r/legaladvice

Location: Illinois, USA

Apologize in advance if this is the wrong subreddit for this.

Today I got paid early morning and after checking my pay stub I noticed 8% of my pay had been subtracted for garnishments. Under garnishments it reads ‘Support 1’ and I was immediately concerned and confused. I checked my past pay statements but none of them have been garnished except this one. At the end of my shift I contacted HR and questioned why this was happening. She asked if I had any children and I said none. After some digging around she found a case for child support that my social security is in. I am still in possession of my social security card so not sure where that information could of been leaked. The name of the guy is similar to mine but not 100% the same. Both our first and last name is the same but different middle name initials and he has two last names in the document. The child and obligee’s names are people I have never met or heard of. HR gave me a number for the official Illinois HFS Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) customer service to call. After calling the gave me an email where im supposed to send a bunch of my information, my employer information, and proof of my pay being garnished and the lady on the phone told me it would take some time to process and to not call back for 6 weeks. I asked if they would continue to take my money in my paychecks and she couldn’t get me a straight answer. I emailed them with everything I was asked and now im just waiting. This all happened today and I am now I just can’t relax. How does this even happen? Is it fraud or a mistake? How can they just start taking money from me without any verification as to whether the child is mine? Am I stuck having to wait while my next couple of paychecks continue to be garnished or is there something else I can do?

Shipping/receiving Manager. Called to the carpet for excessive internet use: 15 pages of urls. Had no idea each upvote or downvote on Reddit would log a new url. Wish I had demanded copies, in hindsight I could rack up several pages in a few minutes. Also, one of the threads that I was browsing was "Adult Jokes," which even though nobody could see or even access the content, was deemed "inappropriate content."

They cut off my overtime. The last time the overtime policy applied to me (two or three years ago) it was ten minutes before/ten minutes after. Second writeup (last chance agreement) was because the policy was changed to five minuted before/after, and I wasn't following the new policy. I had no clue the policy had changed. Also, I was overheard telling a true story about three names on a mailbox by a person who was DEFINITELY not offended, to a person who was also not offended. Can't go into detail, but it was about three last names on a mailbox that made a funny but off-color phrase.

I ramped down my Reddit usage to literally two or three minutes a day, but it was still deemed excessive and a violation of the terms of the first write-up.

My co-worker/trainee was obstinate and disrespectful, and she would get angry if I interfered or offered advice on particular shipments. Apparently she said I was making her do all the hard stuff while sitting on the computer, but for the last several weeks I had given her essentially free reign to choose which tasks she wanted to do. But because HR guy walked through the department once or twice a day and saw me at the computer (generating shipping labels and routing truck freight) while she was packaging parts, I was still making her do all the "hard stuff."

Fast forward a few weeks, and I made a judgement call (similar to those I've been making for three years) that an urgent shipment could wait a day longer in order to save the company several hundred dollars in shipping costs. My co-worker took it upon herself at the end of the day to book the shipment the next day with the higher cost carrier, so I made the call to re-schedule the shipment with the lower cost carrier. The process took about 15 minutes, which put me nine minutes past the cutoff for "pre-approved over/makeup time." I had taken a half-hour of sick time earlier in the week, so the time was not overtime.

I spoke with the foreman late in the day, and told him of the decision I had made regarding the urgent shipment. I asked the question, "does this need to go today, or will tomorrow be acceptable (the next day was month-end, which I assumed was the reason behing the urgency) and the answer I got led me to believe it would be ok. I could have still gotten the shipment out with the more expensive carrier, but based on the answer I got, I assumed I could book it the next day. In my exit meeting, HR guy said I was disobeying direct orders by my supervisor.

A couple weeks ago, Inoticed that the security camera that was pointed at the two roll-up doors had been turned so that I was in the field of view while sitting at my desk. I mafe it a point to record my start and stop times for my 10-minute break. While scrolling (Reddit, of course) on my phone while sitting at my desk, I could not see over the top of my computer screens, so every time it sounded like somebody was coming in, I raised my head to see if/who it was. Somebody came out and asked me a question, and according to HR guy, they saw "a woman wearing lingeree" on my phone. That's absolute bullshit, but I can't prove it. Now I realize neither can he.

There's an orange traffic cone that I used to notify a particular carrier that we had a package for them, because pickups after 11 or so wouldn't show up until the next day. It worked great, but I forgot to bring the cone in one day. When confronted about it by my co-worker/trainee, I was dismissive of the concern for losing a traffic cone to tweakers walking through the parking lot at night, but did say I would make the effort to bring the cone in at night (once or twice a week, at most). In my exit meeting, I was accused of "not having respect for company property. For a traffic cone that was ordered by mistake (one of eight, btw) that had served no purpose until I found a use for it.

Location: PNW, USA

Location: Texas

Last week I sold a gaming laptop on Facebook Marketplace for $1,150. The buyer messaged me for a couple days, asked normal questions about specs/battery, and we agreed to meet in the lobby of my apartment building.

He inspected the laptop for probably 15 minutes, booted it up, checked the ports, then paid me through PayPal Goods & Services because he said he didn't carry that much cash. I watched the payment show as completed in my account before handing him the laptop.

Our Marketplace messages clearly show the agreed price, meeting location, and him messaging me afterward saying "everything works great thanks." I also still have the serial number and the original purchase receipt with my name on it.

Eight days later I got an email from PayPal saying the payment was being disputed as an unauthorized transaction. The $1,150 was removed from my balance and my account is now negative.

I submitted screenshots of the entire conversation, including him confirming that he received the laptop, but PayPal's response says this type of dispute is being handled through the buyer's financial institution and they can't guarantee the outcome.

I tried messaging him on Facebook and discovered his profile is gone. The phone number he gave me now goes straight to voicemail.

I called PayPal and explained that this wasn't something shipped to a stranger, the buyer physically met me and walked away carrying the computer, but they basically told me to wait for the dispute process.

What am I supposed to do legally if the chargeback is ultimately approved? Would this be something I report to the police as theft/fraud, or is it considered a civil dispute because I voluntarily handed him the laptop after seeing the payment?

My apartment building has cameras in the lobby and management said they probably still have footage from that day, but they won't release anything directly to me without a police request.

I know the first name he used, his phone number, the Facebook conversation and possibly his license plate if the exterior camera caught it. I'm mainly worried that if I wait weeks for PayPal to finish their process the building footage could be overwritten.

Should I be filing a police report now even though the payment dispute isn't finished yet?

I've sold stuff locally plenty of times and honestly thought seeing a completed payment before handing over the item meant I was safe.

Apparently not.

UPDATE: Thank you all for the insight and advice to my situation. I’m going to drive my daughter to the visit and pick her up afterward. That removes any risk involving the car or my insurance and, more importantly, avoids putting her in the position of having to withhold the keys from her mother. I do not want to create more anxiety for any of my children. Appreciate all the perspectives! Vibes with the insurance agency once they returned my call.

Location: Texas

I have a teenage daughter who is insured under my policy. Her mother has three prior DWI convictions and does not own or insure the vehicle my daughter drives.

My children have not seen their mother in about three years, but they will be meeting her for dinner for a couple of hours. Because of their mother’s history and past issues with respecting boundaries, I’m concerned that she might pressure my daughter into allowing her to drive the vehicle.

I plan to make it very clear to my daughter that nobody else has permission to drive it. However, I want to understand how to protect myself legally and financially if her mother drives it anyway. The concerns around manipulating my daughter and giving into pressure or she takes the keys without my permission.

My father-in-law previously had a minor accident while driving my SUV, and the resulting insurance consequences were significant. I am talking $400/mo difference. Therefore, my questions are:

1. Under Texas law, could my insurance be responsible if my daughter’s mother drives the vehicle without my permission and causes an accident?
2. Should I ask my insurer to specifically exclude her as a driver, even though she does not live in my household?
3. Would a written notice stating that she does not have permission to drive any of my vehicles help protect me?
4. Are there any other reasonable steps I should take before the visit?

I’m only seeking advice about protecting myself and my insurance coverage. I understand that I should also speak directly with my insurance agent or an attorney.

Location: Florida
I'm 23 and applied for an apartment this week. The property manager mentioned an old delinquent account on my credit report that I didn't recognize, so I pulled all my reports and found a credit card opened under my name about six years ago, when I was 17.

It currently shows a little over $6,000 owed and multiple missed payments. I have never had this card, never used this bank, and didn't even know the account existed.

I called my mom because the mailing address on the old account was my parents' house. After avoiding the question for a while, she admitted that she and my dad opened it because they were having financial problems at the time.

She keeps saying they "always intended to pay it back" and that reporting it as fraud could get them in serious trouble. My dad is now asking me to just let them make payments until it's gone.

The problem is, this has apparently been sitting on my credit for years and it's affecting me now. They also won't give me any statements or tell me exactly how they managed to open it while I was under 18.

I haven't contacted the card issuer yet because I don't want to accidentally say something that makes it sound like I accepted the debt. What is the proper way to dispute something like this when the person who opened it is a parent? Does the fact that I was 17 when the account was created change anything?

I'm also worried there could be other accounts I haven't found yet. I obviously don't want to destroy my relationship with my parents, but I also really don't want to spend years paying for debt that isn't mine.

My dad died a few months ago after battling cancer for several months, the last of which required him to move into assisted living. He wrote his last check to the facility on the first of the month; later that same day, he went to the ER, where it was quickly found out that he had very little time left because of a complication. Within a week he entered hospice, and signed a legal document to step down of the trustee of his various trusts, and I signed documents accepting that role instead. I hustled to clean out his apartment as soon as possible so we could get a refund for the balance of the month, which his resident manual said we'd be owed as soon as the apartment was broom clean. He died just a week later, and I became the executor of his estate as well.

When I emailed assisted living after his death, though, they said that the check dad wrote before his death was invalid, apparently because they'd waited to cash it until after he'd stepped down as trustee, and maybe even until after he died. They claimed I now owe a pro-rated amount for the first 10 days of the month, between the original check was written and when I cleaned out the apartment. I countered that I'd like to see a revised invoice reflecting a credit for the meals he didn't eat/care he didn't get that month, because their handbook says they're required to do that.

But now I'm wondering: do I actually have to pay at all? My dad's estate has no assets subject to probate and everything was held in trusts. I didn't personally guarantee that I would pay his bills to assisted living in the event of his incapacity or death, though I had PoA. Our state gives creditors a six month period to make their claims, and I'm sitting on enough money to pay the bill; a couple of the beneficiaries, though, are anxious to get the full amount of their inheritance, or at least know what number to expect. I have an estate lawyer but I have a feeling this is a simple question and would love to avoid another micro-bill for emailing them, lol.

Location: Missouri.

Location: Brooklyn, NY.

The Incident:

My late 90s Jeep Wrangler was hit while parked on a street in Brooklyn by a car. The driver stayed at the scene until the police arrived. I was not there. My Jeep was towed to a local repair shop. Because I only carry liability coverage, my insurance will not be covering or handling the damage to my Jeep directly.

The Situation & Complications:

Conflicting Vehicle Info: The police report lists the striking vehicle as a 2018. However, the VIN on the police report corresponds to a 2022 car owned by the same individual, which appears to be uninsured. Their insurance company confirmed the owner holds an active policy only for a 2017 car of the same make and model. They seem to own 2 of the same make and model but only 1 is insured and not the one involved in my accident.

Driver vs. Owner:

The driver was not the vehicle owner. I have the driver’s name and address from police report, but my insurance cannot search outside databases to check if the driver has personal insurance elsewhere. (They mentioned if I had his phone number, they could only check if he had an active policy with my insurance company).

Documentation:

I have photos of the striking vehicle and its license plate from the scene, as well as the police report.

Questions & Next Steps:

Are there other ways or databases to determine if this driver or vehicle has active insurance coverage?

Is issuing a formal demand letter to both the owner and driver my best next step? If so, should I include formal repair and towing quotes with it? Do I need to pay for repairs before sending the demand letter?

Any other ideas?

My main goal is to recover my repair and towing costs.

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

I have seizures, I have been on Lacosamide (200mg twice a day) for close to 13 years I believe. Its always a pain in the ass to get at how regulated it is, it is Schedule V controlled substance. I need this drug to be able drive and live my life normally. This drug is insanely expensive without insurance, my normal 30 day purchase is like $2100 dollars last I checked. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio. Often times, I just use goodRx instead of my actual insurance as they seem to have a better price on this drug specifically at Wal-Mart. I have finally been able to get a 90 day supply of the drug which has been wonderful, compared to every month having to manually call in an order 3-5 days in advanced and ensure the drug does indeed make it the pharmacy. I can't setup auto ordering due to its classification and I only get an order of 3 or so per-script so often times the pharmacy has to go back and forth with my neurologist. I only began receiving the 90 day supply this year.

On June 29th, I received my 90 day supply, 180 200mg pills, twice a day. I thought the bottle was a bit small compared to my previous 90 day supply (still much bigger than normal however), but this is only my second time receiving this amount and I didn't think much of it.

Long story short, I realized I only had enough for a 3 days of doses this morning, my last refill for a 90 day supply was June 29th. I'm always on such autopilot now when I take it, I should have realized this earlier but I didn't notice the dwindling amount. I call Wal-Mart to setup a refill, my fear is confirmed, I can not get a refill until September 21th. I tell them I am almost out from my previous 90 day refill. They argued with me that is not possible, I must of lost them, how this drug is regulated, how they have to double count this drug before they can hand it to me. They finally tell me to bring in the bottle and they will review their security footage on June 29th. I came in, they told me to wait, and sure enough a pharmacist came over and apologized, that they did indeed short me 80 pills. I'm not totally sure how they figured it out either logs or indeed through video footage somehow, 80 pills at 200mg of this drug is like 3k retail.

She handed me my refill, she skedaddle away before I even stood up. I was just in kind of shock. This is a serious issue, one that I feel needs to be brought and escalated to Wal-Mart somehow. This could've turned into a real legal issue for me if they didn't figure it out and I would've simply been out of the drug that lets me stay alive pretty much.

I'm not a litigious person, but this feels wrong. What else are they messing up?

Should I simply reach out to Wal-Mart corporate somehow or should I seek some additional assistance.

Thanks for reading all of this if you did, its good to type this out.

Edit: Schedule 5 is the lowest level of regulation. It’s still strictly tracked, but not to the same extent as Schedule 1 drugs, such as heroin.

Location: Pennsylvania, USA

I work at a private grocery store with a recognized union and collective bargaining agreement. The agreement gives the union “reasonable access to existing employee communication spaces,” but doesnt specifically name the break-room bulletin board.

That board currently has notices for a softball team, a food swap, charity collections and employees looking for carpools. Our steward posted one page listing the date and location of an off-site union meeting. The agenda said “schedule changes and safety concerns.” It did not ask anyone to join, donate or sign anything.

A manager removed it within an hour. HR later emailed that all union material counts as solicitation and may only be placed inside a locked display case near the time clock after management approval. None of the other notices appear to have approval markings, and two were posted by supervisors.

The union is considering a grievance, but some members think the selective rule may also violate federal labor law. Does it matter that similar nonunion notices remain up? Should the union start with the contract process, contact the labor board, or both?

Location: NJ (where my sister is)

For background info, my sister is Asian American and was born in the US. My sister has this crazy neighbor who has a history of being hostile towards her, and they recently took it to the next level by calling ICE and claiming that she's here illegally. She informed me of this earlier today and we're now trying to put together a plan for what our family needs to do if ICE really does show up and arrest her. I live several states away from her currently and can't be with her in person right now. We've established that if she does end up detained that she'd call me ASAP to help get her out, but I'm worried that ICE won't even let her have a phone call since they've amped up their measures recently.

She should be fine since she's a natural born citizen, but I've heard that ICE may just detain her anyways because they have a "detain first, figure it out later" mindset to meet arrest quotas. What should we do in case ICE really does show up at her home? How likely is it that they'll follow through on a tip from her neighbor claiming she's illegal? Part of me worries that I won't even know if she's taken away one day, since I'm not with her in person right now and most arrests probably don't make the news.

location: California, USA

I moved out of an apartment on July 31 after living there for a little over four years. My security deposit was $1,800.

The landlord returned $350 and deducted $1,450 for “wall repair and full interior repainting.” They included an invoice from a painting company.

I didn't leave holes, drawings, smoke damage, or anything like that. The walls had some scuffs near furniture, faded spots, and a few tiny marks from normal use. I also took photos after cleaning the apartment.

When I asked why I was being charged for the entire repaint, the property manager said they repaint every unit between tenants and that my deposit can be used because the walls were not in the same condition as when I moved in.

I understand paying for actual damage I caused, but after four years I don't see how ordinary aging of the paint becomes my responsibility.

Can a California landlord legally deduct the full repainting cost from a security deposit for this?

Location: Hendricks County, Indiana

Me and my wife bought a house. We closed on Aug 5th. The house had a metal wire fencing that was attached to metal T posts in the ground and a chain link fence also in the ground by T posts. When we got to the house all the fencing was gone. They did not exclude it in the purchase agreement or anything. We actually spoke at the closing how I was excited to use the fencing for chickens. My realtor reached out to theirs and they said they would give back the metal wire fencing but not the chain link fence. They then said they “contacted their attorney” and redacted the offer to not giving any reimbursement or materials back at all. I initially offered to receive $1,071 as that is the exact amount it would cost for me to replace it (not including labor or taxes). I felt as if that was more than fair.

I guess I’m not really sure what to do next? Do I have grounds to take them to court? Are they in the wrong or me? Any advice would be helpful.

Location: Texas

Two missed calls from an FBI agent asking to speak with me to ask me some questions about someone I know from church. Wouldn't tell me who over the phone, said they would tell me who it was about when we met in person. He offered to meet me at a coffee shop or at work, said I may not have any helpful info for them, or I may be able to help them out. I told them I would get back to them later and that my schedule is very busy.

What do I do now? I don't think I have done anything wrong, but I am also very cautious and don't want any trouble.

Location: North Carolina. My parent has recently demanded that I return a vintage cabinet that they gave me 8 years ago. They say that having the original receipt proves they still retain ownership and can come take it any time. I don't understand how a receipt for a thrifted item they willingly gave me 8 years ago could be used to make me give up a piece of furniture. They seem to think it is worth more money now so I assume that is why they want it back. I am concerned about the structural integrity of the cabinet because it barely survived the last time we moved it 4 years ago. I also use it and until the moment they demanded it back I was unaware that it was anything other than hand-me-down furniture. The parent is hinting at getting the law involved because I have cut contact recently. Is there a reason in this for me to be concerned that they may, at minimum, try to make this a civil case?

Location: North Carolina. I work for a bank and was let go last month. I had already been on leave and was expecting to be let go so when they summoned me to a branch 45 minutes away I already had a feeling what was up. I asked to move the meeting to a branch closer to me and they said no.

I returned my keys but my company laptop and cell phone were at home. I have an email where I asked for shipping materials and a prepaid shipping label to return the items and she agreed. What I actually received was a beat up box with a thing of bubble wrap and no shipping label.

They are now refusing to give me a shipping label, saying one was included in the box (it wasnt) and the company lawyer is threatening to send the sheriff to my house if I dont drive somewhere to return them.

I dont see how I could get in any trouble when I have emails where I asked for specific items and the HR director agreed to send them. Should I drop it and just drive somewhere to return them or continue asking for a shipping label. I dont feel I should be made to drive anywhere on my dime for their convenience.

Apparently, my electric car causes the breaker to short and is a potential fire hazard. She sent me paperwork today for me to sign that prevents me from charging my car at the house, citing endangerment to the other tenants (fire). However, when I signed the lease there was nothing in it about electric shortages or electric cars for that matter. I gather I'm the first to own one and to trip the breaker.

There is no charging stations near my work nor home, so I don't really have anywhere to go to charge it. I've only been here two and half months and I don't want to cause any more problems than I already have, but I also need to be able to charge my car. I need it for work, and I need work to pay my rent.

It's a very old house, if that matters. There are 6 other people in the house.

Location: Kirkland, Washington

Here are the details of the police report the dealership filed with the police department.

"On Thursday, November 27th, 2025 at approximately 1504hrs, a representative from Premier Auto Group arrived at Headquarters to report a vehicle that had been stolen.

The representative stated that on 11/13/2025, the buyer started the process of purchasing a 2025 black Lexus LX700H SUV, VIN #: JT9DA1X6Cxxxxxxxx for Horizon Enterprises LLC. The representative stated that the buyer completed the necessary paperwork and on 11/19/2025 transferred the funds in the total amount of $110,000.00 to the appropriate account. The representative stated that due to company policy, Horizon Enterprises LLC was responsible for arranging shipment of the vehicle.

The representative stated that on 11/25/2025 the sale was finalized and the buyer would be able to have the vehicle picked up. The representative stated that on 11/26/2025 at around 1617hrs, a driver employed by Metro Transport Services LLC arrived at Premier Auto Group to pick up the vehicle for transport to the buyer. The representative stated that an employee failed to follow policy and approved the pick up by reviewing an image of the authorization form on a mobile device instead of the original physical form.

The representative stated that she contacted Metro Transport Services LLC and spoke with the driver, who stated that he was sent a text message to transport the vehicle to 5928 Brookside Ave, Eastview, NY 11375, instead of the original address of 3574 Willow Creek Rd, Franklin, GA 30217.

The representative provided documentation related to the purchase, along with copies of the buyer’s and driver’s identification cards and a screenshot of the text message instructing delivery to the Eastview, NY address. These materials have been attached to this document."

My insurance denied the claim because I never took possession (separate matter to deal with).

Dealership refused to take responsibility and recently just submitted the claim to their insurance after I threatened to sue and made a demand for payment for the vehicle and losses. Mind you,

I gave specific instructions to the dealership on contacting me to verify before releasing the vehicle to my deaitransporter which they ignored. We believe the load details was stolen from the board. But if they followed by instructions they would have not released the vehicle without my direct confirmation. Also the driver shower Bill of lading to New York for a car I instructed them to take to Georgia.

Question : Apart from suing for the value of the car at time of purchase, what else can I Sue for given that the car was bought for my company not as a personal car.

Do I have a recourse against the transporter who diverted the destination of the vehicle?

How should I pursue this case. It's been 8 months since the incident.

All names have been changed to fictional names. Thanks

Location: Atlanta,GA

Location: Utah we’re getting sued by the debt collection agency, not the hospital. The medical debt is older than 6 years, no payments were made, and in Utah supposedly you can’t get sued if it’s over 6 years and a collection agency buying the debt doesn’t reset the 6 years. The agency filed against us today and in the same day we got advertisements in the mail to hire this attorney. It seems fishy but maybe this attorney just spawn camps new filings? Is this worth fighting in court? What’s the best way to go about this?

For New Mexico the law defines “loss of use” as the “reasonable rental value of similar property during the period reasonably required for the repair of
the damaged property.” N.M.R.A., Rule 13-1818. However insurance company is stuck on basic $25 per day transportation. How would you interpret this? I’ve argued it has to be equivalent or at least the same class. Any advice or help appreciated.
Location: New Mexico

Location: Texas, Collin County

I (27F) was gifted a paddle board for my birthday and took it out on the lake not knowing it was considered a watercraft. My dumbass thought of it more as a floaty since i blow it up each time i use it. I did not know it was texas law to have a life vest on there. Long story short the game warden pulls up on me and gives me a citation.

Ive called the court multiple times a week for over a month until my citation was turned in. Its now a $216 fine and i have to plead guilty or no contest…. I don’t want to plead not guilty and show up to court but are there any other options so this isn’t on my record as a misdemeanor? This is a first time offense, I have no record even as far as a speeding ticket.

Is this worth me calling the court back and asking for deferred judgement after paying the ticket or for dismissal with proof that I have bought a life jacket?

I don’t mind paying the ticket, i feel stupid that i didn’t look up laws but i genuinely didn’t think there were any when it came to what i considered a floaty in the lake… anyways, if you have any advice if i should just plead no contest and pay or move forward a different way. Thanks