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dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Moruitelda posted:

Let me answer your question with another question. Is OJ Simpson a free man?

Nope.

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dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

sticky wizard posted:

Not sure if this the right thread for this, so please direct me elsewhere if I've hosed up.

I'm in a bit of a situation I don't much care to be in. I've been working at an American University for approximately 7 months, and plan to leave in about 3 months to go back to graduate school (at a different university). Everything was going fine and dandy till I strained my back on the job. I was moving a very heavy piece of equipment using "proper" procedure and about 2 hours later my lower back did a big "gently caress you" and I've been in pain ever since. This was last Wednesday, I followed all the proper procedures (notify supervisor, fill out 'first report of injury' and get an initial appointment at the workers health clinic). The nurse there said I had a lumbar strain and gave me naproxen, a heating pad and put me on restricted duty. Since then, my back has gotten worse.

I have a meeting with an occupational health and safety representative the day after tomorrow to discuss how I managed to hurt myself; and earlier this evening I received a notice from a compensation claims management contractor with some important and complicated looking paper work. I'm relatively young and don't much care to be in this situation at all and would prefer it all just go away smoothly.

However, some of my more senior co-workers have advised me that if I'm not careful I could get screwed over. They said that the University will try to give me some small compensation and have me sign away my right to sue them and that I shouldn't accept anything until I talk to a proper lawyer, preferably one with a last name ending in "-stein" or "-witz". I'm leaving the job in a few months and I don't want to get hosed long term with a chronic back injury, but at the same time I don't want to get involved in some drawn out and painful process. I'm pretty ignorant on the whole situation really, so any advice would be appreciated.

I'm not a lawyer, however here are some common sense things you need to start thinking about.

1. If you were doing your job responsibly, then you didn't do anything wrong and the only thing you should be concerned about is getting your back healthy. Back injuries can very often stay with you the rest of your life, even if you start to feel better in the short term. You need to be sure you get the proper care for your injury first and foremost.

2. Do not sign any paper work, no matter how benign it may look to you, without consulting a lawyer. This doesn't mean you intend to sue your employer, but you do need to have someone knowledgeable look things over. As you admitted, you are ignorant on these things.

3. This isn't a lottery ticket. Not that you've indicated at all you think this way, but don't let your mindset start going there. Accidents and injuries happen, and in this case it doesn't seem like it's anyone's fault. Your work will cover your medical expenses to get you better. That's reasonable, and you shouldn't accept anything less and you shouldn't expect anything more.

4. This situation is here now, whether you want it to go away or not. The only thing you should want to go away is your back injury. Dealing with it is something you will have to do no matter what. If your employer isn't a dick, it won't be a long drawn out process, but there's always the possibility it could be. You need to be OK with sticking it out no matter what to make sure you are taken care of appropriately.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

excellentcoffee posted:

Well, right now this lawyer is the only one I can afford. :( The others were 1,000 and up. Then again, they're in another county. We're going to meet thirty minutes before the meeting, and go over the case.

Yeah, that's not anywhere near enough time, and as joat mon said you get what you pay for. Beg and borrow money from whoever you can to get a solid attorney who will actually sit down with you before the day of the meeting and go over everything. Pawn whatever you can. Put it on a credit card if you have to and get a second job to pay it off. Do whatever it takes.

Even if right now they are only interested in you as a witness and not as a defendant, you want to be 100% sure nothing coming from that meeting with the prosecutor changes that. If you think it's bad right now coming up with money for just 1 meeting, how are you going to pay for one for the duration of a criminal trial? This isn't roll the dice and see poo poo, this is gently caress your life up forever poo poo. $1000 is well worth it to keep yourself out of the system. Because like it or not, the system is stacked against defendants, and it's even more stacked against the poor.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

uG posted:

My guess is the requirements for Assault 1 changed on 7/1/88

Right, following from here http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9A.36.011 there is a link at the bottom for effective date, which if you read through turns out to be 7/1/1988.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Juanito posted:

I want to send a specific small gag gift that people can order through my website. It is not an adult item. It's a small common household item ( I can't give any specifics right now).

The idea is that person A will order it and specify who to send it to (person B). It will be sent anonymously, with a custom message (nothing offensive/threatening). How can I protect myself legally as much as possible? I'm sending something that most people will find funny, but how can I protect myself as much as possible from that person B with no sense of humor that is out there?

Would a Release of Liability be enough, if I put that as part of the order form?

I know I should probably see a lawyer, which I might do if my idea takes off.

Assuming this is just something like a gag gift and nothing illegal, what exactly are you worried you would be held liable for? That the receiving person wouldn't find the gift humorous? That's not against any law.

But obviously, if you are going to be doing any commerce on-line you will need to talk to a lawyer and form an LLC. It's such a small cost compared to the liability it protects you from that there's no reason not to do it. If you don't believe your business idea has the ability to recoup those small costs then you really shouldn't be doing it in the first place.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Solomon Grundy posted:

Admission of a party / opponent. Not hearsay.

You should be able to get a judgment in small claims, but that is only half the battle. Is your roomate collectable? Does he have insurance? If the answer to those questions is "no" then don't waste your time.

Also, I don't know what state the poster is in, but in WA we have to report any accident to the police within 4 days when someone is injured or the damage is in excess of $700. Some states have substantial penalties for failing to do this, so that should be kept in mind before attempting any court action. I would think the last thing you want to do is sue someone for $1400 in damages for a car accident, and then when the judge asks you for the police report you say you didn't file one.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

EvelynPoor posted:

Back in July 09, I was disowned by my parents for reasons I will not disclose here.

I'm moving out of state, so I'm worried that she may not pay back my security deposit with more bs excuses, but I've looked up my rights in regards to that, so I'm at least knowledgeable on that. I also did look at numerous resources, including a booklet on the California .gov site that tells of landlord/tenant rights, but it doesn't cover whether she can charge me for things like this.

My guess is you are gay and your religious parents don't really have the love of Jesus in their heart like they preach to others about. Also, your parents disowning you really has nothing to do with the question you are asking, so including that bit of info but cock-blocking us on why it happened is mean, and thus I think that anyone that replies to you should guess as to why it happened.

But to your question, why not just not pay the last months rent to her? Or if you are an ethical person, only pay the difference of what the deposit doesn't cover. Unless you are moving out this month and have already paid her. In that case I would ask her for the deposit back when you move. But for $200 you have to ask yourself how much your time and effort is worth to fight her for it if she isn't willing.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

uG posted:

Thats what I figured, but section two reads:

Which says the court shall immediately destroy my license which clearly never happened either. It also says 'is ordered suspended', which I guess can be interpreted many different ways by someone who isn't versed in this.

What exactly should I do? On the one hand if I did somehow manage to slip through the cracks and keep my license due to a mistake I don't want to bring it up. On the other hand I don't want to be driving around thinking everything is fine and then get pulled over for driving on a suspended. :(

Just bring it up and get everything cleared up now. I am pretty sure I remember someone in this thread having something similar happening, and they still made him serve his suspended license period after they caught their mistake. Which I think was quite a bit of time after he was supposed to have the suspension period. So I think it would be best to just deal with this all now and move on.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Sepist posted:

What part of this is bullshit? Waiting a month to get paid out for my loss because someone refuses to answer a phone is cutting into my person financials as I had to purchase a new car in cash from my savings.

Why didn't you just get a rental car until this was all resolved? If your car is totaled due to her 100% fault, and her insurance hasn't settled the issue, you should be driving a rental car on their dime. Contact your states Insurance Commissioner if you believe they are treating you unfairly. Or, just tell her insurance company you will be getting a rental car and that cost will be part of any settlement. Either way should kick them into gear if they are stalling.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Sepist posted:

I didn't get her insurance info at the accident (she didn't want to talk to us) and the officer told me to get it from the police report, which I had to mail away to get. It took me 2 weeks to get the police report, the insurance would have contended that they won't cover the time between the accident and the claim being opened. This makes sense as you can sit on a claim, so you could technically drive around with a rental for a year before claiming your accident and then having them pay you for the rental fee.

I know it's not an issue now for you, but they most certainly would still have had to cover the rental car cost. Either way though, you're not going to be able to speed things up based on the argument of it cutting in to your personal financial savings due to you purchasing a car prior to settlement. The rental car issue actually took away incentive for them to resolve this more quickly then they have to as they aren't paying each day for your rental vehicle. Of course they can't just indefinitely sit on this, but it seems like they are being open with you about the process and time line, and one month seems reasonable to me.

But, if you really feel they aren't handling this properly, a letter to your state's Insurance Commissioner will at least force them to respond to your complaint. I had a similar situation where the insurance company wasn't resolving things with me from an accident, and it was literally the next day from when they got the Insurance Commissioner's inquiry that they responded "This has been resolved" and settled with me. In my case though, it had been over 4 months.

It costs you nothing to write the letter, but just be sure you have a valid complaint against them. I would say you need to wait for the one month time period to expire and see if they proceed as they have told you they would. If they do, then great and you get things resolved. If they don't, write that letter to the Insurance Commissioner. And be sure to save these e-mail correspondences with them, and take good notes with dates and times for any phone conversations. You'll want to include those if you have to write the letter.

Car accidents suck no matter how quickly they are resolved, and it's really good you had savings in place to get a new vehicle prior to settlement. Most people couldn't do that.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

ShowTime posted:

I just got a citation for driving 78 mph in a 50 mph zone. Apparently in NC, this makes it a misdemeanor reckless endangerment charge. Here are the facts about me and I'd like some general advice for my situation if anyone could help. The violation is in New Hanover County (Wilmington), North Carolina.

I'm 24 (turned 24 in April) and this is my first violation of any kind. I have no tickets, no citations, no warnings, nothing, up until now. The cop pulled up behind me on the highway and didn't do anything for a moment (guessing he was running my plates) before motioning at me in my rear view mirror to pull over and turning on his sirens, but no lights. Finally he gets his lights on, I get pulled over off the highway and he gets out of his car, gets my license and registration and then apologizes for not having his lights on before realizing his mistake and getting them on. He tells me he clocked me from behind his median going 78 in a 50 and informs me that against the law. He gives me a ticket, tells me when to show up and then I ask him some questions (this is my first time ever getting pulled over by a cop so I asked him what I should expect). He tells me and then drives off (nice guy btw).

28 over is apparently pretty bad and so is a reckless endangerment charge. What i'd ideally like to happen is for me to get lucky and not have anything done, obviously. What i'm expecting is for the option to go to driving school to be given, a long with maybe a fine and the charge being marked down to a moving violation. What I absolutely cannot allow to happen is for me to get a crazy $1,000+ fine, jail time, or a license suspension.

What are my chances at a good outcome and what are the likely hoods of something bad happening?

You're in the territory of where you should buck up and hire a lawyer. However, I had something similar happen where I had a ticket for 26 over (the speed changed from 60 to 40 and the cop was waiting right at the 40 sign), and I was able to pay the fine and take a driver's course to keep my license. I don't think the state is going to want you in jail for this, I think they want your money. But, if you really can't risk it then get a lawyer to help you take care of this.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Brennanite posted:

AI doesn't have a speeding ticket thread anymore, so I'm ask my question here.

I got a ticket for going 85 mph in a 75 zone. Do I have any options beside paying? I can't go to court (9 hrs. away). The money to pay the ticket isn't the issue, I just don't want my insurance to go up.

Depending on where you live and what your driving history is, you might be able to pay a higher fine and have it on a deferment. Then if you don't get another ticket in X many months, it won't go on your record. Call the court clerk and ask what your options are.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Ne Cede Malis posted:

Thanks for your reply. I just gave him notice that I will only be available for two more weeks and that I was leaving. He kept repeating that he "could not describe how disappointed he is in my decision not to honor our agreement". I also found out he had been reading my work email, which is legal but still very disconcerting to me ( I never said anything bad or improper at all but still kind of a dirty feeling).

Really hope he doesn't decide to sue since hes definitely a scum bag! He employs a whole bunch of illegal immigrants, has committed insurance fraud multiple times, illegally exported electronics in violation of ITAR, failed to give radiation safety training to people who are exposed to radiation almost daily among other unscrupulous activities.

Just so you know, California has very clear laws on the time frame he has to pay you your due wages. So if he tries to withhold or do anything shady in regards to that, you should not have a hard time getting him to do what is right - unless he is really stupid.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Jeephand posted:

I decided I'm going to take photos of the signage (none of which states hours) and plead not guilty. Go to a court date. Maybe the cop wont show? Maybe he'll be forced to explain why he lied about me disobeying signs that don't exist? Yeah the gate was locked, and I went under it to skate, but the park was packed with people. I looked all over the signs and none said don't enter. I figured someone forgot to unlock it and I drove 45 minutes to get there so I just started skating. Is my plan screwed? Sounds like a plan to me.

You were trespassing though, posted hours or not. I mean, even if there were clearly posted hours but everything was still locked up, how do you think it is still not trespassing? You had to climb under a fence to gain access, think about that.

Personally, if you have a clean record, then I would borrow money from whoever I could to get a lawyer to help me keep this off my record. Even if it cost $300-$500 for the lawyer, to me that would be worth it. Trespassing isn't a huge thing, but why get a black mark for something so stupid? Also, if you're a student then your school might have some legal services available to you.

If all you're worried about is the fine amount though, then it's really up to the judge how much the fine will be. You have to make the judge not want to fine you the full amount. Telling the judge that you think the cop is lying on the citation won't help your cause. Dress nicely, be sincere, and tell the judge you realize it was stupid to do and it is something you'll never do again.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Jeephand posted:

I hopped a fence but does it mean anything that the township park the skatepark is situated in has a sign that clearly says "the park is open from sunrise to sunset" (I have photo)? Also, That there are no hours posted for the skate section of it? Cant I just say "The sign said sunrise, the skatepark said nothing about hours or being closed, I figured someone forgot to unlock it and if anyone wanted me to leave I would have gladly gone, so I hopped the fence and skated in the morning before the weather got too hot"? Think this'll fly? It's the truth.

The sign are the general hours you can be at the park when it is open, but the fact it was locked up supersedes this. The sign doesn't magically absolve you of any wrongdoing. Think of it this way, businesses post their hours of operation. But if you happened by one during these posted hours but it was locked up, what would happen if you forced your way in anyway?

Jeephand posted:

It's true the charge isn't a big deal record-wise. The fine is less than the price of a lawyer. Also, I go to a community college and I doubt they have a law dept, but I'll look into it.

Yeah, most community colleges probably don't have a law department, but they might have legal services offered to students for a cheap rate. Or they might be able to refer you to a good lawyer.

Jeephand posted:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I wont be seeing a judge unless I plead not guilty right? I wont have an opportunity to dress snazzy and be an upstanding citizen to whomever answers the phone at the judges office where I will be making my initial plea of not guilty or guilty. If I plead guilty they'll just give me the maximum fine over the phone and put me on a payment plan.

I really don't know how it works where you live, but I would be surprised if a guilty plea automatically equals maximum fine. You should also be able to verify this with the court clerk. But this is why you need to talk to a local lawyer.

Jeephand posted:

Yes the fence was locked and yes I was caught red handed in the skatepark at 7 AM skateboarding by myself, but does that mean I was doing something wrong

Yes it does. I also hope you realize this is exactly the type of situation that gives skateboarders in general a bad reputation. Your desire to skateboard does not trump what the property owner wants, private or public.

Good luck, but I really think the best thing for you to do is accept you were in the wrong and go from there.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

JudicialRestraints posted:

In my state we specifically disallow liability for injuries incurred playing recreational sports so you should probably check your state/province/whatever moon jurisdiction you live in's statutes/codes/

But the tackling wasn't part of the sport.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Akrabbim posted:

My wife and I are both students at a private graduate institution. They have a policy that states that if a married couple are both taking classes, and one of them is going full-time (9 on-campus hours or more), the other spouse gets half-tuition. We have paid up fully until this upcoming semester. We just received an e-mail stating that, since the one taking the most hours fluctuated back and forth between the two of us, we should have notified them of this every semester. They have somehow calculated that we owe a few thousand more than we did previously.

Also, though we didn't get it in writing, when my wife set up the plan they told her that it did not matter which of us was full time in any semester, as long as one of us was. She was also told that she should never have to set this up again.

I would think that, since the semesters they're trying to charge for have already long since passed, they shouldn't be allowed to arbitrarily go back and charge us more money. Do we have any options?

Did you sign papers when you set up the plan? What do they say?

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Akrabbim posted:

That's what I was thinking. It seems to me that, since I paid for a service, that they shouldn't be able to just charge me more after the fact. If this was an item, I'd have the option to hand it back.

That's an incorrect analogy. You entered into a written contract, and the school is claiming you had certain responsibilities under that contract that you didn't uphold - which affect the amount you owe them. It's not the same as buying something at the store, and then later on they just decide to raise the price on you.

Akrabbim posted:

Not to mention, since they have full access to my and my wife's schedules, they should be able to easily figure out what to charge us. They seem to be claiming that we should have kept them up to date, but I'm not sure how they have any right to say so.

If the contract you signed said it was your responsibility to do this, then yes they do have a right to say so. It doesn't matter if the school could also know this information without you, if the contract said you were to do it then it is on you to uphold that.

I just think you need to be more realistic about the situation before you go into that meeting. You might be just fine, but since you don't know what you signed you need to be prepared for a different situation than how it seems like you are currently viewing it.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Lexical Unit posted:

So I legally changed my name last Friday and I've been working on getting everything updated. I have a mortgage and I'd like to get my name updated with the loan company but they're saying they require "Endorsement to the present insurance policy showing your new name". What does that mean? Like, a copy of some kind of official insurance document that has my new name on it? Like any insurance? I mean, I have dental... :confused:

I assume you have home owner's insurance as well?

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Tab8715 posted:

I live in a town less than 100k, word of mouth, connections is what gets you a job and with the economy the way it is they're aren't many of them. And being out of work for a year, unable to find employment - I think I've got a reason to be upset at least, though - as you said - I'm not sure if I've got a legal case. Though, it strikes me as strange as if someone can talk about something as this and get a away with it?

Granted, I don't know positively that I've lost anything to due to them saying I was fired but how would I even know? Isn't it quite unlikely I'd found out? Would any company care to begin with since they've already hired someone for that position? Do they have even a legal obligation to respond to my requests?

Are you saying that these former co-workers told your prospective employers that you were fired? Or that they were just telling people that, and you're concerned it would have through other people reached prospective employers?

Here's some questions for you:

1. Do you have money to hire a lawyer to pursue this against them? Slander cases are hard to win, so I would expect a lawyer to want full payment up front.
2. Are these individuals actually collectible if you did win a civil case against them?
3. If it's such a small town where everyone hears about everything that goes on, are you fine with this action negatively affecting people's (including prospective employers) opinions of you?

If your answers to all of those aren't yes, then I think you should just move on. If you answers are yes though, then:

1. Did you hear these former co-workers make these statements yourself, or through other people?
2. If through other people, will these people be willing to go on record for you as saying that these former co-workers were telling people you were fired?
3. Your lawyer would be able to tell you if in your case damages would be assumed, or if you would have to provide evidence of damages. Can you provide evidence if needed?

I think the best thing you can do is just let it go. If you really feel like you must do something, then politely contact these former co-workers and let them know that you don't appreciate them spreading around that you were fired when you weren't, and you would like them to stop.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Tab8715 posted:

Well, no I don't but from what I know it's been stated so casually and considering the character of the individuals - it wouldn't surprise me if I found it were true.

I'll admit I am a bit naive about this but it certainly feels that you believe I should just get over this? Which, I mean, I would it's just that being unemployed for a quite, this makes me quite angry and quite surprised that individuals can quite simply "trash talk" ones past employment easily, even if it's a total lie.

It really sounds like you're frustrated about your employment situation, and that's causing you to be more upset about this than you normally would be. You don't even sound like you know for sure that they have been saying this. That's even more reason to just forget the situation and move on.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

visuvius posted:

If someone could please tell me the easiest, most painless route I can take for divorce, please let me know. Here are my details:

- I'm in California
- Married under 3 years
- No kids, no house, no shared bank account
- I have about $7k of her bills (medical and school) in my name

We don't really have property aside from the general furniture and stuff. I bought a used car while I was with her. The car she drives is also in my name. What would the general process be for me? Can I do this myself? How much would an attorney cost for this? I'd really appreciate any advice.

You probably need to say whether this is this an amicable situation or not? Are you both in agreement with how the property and debt should be split up?

Even if you meet the requirements to do this on your own, you're going to be better off getting an attorney so that you can avoid something you didn't think about/know about coming back to bite you in the rear end later on. Cost will range, but for purely anecdotal evidence my friend's divorce attorney cost him a few thousand.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

jasonn posted:

I signed a lease on an apartment earlier this year with my girlfriend, let's call her Stacey, in January (the lease ends February 28, 2011). We are both on the lease. We split the $550 rent in half along with other fixed expenses*. I broke up with her recently and she is deciding to move out (just took everything of her's yesterday). She gave me rent for September, but stated that she's not going to pay October-February's rent.

Sublets are prohibited as defined by the lease, but the leasing office tells me that they might be able to work something out if I can find someone to take over the lease (I do have someone in mind, but it might not be until the end of the year). If this other party can take over the lease, I'll sign the roommate addendum to take her off the lease, but I would still want back rent. I am entitled to this, correct? Would I have to wait until the lease is completed before suing for past due rent?

I live in Michigan.

*Not entirely 50/50. When I was layed off in March, she covered slightly more, but rent was always split in half.

She is obligated the same as you for the duration of the lease. If you default on the lease, the leaser can sue which ever one of you he/she thinks has the most assets to recover the debt owed from the lease. If the leaser chooses to sue you for back rent and wins, then you can sue your ex for her portion. However, this still leaves you with a bad mark on your credit.

Your good credit is worth more than a few months rent. Even if your ex won't cover what she owes, it's in your best interest to cover the rent to keep your credit good. That being said, most leases have a provision for breaking the lease early which entails a forfeit of the deposit and a certain monetary penalty. Going this route may be less costly than trying to carry the remainder of the lease on your own, and it doesn't affect your credit.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Mousse420 posted:

How did I break the law? by believing a lie? By buying a computer from someone in a private transaction, when I had no idea it was gotten with stolen money?

I don't think you really understand that he was using a web of lies to make this all sound ok. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. I honestly didn't even think the money I gave him was going to dope but I DEFINITELY wouldn't have gotten involved if I'd known he was using stolen money. Exactly how much are you expecting me to have looked a gift horse in the mouth? The receipts had his girlfriend's name on them, not his mom's.

It should also be noted I've addressed the points you bring up already.

Can anyone give me actual legal advice instead of condescending/judgemental lectures?

You assisted in a crime. You benefited from this crime. You left a voice message admitting to your involvement. You then posted about your involvement on a public forum. You're actively working on trying to keep your stolen goods. What is so hard for you to figure out?

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Thomase posted:

Yeah, I actually just did after posting. They mentioned that if not applied for by the company (ie: signed up) they take no action. They redirected me to the ministry of labour, and after talking to them for a bit from what it sounds like companies don't legally need to be insured?

I don't think that sounds right.

I would think that you could attempt to recover medical costs and lost wages from the child's parents if your wife wanted to pursue that. Your lawyer would also be able to tell you if you had a claim against her employer. It wouldn't hurt to ask for a free consult with a lawyer. A quick phone call would tell you whether it's something worth pursuing or not. Document everything very well if you look at going the legal route.

Hopefully your wife can find another place to work, as her current employers don't seem concerned with their employees well being.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Texas Tech student posted:

Anyway, I am graduating with an IT degree in December. I have been going through the whole career fair process and doing drat good. I got 2 second round interviews. However one of these interviews is with an insurance company.

On the application it says this:

I was convicted of stealing a plate of fried chicken a few years ago. I was literally starving, had no food, no electricity, got evicted the next day. I did it out of desperation. I had no one to reach out too.

However, luckily, the law also says this:

I was only fined 200$. He was just going to write me a ticket. However; when the constable did a warrant check on me, I had 2 speeding tickets. So, I was taken to city jail for a few hours. Then, in what I guess happens when they already had to take you to city anyway, I was taken to county for a few hours. As far as I see it, that time served counts as time in jail. So, even though I would not have had any jail time, the other warrants made me spend a few hours in jail that keeps me from getting employed at an insurance company. Am I interpreting this correctly?

This is a class C misdemeanor, theft under 50$. Not that big of a deal right? Well apparently, unless I am reading it wrong, it bars me from employment at my dream job. See, theft is a crime of moral turpitude. It says something about the perpetrator's character, supposedly. There are just too many qualified candidates around to be hiring guys like me who have theft charges. I am starting to come to terms with that.

That leaves me with 2 options. I prefer option #1.

#1. Total honesty. Hope that you can get to the HR guy before he sees it. The problem with this is: The way I see it, I can not be considered for the job no matter what. They are not going to fly me down after I fill out this application. I can't even give them a chance to like me. However, I can feel good about taking responsibility for my actions and knowing that I am 'paying the price' standing on my feet for what I have done.

2. Hope it doesn't show up on the background check. I searched myself on the texas.gov 3$ search and nothing came up. Then I called a local private investigator that was sitting on a county courthouse computer and he pulled it up in about 2 seconds. This is where I need some advice from that guy that said he worked in the background checking industry. Seems to me, the company is gonna spend a little more than 3 bucks to search my name. They will at least search my known addresses, which amounts to 3 counties, and it will surely come up. About a 5% chance of getting the job.

Thing is: My career center lady told me it is SO BAD, that I would almost be better off not copping to it and just hoping they don't find out. That would at least give me a prayer. She seemed to think that if I tell the truth my chances are hovering around 0%.

It just feels so bad to get turned down during the final round interviews for a plate of fried chicken. I remember that day. I felt so alone, so broke, so tired, so sick, and so hungry. Sometimes it feels like the deck is stacked against the working student.

This happened 1 1/2 years ago.

So what would you guys do? Suck it up? Does anyone know of any other entire INDUSTRIES I will be barred from working in due to my hungry rear end stealing a plate of chicken?

I don't think any lawyer is going to advise you to lie on an application for employment. IT has plenty of jobs where that won't be an issue. Tell them the truth and see what happens, and move on to other places if they have an issue with it. The worst thing would be to get the job, then in a few years get a promotion or something to a position with more sensitivity, where they do a real background check on you and see it, then fire you for lying on your application.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Chrispy posted:

I'm wondering if the code I've written at work is owned by me, by my employer, or by us both somehow? This is 70+ complex Excel VBA macros, specifically. I'm mostly wondering if it's legal for me to save all of the code and bring it to another job, or sell the code to other businesses. I was originally hired on as an accountant, so I didn't sign anything saying what I did/created at work was owned by them. Is it just implied? This is Colorado if that helps.

Your employer owns it, no question about it. If you take that code to another job you put your new employer at risk. Whether or not anyone would ever know is another thing, but it's not legal for you to do that. Just for further interest, there are even situations where you can write code at home on your own time and your employer still has rights to it if it has to do with work related things.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

SWATJester posted:

Uh, no. There very much is a question about it, esp. if he never signed a work for hire agreement, and created the code outside his field of employment.

He produced this code at work, how is there any question?

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

SWATJester posted:

Because where you produce the code is not the test for ownership of copyright in a work for hire?

Is he an employee or a independent contractor? Was the work made during the course and scope of his employment? Was there an IP assigment or express work-for-hire agreement? These are all critical questions.

He hasn't stated specifics, but it's not unreasonable to assume he was an employee since he didn't state that he was a contractor, and he stated that the work was made during the course of his employment. Of course technically you are correct, and if he was a contractor then he should look at his contract and see what it says. But for a regular employee with no signed agreements of any kind, the work belongs to the employer.

I don't get your assertion about scope, can you expand upon that?

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Dick Smegma posted:

Lately a lot of religious groups – Jehovah’s Witnesses primarily – but others also – have been canvassing my neighborhood and spreading “the good news”. I am just fine without their little visits. The next time some drop by I was thinking about answering my door naked – even inviting them in if they want to talk. Would this be illegal? After all, I’d be in the privacy of my own home. Do you think they would put out the word to their fellow proselytizers to avoid my place?

There's a big difference between expectation of privacy in your home and you opening your door to the public. Also, what if the JW people have anyone underage with them? I've seen them send around jr. high or high school kids before. Why don't you just tell them that you are not interested and ask them to respect your wishes and not come around to your house any more? How do you even jump straight to naked as a solution?

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat
I've been wondering about finding a lawyer before I ever need one, as in like I have a specific lawyer I would call if say I ever was being questioned by the police. How do these types of things get set up? Would I just find a lawyer I think would be good and keep their info if I ever needed it? I haven't had a need for a lawyer of my own for other things, so I don't have a pre-existing relationship with anyone.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

echopapa posted:

In Ye Olden Days, people used to just go drop money on a retainer and have a guy on call. Nowadays, the best way to find a lawyer is to go meet one (they can be found at bars), and if they don't practice in the area you're looking for, ask for a recommendation.

Shop around if you have to: the best lawyer for you is one that you feel mirrors your own personality.

Thanks. Any recommendations from lawyers on good types of questions for a prospective client to ask? I'm just thinking for if I dropped in at the neighborhood law office for a introduction meeting, 5-10 minutes, what types of questions I could ask to help me gauge things.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

LLJKSiLk posted:

Totally NAL...

Right now you could go up to the redneck woman and state (on the recorder) that you will be recording all of her conversations from now on. Then you never mention it again and record everything from then on.

Um, no you couldn't.

Jolly Jumbuck, your friend should consult with her union rep about what to do. This is a situation where being in a union has benefits that should be exercised. If other teachers have had a problem and a pattern is being established, it makes it a lot harder for the principal and the school district to let this go without some action being taken. Someone creating a hostile work environment is not worth the liability once people start complaining, regardless of whether the principal likes the person or not.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

TheNextDanSmith posted:

Eternally grateful to anyone who has advice on this. Thank you in advance!


Tonight my friend, a Permanent Resident from Italy with aspirations of citizenship, got busted for public urination (which I suppose falls under "indecent exposure") in Brooklyn, New York. This is the second time this has happened to him, though the first one was when he was 17-years-old, and he says it is no longer on his record. He is worried about penalties related to his immigrant status, ranging from deportation to obstruction of his citizenship. He is in general a law-abiding citizen, an owner of an LLC, who was well-behaved and cooperative with the cops. I told him getting a consultation was a good idea, though I think he might be a bit paranoid and hiring a lawyer might not be necessary. Does anyone know what he might be in for and how he should prepare?

The basic life advice you'll see from this thread is beg, borrow, do whatever you need to pay for a lawyer to keep things off your record. A clean record never hurt anyone. US citizenship is a big goal, and it would be silly to let something like this hurt his chances. He obviously didn't learn from his first arrest (which by the way law enforcement, including Immigration, might be able to still see even though he says it's off his record), but breaking the law is a very bad thing to do when you're wanting to become a citizen of a country.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Mr.Almighty posted:

Just got called up from a collection agency apparently they had tried reaching me numerous times via cellphone quite a few times. I just talked to one of their representatives and tried to make a monthly payment plan of 200 dollars a month. However, they said that it's too late and they want the whole lump of 2000 dollars as soon as possible. I do not have that kind of money to just give away like that. They are now threatening to send a police officer down and serve me and are telling me I will have to owe around 5000 dollars in court costs and legal fees.

Also to clarify: I owed Best Buy 700$ for a laptop back in 2007. I went to jail for a year and a half and lost a decent job. Now the 700$ added up to 2000$ apparently from the interests and what not from what the representative told me.


Can I get some legal advice please? Are they bullshitting or being honest?

In addition to what has been said above, read and post in this thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3234974

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat
Never mind.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

entris posted:

Ok I took pity on you and did a tiny bit of digging.

From http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/CodeofAlabama/1975/40-14A-22.htm


Maaaaybe you could convince someone in the tax department that your single-member, zero assets LLC (the taxpayer in this case) ceased to exist in 2008, or otherwise forfeited its qualification to do business. You would want to call the Alabama Department of Revenue, Business Privilege tax people at 334-353-9807 and plead your case. (got that number from http://www.revenue.alabama.gov/research/How%20to%20close%20a%20business.pdf)

Because:


You say you owe tax for 2008, 2009, and 2010, which gives us a total minimum tax of $300, so either you did business during one of those years or the penalties and interest make up the rest of the $448.


Now, it's possible that in Alabama there is case law out there that says your LLC would be considered "dissolved" or having "ceased to exist", but I am not going to go try to find that - that's why I think an Alabama lawyer would be necessary.

You've also got another issue: why are you personally liable for the business privilege tax? Well, first thing we have to point out is that in 2008 you became the sole shareholder of the LLC.

For federal tax purposes, this means the LLC ceases to be treated as a separate entity - indeed, the LLC went from being taxed as a partnership to being taxed as a disregarded entity. (I can tell you that there all sorts of complications with partnership-->disregarded entity conversions, by the way, which could have unforeseen problems lurking for everyone involved, but that's way too complicated for me to go into here.) So the question is whether Alabama treats your LLC as a disregarded entity for purposes of imposing its taxes, and the answer to that is yes:

from http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/CodeofAlabama/1975/40-14A-1.htm


When the federal government assesses tax on a disregarded entity, the owner-taxpayer is on the hook for those taxes. Since Alabama treats your LLC as a DE, you are on the hook for the taxes related to the DE. It has nothing to do with the limited liability concept built into the LLC vehicle.


So, where does all of this leave you?

If you and your partners contributed a bunch of property / capital to this endeavor, you might consider having a tax person look over the conversion from a partnership to a disregarded entity - if anyone contributed appreciated property to the LLC, there are definitely some tax problems.

Second, you could get yourself a lawyer to fight the battle that you shouldn't have to pay business privilege tax on a nonoperating, penniless business - and I think you might actually win that argument, except it would cost more in legal fees than the taxes you owe - although, if you decide to hire a tax attorney about the conversion issue, you could probably tack on this business privilege tax issue without too much added cost.

Third, you need to file the articles of dissolution, like yesterday.

Fourth, if you don't want to pay any lawyers, you could try your very best to sweet-talk the Alabama tax people. I gave you the number above for the office that handles the business privilege tax.

Fifth, if none of the above is feasible or works, try contacting the taxpayer advocate for Alabama, and plead your case to those people. It's probably a long-shot, but no harm in trying: http://www.revenue.alabama.gov/taxpayerassist/index.html

And that's about as much time as I'm willing to spend on this, good luck!

http://www.revenue.alabama.gov/bus.html
http://www.revenue.alabama.gov/incometax/lawsrulesindx.htm
http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/CodeofAlabama/1975/40-14A-22.htm
http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/CodeofAlabama/1975/40-14A-1.htm
http://www.revenue.alabama.gov/incometax/1webreghold/810_2_8_09.htm

I love reading this thread for the actual useful "not legal advice" but great legal information, and this post is exactly an example of this.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Baruch Obamawitz posted:

trip report: spoke to a rep, and basically they were going to argue a bunch of dumb poo poo regarding the term of the contract that I don't feel like spending time on even if I would win, but in the end of the day they got $100 out of me to settle the $850 claimed debt and I guess I just paid the nuisance tax.

That's exactly why they do what they do, I hope you see.

dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

Effexxor posted:

So I got a DUI last Thursday (gonna get a lawyer, obviously) and was taken to detox. A person on my facebook who works at a rehab facility that's a part of detox saw my name on their logbook and decided to ask me if I was in detox, and then lecture me about it. I'm wondering if there's any breach of privacy? If it helps, the group is a non profit. Because I'm pretty pissed and am going to bring this up to my lawyer, and even if there's nothing I can do, I'm going to be letting his supervisor know. Also, cross posted in the TCC legal advice thread.

Aren't DUIs public knowledge? Check your local paper dude, you may be a star.

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dvgrhl
Sep 30, 2004

Do you think you are dealing with a 4-year-old child to whom you can give some walnuts and chocolates and get gold from him?
Soiled Meat

trampletheweak posted:

Yea that's what I'm thinking. It's this 50% of everything I could make in the future she would take that's disturbing and also what my spouse would make. That could be a very very large sum of money if it's who I'm seeing now. It seems so gently caressed that it can't be true.

You can say "hosed up", dude.

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