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[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Yes it's legal as long as they pay you at least semi monthly.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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 ???", "role": "user" }, { "content": "He needs to prove in court that you hit him, though you have been served so a consultation with a lawyer is highly recommended", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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 ???", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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 ???", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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 ???", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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 ???", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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 ???", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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 ???", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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 ???", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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 ???", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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 ???", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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)", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Also, is it an actual summons from a court with a filing date stamped on it or a letter from an attorney?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Notify the automobile insurance carrier you had when the accident happened.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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....", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "---\r > http://imgur.com/a/myIAb\r \r ---\r *I am a bot whose sole purpose is to improve the timeliness and accuracy of responses in this subreddit.*\r \r ---\r **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.**\r \r ---\r ***Do NOT delete this post - Instead, simply edit the post with the requested information.***\r \r ---\r \r Author: /u/JeremyC19throwaway\r \r 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.**\r \r Original Post: \r \r > 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.\r \r \r \r \r ---\r LocationBot 4.999987654321 7/51nds | Report Issues | >!QUtV1ZTJDb1pVQ!< | >!MlMWVTSFpEci1WU!<", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": ">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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": ">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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": ">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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": ">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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "> I trust he is an FBI agent because he had my name, address, Almost like somebody in the ID theft business would...", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "> I trust he is an FBI agent because he had my name, address, Almost like somebody in the ID theft business would...", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "> 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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "> 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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Do you have liability insurance? Make a claim and let them deal with it.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "You car insurance may be your best option.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Do you have liability insurance? Make a claim and let them deal with it.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "If the owner was negligent in protecting their property from injury its on them. Dog outside without a leash is willful negligence", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "We're there damages to your car from the dog? I'd look into countersuing for them", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "(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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Contact the Hawaii Civil Right Commission: http://labor.hawaii.gov/hcrc/ Phone numbers can be found here: http://labor.hawaii.gov/hcrc/contact/", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "\"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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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**", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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**", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My roommate’s cat has serious behavioral issues that I’ve tried numerous times to talk to my roommate about. He’s always denied everything and refused to hear about it, but tonight the cat attacked me so bad I ended up needing sutures and I’m on sick leave. Can I sue him and 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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Essential oil diffusers can be toxic to cats. Maybe the poor thing is in pain too.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My roommate’s cat has serious behavioral issues that I’ve tried numerous times to talk to my roommate about. He’s always denied everything and refused to hear about it, but tonight the cat attacked me so bad I ended up needing sutures and I’m on sick leave. Can I sue him and 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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My roommate’s cat has serious behavioral issues that I’ve tried numerous times to talk to my roommate about. He’s always denied everything and refused to hear about it, but tonight the cat attacked me so bad I ended up needing sutures and I’m on sick leave. Can I sue him and 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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My roommate’s cat has serious behavioral issues that I’ve tried numerous times to talk to my roommate about. He’s always denied everything and refused to hear about it, but tonight the cat attacked me so bad I ended up needing sutures and I’m on sick leave. Can I sue him and 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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My roommate’s cat has serious behavioral issues that I’ve tried numerous times to talk to my roommate about. He’s always denied everything and refused to hear about it, but tonight the cat attacked me so bad I ended up needing sutures and I’m on sick leave. Can I sue him and 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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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/", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My roommate’s cat has serious behavioral issues that I’ve tried numerous times to talk to my roommate about. He’s always denied everything and refused to hear about it, but tonight the cat attacked me so bad I ended up needing sutures and I’m on sick leave. Can I sue him and 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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My roommate’s cat has serious behavioral issues that I’ve tried numerous times to talk to my roommate about. He’s always denied everything and refused to hear about it, but tonight the cat attacked me so bad I ended up needing sutures and I’m on sick leave. Can I sue him and 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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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/", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My roommate’s cat has serious behavioral issues that I’ve tried numerous times to talk to my roommate about. He’s always denied everything and refused to hear about it, but tonight the cat attacked me so bad I ended up needing sutures and I’m on sick leave. Can I sue him and 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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Essential oil diffusers can be toxic to cats. Maybe the poor thing is in pain too.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My roommate’s cat has serious behavioral issues that I’ve tried numerous times to talk to my roommate about. He’s always denied everything and refused to hear about it, but tonight the cat attacked me so bad I ended up needing sutures and I’m on sick leave. Can I sue him and 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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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/", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My roommate’s cat has serious behavioral issues that I’ve tried numerous times to talk to my roommate about. He’s always denied everything and refused to hear about it, but tonight the cat attacked me so bad I ended up needing sutures and I’m on sick leave. Can I sue him and 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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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. ❤️", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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. ·", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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. ·", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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. ·", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Can you get your documents back without her knowledge?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Go to apartment. Contact police. Tell them you want a civil standby while you retrieve your property. Whose name is the car in?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Lawyer time. This is a lot of money, time, and complication that you don't want to take on by yourself.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": ">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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.**", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.**", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.**", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "(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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.**", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.**", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "> 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?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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!", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Have you contacted TikTok directly?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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!", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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!", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Is this other creator located in the US?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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!", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Are you getting a utility patent or a design patent? That's reasonable for a utility patent.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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!", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(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?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "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.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "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.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Upstairs neighbor keeps flooding our apartment Anything legal I can do Old lady who claims she “forgets” that the water is running in her tub. This is the 20th time this has happened. Honestly happens about once a month. And each time our bathroom and the people underneath us bathroom is flooded. Each time our mats are soaked and we can’t turn on the lights for at least 2 days. I’m sick of this . Legal advice?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "This is very location specific (tenant laws) and fact specific (habitability issue?). Without knowing more details, my inclination would be to let your insurance company figure out whom-all to sue.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Upstairs neighbor keeps flooding our apartment Anything legal I can do Old lady who claims she “forgets” that the water is running in her tub. This is the 20th time this has happened. Honestly happens about once a month. And each time our bathroom and the people underneath us bathroom is flooded. Each time our mats are soaked and we can’t turn on the lights for at least 2 days. I’m sick of this . Legal advice?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Consider calling APS. Advanced age + memory issues could indicate the onset of dementia or other conditions where perhaps your neighbor is no longer safe living unassisted. What if she forgets to turn off the stove, too?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Upstairs neighbor keeps flooding our apartment Anything legal I can do Old lady who claims she “forgets” that the water is running in her tub. This is the 20th time this has happened. Honestly happens about once a month. And each time our bathroom and the people underneath us bathroom is flooded. Each time our mats are soaked and we can’t turn on the lights for at least 2 days. I’m sick of this . Legal advice?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Have you spoken with your landlord?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Upstairs neighbor keeps flooding our apartment Anything legal I can do Old lady who claims she “forgets” that the water is running in her tub. This is the 20th time this has happened. Honestly happens about once a month. And each time our bathroom and the people underneath us bathroom is flooded. Each time our mats are soaked and we can’t turn on the lights for at least 2 days. I’m sick of this . Legal advice?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Everyone’s talking about mould, but you really need to have the structural integrity and safety checked too.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Upstairs neighbor keeps flooding our apartment Anything legal I can do Old lady who claims she “forgets” that the water is running in her tub. This is the 20th time this has happened. Honestly happens about once a month. And each time our bathroom and the people underneath us bathroom is flooded. Each time our mats are soaked and we can’t turn on the lights for at least 2 days. I’m sick of this . Legal advice?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Make sure to bring up to the landlord, mold. Inquire on where to send the medical bills if he is not taking it seriously.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Upstairs neighbor keeps flooding our apartment Anything legal I can do Old lady who claims she “forgets” that the water is running in her tub. This is the 20th time this has happened. Honestly happens about once a month. And each time our bathroom and the people underneath us bathroom is flooded. Each time our mats are soaked and we can’t turn on the lights for at least 2 days. I’m sick of this . Legal advice?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Everyone’s talking about mould, but you really need to have the structural integrity and safety checked too.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Upstairs neighbor keeps flooding our apartment Anything legal I can do Old lady who claims she “forgets” that the water is running in her tub. This is the 20th time this has happened. Honestly happens about once a month. And each time our bathroom and the people underneath us bathroom is flooded. Each time our mats are soaked and we can’t turn on the lights for at least 2 days. I’m sick of this . Legal advice?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Make sure to bring up to the landlord, mold. Inquire on where to send the medical bills if he is not taking it seriously.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Upstairs neighbor keeps flooding our apartment Anything legal I can do Old lady who claims she “forgets” that the water is running in her tub. This is the 20th time this has happened. Honestly happens about once a month. And each time our bathroom and the people underneath us bathroom is flooded. Each time our mats are soaked and we can’t turn on the lights for at least 2 days. I’m sick of this . Legal advice?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Definitely check for mold. This used to happen at my old apartment and I believe it exacerbated my chronic illness. Things got much better when I moved.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Upstairs neighbor keeps flooding our apartment Anything legal I can do Old lady who claims she “forgets” that the water is running in her tub. This is the 20th time this has happened. Honestly happens about once a month. And each time our bathroom and the people underneath us bathroom is flooded. Each time our mats are soaked and we can’t turn on the lights for at least 2 days. I’m sick of this . Legal advice?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "You should be more worried about black mold growing then your mats getting wet.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Upstairs neighbor keeps flooding our apartment Anything legal I can do Old lady who claims she “forgets” that the water is running in her tub. This is the 20th time this has happened. Honestly happens about once a month. And each time our bathroom and the people underneath us bathroom is flooded. Each time our mats are soaked and we can’t turn on the lights for at least 2 days. I’m sick of this . Legal advice?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "It's possible you have some liability for the damage in your apartment if you failed to notify the landlord until the 20th occurrence. Familiarize yourself with the lease. Ensure they suitably check for mold.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "How to deal with crazy neighbor(NC) who continues to harass us and has made threats about our dog My girlfriend bought this house about 4 months ago and we have this neighbor (North Carolina) who is finding anything and everything wrong and is constantly harassing me and my girlfriend. It doesn't matter what we do, she will write a complaint and submit it to whoever she can. It all started when we were burning some brush and this bitch calls the firedepartment on us. We were doing everything correctly, had a burn permit, water hose, attending the fire, etc. The FD drove by but didnt even stop because you could clearly tell it wasnt a nuisance or illegal. After this didnt work, this bitch comes flying down our driveway wearing a airfilter mask and starts cussing us out and saying really nasty things and complaining that we were contaminating her air space. We also added french drains to the house and they now direct water towards the downhill of our property. This ladies house is 100ft+ past the exit drain and yesterday we came home to find a letter placed on our doorstep with a copy of an email she sent to the county erosion committy complaining that because we redirected the downspouts it was going to cause problems with her property. She also included some bullshit pamplet about county laws and in this pamphlet there is a segment about \"What if my neighbor performs work on their house and it now drains into my property\" and basically the answer to her complaint is found in this segment that she clearly did not read and it says \"It is not illegal for one property to drain onto another. If a neighbor redirects their downspouts onto your property, you should perform maintenance on your property to correct any drainage issues.\" On top of all this, my girlfriends father is on the NC Soil and Erosion board and he wrote the laws that pertain to this situation, he had a very good laugh over it. We also have a dog that we keep in a kennel on the other side of the house from where her property is and this morning we found a letter in our mailbox unaddress and no stamp (illegal!?). The letter was complaining about the dog barking and making threats and saying we are going to have to get rid of the dog. We have asked all the other neighbors and they said he doesn't bark at all. We are afraid she is going to do something while we are work and hurt our dog. We are already planning on putting a privacy fence up so we cant see her house and she cant see ours but she will probably have something to say over that. We do not want this lady even stepping foot on our property but it all this happens while we are at work so there isnt much we can do while away. What can we do to get this lady to stop or what actions can we take to make sure she cant continue to harass us? TL;DR Crazy neighbor continues to harass us over everything we do when it is all perfectly legal. What can be done?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "surveillance camera. if that bitch does anything illegal you can catch her redhanded. she can make verbal threats all she wants but you'd want to catch her in action if she really does something", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "How to deal with crazy neighbor(NC) who continues to harass us and has made threats about our dog My girlfriend bought this house about 4 months ago and we have this neighbor (North Carolina) who is finding anything and everything wrong and is constantly harassing me and my girlfriend. It doesn't matter what we do, she will write a complaint and submit it to whoever she can. It all started when we were burning some brush and this bitch calls the firedepartment on us. We were doing everything correctly, had a burn permit, water hose, attending the fire, etc. The FD drove by but didnt even stop because you could clearly tell it wasnt a nuisance or illegal. After this didnt work, this bitch comes flying down our driveway wearing a airfilter mask and starts cussing us out and saying really nasty things and complaining that we were contaminating her air space. We also added french drains to the house and they now direct water towards the downhill of our property. This ladies house is 100ft+ past the exit drain and yesterday we came home to find a letter placed on our doorstep with a copy of an email she sent to the county erosion committy complaining that because we redirected the downspouts it was going to cause problems with her property. She also included some bullshit pamplet about county laws and in this pamphlet there is a segment about \"What if my neighbor performs work on their house and it now drains into my property\" and basically the answer to her complaint is found in this segment that she clearly did not read and it says \"It is not illegal for one property to drain onto another. If a neighbor redirects their downspouts onto your property, you should perform maintenance on your property to correct any drainage issues.\" On top of all this, my girlfriends father is on the NC Soil and Erosion board and he wrote the laws that pertain to this situation, he had a very good laugh over it. We also have a dog that we keep in a kennel on the other side of the house from where her property is and this morning we found a letter in our mailbox unaddress and no stamp (illegal!?). The letter was complaining about the dog barking and making threats and saying we are going to have to get rid of the dog. We have asked all the other neighbors and they said he doesn't bark at all. We are afraid she is going to do something while we are work and hurt our dog. We are already planning on putting a privacy fence up so we cant see her house and she cant see ours but she will probably have something to say over that. We do not want this lady even stepping foot on our property but it all this happens while we are at work so there isnt much we can do while away. What can we do to get this lady to stop or what actions can we take to make sure she cant continue to harass us? TL;DR Crazy neighbor continues to harass us over everything we do when it is all perfectly legal. What can be done?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I know you're angry, and you have every right to be... but you may want to stop referring to your neighbour as a \"bitch\". I understand, she certainly sounds like a whole heap of fun. But, thinking it, and writing it out here, may eventually creep in to your daily life and you may say something like that to her face. Which might not turn out all that well for you... just a thought.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "How to deal with crazy neighbor(NC) who continues to harass us and has made threats about our dog My girlfriend bought this house about 4 months ago and we have this neighbor (North Carolina) who is finding anything and everything wrong and is constantly harassing me and my girlfriend. It doesn't matter what we do, she will write a complaint and submit it to whoever she can. It all started when we were burning some brush and this bitch calls the firedepartment on us. We were doing everything correctly, had a burn permit, water hose, attending the fire, etc. The FD drove by but didnt even stop because you could clearly tell it wasnt a nuisance or illegal. After this didnt work, this bitch comes flying down our driveway wearing a airfilter mask and starts cussing us out and saying really nasty things and complaining that we were contaminating her air space. We also added french drains to the house and they now direct water towards the downhill of our property. This ladies house is 100ft+ past the exit drain and yesterday we came home to find a letter placed on our doorstep with a copy of an email she sent to the county erosion committy complaining that because we redirected the downspouts it was going to cause problems with her property. She also included some bullshit pamplet about county laws and in this pamphlet there is a segment about \"What if my neighbor performs work on their house and it now drains into my property\" and basically the answer to her complaint is found in this segment that she clearly did not read and it says \"It is not illegal for one property to drain onto another. If a neighbor redirects their downspouts onto your property, you should perform maintenance on your property to correct any drainage issues.\" On top of all this, my girlfriends father is on the NC Soil and Erosion board and he wrote the laws that pertain to this situation, he had a very good laugh over it. We also have a dog that we keep in a kennel on the other side of the house from where her property is and this morning we found a letter in our mailbox unaddress and no stamp (illegal!?). The letter was complaining about the dog barking and making threats and saying we are going to have to get rid of the dog. We have asked all the other neighbors and they said he doesn't bark at all. We are afraid she is going to do something while we are work and hurt our dog. We are already planning on putting a privacy fence up so we cant see her house and she cant see ours but she will probably have something to say over that. We do not want this lady even stepping foot on our property but it all this happens while we are at work so there isnt much we can do while away. What can we do to get this lady to stop or what actions can we take to make sure she cant continue to harass us? TL;DR Crazy neighbor continues to harass us over everything we do when it is all perfectly legal. What can be done?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I'm not yet an attorney, am not familiar with North Carolina Law, and this is not legal advice, but legal information gathered from publicly available sources. Consult a local attorney knowledgable in these subjects to discuss your issue. This seems a little ridiculous that you have to go through so many steps to protect your dog. If this was a person, and you were in fear for their life, you could take out a restraining order. I really don't know if this applies to dogs. Somebody who knows the nuances of local laws might know a specific remedy. If you really want to do something, you could probably get in touch with the postal inspectors. Lots of people have recommended security cameras, I definitely agree with that. When I first read this, I wondered if you might have an action for private nuisance against her. I don't think her actions elevate to this, but a local attorney would obviously know better. I did however do a little googling and put together some resources you might be able to reference in these regards. She might believe she has certain remedies to the situation. Here's some of the information about the law that could be used in your favor or hers. Note that the information on the websites could be inaccurate or incomplete, so don't rely on them exclusively. Again, a knowledgable local attorney would be able to provide you with accurate information. Be careful that she doesn't try to enter your property and go about \"abatement by self help\". If she thinks she knows the law, she might try to describe what you're doing as a private nuisance and come onto your land to \"remedy\" the situation. It also could elevate her status from a trespassing, to lawful entrant. http://bobholzlaw.com/2014/04/07/nuisance-in-north-carolina/ This addresses some environmental concerns with private nuisance. She could attempt to go about these: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/are306/lecturenotes/Unit7NNuisance.pdf Also, if she is constantly entering your property, even as a trespasser (which it seems like she is), then she is a \"known trespasser\" and you have a duty of care treat her as you would s licensee (though NC has done away with the distinctions between Licensee and Invitee, there's still several distinctions between the two [a local attorney might be able to explain it properly and might know the nuances]. Here's a really detailed description of a lot of responsibilities you have as a land owner towards others in North Carolina: http://www.mcdas.com/PDFs/Premises_Liability.pdf Again, I'm not yet an attorney, am not familiar with North Carolina Law, and this is not legal advice, but legal information gathered from publicly available sources. Consult a local attorney knowledgable in these subjects to discuss your issue.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "How to deal with crazy neighbor(NC) who continues to harass us and has made threats about our dog My girlfriend bought this house about 4 months ago and we have this neighbor (North Carolina) who is finding anything and everything wrong and is constantly harassing me and my girlfriend. It doesn't matter what we do, she will write a complaint and submit it to whoever she can. It all started when we were burning some brush and this bitch calls the firedepartment on us. We were doing everything correctly, had a burn permit, water hose, attending the fire, etc. The FD drove by but didnt even stop because you could clearly tell it wasnt a nuisance or illegal. After this didnt work, this bitch comes flying down our driveway wearing a airfilter mask and starts cussing us out and saying really nasty things and complaining that we were contaminating her air space. We also added french drains to the house and they now direct water towards the downhill of our property. This ladies house is 100ft+ past the exit drain and yesterday we came home to find a letter placed on our doorstep with a copy of an email she sent to the county erosion committy complaining that because we redirected the downspouts it was going to cause problems with her property. She also included some bullshit pamplet about county laws and in this pamphlet there is a segment about \"What if my neighbor performs work on their house and it now drains into my property\" and basically the answer to her complaint is found in this segment that she clearly did not read and it says \"It is not illegal for one property to drain onto another. If a neighbor redirects their downspouts onto your property, you should perform maintenance on your property to correct any drainage issues.\" On top of all this, my girlfriends father is on the NC Soil and Erosion board and he wrote the laws that pertain to this situation, he had a very good laugh over it. We also have a dog that we keep in a kennel on the other side of the house from where her property is and this morning we found a letter in our mailbox unaddress and no stamp (illegal!?). The letter was complaining about the dog barking and making threats and saying we are going to have to get rid of the dog. We have asked all the other neighbors and they said he doesn't bark at all. We are afraid she is going to do something while we are work and hurt our dog. We are already planning on putting a privacy fence up so we cant see her house and she cant see ours but she will probably have something to say over that. We do not want this lady even stepping foot on our property but it all this happens while we are at work so there isnt much we can do while away. What can we do to get this lady to stop or what actions can we take to make sure she cant continue to harass us? TL;DR Crazy neighbor continues to harass us over everything we do when it is all perfectly legal. What can be done?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I know you're angry, and you have every right to be... but you may want to stop referring to your neighbour as a \"bitch\". I understand, she certainly sounds like a whole heap of fun. But, thinking it, and writing it out here, may eventually creep in to your daily life and you may say something like that to her face. Which might not turn out all that well for you... just a thought.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Crazy neighbor harassing me by calling the police I am in Tucson, Arizona right next to the University of Arizona campus. So I have this neighbor who has been calling the police on my every single time she hears anything. She lives a few hundred feet to the east of me so it is extremely unlikely that any noise travels that far to her. I have even tested a speaker at full volume and cannot hear it at her house. I got a unruly gathering citation recently because she called the cops on my when I had 6 friends over. The citation can be given if there are more than 5 people in a residence and there is a noise complaint. However, 5 people live in my residence... Anyways, we fought it in court, and she showed up to testify. She said when she walks her dog by my house and hears noise she calls the cops, also when she's hope she says she can faintly hear it from her outside patio and calls the police. Ive tested this myself and cannot hear noise. I lost in court and got cited However, she continues calling. Sometimes she calls when there isn't even any music playing and the police have come once before when that happened. I went to her house with a handwritten apology letter asking if there was anything we could do to work things out and settle any future problems. She told me to \"F*ck off\" and to kill myself. She also said she will continue to call the cops on me because she's \"old and doesn't care\". Im having a soundproof contractor come out to soundproof my house, however, he said that he's seen cases like this before and he says the neighbor will keep calling. At this point it seems like a form of harassment to me. This lady is being completely unreasonable. I have 60 neighbors that are closer to me and not once have I EVER received a single complaint from them. Can someone please tell me what I can do to fix this problem. Ive kindly reached out to me and she clearly is not right in the mind nor does she want to talk to me. All she does is scream fuck you and kill yourself to me. I am trying to file a restraining order or and injection on her but the police say that she needs to call multiple times without there being a citation written, and they will see that she is actually being unreasonable. I am going to write down every instance that the police come. Is there anything else I can do to fix this situation. I have tried everything.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "You can move. You can get a lawyer next time you're cited. Since she's filing police reports and the police are upholding them, there's not much else to be done, though - this isn't a situation where she's bringing suits against you herself. You can work with your city or state to modify the noise bylaws so that what you are doing - which does sound reasonable, but I'm not there - is no longer subject to a citation. If there's some sign that she's unwell, rather than just angry, you could talk to adult protective services. You could talk to her family, if she has any.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Crazy neighbor harassing me by calling the police I am in Tucson, Arizona right next to the University of Arizona campus. So I have this neighbor who has been calling the police on my every single time she hears anything. She lives a few hundred feet to the east of me so it is extremely unlikely that any noise travels that far to her. I have even tested a speaker at full volume and cannot hear it at her house. I got a unruly gathering citation recently because she called the cops on my when I had 6 friends over. The citation can be given if there are more than 5 people in a residence and there is a noise complaint. However, 5 people live in my residence... Anyways, we fought it in court, and she showed up to testify. She said when she walks her dog by my house and hears noise she calls the cops, also when she's hope she says she can faintly hear it from her outside patio and calls the police. Ive tested this myself and cannot hear noise. I lost in court and got cited However, she continues calling. Sometimes she calls when there isn't even any music playing and the police have come once before when that happened. I went to her house with a handwritten apology letter asking if there was anything we could do to work things out and settle any future problems. She told me to \"F*ck off\" and to kill myself. She also said she will continue to call the cops on me because she's \"old and doesn't care\". Im having a soundproof contractor come out to soundproof my house, however, he said that he's seen cases like this before and he says the neighbor will keep calling. At this point it seems like a form of harassment to me. This lady is being completely unreasonable. I have 60 neighbors that are closer to me and not once have I EVER received a single complaint from them. Can someone please tell me what I can do to fix this problem. Ive kindly reached out to me and she clearly is not right in the mind nor does she want to talk to me. All she does is scream fuck you and kill yourself to me. I am trying to file a restraining order or and injection on her but the police say that she needs to call multiple times without there being a citation written, and they will see that she is actually being unreasonable. I am going to write down every instance that the police come. Is there anything else I can do to fix this situation. I have tried everything.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Evil neighbors are the worst. It might not do anything, but you could get a decibel meter and a camera that records with a timestamp. That way you could at least show *exactly* what the sound levels were at the time of the complaint.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Crazy neighbor harassing me by calling the police I am in Tucson, Arizona right next to the University of Arizona campus. So I have this neighbor who has been calling the police on my every single time she hears anything. She lives a few hundred feet to the east of me so it is extremely unlikely that any noise travels that far to her. I have even tested a speaker at full volume and cannot hear it at her house. I got a unruly gathering citation recently because she called the cops on my when I had 6 friends over. The citation can be given if there are more than 5 people in a residence and there is a noise complaint. However, 5 people live in my residence... Anyways, we fought it in court, and she showed up to testify. She said when she walks her dog by my house and hears noise she calls the cops, also when she's hope she says she can faintly hear it from her outside patio and calls the police. Ive tested this myself and cannot hear noise. I lost in court and got cited However, she continues calling. Sometimes she calls when there isn't even any music playing and the police have come once before when that happened. I went to her house with a handwritten apology letter asking if there was anything we could do to work things out and settle any future problems. She told me to \"F*ck off\" and to kill myself. She also said she will continue to call the cops on me because she's \"old and doesn't care\". Im having a soundproof contractor come out to soundproof my house, however, he said that he's seen cases like this before and he says the neighbor will keep calling. At this point it seems like a form of harassment to me. This lady is being completely unreasonable. I have 60 neighbors that are closer to me and not once have I EVER received a single complaint from them. Can someone please tell me what I can do to fix this problem. Ive kindly reached out to me and she clearly is not right in the mind nor does she want to talk to me. All she does is scream fuck you and kill yourself to me. I am trying to file a restraining order or and injection on her but the police say that she needs to call multiple times without there being a citation written, and they will see that she is actually being unreasonable. I am going to write down every instance that the police come. Is there anything else I can do to fix this situation. I have tried everything.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "You can move. You can get a lawyer next time you're cited. Since she's filing police reports and the police are upholding them, there's not much else to be done, though - this isn't a situation where she's bringing suits against you herself. You can work with your city or state to modify the noise bylaws so that what you are doing - which does sound reasonable, but I'm not there - is no longer subject to a citation. If there's some sign that she's unwell, rather than just angry, you could talk to adult protective services. You could talk to her family, if she has any.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Crazy neighbor harassing me by calling the police I am in Tucson, Arizona right next to the University of Arizona campus. So I have this neighbor who has been calling the police on my every single time she hears anything. She lives a few hundred feet to the east of me so it is extremely unlikely that any noise travels that far to her. I have even tested a speaker at full volume and cannot hear it at her house. I got a unruly gathering citation recently because she called the cops on my when I had 6 friends over. The citation can be given if there are more than 5 people in a residence and there is a noise complaint. However, 5 people live in my residence... Anyways, we fought it in court, and she showed up to testify. She said when she walks her dog by my house and hears noise she calls the cops, also when she's hope she says she can faintly hear it from her outside patio and calls the police. Ive tested this myself and cannot hear noise. I lost in court and got cited However, she continues calling. Sometimes she calls when there isn't even any music playing and the police have come once before when that happened. I went to her house with a handwritten apology letter asking if there was anything we could do to work things out and settle any future problems. She told me to \"F*ck off\" and to kill myself. She also said she will continue to call the cops on me because she's \"old and doesn't care\". Im having a soundproof contractor come out to soundproof my house, however, he said that he's seen cases like this before and he says the neighbor will keep calling. At this point it seems like a form of harassment to me. This lady is being completely unreasonable. I have 60 neighbors that are closer to me and not once have I EVER received a single complaint from them. Can someone please tell me what I can do to fix this problem. Ive kindly reached out to me and she clearly is not right in the mind nor does she want to talk to me. All she does is scream fuck you and kill yourself to me. I am trying to file a restraining order or and injection on her but the police say that she needs to call multiple times without there being a citation written, and they will see that she is actually being unreasonable. I am going to write down every instance that the police come. Is there anything else I can do to fix this situation. I have tried everything.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "AZ is a one-party consent state. A recording of her psycho rantings might go a long way, next time.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My son was accused of \"inappropriate touching\". We live in Ohio. My son is 15 and the alleged incidents would have occurred when he was 14. Last week, a girl from my son's school told one of her teachers something regarding my son and some sort of unwanted contact. I don't know what she said, but the teacher reported it to Children's Services (as mandated), and Children's Services referred it to the police (also mandated). A detective contacted me and explained that \\*they\\* are now mandated to follow up, gather any available information, and then forward that to the Juvenile Prosecutor who will determine the next steps, if any. The detective said that he is looking into three incidents of what he described as \"inappropriate touching\" which took place last summer. He asked if my son and I would like to meet with him so that my son could give his side of the story, which I politely declined. I promise that we will absolutely, positively not speak to the police without a lawyer. My question is, would there be any benefit to getting a lawyer \\*now\\* and meeting with the detective at this point in the process? Or is it better to do nothing unless/until my son is legally obligated to come in for questioning? And follow-up question, at what point IS he legally obligated to come in for questioning? Fwiw, I don't believe the allegations are true, but I don't think that has any bearing on how we should proceed. Thank you so much for any guidance you can provide.", "role": "user" }, { "content": ">Fwiw, I don't believe the allegations are true, but I don't think that has any bearing on how we should proceed. You are correct. >My question is, would there be any benefit to getting a lawyer \\*now\\* and meeting with the detective at this point in the process? Or is it better to do nothing unless/until my son is legally obligated to come in for questioning? There will either be a benefit of consulting with an attorney now or there won't be. The challenge is that if there is a benefit you'd find that out by consulting with an attorney now or you'd find that out by not consulting with an attorney now and later learning your son would have been better off had you consulted with an attorney. Consider that before you decide.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My son was accused of \"inappropriate touching\". We live in Ohio. My son is 15 and the alleged incidents would have occurred when he was 14. Last week, a girl from my son's school told one of her teachers something regarding my son and some sort of unwanted contact. I don't know what she said, but the teacher reported it to Children's Services (as mandated), and Children's Services referred it to the police (also mandated). A detective contacted me and explained that \\*they\\* are now mandated to follow up, gather any available information, and then forward that to the Juvenile Prosecutor who will determine the next steps, if any. The detective said that he is looking into three incidents of what he described as \"inappropriate touching\" which took place last summer. He asked if my son and I would like to meet with him so that my son could give his side of the story, which I politely declined. I promise that we will absolutely, positively not speak to the police without a lawyer. My question is, would there be any benefit to getting a lawyer \\*now\\* and meeting with the detective at this point in the process? Or is it better to do nothing unless/until my son is legally obligated to come in for questioning? And follow-up question, at what point IS he legally obligated to come in for questioning? Fwiw, I don't believe the allegations are true, but I don't think that has any bearing on how we should proceed. Thank you so much for any guidance you can provide.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I'm sure you are already on top of it, but I want to stress that you need to be very clear with your son that he is not to discuss anything related to *any* of this with any friends, classmates, teachers, school staff, police (in case they try to contact him without you present), or even you or other family members, really. And most definitely, he should not make any contact with the girl making the allegations. He should not do anything with any potential evidence until and unless instructed by the attorney - text messages, voicemails, emails, photos, etc.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My son was accused of \"inappropriate touching\". We live in Ohio. My son is 15 and the alleged incidents would have occurred when he was 14. Last week, a girl from my son's school told one of her teachers something regarding my son and some sort of unwanted contact. I don't know what she said, but the teacher reported it to Children's Services (as mandated), and Children's Services referred it to the police (also mandated). A detective contacted me and explained that \\*they\\* are now mandated to follow up, gather any available information, and then forward that to the Juvenile Prosecutor who will determine the next steps, if any. The detective said that he is looking into three incidents of what he described as \"inappropriate touching\" which took place last summer. He asked if my son and I would like to meet with him so that my son could give his side of the story, which I politely declined. I promise that we will absolutely, positively not speak to the police without a lawyer. My question is, would there be any benefit to getting a lawyer \\*now\\* and meeting with the detective at this point in the process? Or is it better to do nothing unless/until my son is legally obligated to come in for questioning? And follow-up question, at what point IS he legally obligated to come in for questioning? Fwiw, I don't believe the allegations are true, but I don't think that has any bearing on how we should proceed. Thank you so much for any guidance you can provide.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Not a lawyer but spent the last 2 years going through something similar with my husband. 100% go get a consultation with a lawyer who specializes in defense of the accused in sexual assault cases. They do exist. We went to two different consultations to see which one would work for him. His lawyer was amazing. We never went to trial. She took care of the police for us and walked us through what had to be done after the investigation. It did take 2 years of the detective avoiding her calls and a lot of other craziness. But it is done now.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My son was accused of \"inappropriate touching\". We live in Ohio. My son is 15 and the alleged incidents would have occurred when he was 14. Last week, a girl from my son's school told one of her teachers something regarding my son and some sort of unwanted contact. I don't know what she said, but the teacher reported it to Children's Services (as mandated), and Children's Services referred it to the police (also mandated). A detective contacted me and explained that \\*they\\* are now mandated to follow up, gather any available information, and then forward that to the Juvenile Prosecutor who will determine the next steps, if any. The detective said that he is looking into three incidents of what he described as \"inappropriate touching\" which took place last summer. He asked if my son and I would like to meet with him so that my son could give his side of the story, which I politely declined. I promise that we will absolutely, positively not speak to the police without a lawyer. My question is, would there be any benefit to getting a lawyer \\*now\\* and meeting with the detective at this point in the process? Or is it better to do nothing unless/until my son is legally obligated to come in for questioning? And follow-up question, at what point IS he legally obligated to come in for questioning? Fwiw, I don't believe the allegations are true, but I don't think that has any bearing on how we should proceed. Thank you so much for any guidance you can provide.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I'm sure you are already on top of it, but I want to stress that you need to be very clear with your son that he is not to discuss anything related to *any* of this with any friends, classmates, teachers, school staff, police (in case they try to contact him without you present), or even you or other family members, really. And most definitely, he should not make any contact with the girl making the allegations. He should not do anything with any potential evidence until and unless instructed by the attorney - text messages, voicemails, emails, photos, etc.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My son was accused of \"inappropriate touching\". We live in Ohio. My son is 15 and the alleged incidents would have occurred when he was 14. Last week, a girl from my son's school told one of her teachers something regarding my son and some sort of unwanted contact. I don't know what she said, but the teacher reported it to Children's Services (as mandated), and Children's Services referred it to the police (also mandated). A detective contacted me and explained that \\*they\\* are now mandated to follow up, gather any available information, and then forward that to the Juvenile Prosecutor who will determine the next steps, if any. The detective said that he is looking into three incidents of what he described as \"inappropriate touching\" which took place last summer. He asked if my son and I would like to meet with him so that my son could give his side of the story, which I politely declined. I promise that we will absolutely, positively not speak to the police without a lawyer. My question is, would there be any benefit to getting a lawyer \\*now\\* and meeting with the detective at this point in the process? Or is it better to do nothing unless/until my son is legally obligated to come in for questioning? And follow-up question, at what point IS he legally obligated to come in for questioning? Fwiw, I don't believe the allegations are true, but I don't think that has any bearing on how we should proceed. Thank you so much for any guidance you can provide.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "As someone who's worked in a law office the more time to prepare the better. Should this go somewhere your lawyer won't be scrambling.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My son was accused of \"inappropriate touching\". We live in Ohio. My son is 15 and the alleged incidents would have occurred when he was 14. Last week, a girl from my son's school told one of her teachers something regarding my son and some sort of unwanted contact. I don't know what she said, but the teacher reported it to Children's Services (as mandated), and Children's Services referred it to the police (also mandated). A detective contacted me and explained that \\*they\\* are now mandated to follow up, gather any available information, and then forward that to the Juvenile Prosecutor who will determine the next steps, if any. The detective said that he is looking into three incidents of what he described as \"inappropriate touching\" which took place last summer. He asked if my son and I would like to meet with him so that my son could give his side of the story, which I politely declined. I promise that we will absolutely, positively not speak to the police without a lawyer. My question is, would there be any benefit to getting a lawyer \\*now\\* and meeting with the detective at this point in the process? Or is it better to do nothing unless/until my son is legally obligated to come in for questioning? And follow-up question, at what point IS he legally obligated to come in for questioning? Fwiw, I don't believe the allegations are true, but I don't think that has any bearing on how we should proceed. Thank you so much for any guidance you can provide.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I'm sure you are already on top of it, but I want to stress that you need to be very clear with your son that he is not to discuss anything related to *any* of this with any friends, classmates, teachers, school staff, police (in case they try to contact him without you present), or even you or other family members, really. And most definitely, he should not make any contact with the girl making the allegations. He should not do anything with any potential evidence until and unless instructed by the attorney - text messages, voicemails, emails, photos, etc.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My son was accused of \"inappropriate touching\". We live in Ohio. My son is 15 and the alleged incidents would have occurred when he was 14. Last week, a girl from my son's school told one of her teachers something regarding my son and some sort of unwanted contact. I don't know what she said, but the teacher reported it to Children's Services (as mandated), and Children's Services referred it to the police (also mandated). A detective contacted me and explained that \\*they\\* are now mandated to follow up, gather any available information, and then forward that to the Juvenile Prosecutor who will determine the next steps, if any. The detective said that he is looking into three incidents of what he described as \"inappropriate touching\" which took place last summer. He asked if my son and I would like to meet with him so that my son could give his side of the story, which I politely declined. I promise that we will absolutely, positively not speak to the police without a lawyer. My question is, would there be any benefit to getting a lawyer \\*now\\* and meeting with the detective at this point in the process? Or is it better to do nothing unless/until my son is legally obligated to come in for questioning? And follow-up question, at what point IS he legally obligated to come in for questioning? Fwiw, I don't believe the allegations are true, but I don't think that has any bearing on how we should proceed. Thank you so much for any guidance you can provide.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "As someone who's worked in a law office the more time to prepare the better. Should this go somewhere your lawyer won't be scrambling.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "My son was accused of \"inappropriate touching\". We live in Ohio. My son is 15 and the alleged incidents would have occurred when he was 14. Last week, a girl from my son's school told one of her teachers something regarding my son and some sort of unwanted contact. I don't know what she said, but the teacher reported it to Children's Services (as mandated), and Children's Services referred it to the police (also mandated). A detective contacted me and explained that \\*they\\* are now mandated to follow up, gather any available information, and then forward that to the Juvenile Prosecutor who will determine the next steps, if any. The detective said that he is looking into three incidents of what he described as \"inappropriate touching\" which took place last summer. He asked if my son and I would like to meet with him so that my son could give his side of the story, which I politely declined. I promise that we will absolutely, positively not speak to the police without a lawyer. My question is, would there be any benefit to getting a lawyer \\*now\\* and meeting with the detective at this point in the process? Or is it better to do nothing unless/until my son is legally obligated to come in for questioning? And follow-up question, at what point IS he legally obligated to come in for questioning? Fwiw, I don't believe the allegations are true, but I don't think that has any bearing on how we should proceed. Thank you so much for any guidance you can provide.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I am a lawyer, and have dealt with similar cases in the civil context. Of course, I am not your lawyer and will not give you legal advice. Yes, you should talk to a lawyer immediately. This can get out of hand very, very quickly, and you need someone on board from the outset. I know it sucks and will be expensive, but the alternative can be exponentially worse. Interview multiple lawyers and see who you're comfortable with, but sign one up and direct all communications to him/her.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Mail that isnt mine keeps being delivered to my address, someone takes mail from my porch/mailbox Backstory: I rent a house in California and have occupied this home with my family for almost 2 years. I am on a yearly renting lease, renting through an agency, and I have never had any communication with home owner during rental process as it was all dealt with through the renting company. Now, to more present times. Periodically over the last 2 years I have received mail to my address but to a different name. When this first happened shortly after I moved in, I assumed it was a previous rental tenant who had failed to forward their address. So I contacted the rental agency, mentioned the name on the package and asked if they could collect the package on behalf of the previous occupant, or provide a forwarding address I could mail it to. The agency requested the package be set on the front porch and it would be picked up that afternoon. I figured this meant the rental agency representative was picking up the package to ensure it got to the other person. After it was picked up, I figured that was it. It would be unlikely they'd make the mistake of sending their mail here again. But then it happened again. And again. And....15-20 more times. It happens every couple of weeks or so. Sometimes the rental agency sends me a notice via email that a package is arriving, and to coordinate with them for pickup. Sometimes they don't, and Im left feeling like I have to mention that yet another package has arrived. At this point, it is kind of frustrating. Why is it I am having to manage this other person's packages over and over again? But today is when things really took a turn for the worse. Today I'm sitting in my living room when I hear my mailbox open and shut (which is right outside my door). It's an odd time, but I figure mailman was late. I head towards the door, which has this neat one-way small window I can see out but no one can see in. And I see a middle aged woman at my mail box who is clearly not my mailman, holding a fistful of mail and is rifling through the letters. I immediately open the door and shout out \"What the f* are you doing?!\" Like clearly, this woman is trying to steal mail/information. She laughs and raised her hands, mentioned I startled her and then proceeds to say she's checking her mail. I'm suddenly thinking I'm dealing with someone on drugs or something as this is my residence and only my family lives here. I tell her she has the wrong address and that she needs to put all of my mail back. Now. She suddenly straightens up, snatches her sunglasses off of her face and sneers at me \"Watch your mouth! This is MY house, I OWN it, this is MY mail. Keep it up and I'll have you evicted\" and then she drops several of the letters (not all), then quickly grabs an envelop style package from the porch step while snapping \"This is MINE\" and then storms off angrily to her vehicle PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I contact the rental agency immediately, and after describing the woman I am confronted with the information that this woman IS the owner of the house. In addition to that, I find out she's been the one picking up the packages this whole time- it's never been a rental agency associate. I'm really irritated at the fact that this woman has been coming to the property and feels the right to go through the mail in the mailbox and retrieve mail when I am unaware. I now am not sure of how many times she has been here unannounced, or how many times she has gone through my mailbox or taken packages from the porch. Which leads me to my questions. Is she legally allowed to do continue to send mail here and pickup anytime she wants? Is she allowed to go through my mailbox without me present to take whatever she wants? Do I have any legal responsibility for these packages? They have been in her name, but my address. Additionally- can she evict me for this verbal disagreement? I was startled, had no idea who she was an genuinely thought she was crazy/stealing mail. Is this normal behavior for property owners? Really looking for any assistance on how I can protect my sense of safety/privacy as well as protect my family from eviction for not allowing owner to take what they want from the mail. TLDR: renting a house for 2 years, home owner regularly visits at their leisure to go through mail or retrieve packages they have sent here without my knowledge/consent", "role": "user" }, { "content": "1. Check your contract 2. Maybe try to get in touch with her via the rental company. I am unfamiliar with rental laws in California because I am based in Switzerland. However, common sense suggests that \"your\" mailbox is part of the rental. 3. Common sense approach imho would be that the rental company /owner installs a second mailbox if the owner insists on getting mail/packets delivered to your address.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Mail that isnt mine keeps being delivered to my address, someone takes mail from my porch/mailbox Backstory: I rent a house in California and have occupied this home with my family for almost 2 years. I am on a yearly renting lease, renting through an agency, and I have never had any communication with home owner during rental process as it was all dealt with through the renting company. Now, to more present times. Periodically over the last 2 years I have received mail to my address but to a different name. When this first happened shortly after I moved in, I assumed it was a previous rental tenant who had failed to forward their address. So I contacted the rental agency, mentioned the name on the package and asked if they could collect the package on behalf of the previous occupant, or provide a forwarding address I could mail it to. The agency requested the package be set on the front porch and it would be picked up that afternoon. I figured this meant the rental agency representative was picking up the package to ensure it got to the other person. After it was picked up, I figured that was it. It would be unlikely they'd make the mistake of sending their mail here again. But then it happened again. And again. And....15-20 more times. It happens every couple of weeks or so. Sometimes the rental agency sends me a notice via email that a package is arriving, and to coordinate with them for pickup. Sometimes they don't, and Im left feeling like I have to mention that yet another package has arrived. At this point, it is kind of frustrating. Why is it I am having to manage this other person's packages over and over again? But today is when things really took a turn for the worse. Today I'm sitting in my living room when I hear my mailbox open and shut (which is right outside my door). It's an odd time, but I figure mailman was late. I head towards the door, which has this neat one-way small window I can see out but no one can see in. And I see a middle aged woman at my mail box who is clearly not my mailman, holding a fistful of mail and is rifling through the letters. I immediately open the door and shout out \"What the f* are you doing?!\" Like clearly, this woman is trying to steal mail/information. She laughs and raised her hands, mentioned I startled her and then proceeds to say she's checking her mail. I'm suddenly thinking I'm dealing with someone on drugs or something as this is my residence and only my family lives here. I tell her she has the wrong address and that she needs to put all of my mail back. Now. She suddenly straightens up, snatches her sunglasses off of her face and sneers at me \"Watch your mouth! This is MY house, I OWN it, this is MY mail. Keep it up and I'll have you evicted\" and then she drops several of the letters (not all), then quickly grabs an envelop style package from the porch step while snapping \"This is MINE\" and then storms off angrily to her vehicle PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I contact the rental agency immediately, and after describing the woman I am confronted with the information that this woman IS the owner of the house. In addition to that, I find out she's been the one picking up the packages this whole time- it's never been a rental agency associate. I'm really irritated at the fact that this woman has been coming to the property and feels the right to go through the mail in the mailbox and retrieve mail when I am unaware. I now am not sure of how many times she has been here unannounced, or how many times she has gone through my mailbox or taken packages from the porch. Which leads me to my questions. Is she legally allowed to do continue to send mail here and pickup anytime she wants? Is she allowed to go through my mailbox without me present to take whatever she wants? Do I have any legal responsibility for these packages? They have been in her name, but my address. Additionally- can she evict me for this verbal disagreement? I was startled, had no idea who she was an genuinely thought she was crazy/stealing mail. Is this normal behavior for property owners? Really looking for any assistance on how I can protect my sense of safety/privacy as well as protect my family from eviction for not allowing owner to take what they want from the mail. TLDR: renting a house for 2 years, home owner regularly visits at their leisure to go through mail or retrieve packages they have sent here without my knowledge/consent", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I'm familiar with CA rental law via experience as a property manager. Not a lawyer. California has several state wide renter protections in place. Coupla things: 1. If more than one household regularly (not accidentally) receives mail at an address (like your situation) the landlord must provide a private locking mailbox for each household. 2. It can be argued that your landlord is violating your right to quiet enjoyment (to use the property without interference) and your right to exclusive possession (exclusive use). If you rent a single family home the right to exclusive possession extends to the outdoor yard space/property boundaries, not just the interior. 3. The landlord must give the tenant 24 hours notice before they or someone they've hired enters the property, except in case of emergencies that require a landlord response (such as a flood when the tenant isn't home). I'm not sure about the 24 hours notice requirement with regard to setting foot in the yard occasionally in order to do maintenance (not frequently). 4. It takes a lot to evict a tenant in California, or to not allow the lease to continue as a month to month rental. Look up \"California just cause for evictions\" to get a complete rundown. 5. If the landlady holds the property in her name (not an LLC or a Corporation) and she owns under a certain number of properties, and she officially notifies you in writing, she will be exempt from rent stabilization/rent control. Otherwise yearly rent increases will be limited to 10% or less (if the property was built over 15 years ago). I mention this because one way landlords used to get around just cause for eviction would be by suddenly doubling or tripling the rent. 5 B. For exact details look up AB1482 the Tenant Protection Act of 2019. 6. Depending on what city or county you live in, you may be entitled to more rent stabilization and more protections. That's just what I can think of off the top of my head. You may want to have a polite chat with the property management company. The landlady sounds hostile and unpleasant. I'd have as little to do with her as possible. Document all incidences of your landlady intimidating you, harassing you, or just being rude. Keep a journal with dates, save any video. Harassing tenants is against the law too. If I were in your situation, I'd consider getting an inexpensive locking mailbox for your mail, and putting your name on it for the mail carrier to see. You can sort mail for your landlady into the existing open box. At least that way the landlady is less likely to be rifling through your mail. Edit some words", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Mail that isnt mine keeps being delivered to my address, someone takes mail from my porch/mailbox Backstory: I rent a house in California and have occupied this home with my family for almost 2 years. I am on a yearly renting lease, renting through an agency, and I have never had any communication with home owner during rental process as it was all dealt with through the renting company. Now, to more present times. Periodically over the last 2 years I have received mail to my address but to a different name. When this first happened shortly after I moved in, I assumed it was a previous rental tenant who had failed to forward their address. So I contacted the rental agency, mentioned the name on the package and asked if they could collect the package on behalf of the previous occupant, or provide a forwarding address I could mail it to. The agency requested the package be set on the front porch and it would be picked up that afternoon. I figured this meant the rental agency representative was picking up the package to ensure it got to the other person. After it was picked up, I figured that was it. It would be unlikely they'd make the mistake of sending their mail here again. But then it happened again. And again. And....15-20 more times. It happens every couple of weeks or so. Sometimes the rental agency sends me a notice via email that a package is arriving, and to coordinate with them for pickup. Sometimes they don't, and Im left feeling like I have to mention that yet another package has arrived. At this point, it is kind of frustrating. Why is it I am having to manage this other person's packages over and over again? But today is when things really took a turn for the worse. Today I'm sitting in my living room when I hear my mailbox open and shut (which is right outside my door). It's an odd time, but I figure mailman was late. I head towards the door, which has this neat one-way small window I can see out but no one can see in. And I see a middle aged woman at my mail box who is clearly not my mailman, holding a fistful of mail and is rifling through the letters. I immediately open the door and shout out \"What the f* are you doing?!\" Like clearly, this woman is trying to steal mail/information. She laughs and raised her hands, mentioned I startled her and then proceeds to say she's checking her mail. I'm suddenly thinking I'm dealing with someone on drugs or something as this is my residence and only my family lives here. I tell her she has the wrong address and that she needs to put all of my mail back. Now. She suddenly straightens up, snatches her sunglasses off of her face and sneers at me \"Watch your mouth! This is MY house, I OWN it, this is MY mail. Keep it up and I'll have you evicted\" and then she drops several of the letters (not all), then quickly grabs an envelop style package from the porch step while snapping \"This is MINE\" and then storms off angrily to her vehicle PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I contact the rental agency immediately, and after describing the woman I am confronted with the information that this woman IS the owner of the house. In addition to that, I find out she's been the one picking up the packages this whole time- it's never been a rental agency associate. I'm really irritated at the fact that this woman has been coming to the property and feels the right to go through the mail in the mailbox and retrieve mail when I am unaware. I now am not sure of how many times she has been here unannounced, or how many times she has gone through my mailbox or taken packages from the porch. Which leads me to my questions. Is she legally allowed to do continue to send mail here and pickup anytime she wants? Is she allowed to go through my mailbox without me present to take whatever she wants? Do I have any legal responsibility for these packages? They have been in her name, but my address. Additionally- can she evict me for this verbal disagreement? I was startled, had no idea who she was an genuinely thought she was crazy/stealing mail. Is this normal behavior for property owners? Really looking for any assistance on how I can protect my sense of safety/privacy as well as protect my family from eviction for not allowing owner to take what they want from the mail. TLDR: renting a house for 2 years, home owner regularly visits at their leisure to go through mail or retrieve packages they have sent here without my knowledge/consent", "role": "user" }, { "content": "1. Check your contract 2. Maybe try to get in touch with her via the rental company. I am unfamiliar with rental laws in California because I am based in Switzerland. However, common sense suggests that \"your\" mailbox is part of the rental. 3. Common sense approach imho would be that the rental company /owner installs a second mailbox if the owner insists on getting mail/packets delivered to your address.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Mail that isnt mine keeps being delivered to my address, someone takes mail from my porch/mailbox Backstory: I rent a house in California and have occupied this home with my family for almost 2 years. I am on a yearly renting lease, renting through an agency, and I have never had any communication with home owner during rental process as it was all dealt with through the renting company. Now, to more present times. Periodically over the last 2 years I have received mail to my address but to a different name. When this first happened shortly after I moved in, I assumed it was a previous rental tenant who had failed to forward their address. So I contacted the rental agency, mentioned the name on the package and asked if they could collect the package on behalf of the previous occupant, or provide a forwarding address I could mail it to. The agency requested the package be set on the front porch and it would be picked up that afternoon. I figured this meant the rental agency representative was picking up the package to ensure it got to the other person. After it was picked up, I figured that was it. It would be unlikely they'd make the mistake of sending their mail here again. But then it happened again. And again. And....15-20 more times. It happens every couple of weeks or so. Sometimes the rental agency sends me a notice via email that a package is arriving, and to coordinate with them for pickup. Sometimes they don't, and Im left feeling like I have to mention that yet another package has arrived. At this point, it is kind of frustrating. Why is it I am having to manage this other person's packages over and over again? But today is when things really took a turn for the worse. Today I'm sitting in my living room when I hear my mailbox open and shut (which is right outside my door). It's an odd time, but I figure mailman was late. I head towards the door, which has this neat one-way small window I can see out but no one can see in. And I see a middle aged woman at my mail box who is clearly not my mailman, holding a fistful of mail and is rifling through the letters. I immediately open the door and shout out \"What the f* are you doing?!\" Like clearly, this woman is trying to steal mail/information. She laughs and raised her hands, mentioned I startled her and then proceeds to say she's checking her mail. I'm suddenly thinking I'm dealing with someone on drugs or something as this is my residence and only my family lives here. I tell her she has the wrong address and that she needs to put all of my mail back. Now. She suddenly straightens up, snatches her sunglasses off of her face and sneers at me \"Watch your mouth! This is MY house, I OWN it, this is MY mail. Keep it up and I'll have you evicted\" and then she drops several of the letters (not all), then quickly grabs an envelop style package from the porch step while snapping \"This is MINE\" and then storms off angrily to her vehicle PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I contact the rental agency immediately, and after describing the woman I am confronted with the information that this woman IS the owner of the house. In addition to that, I find out she's been the one picking up the packages this whole time- it's never been a rental agency associate. I'm really irritated at the fact that this woman has been coming to the property and feels the right to go through the mail in the mailbox and retrieve mail when I am unaware. I now am not sure of how many times she has been here unannounced, or how many times she has gone through my mailbox or taken packages from the porch. Which leads me to my questions. Is she legally allowed to do continue to send mail here and pickup anytime she wants? Is she allowed to go through my mailbox without me present to take whatever she wants? Do I have any legal responsibility for these packages? They have been in her name, but my address. Additionally- can she evict me for this verbal disagreement? I was startled, had no idea who she was an genuinely thought she was crazy/stealing mail. Is this normal behavior for property owners? Really looking for any assistance on how I can protect my sense of safety/privacy as well as protect my family from eviction for not allowing owner to take what they want from the mail. TLDR: renting a house for 2 years, home owner regularly visits at their leisure to go through mail or retrieve packages they have sent here without my knowledge/consent", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Stop being nice. If a letter or package shows up that isn't yours, don't contact anybody, write \"not at this address\" across the address field and take it to the post office (don't put it back into your mailbox) A couple of cycles of this, she won't be receiving mail at your house anymore.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Mail that isnt mine keeps being delivered to my address, someone takes mail from my porch/mailbox Backstory: I rent a house in California and have occupied this home with my family for almost 2 years. I am on a yearly renting lease, renting through an agency, and I have never had any communication with home owner during rental process as it was all dealt with through the renting company. Now, to more present times. Periodically over the last 2 years I have received mail to my address but to a different name. When this first happened shortly after I moved in, I assumed it was a previous rental tenant who had failed to forward their address. So I contacted the rental agency, mentioned the name on the package and asked if they could collect the package on behalf of the previous occupant, or provide a forwarding address I could mail it to. The agency requested the package be set on the front porch and it would be picked up that afternoon. I figured this meant the rental agency representative was picking up the package to ensure it got to the other person. After it was picked up, I figured that was it. It would be unlikely they'd make the mistake of sending their mail here again. But then it happened again. And again. And....15-20 more times. It happens every couple of weeks or so. Sometimes the rental agency sends me a notice via email that a package is arriving, and to coordinate with them for pickup. Sometimes they don't, and Im left feeling like I have to mention that yet another package has arrived. At this point, it is kind of frustrating. Why is it I am having to manage this other person's packages over and over again? But today is when things really took a turn for the worse. Today I'm sitting in my living room when I hear my mailbox open and shut (which is right outside my door). It's an odd time, but I figure mailman was late. I head towards the door, which has this neat one-way small window I can see out but no one can see in. And I see a middle aged woman at my mail box who is clearly not my mailman, holding a fistful of mail and is rifling through the letters. I immediately open the door and shout out \"What the f* are you doing?!\" Like clearly, this woman is trying to steal mail/information. She laughs and raised her hands, mentioned I startled her and then proceeds to say she's checking her mail. I'm suddenly thinking I'm dealing with someone on drugs or something as this is my residence and only my family lives here. I tell her she has the wrong address and that she needs to put all of my mail back. Now. She suddenly straightens up, snatches her sunglasses off of her face and sneers at me \"Watch your mouth! This is MY house, I OWN it, this is MY mail. Keep it up and I'll have you evicted\" and then she drops several of the letters (not all), then quickly grabs an envelop style package from the porch step while snapping \"This is MINE\" and then storms off angrily to her vehicle PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I contact the rental agency immediately, and after describing the woman I am confronted with the information that this woman IS the owner of the house. In addition to that, I find out she's been the one picking up the packages this whole time- it's never been a rental agency associate. I'm really irritated at the fact that this woman has been coming to the property and feels the right to go through the mail in the mailbox and retrieve mail when I am unaware. I now am not sure of how many times she has been here unannounced, or how many times she has gone through my mailbox or taken packages from the porch. Which leads me to my questions. Is she legally allowed to do continue to send mail here and pickup anytime she wants? Is she allowed to go through my mailbox without me present to take whatever she wants? Do I have any legal responsibility for these packages? They have been in her name, but my address. Additionally- can she evict me for this verbal disagreement? I was startled, had no idea who she was an genuinely thought she was crazy/stealing mail. Is this normal behavior for property owners? Really looking for any assistance on how I can protect my sense of safety/privacy as well as protect my family from eviction for not allowing owner to take what they want from the mail. TLDR: renting a house for 2 years, home owner regularly visits at their leisure to go through mail or retrieve packages they have sent here without my knowledge/consent", "role": "user" }, { "content": "1. Check your contract 2. Maybe try to get in touch with her via the rental company. I am unfamiliar with rental laws in California because I am based in Switzerland. However, common sense suggests that \"your\" mailbox is part of the rental. 3. Common sense approach imho would be that the rental company /owner installs a second mailbox if the owner insists on getting mail/packets delivered to your address.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Mail that isnt mine keeps being delivered to my address, someone takes mail from my porch/mailbox Backstory: I rent a house in California and have occupied this home with my family for almost 2 years. I am on a yearly renting lease, renting through an agency, and I have never had any communication with home owner during rental process as it was all dealt with through the renting company. Now, to more present times. Periodically over the last 2 years I have received mail to my address but to a different name. When this first happened shortly after I moved in, I assumed it was a previous rental tenant who had failed to forward their address. So I contacted the rental agency, mentioned the name on the package and asked if they could collect the package on behalf of the previous occupant, or provide a forwarding address I could mail it to. The agency requested the package be set on the front porch and it would be picked up that afternoon. I figured this meant the rental agency representative was picking up the package to ensure it got to the other person. After it was picked up, I figured that was it. It would be unlikely they'd make the mistake of sending their mail here again. But then it happened again. And again. And....15-20 more times. It happens every couple of weeks or so. Sometimes the rental agency sends me a notice via email that a package is arriving, and to coordinate with them for pickup. Sometimes they don't, and Im left feeling like I have to mention that yet another package has arrived. At this point, it is kind of frustrating. Why is it I am having to manage this other person's packages over and over again? But today is when things really took a turn for the worse. Today I'm sitting in my living room when I hear my mailbox open and shut (which is right outside my door). It's an odd time, but I figure mailman was late. I head towards the door, which has this neat one-way small window I can see out but no one can see in. And I see a middle aged woman at my mail box who is clearly not my mailman, holding a fistful of mail and is rifling through the letters. I immediately open the door and shout out \"What the f* are you doing?!\" Like clearly, this woman is trying to steal mail/information. She laughs and raised her hands, mentioned I startled her and then proceeds to say she's checking her mail. I'm suddenly thinking I'm dealing with someone on drugs or something as this is my residence and only my family lives here. I tell her she has the wrong address and that she needs to put all of my mail back. Now. She suddenly straightens up, snatches her sunglasses off of her face and sneers at me \"Watch your mouth! This is MY house, I OWN it, this is MY mail. Keep it up and I'll have you evicted\" and then she drops several of the letters (not all), then quickly grabs an envelop style package from the porch step while snapping \"This is MINE\" and then storms off angrily to her vehicle PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I contact the rental agency immediately, and after describing the woman I am confronted with the information that this woman IS the owner of the house. In addition to that, I find out she's been the one picking up the packages this whole time- it's never been a rental agency associate. I'm really irritated at the fact that this woman has been coming to the property and feels the right to go through the mail in the mailbox and retrieve mail when I am unaware. I now am not sure of how many times she has been here unannounced, or how many times she has gone through my mailbox or taken packages from the porch. Which leads me to my questions. Is she legally allowed to do continue to send mail here and pickup anytime she wants? Is she allowed to go through my mailbox without me present to take whatever she wants? Do I have any legal responsibility for these packages? They have been in her name, but my address. Additionally- can she evict me for this verbal disagreement? I was startled, had no idea who she was an genuinely thought she was crazy/stealing mail. Is this normal behavior for property owners? Really looking for any assistance on how I can protect my sense of safety/privacy as well as protect my family from eviction for not allowing owner to take what they want from the mail. TLDR: renting a house for 2 years, home owner regularly visits at their leisure to go through mail or retrieve packages they have sent here without my knowledge/consent", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Check if the lease mentions any of this. Then, decide if you want to keep living there or not. If yes, call the agency and ask them to put up and mailbox, name both correctly, and ignore it. If not, be a dick and put up a locking mail box, return any and all mail not for you back to sender marked that the person does not live there. Note that the owner may be comitting some sort of fraud, since they are recieving mail at your address, which is odd.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Mail that isnt mine keeps being delivered to my address, someone takes mail from my porch/mailbox Backstory: I rent a house in California and have occupied this home with my family for almost 2 years. I am on a yearly renting lease, renting through an agency, and I have never had any communication with home owner during rental process as it was all dealt with through the renting company. Now, to more present times. Periodically over the last 2 years I have received mail to my address but to a different name. When this first happened shortly after I moved in, I assumed it was a previous rental tenant who had failed to forward their address. So I contacted the rental agency, mentioned the name on the package and asked if they could collect the package on behalf of the previous occupant, or provide a forwarding address I could mail it to. The agency requested the package be set on the front porch and it would be picked up that afternoon. I figured this meant the rental agency representative was picking up the package to ensure it got to the other person. After it was picked up, I figured that was it. It would be unlikely they'd make the mistake of sending their mail here again. But then it happened again. And again. And....15-20 more times. It happens every couple of weeks or so. Sometimes the rental agency sends me a notice via email that a package is arriving, and to coordinate with them for pickup. Sometimes they don't, and Im left feeling like I have to mention that yet another package has arrived. At this point, it is kind of frustrating. Why is it I am having to manage this other person's packages over and over again? But today is when things really took a turn for the worse. Today I'm sitting in my living room when I hear my mailbox open and shut (which is right outside my door). It's an odd time, but I figure mailman was late. I head towards the door, which has this neat one-way small window I can see out but no one can see in. And I see a middle aged woman at my mail box who is clearly not my mailman, holding a fistful of mail and is rifling through the letters. I immediately open the door and shout out \"What the f* are you doing?!\" Like clearly, this woman is trying to steal mail/information. She laughs and raised her hands, mentioned I startled her and then proceeds to say she's checking her mail. I'm suddenly thinking I'm dealing with someone on drugs or something as this is my residence and only my family lives here. I tell her she has the wrong address and that she needs to put all of my mail back. Now. She suddenly straightens up, snatches her sunglasses off of her face and sneers at me \"Watch your mouth! This is MY house, I OWN it, this is MY mail. Keep it up and I'll have you evicted\" and then she drops several of the letters (not all), then quickly grabs an envelop style package from the porch step while snapping \"This is MINE\" and then storms off angrily to her vehicle PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I contact the rental agency immediately, and after describing the woman I am confronted with the information that this woman IS the owner of the house. In addition to that, I find out she's been the one picking up the packages this whole time- it's never been a rental agency associate. I'm really irritated at the fact that this woman has been coming to the property and feels the right to go through the mail in the mailbox and retrieve mail when I am unaware. I now am not sure of how many times she has been here unannounced, or how many times she has gone through my mailbox or taken packages from the porch. Which leads me to my questions. Is she legally allowed to do continue to send mail here and pickup anytime she wants? Is she allowed to go through my mailbox without me present to take whatever she wants? Do I have any legal responsibility for these packages? They have been in her name, but my address. Additionally- can she evict me for this verbal disagreement? I was startled, had no idea who she was an genuinely thought she was crazy/stealing mail. Is this normal behavior for property owners? Really looking for any assistance on how I can protect my sense of safety/privacy as well as protect my family from eviction for not allowing owner to take what they want from the mail. TLDR: renting a house for 2 years, home owner regularly visits at their leisure to go through mail or retrieve packages they have sent here without my knowledge/consent", "role": "user" }, { "content": "1. Check your contract 2. Maybe try to get in touch with her via the rental company. I am unfamiliar with rental laws in California because I am based in Switzerland. However, common sense suggests that \"your\" mailbox is part of the rental. 3. Common sense approach imho would be that the rental company /owner installs a second mailbox if the owner insists on getting mail/packets delivered to your address.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Mail that isnt mine keeps being delivered to my address, someone takes mail from my porch/mailbox Backstory: I rent a house in California and have occupied this home with my family for almost 2 years. I am on a yearly renting lease, renting through an agency, and I have never had any communication with home owner during rental process as it was all dealt with through the renting company. Now, to more present times. Periodically over the last 2 years I have received mail to my address but to a different name. When this first happened shortly after I moved in, I assumed it was a previous rental tenant who had failed to forward their address. So I contacted the rental agency, mentioned the name on the package and asked if they could collect the package on behalf of the previous occupant, or provide a forwarding address I could mail it to. The agency requested the package be set on the front porch and it would be picked up that afternoon. I figured this meant the rental agency representative was picking up the package to ensure it got to the other person. After it was picked up, I figured that was it. It would be unlikely they'd make the mistake of sending their mail here again. But then it happened again. And again. And....15-20 more times. It happens every couple of weeks or so. Sometimes the rental agency sends me a notice via email that a package is arriving, and to coordinate with them for pickup. Sometimes they don't, and Im left feeling like I have to mention that yet another package has arrived. At this point, it is kind of frustrating. Why is it I am having to manage this other person's packages over and over again? But today is when things really took a turn for the worse. Today I'm sitting in my living room when I hear my mailbox open and shut (which is right outside my door). It's an odd time, but I figure mailman was late. I head towards the door, which has this neat one-way small window I can see out but no one can see in. And I see a middle aged woman at my mail box who is clearly not my mailman, holding a fistful of mail and is rifling through the letters. I immediately open the door and shout out \"What the f* are you doing?!\" Like clearly, this woman is trying to steal mail/information. She laughs and raised her hands, mentioned I startled her and then proceeds to say she's checking her mail. I'm suddenly thinking I'm dealing with someone on drugs or something as this is my residence and only my family lives here. I tell her she has the wrong address and that she needs to put all of my mail back. Now. She suddenly straightens up, snatches her sunglasses off of her face and sneers at me \"Watch your mouth! This is MY house, I OWN it, this is MY mail. Keep it up and I'll have you evicted\" and then she drops several of the letters (not all), then quickly grabs an envelop style package from the porch step while snapping \"This is MINE\" and then storms off angrily to her vehicle PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I contact the rental agency immediately, and after describing the woman I am confronted with the information that this woman IS the owner of the house. In addition to that, I find out she's been the one picking up the packages this whole time- it's never been a rental agency associate. I'm really irritated at the fact that this woman has been coming to the property and feels the right to go through the mail in the mailbox and retrieve mail when I am unaware. I now am not sure of how many times she has been here unannounced, or how many times she has gone through my mailbox or taken packages from the porch. Which leads me to my questions. Is she legally allowed to do continue to send mail here and pickup anytime she wants? Is she allowed to go through my mailbox without me present to take whatever she wants? Do I have any legal responsibility for these packages? They have been in her name, but my address. Additionally- can she evict me for this verbal disagreement? I was startled, had no idea who she was an genuinely thought she was crazy/stealing mail. Is this normal behavior for property owners? Really looking for any assistance on how I can protect my sense of safety/privacy as well as protect my family from eviction for not allowing owner to take what they want from the mail. TLDR: renting a house for 2 years, home owner regularly visits at their leisure to go through mail or retrieve packages they have sent here without my knowledge/consent", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Not a lawyer, property manager, but not in your state. I'm pretty sure this actually violates the USPS rules. Contact your local post master to inquire. You may be able to file a complaint that will be taken seriously. Since the home is rented through an agency, keep communication with the agency. Read the lease. Is the lease between you and the agency? If so, and you are not comfortable with the situation, ask the agency about moving into a similar home without an owner that is preventing you from quietly and peacefully enjoying your home. I would strongly consider a Ring or Next Doorbell or similar - one that has a camera, and locking mailbox. Any mail not addressed to your family, I'd return to the post office.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] I started getting Tolls in the mail for a car that isn't mine but has my plates Alright so a few months ago I received a toll bill in the mail and was no where up north by the toll roads. Called, eventually got past their automated pay phone system and spoke to someone. They looked it up, and deleted the toll due to \"error\" and I was no longer responsible for the bill. Cool, no big deal errors happen and they cleared it right up. Then I start getting more, and more and more and they no longer clear it up that I owe them money. Only issue is my \"plates\" are on this other car that is not mine. I've never had my plates stolen. So someone, somewhere made replica plates or in some mistake with the DMV issued the same plates?? Whoever started doing this drives the toll road twice a day and for two months that adds up. I'm 100% sure no one on the phone believes me anymore and think I'm trying to scam the toll roads. I went to the DMV to try and clear it up and even if need be pay extra for vanity plates just to get new tags, issue is when there is outstanding Tolls they won't let you get new plates or anything else. I filed a police report and went yesterday after work to get a copy of the report so I can use that to start getting the ball rolling but the incident number I received and finally got copies of is two sentences \"Responded to non emergency call at XXX address, met caller XXX. Report of copied license plate, XXX reports his license plate was copied or reproduced and used for another vehicle\" and that's it. Do I call and try to get a better report put in that actually says anything I said to try and get it cleared up or what?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "If no one at the DMV will help you, try reaching out to your state-level senators or representative. They all have staffers whose job it is to help constituents solve difficult government bureaucratic problems. It’s amazing how fast a call from their office will solve something like a DMV issue.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] I started getting Tolls in the mail for a car that isn't mine but has my plates Alright so a few months ago I received a toll bill in the mail and was no where up north by the toll roads. Called, eventually got past their automated pay phone system and spoke to someone. They looked it up, and deleted the toll due to \"error\" and I was no longer responsible for the bill. Cool, no big deal errors happen and they cleared it right up. Then I start getting more, and more and more and they no longer clear it up that I owe them money. Only issue is my \"plates\" are on this other car that is not mine. I've never had my plates stolen. So someone, somewhere made replica plates or in some mistake with the DMV issued the same plates?? Whoever started doing this drives the toll road twice a day and for two months that adds up. I'm 100% sure no one on the phone believes me anymore and think I'm trying to scam the toll roads. I went to the DMV to try and clear it up and even if need be pay extra for vanity plates just to get new tags, issue is when there is outstanding Tolls they won't let you get new plates or anything else. I filed a police report and went yesterday after work to get a copy of the report so I can use that to start getting the ball rolling but the incident number I received and finally got copies of is two sentences \"Responded to non emergency call at XXX address, met caller XXX. Report of copied license plate, XXX reports his license plate was copied or reproduced and used for another vehicle\" and that's it. Do I call and try to get a better report put in that actually says anything I said to try and get it cleared up or what?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "It may be reading plates from another state. My sister just told me the other day she’s received bills from EZ Pass for a car that wasn’t hers, they just went by the Letters/Numbers on the plate and didn’t check the state. She called and once they realized the issue, it was fixed. They have people checking them by hand, have they sent you a picture of the plate?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(IL) Post office scribbles over our \"return to sender\" notes and keeps giving us mail that isn't ours Since we moved into our apartment 2 years ago we've been getting mail sent by the military for a guy who doesn't live here. As the title says, we consistently write RTS and \"wrong address\" on the envelopes, in addition to talking face to face with the postmen and post office about it but they keep sticking it back in our mailbox. Now it's at the point where they are marking out our RTS notes and putting the envelopes back in. I doubt we can just throw this mail away but we're sick of getting it. What is the proper legal action when even the post office won't do anything?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Are you dropping them back into your mail box, or a regular mail box? I had this issue and started dropping them into the pick up mail box on the corner and the issue went away.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(IL) Post office scribbles over our \"return to sender\" notes and keeps giving us mail that isn't ours Since we moved into our apartment 2 years ago we've been getting mail sent by the military for a guy who doesn't live here. As the title says, we consistently write RTS and \"wrong address\" on the envelopes, in addition to talking face to face with the postmen and post office about it but they keep sticking it back in our mailbox. Now it's at the point where they are marking out our RTS notes and putting the envelopes back in. I doubt we can just throw this mail away but we're sick of getting it. What is the proper legal action when even the post office won't do anything?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Another helpful tip -- There's a bar code somewhere on the envelope -- usually on the bottom. If you take a marker and black it out, when it gets sent back, it'll be \"rejected\" and someone will have to manually look at it. They'll see the mark-ups that you have on the letter. Right now, someone is just sending it back to the processing plant where it's dumped back into the \"regular mail\" and the machine is just reading the bar code, sending it back to you.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(IL) Post office scribbles over our \"return to sender\" notes and keeps giving us mail that isn't ours Since we moved into our apartment 2 years ago we've been getting mail sent by the military for a guy who doesn't live here. As the title says, we consistently write RTS and \"wrong address\" on the envelopes, in addition to talking face to face with the postmen and post office about it but they keep sticking it back in our mailbox. Now it's at the point where they are marking out our RTS notes and putting the envelopes back in. I doubt we can just throw this mail away but we're sick of getting it. What is the proper legal action when even the post office won't do anything?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "> we've been getting mail sent by the military for a guy who doesn't live here. I would try contacting the military department which is sending the mail. If the post office won't stop delivering it to you, maybe you can get the military to stop mailing it to you.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(IL) Post office scribbles over our \"return to sender\" notes and keeps giving us mail that isn't ours Since we moved into our apartment 2 years ago we've been getting mail sent by the military for a guy who doesn't live here. As the title says, we consistently write RTS and \"wrong address\" on the envelopes, in addition to talking face to face with the postmen and post office about it but they keep sticking it back in our mailbox. Now it's at the point where they are marking out our RTS notes and putting the envelopes back in. I doubt we can just throw this mail away but we're sick of getting it. What is the proper legal action when even the post office won't do anything?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Another helpful tip -- There's a bar code somewhere on the envelope -- usually on the bottom. If you take a marker and black it out, when it gets sent back, it'll be \"rejected\" and someone will have to manually look at it. They'll see the mark-ups that you have on the letter. Right now, someone is just sending it back to the processing plant where it's dumped back into the \"regular mail\" and the machine is just reading the bar code, sending it back to you.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(IL) Post office scribbles over our \"return to sender\" notes and keeps giving us mail that isn't ours Since we moved into our apartment 2 years ago we've been getting mail sent by the military for a guy who doesn't live here. As the title says, we consistently write RTS and \"wrong address\" on the envelopes, in addition to talking face to face with the postmen and post office about it but they keep sticking it back in our mailbox. Now it's at the point where they are marking out our RTS notes and putting the envelopes back in. I doubt we can just throw this mail away but we're sick of getting it. What is the proper legal action when even the post office won't do anything?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Would it be illegal for this person to throw the mail away if it keeps getting delivered to them and they accumulated a lot of it?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(IL) Post office scribbles over our \"return to sender\" notes and keeps giving us mail that isn't ours Since we moved into our apartment 2 years ago we've been getting mail sent by the military for a guy who doesn't live here. As the title says, we consistently write RTS and \"wrong address\" on the envelopes, in addition to talking face to face with the postmen and post office about it but they keep sticking it back in our mailbox. Now it's at the point where they are marking out our RTS notes and putting the envelopes back in. I doubt we can just throw this mail away but we're sick of getting it. What is the proper legal action when even the post office won't do anything?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Another helpful tip -- There's a bar code somewhere on the envelope -- usually on the bottom. If you take a marker and black it out, when it gets sent back, it'll be \"rejected\" and someone will have to manually look at it. They'll see the mark-ups that you have on the letter. Right now, someone is just sending it back to the processing plant where it's dumped back into the \"regular mail\" and the machine is just reading the bar code, sending it back to you.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(IL) Post office scribbles over our \"return to sender\" notes and keeps giving us mail that isn't ours Since we moved into our apartment 2 years ago we've been getting mail sent by the military for a guy who doesn't live here. As the title says, we consistently write RTS and \"wrong address\" on the envelopes, in addition to talking face to face with the postmen and post office about it but they keep sticking it back in our mailbox. Now it's at the point where they are marking out our RTS notes and putting the envelopes back in. I doubt we can just throw this mail away but we're sick of getting it. What is the proper legal action when even the post office won't do anything?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Not a lawyer but have been receiving my ex-downstairs-neighbor's mail for 2 years, lmk what works?", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(IL) Post office scribbles over our \"return to sender\" notes and keeps giving us mail that isn't ours Since we moved into our apartment 2 years ago we've been getting mail sent by the military for a guy who doesn't live here. As the title says, we consistently write RTS and \"wrong address\" on the envelopes, in addition to talking face to face with the postmen and post office about it but they keep sticking it back in our mailbox. Now it's at the point where they are marking out our RTS notes and putting the envelopes back in. I doubt we can just throw this mail away but we're sick of getting it. What is the proper legal action when even the post office won't do anything?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Another helpful tip -- There's a bar code somewhere on the envelope -- usually on the bottom. If you take a marker and black it out, when it gets sent back, it'll be \"rejected\" and someone will have to manually look at it. They'll see the mark-ups that you have on the letter. Right now, someone is just sending it back to the processing plant where it's dumped back into the \"regular mail\" and the machine is just reading the bar code, sending it back to you.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(IL) Post office scribbles over our \"return to sender\" notes and keeps giving us mail that isn't ours Since we moved into our apartment 2 years ago we've been getting mail sent by the military for a guy who doesn't live here. As the title says, we consistently write RTS and \"wrong address\" on the envelopes, in addition to talking face to face with the postmen and post office about it but they keep sticking it back in our mailbox. Now it's at the point where they are marking out our RTS notes and putting the envelopes back in. I doubt we can just throw this mail away but we're sick of getting it. What is the proper legal action when even the post office won't do anything?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Can you ask your apartment complex if he left a forwarding address? When this happened to me (house not apartment though), my landlord took the mail and forwarded it to the old tenant.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "(IL) Post office scribbles over our \"return to sender\" notes and keeps giving us mail that isn't ours Since we moved into our apartment 2 years ago we've been getting mail sent by the military for a guy who doesn't live here. As the title says, we consistently write RTS and \"wrong address\" on the envelopes, in addition to talking face to face with the postmen and post office about it but they keep sticking it back in our mailbox. Now it's at the point where they are marking out our RTS notes and putting the envelopes back in. I doubt we can just throw this mail away but we're sick of getting it. What is the proper legal action when even the post office won't do anything?", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Another helpful tip -- There's a bar code somewhere on the envelope -- usually on the bottom. If you take a marker and black it out, when it gets sent back, it'll be \"rejected\" and someone will have to manually look at it. They'll see the mark-ups that you have on the letter. Right now, someone is just sending it back to the processing plant where it's dumped back into the \"regular mail\" and the machine is just reading the bar code, sending it back to you.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[AK] My landlord isn't providing an option for me to receive mail? I am a disabled veteran and I am not allowed to drive due to my conditions. I just moved into a new apartment and asked the landlord where is the mailbox/how do I pick up my packages because I have my medicines from the VA being mailed to me. She responded saying \"You need to open a PO Box at the post office\". And I'm not sure this is legal? How am I supposed to get to the post office??? It's a rural town in Alaska) and there's 1 Uber driver (guy name Christopher... Everyone knows him, really nice guy) but he isn't always driving.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "There is a possibility the landlord does not own the land from the curb 4ft in and you may have a right to install a mailbox. Thats how it is in CT here because I use a PO Box and I brought this up to the postmaster. Luckily, I live near the PO.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[AK] My landlord isn't providing an option for me to receive mail? I am a disabled veteran and I am not allowed to drive due to my conditions. I just moved into a new apartment and asked the landlord where is the mailbox/how do I pick up my packages because I have my medicines from the VA being mailed to me. She responded saying \"You need to open a PO Box at the post office\". And I'm not sure this is legal? How am I supposed to get to the post office??? It's a rural town in Alaska) and there's 1 Uber driver (guy name Christopher... Everyone knows him, really nice guy) but he isn't always driving.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "If there is carrier delivery in your zip code you might qualify for a hardship delivery. That means the carrier will bring the mail to your door. You will need a drs note to prove you need the service.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[AK] My landlord isn't providing an option for me to receive mail? I am a disabled veteran and I am not allowed to drive due to my conditions. I just moved into a new apartment and asked the landlord where is the mailbox/how do I pick up my packages because I have my medicines from the VA being mailed to me. She responded saying \"You need to open a PO Box at the post office\". And I'm not sure this is legal? How am I supposed to get to the post office??? It's a rural town in Alaska) and there's 1 Uber driver (guy name Christopher... Everyone knows him, really nice guy) but he isn't always driving.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Do you know for a fact mail is delivered to the apartment. Not familiar with your area but where I live many of the small towns USPS only has rural carriers so if you live in town you have to have a PO box", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[AK] My landlord isn't providing an option for me to receive mail? I am a disabled veteran and I am not allowed to drive due to my conditions. I just moved into a new apartment and asked the landlord where is the mailbox/how do I pick up my packages because I have my medicines from the VA being mailed to me. She responded saying \"You need to open a PO Box at the post office\". And I'm not sure this is legal? How am I supposed to get to the post office??? It's a rural town in Alaska) and there's 1 Uber driver (guy name Christopher... Everyone knows him, really nice guy) but he isn't always driving.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "If there is carrier delivery in your zip code you might qualify for a hardship delivery. That means the carrier will bring the mail to your door. You will need a drs note to prove you need the service.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[OH] My girlfriend's youngest daughter (4) has talked about her father (living in VA) multiple times of abusing her. He \"checks\" her privates for hair, he tells her, to make sure she's growing up, etc. The local child protection agency has done multiple \"investigations\" which consisted entirely of calling him and asking, \"Did you do molest your children?\" and him saying, \"No. In fact, I want to report that her mother is molesting them.\" At that, they dismiss everything as a sour divorce tit-for-tat. One of the investigations was even triggered by the girl's counselor who was concerned the abuse was real and not something the girl was making up. THAT investigation also resulted in the agency conducting an interview over the phone with the accused and reporting back to her mother, \"He denied it. End of investigation.\" This past week the little girl has started to talk about it again. Both her and her brother know sexual things way beyond their years that their mother did not teach them and I know that's one of the signs of abuse. My question is, where do we turn to now?! The \"child protection\" agency in our county has completely written off the allegations that the child has made and continues to make, in very vivid detail. Their mother is distraught, and has practically given up because she doesn't know where to turn, and decided that maybe the best thing is to get her on birth control as early as she can be if no agency is going to do anything about it. The father has made false allegations against members of her family (which got FULL investigations for some reason) and they determined that the father had coached the kids on what to say. He has threatened to make more accusations against her family and anyone she dates in order to make her life hell. She has told the agency this and they do nothing. We don't know what to do. Help!", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Paging /u/Napalmenator", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[OH] My girlfriend's youngest daughter (4) has talked about her father (living in VA) multiple times of abusing her. He \"checks\" her privates for hair, he tells her, to make sure she's growing up, etc. The local child protection agency has done multiple \"investigations\" which consisted entirely of calling him and asking, \"Did you do molest your children?\" and him saying, \"No. In fact, I want to report that her mother is molesting them.\" At that, they dismiss everything as a sour divorce tit-for-tat. One of the investigations was even triggered by the girl's counselor who was concerned the abuse was real and not something the girl was making up. THAT investigation also resulted in the agency conducting an interview over the phone with the accused and reporting back to her mother, \"He denied it. End of investigation.\" This past week the little girl has started to talk about it again. Both her and her brother know sexual things way beyond their years that their mother did not teach them and I know that's one of the signs of abuse. My question is, where do we turn to now?! The \"child protection\" agency in our county has completely written off the allegations that the child has made and continues to make, in very vivid detail. Their mother is distraught, and has practically given up because she doesn't know where to turn, and decided that maybe the best thing is to get her on birth control as early as she can be if no agency is going to do anything about it. The father has made false allegations against members of her family (which got FULL investigations for some reason) and they determined that the father had coached the kids on what to say. He has threatened to make more accusations against her family and anyone she dates in order to make her life hell. She has told the agency this and they do nothing. We don't know what to do. Help!", "role": "user" }, { "content": "You have evidence that a serious felony is occurring. Run, don't walk, to the police. The end.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[OH] My girlfriend's youngest daughter (4) has talked about her father (living in VA) multiple times of abusing her. He \"checks\" her privates for hair, he tells her, to make sure she's growing up, etc. The local child protection agency has done multiple \"investigations\" which consisted entirely of calling him and asking, \"Did you do molest your children?\" and him saying, \"No. In fact, I want to report that her mother is molesting them.\" At that, they dismiss everything as a sour divorce tit-for-tat. One of the investigations was even triggered by the girl's counselor who was concerned the abuse was real and not something the girl was making up. THAT investigation also resulted in the agency conducting an interview over the phone with the accused and reporting back to her mother, \"He denied it. End of investigation.\" This past week the little girl has started to talk about it again. Both her and her brother know sexual things way beyond their years that their mother did not teach them and I know that's one of the signs of abuse. My question is, where do we turn to now?! The \"child protection\" agency in our county has completely written off the allegations that the child has made and continues to make, in very vivid detail. Their mother is distraught, and has practically given up because she doesn't know where to turn, and decided that maybe the best thing is to get her on birth control as early as she can be if no agency is going to do anything about it. The father has made false allegations against members of her family (which got FULL investigations for some reason) and they determined that the father had coached the kids on what to say. He has threatened to make more accusations against her family and anyone she dates in order to make her life hell. She has told the agency this and they do nothing. We don't know what to do. Help!", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Paging /u/Napalmenator", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[OH] My girlfriend's youngest daughter (4) has talked about her father (living in VA) multiple times of abusing her. He \"checks\" her privates for hair, he tells her, to make sure she's growing up, etc. The local child protection agency has done multiple \"investigations\" which consisted entirely of calling him and asking, \"Did you do molest your children?\" and him saying, \"No. In fact, I want to report that her mother is molesting them.\" At that, they dismiss everything as a sour divorce tit-for-tat. One of the investigations was even triggered by the girl's counselor who was concerned the abuse was real and not something the girl was making up. THAT investigation also resulted in the agency conducting an interview over the phone with the accused and reporting back to her mother, \"He denied it. End of investigation.\" This past week the little girl has started to talk about it again. Both her and her brother know sexual things way beyond their years that their mother did not teach them and I know that's one of the signs of abuse. My question is, where do we turn to now?! The \"child protection\" agency in our county has completely written off the allegations that the child has made and continues to make, in very vivid detail. Their mother is distraught, and has practically given up because she doesn't know where to turn, and decided that maybe the best thing is to get her on birth control as early as she can be if no agency is going to do anything about it. The father has made false allegations against members of her family (which got FULL investigations for some reason) and they determined that the father had coached the kids on what to say. He has threatened to make more accusations against her family and anyone she dates in order to make her life hell. She has told the agency this and they do nothing. We don't know what to do. Help!", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Police are the next step. The children need forensic interviews done.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] Local home builder drops nails all over our roads, leaving us with constant tire punctures. They won’t pay for tires or street sweeping, what can we do? I live in a new community right outside of Austin, all built by the same builder. Over the past few months, folks who live here have had to replace numerous tires due to nail punctures. When I take my daughter on walks around the neighborhood, we collect nails from the streets! They are coming off of trucks that come and go from the sites still under construction. Various neighbors have tried to be compensated for tires or asked them to pay for street sweeping. The builder says he won’t do anything, it’s not his problem. Our HOA says it’s not something they can make the builder do. Do we have any chance at getting to them if we hire legal representation? We’re also a bit rural, outside of the incorporated town limits of an Austin suburb. So I’m not sure if the town would even send a street sweeper. We’re talking 30+ new tires and countless patches. Im trying to collect an actual count from neighbors.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "The builder will not change their behavior until they suffer consequences for their actions. You need to collect evidence and reach out to institutions that have leverage over them in order to force them to change their behavior. They need permits from the city in order to build, so reach out to the city and inform them of what's going on. Talk to your neighbors and perhaps get a group to go together to a city hall meeting. Contact the police and see if dropping nails from a vehicle constitutes a traffic offense. And get a consultation with a lawyer to see about going after the builder in court. As far as getting money out of them in court, you'll have to prove that they dropped the nails and that you could not have reasonably prevented yourself from running over them. I can't really give you a percentage estimate of the chances of winning - that question would be best asked of your lawyer. But you should definitely reach out to one.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] Local home builder drops nails all over our roads, leaving us with constant tire punctures. They won’t pay for tires or street sweeping, what can we do? I live in a new community right outside of Austin, all built by the same builder. Over the past few months, folks who live here have had to replace numerous tires due to nail punctures. When I take my daughter on walks around the neighborhood, we collect nails from the streets! They are coming off of trucks that come and go from the sites still under construction. Various neighbors have tried to be compensated for tires or asked them to pay for street sweeping. The builder says he won’t do anything, it’s not his problem. Our HOA says it’s not something they can make the builder do. Do we have any chance at getting to them if we hire legal representation? We’re also a bit rural, outside of the incorporated town limits of an Austin suburb. So I’m not sure if the town would even send a street sweeper. We’re talking 30+ new tires and countless patches. Im trying to collect an actual count from neighbors.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I'm going to take a different tack. Call the DOT, not the police. There are consequences for commercial vehicles with unsecured loads, I have seen trucks towed for allowing dirt/stones to blow off them.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] Local home builder drops nails all over our roads, leaving us with constant tire punctures. They won’t pay for tires or street sweeping, what can we do? I live in a new community right outside of Austin, all built by the same builder. Over the past few months, folks who live here have had to replace numerous tires due to nail punctures. When I take my daughter on walks around the neighborhood, we collect nails from the streets! They are coming off of trucks that come and go from the sites still under construction. Various neighbors have tried to be compensated for tires or asked them to pay for street sweeping. The builder says he won’t do anything, it’s not his problem. Our HOA says it’s not something they can make the builder do. Do we have any chance at getting to them if we hire legal representation? We’re also a bit rural, outside of the incorporated town limits of an Austin suburb. So I’m not sure if the town would even send a street sweeper. We’re talking 30+ new tires and countless patches. Im trying to collect an actual count from neighbors.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "We've dealt with this twice and it is difficult to prove who dropped the nails unless you have video proof. I do suggest purchasing a magnetic sweeper to carry with you as you walk- it's a large bar magnet with a handle- they are reasonably priced and catch far more metal fragments and nails than by just eyesight alone. I also used one at a horse stable because of horseshoe nails puncturing tires. I filled buckets using the magnetic sweeper.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] Local home builder drops nails all over our roads, leaving us with constant tire punctures. They won’t pay for tires or street sweeping, what can we do? I live in a new community right outside of Austin, all built by the same builder. Over the past few months, folks who live here have had to replace numerous tires due to nail punctures. When I take my daughter on walks around the neighborhood, we collect nails from the streets! They are coming off of trucks that come and go from the sites still under construction. Various neighbors have tried to be compensated for tires or asked them to pay for street sweeping. The builder says he won’t do anything, it’s not his problem. Our HOA says it’s not something they can make the builder do. Do we have any chance at getting to them if we hire legal representation? We’re also a bit rural, outside of the incorporated town limits of an Austin suburb. So I’m not sure if the town would even send a street sweeper. We’re talking 30+ new tires and countless patches. Im trying to collect an actual count from neighbors.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I'm going to take a different tack. Call the DOT, not the police. There are consequences for commercial vehicles with unsecured loads, I have seen trucks towed for allowing dirt/stones to blow off them.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] Local home builder drops nails all over our roads, leaving us with constant tire punctures. They won’t pay for tires or street sweeping, what can we do? I live in a new community right outside of Austin, all built by the same builder. Over the past few months, folks who live here have had to replace numerous tires due to nail punctures. When I take my daughter on walks around the neighborhood, we collect nails from the streets! They are coming off of trucks that come and go from the sites still under construction. Various neighbors have tried to be compensated for tires or asked them to pay for street sweeping. The builder says he won’t do anything, it’s not his problem. Our HOA says it’s not something they can make the builder do. Do we have any chance at getting to them if we hire legal representation? We’re also a bit rural, outside of the incorporated town limits of an Austin suburb. So I’m not sure if the town would even send a street sweeper. We’re talking 30+ new tires and countless patches. Im trying to collect an actual count from neighbors.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "If the streets are private, the HOA may be able to restrict the builder's use of them. If he were faced with the prospect of parking blocks away and hand carrying stuff, he'd be a lot more careful about nails.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] Local home builder drops nails all over our roads, leaving us with constant tire punctures. They won’t pay for tires or street sweeping, what can we do? I live in a new community right outside of Austin, all built by the same builder. Over the past few months, folks who live here have had to replace numerous tires due to nail punctures. When I take my daughter on walks around the neighborhood, we collect nails from the streets! They are coming off of trucks that come and go from the sites still under construction. Various neighbors have tried to be compensated for tires or asked them to pay for street sweeping. The builder says he won’t do anything, it’s not his problem. Our HOA says it’s not something they can make the builder do. Do we have any chance at getting to them if we hire legal representation? We’re also a bit rural, outside of the incorporated town limits of an Austin suburb. So I’m not sure if the town would even send a street sweeper. We’re talking 30+ new tires and countless patches. Im trying to collect an actual count from neighbors.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I'm going to take a different tack. Call the DOT, not the police. There are consequences for commercial vehicles with unsecured loads, I have seen trucks towed for allowing dirt/stones to blow off them.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] Local home builder drops nails all over our roads, leaving us with constant tire punctures. They won’t pay for tires or street sweeping, what can we do? I live in a new community right outside of Austin, all built by the same builder. Over the past few months, folks who live here have had to replace numerous tires due to nail punctures. When I take my daughter on walks around the neighborhood, we collect nails from the streets! They are coming off of trucks that come and go from the sites still under construction. Various neighbors have tried to be compensated for tires or asked them to pay for street sweeping. The builder says he won’t do anything, it’s not his problem. Our HOA says it’s not something they can make the builder do. Do we have any chance at getting to them if we hire legal representation? We’re also a bit rural, outside of the incorporated town limits of an Austin suburb. So I’m not sure if the town would even send a street sweeper. We’re talking 30+ new tires and countless patches. Im trying to collect an actual count from neighbors.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I am not a lawyer so take everything with a grain of salt. You can sue anybody for anything. That doesnt mean it will stick in court. You say the nails are falling off the back of trucks. Are the roads public or private roads. If they are Public the DOT (Not sure if TX has or Austin but look it up) may be very interested. Also if you can get video or dashcam footage of the nails falling off the backs of trucks. It only helps your position and you may want to contact your insurance or a lawyer at that point. The HOA could theoretically do something but it isn't the HOA's job or issue as it affects individual residents. I would speak with others who have their tires punctured and gather evidence that it is the builders trucks dropping nails. Then you can all chip in for a lawyer and sue the Builder if the lawyer believes you have a case. If you got tires replaced through insurance your insurance may be interested as this will allow them to recoup the money.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] Local home builder drops nails all over our roads, leaving us with constant tire punctures. They won’t pay for tires or street sweeping, what can we do? I live in a new community right outside of Austin, all built by the same builder. Over the past few months, folks who live here have had to replace numerous tires due to nail punctures. When I take my daughter on walks around the neighborhood, we collect nails from the streets! They are coming off of trucks that come and go from the sites still under construction. Various neighbors have tried to be compensated for tires or asked them to pay for street sweeping. The builder says he won’t do anything, it’s not his problem. Our HOA says it’s not something they can make the builder do. Do we have any chance at getting to them if we hire legal representation? We’re also a bit rural, outside of the incorporated town limits of an Austin suburb. So I’m not sure if the town would even send a street sweeper. We’re talking 30+ new tires and countless patches. Im trying to collect an actual count from neighbors.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I'm going to take a different tack. Call the DOT, not the police. There are consequences for commercial vehicles with unsecured loads, I have seen trucks towed for allowing dirt/stones to blow off them.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] Local home builder drops nails all over our roads, leaving us with constant tire punctures. They won’t pay for tires or street sweeping, what can we do? I live in a new community right outside of Austin, all built by the same builder. Over the past few months, folks who live here have had to replace numerous tires due to nail punctures. When I take my daughter on walks around the neighborhood, we collect nails from the streets! They are coming off of trucks that come and go from the sites still under construction. Various neighbors have tried to be compensated for tires or asked them to pay for street sweeping. The builder says he won’t do anything, it’s not his problem. Our HOA says it’s not something they can make the builder do. Do we have any chance at getting to them if we hire legal representation? We’re also a bit rural, outside of the incorporated town limits of an Austin suburb. So I’m not sure if the town would even send a street sweeper. We’re talking 30+ new tires and countless patches. Im trying to collect an actual count from neighbors.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I am not a lawyer so take everything with a grain of salt. You can sue anybody for anything. That doesnt mean it will stick in court. You say the nails are falling off the back of trucks. Are the roads public or private roads. If they are Public the DOT (Not sure if TX has or Austin but look it up) may be very interested. Also if you can get video or dashcam footage of the nails falling off the backs of trucks. It only helps your position and you may want to contact your insurance or a lawyer at that point. The HOA could theoretically do something but it isn't the HOA's job or issue as it affects individual residents. I would speak with others who have their tires punctured and gather evidence that it is the builders trucks dropping nails. Then you can all chip in for a lawyer and sue the Builder if the lawyer believes you have a case. If you got tires replaced through insurance your insurance may be interested as this will allow them to recoup the money.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "[TX] Local home builder drops nails all over our roads, leaving us with constant tire punctures. They won’t pay for tires or street sweeping, what can we do? I live in a new community right outside of Austin, all built by the same builder. Over the past few months, folks who live here have had to replace numerous tires due to nail punctures. When I take my daughter on walks around the neighborhood, we collect nails from the streets! They are coming off of trucks that come and go from the sites still under construction. Various neighbors have tried to be compensated for tires or asked them to pay for street sweeping. The builder says he won’t do anything, it’s not his problem. Our HOA says it’s not something they can make the builder do. Do we have any chance at getting to them if we hire legal representation? We’re also a bit rural, outside of the incorporated town limits of an Austin suburb. So I’m not sure if the town would even send a street sweeper. We’re talking 30+ new tires and countless patches. Im trying to collect an actual count from neighbors.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "The builder will not change their behavior until they suffer consequences for their actions. You need to collect evidence and reach out to institutions that have leverage over them in order to force them to change their behavior. They need permits from the city in order to build, so reach out to the city and inform them of what's going on. Talk to your neighbors and perhaps get a group to go together to a city hall meeting. Contact the police and see if dropping nails from a vehicle constitutes a traffic offense. And get a consultation with a lawyer to see about going after the builder in court. As far as getting money out of them in court, you'll have to prove that they dropped the nails and that you could not have reasonably prevented yourself from running over them. I can't really give you a percentage estimate of the chances of winning - that question would be best asked of your lawyer. But you should definitely reach out to one.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Landlord won’t fix the heat and it’s-6 degrees outside No heat: I live in an apartment complex that shares heat and we have our own digital dial to control our heat. We put a maintenance request about 3 weeks ago, because we haven’t heard the heat turn on. So we were out of heat for longer than 3 weeks. At the time we were transitioning from 50 degree weather to now-6degree weather here in Minnesota in the last 3 weeks. When maintenance came in they told us our heater compressor needed to be replaced that’s why our heat hasn’t worked. We have sent emails asking for a time frame because we feel like it hasn’t been done in a timely manner. Temperature have came down to 67 degrees in our units (probably getting heat from other units) so not sure what to do next or what options we have? How cold is too cold to be ok without heat if other units are keeping heat at least at 67 degrees. We also pay heat for our unit but it’s shared by all the residents and what ever the heat bill is for the whole building it’s equally distributed to the residents based on square footage", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Hi there! I’m the LegalFAQ bot. It looks like you may be experiencing housing issues related to housing or eviction. Come to https://legalfaq.org to find legal resources for renters in each state. You can also find links to local groups that can help you with legal, financial, or other problems at https://legalfaq.org/getHelp. Help us provide accurate advice to fellow redditors: if your post was related to housing or eviction, please like this comment; otherwise, please dislike this comment. *v0.1*", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Landlord won’t fix the heat and it’s-6 degrees outside No heat: I live in an apartment complex that shares heat and we have our own digital dial to control our heat. We put a maintenance request about 3 weeks ago, because we haven’t heard the heat turn on. So we were out of heat for longer than 3 weeks. At the time we were transitioning from 50 degree weather to now-6degree weather here in Minnesota in the last 3 weeks. When maintenance came in they told us our heater compressor needed to be replaced that’s why our heat hasn’t worked. We have sent emails asking for a time frame because we feel like it hasn’t been done in a timely manner. Temperature have came down to 67 degrees in our units (probably getting heat from other units) so not sure what to do next or what options we have? How cold is too cold to be ok without heat if other units are keeping heat at least at 67 degrees. We also pay heat for our unit but it’s shared by all the residents and what ever the heat bill is for the whole building it’s equally distributed to the residents based on square footage", "role": "user" }, { "content": "This is very specific to your city ordinances. Minnesota only has a general requirement of habitability. In general most cities that have an applicable ordinance it states that heating systems must be capable of heating to at least 68 degrees when required (notice the ordinances don’t typically say maintain the heat at this temperature). Need to figure out if your city has an ordinance and if so what temperature it requires. If the temperature is within 1-2 degrees of the ordinance may or may not be worth reporting -would be up to your judgement.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Can I get in trouble for giving my neighbor his leaves back? I live in Louisiana and every year around this time I have to deal with this crap. My neighborhood is small and quiet and we generally love it, except that my neighbor is an asshole. My yard has no big trees in it and the small Crepe Myrtles I have make very little mess. My neighbor, on the other hand has a huge Live Oak and some other tree that has enormous fricken leaves. First off, he doesn’t take good care of his own yard so the leaves just pile up and eventually come into my yard, which is something I have always dealt with without making a big deal about it until a month or so ago. I came home a little early to eat lunch and he happened to be blowing off his driveway, straight into my yard. I didn’t say anything but I waited until he went inside and got my backpack blower(I own lawn service) and gave him his leaves back. Since then we have had a sort of silent war of leaves and yesterday I went outside and there were leaves literally covering my front porch and his yard was freshly cut. Not only did his mower blow the leaves in my yard but he then proceeded to blow the rest into my yard. He was outside so I asked him what his issue was and he said he had no issue and that the wind must have blown them in my yard. Bullshit, there was absolutely zero wind. So, once again, I waited until he went in and I did my thing, only this time his truck was in the driveway so it got covered and his azaleas and front porch had their fair share. He came outside and threatened to sue me, to which I asked him to please call the police if he felt that he had been done wrong in any way, and he said he was going to, but never did. My question is if it is illegal to give him his leaves back without it being considered litter or anything? I know it sounds stupid but my wife is paranoid because she just doesn’t want to deal with any BS. Thanks Tl; dr neighbor tried to give his leaves to me so I gave them back.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "I’d consider getting/renting an industrial blower and let it blow towards his house, his little leaf blower won’t stand a chance ;)", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Can I get in trouble for giving my neighbor his leaves back? I live in Louisiana and every year around this time I have to deal with this crap. My neighborhood is small and quiet and we generally love it, except that my neighbor is an asshole. My yard has no big trees in it and the small Crepe Myrtles I have make very little mess. My neighbor, on the other hand has a huge Live Oak and some other tree that has enormous fricken leaves. First off, he doesn’t take good care of his own yard so the leaves just pile up and eventually come into my yard, which is something I have always dealt with without making a big deal about it until a month or so ago. I came home a little early to eat lunch and he happened to be blowing off his driveway, straight into my yard. I didn’t say anything but I waited until he went inside and got my backpack blower(I own lawn service) and gave him his leaves back. Since then we have had a sort of silent war of leaves and yesterday I went outside and there were leaves literally covering my front porch and his yard was freshly cut. Not only did his mower blow the leaves in my yard but he then proceeded to blow the rest into my yard. He was outside so I asked him what his issue was and he said he had no issue and that the wind must have blown them in my yard. Bullshit, there was absolutely zero wind. So, once again, I waited until he went in and I did my thing, only this time his truck was in the driveway so it got covered and his azaleas and front porch had their fair share. He came outside and threatened to sue me, to which I asked him to please call the police if he felt that he had been done wrong in any way, and he said he was going to, but never did. My question is if it is illegal to give him his leaves back without it being considered litter or anything? I know it sounds stupid but my wife is paranoid because she just doesn’t want to deal with any BS. Thanks Tl; dr neighbor tried to give his leaves to me so I gave them back.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Just don't go onto his property. You may also want to setup a security camera to see if he is coming onto yours. That is if you are trying to get him in legal trouble.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Can I get in trouble for giving my neighbor his leaves back? I live in Louisiana and every year around this time I have to deal with this crap. My neighborhood is small and quiet and we generally love it, except that my neighbor is an asshole. My yard has no big trees in it and the small Crepe Myrtles I have make very little mess. My neighbor, on the other hand has a huge Live Oak and some other tree that has enormous fricken leaves. First off, he doesn’t take good care of his own yard so the leaves just pile up and eventually come into my yard, which is something I have always dealt with without making a big deal about it until a month or so ago. I came home a little early to eat lunch and he happened to be blowing off his driveway, straight into my yard. I didn’t say anything but I waited until he went inside and got my backpack blower(I own lawn service) and gave him his leaves back. Since then we have had a sort of silent war of leaves and yesterday I went outside and there were leaves literally covering my front porch and his yard was freshly cut. Not only did his mower blow the leaves in my yard but he then proceeded to blow the rest into my yard. He was outside so I asked him what his issue was and he said he had no issue and that the wind must have blown them in my yard. Bullshit, there was absolutely zero wind. So, once again, I waited until he went in and I did my thing, only this time his truck was in the driveway so it got covered and his azaleas and front porch had their fair share. He came outside and threatened to sue me, to which I asked him to please call the police if he felt that he had been done wrong in any way, and he said he was going to, but never did. My question is if it is illegal to give him his leaves back without it being considered litter or anything? I know it sounds stupid but my wife is paranoid because she just doesn’t want to deal with any BS. Thanks Tl; dr neighbor tried to give his leaves to me so I gave them back.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Are you Rand Paul's neighbor? https://www.gq.com/story/inside-rand-pauls-neighborhood-fight", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Can I get in trouble for giving my neighbor his leaves back? I live in Louisiana and every year around this time I have to deal with this crap. My neighborhood is small and quiet and we generally love it, except that my neighbor is an asshole. My yard has no big trees in it and the small Crepe Myrtles I have make very little mess. My neighbor, on the other hand has a huge Live Oak and some other tree that has enormous fricken leaves. First off, he doesn’t take good care of his own yard so the leaves just pile up and eventually come into my yard, which is something I have always dealt with without making a big deal about it until a month or so ago. I came home a little early to eat lunch and he happened to be blowing off his driveway, straight into my yard. I didn’t say anything but I waited until he went inside and got my backpack blower(I own lawn service) and gave him his leaves back. Since then we have had a sort of silent war of leaves and yesterday I went outside and there were leaves literally covering my front porch and his yard was freshly cut. Not only did his mower blow the leaves in my yard but he then proceeded to blow the rest into my yard. He was outside so I asked him what his issue was and he said he had no issue and that the wind must have blown them in my yard. Bullshit, there was absolutely zero wind. So, once again, I waited until he went in and I did my thing, only this time his truck was in the driveway so it got covered and his azaleas and front porch had their fair share. He came outside and threatened to sue me, to which I asked him to please call the police if he felt that he had been done wrong in any way, and he said he was going to, but never did. My question is if it is illegal to give him his leaves back without it being considered litter or anything? I know it sounds stupid but my wife is paranoid because she just doesn’t want to deal with any BS. Thanks Tl; dr neighbor tried to give his leaves to me so I gave them back.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Two households, both alike in dignity..", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Can I get in trouble for giving my neighbor his leaves back? I live in Louisiana and every year around this time I have to deal with this crap. My neighborhood is small and quiet and we generally love it, except that my neighbor is an asshole. My yard has no big trees in it and the small Crepe Myrtles I have make very little mess. My neighbor, on the other hand has a huge Live Oak and some other tree that has enormous fricken leaves. First off, he doesn’t take good care of his own yard so the leaves just pile up and eventually come into my yard, which is something I have always dealt with without making a big deal about it until a month or so ago. I came home a little early to eat lunch and he happened to be blowing off his driveway, straight into my yard. I didn’t say anything but I waited until he went inside and got my backpack blower(I own lawn service) and gave him his leaves back. Since then we have had a sort of silent war of leaves and yesterday I went outside and there were leaves literally covering my front porch and his yard was freshly cut. Not only did his mower blow the leaves in my yard but he then proceeded to blow the rest into my yard. He was outside so I asked him what his issue was and he said he had no issue and that the wind must have blown them in my yard. Bullshit, there was absolutely zero wind. So, once again, I waited until he went in and I did my thing, only this time his truck was in the driveway so it got covered and his azaleas and front porch had their fair share. He came outside and threatened to sue me, to which I asked him to please call the police if he felt that he had been done wrong in any way, and he said he was going to, but never did. My question is if it is illegal to give him his leaves back without it being considered litter or anything? I know it sounds stupid but my wife is paranoid because she just doesn’t want to deal with any BS. Thanks Tl; dr neighbor tried to give his leaves to me so I gave them back.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Just put up a fence. Legally he isn't responsible for leaves that end up naturally in your side, and this will only escalate further.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Can I get in trouble for giving my neighbor his leaves back? I live in Louisiana and every year around this time I have to deal with this crap. My neighborhood is small and quiet and we generally love it, except that my neighbor is an asshole. My yard has no big trees in it and the small Crepe Myrtles I have make very little mess. My neighbor, on the other hand has a huge Live Oak and some other tree that has enormous fricken leaves. First off, he doesn’t take good care of his own yard so the leaves just pile up and eventually come into my yard, which is something I have always dealt with without making a big deal about it until a month or so ago. I came home a little early to eat lunch and he happened to be blowing off his driveway, straight into my yard. I didn’t say anything but I waited until he went inside and got my backpack blower(I own lawn service) and gave him his leaves back. Since then we have had a sort of silent war of leaves and yesterday I went outside and there were leaves literally covering my front porch and his yard was freshly cut. Not only did his mower blow the leaves in my yard but he then proceeded to blow the rest into my yard. He was outside so I asked him what his issue was and he said he had no issue and that the wind must have blown them in my yard. Bullshit, there was absolutely zero wind. So, once again, I waited until he went in and I did my thing, only this time his truck was in the driveway so it got covered and his azaleas and front porch had their fair share. He came outside and threatened to sue me, to which I asked him to please call the police if he felt that he had been done wrong in any way, and he said he was going to, but never did. My question is if it is illegal to give him his leaves back without it being considered litter or anything? I know it sounds stupid but my wife is paranoid because she just doesn’t want to deal with any BS. Thanks Tl; dr neighbor tried to give his leaves to me so I gave them back.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Two households, both alike in dignity..", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Can I get in trouble for giving my neighbor his leaves back? I live in Louisiana and every year around this time I have to deal with this crap. My neighborhood is small and quiet and we generally love it, except that my neighbor is an asshole. My yard has no big trees in it and the small Crepe Myrtles I have make very little mess. My neighbor, on the other hand has a huge Live Oak and some other tree that has enormous fricken leaves. First off, he doesn’t take good care of his own yard so the leaves just pile up and eventually come into my yard, which is something I have always dealt with without making a big deal about it until a month or so ago. I came home a little early to eat lunch and he happened to be blowing off his driveway, straight into my yard. I didn’t say anything but I waited until he went inside and got my backpack blower(I own lawn service) and gave him his leaves back. Since then we have had a sort of silent war of leaves and yesterday I went outside and there were leaves literally covering my front porch and his yard was freshly cut. Not only did his mower blow the leaves in my yard but he then proceeded to blow the rest into my yard. He was outside so I asked him what his issue was and he said he had no issue and that the wind must have blown them in my yard. Bullshit, there was absolutely zero wind. So, once again, I waited until he went in and I did my thing, only this time his truck was in the driveway so it got covered and his azaleas and front porch had their fair share. He came outside and threatened to sue me, to which I asked him to please call the police if he felt that he had been done wrong in any way, and he said he was going to, but never did. My question is if it is illegal to give him his leaves back without it being considered litter or anything? I know it sounds stupid but my wife is paranoid because she just doesn’t want to deal with any BS. Thanks Tl; dr neighbor tried to give his leaves to me so I gave them back.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Just put up a fence. Legally he isn't responsible for leaves that end up naturally in your side, and this will only escalate further.", "role": "assistant" } ]

[ { "content": "Can I get in trouble for giving my neighbor his leaves back? I live in Louisiana and every year around this time I have to deal with this crap. My neighborhood is small and quiet and we generally love it, except that my neighbor is an asshole. My yard has no big trees in it and the small Crepe Myrtles I have make very little mess. My neighbor, on the other hand has a huge Live Oak and some other tree that has enormous fricken leaves. First off, he doesn’t take good care of his own yard so the leaves just pile up and eventually come into my yard, which is something I have always dealt with without making a big deal about it until a month or so ago. I came home a little early to eat lunch and he happened to be blowing off his driveway, straight into my yard. I didn’t say anything but I waited until he went inside and got my backpack blower(I own lawn service) and gave him his leaves back. Since then we have had a sort of silent war of leaves and yesterday I went outside and there were leaves literally covering my front porch and his yard was freshly cut. Not only did his mower blow the leaves in my yard but he then proceeded to blow the rest into my yard. He was outside so I asked him what his issue was and he said he had no issue and that the wind must have blown them in my yard. Bullshit, there was absolutely zero wind. So, once again, I waited until he went in and I did my thing, only this time his truck was in the driveway so it got covered and his azaleas and front porch had their fair share. He came outside and threatened to sue me, to which I asked him to please call the police if he felt that he had been done wrong in any way, and he said he was going to, but never did. My question is if it is illegal to give him his leaves back without it being considered litter or anything? I know it sounds stupid but my wife is paranoid because she just doesn’t want to deal with any BS. Thanks Tl; dr neighbor tried to give his leaves to me so I gave them back.", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Sounds like what you are doing is legal, and hilarious. As long as no damage occurs from flying debris contained in the leaves. I lived this same war for several years. Both ours and our neighbors 1/4 acre lots were heavily wooded, so we both had to clean up a lot of leaves. Neighbor would wait until we were not at home and then blow leaves onto ours and his other neighbors lots. My husband & I finally caught him outside one day and asked what he was doing. Guy actually responded “but they’re from YOUR trees!” I asked how he could tell which were his and which were ours, and why he was blowing leaves on the other neighbors yard that had no trees? No response. We started mowing a line down the property line. Cleaning up every leaf on our side and telling him to take care of what was on his side. He moved shortly after.", "role": "assistant" } ]