tantrums. What do? Assistant:

dnaha8r

dnagxj8

The mom of the tiny terror can go piss herself about the pics and video recording. Anything you record on public or your own property, or that is plainly visible from public property is your property as the photographer and also perfectly legal. I would try calling CPS about the boy. There seem to be some legit behavior problems, ie the little shit banging on your doors incessantly and the bullying, and perhaps a lack of appropriate parental supervision.

I am not a lawyer. Does not the military have an internal legal service (think it's called JAG?)? Perhaps you could reach out to them and inform them that the child of one of their service members is causing a nuisance in the neighborhood, and also that the spouse is indifferent to the situation. I'd imagine that the officer getting a talking to from his superior would squanch the kid's behavior really quickly.

d5ny6o

legaladvice_train

Human: Neighbor has torn down shared fence I use to contain livestock without contacting me, to replace it with a concrete wall. Says it will take 1 month to rebuild. Colorado Walked outside to see workers on my property chasing my alpacas after having torn down approximately 500 feet of 8' chain link fence that separate our properties. The neighbor has not spoken with us about any work on our shared shared fence even though they have been working on a wall around their property for months. We have been out of the country for 2 weeks and were notified by our house sitter the neighbor wanted to talk to us 4 days ago, but no contact has been made. There are fence panels piled on our property and there has been damage to some landscaping. We were scheduled to adopt a horse today, but now we have no way to contain our livestock and will likely have to board the horse in the mean time. Other livestock has been confined to our backyard. Assistant:

f0n0xdw

f0ng4lw

It depends on whose fence it was, I realize you stated "shared" but at the end of the day it is either your fence or your neighbors. If it is theirs they do not need to ask you before changing it.

Colorado has had a developed fence law since the 1880s. It is normally the burden of the landowner to fence out livestock. I am not a lawyer, but: *Colorado fence laws favor the livestock owner and put the duty of protecting property on the landowner.* https://routt.extension.colostate.edu/agriculture/rural-living/colorado-fence-trespass-law/ Start by calling your county extension office and asking for clarification.