r/legal

LOCATION: TX, USA

I’ve been with my current company for about three years. Last week, during a casual lunch, a junior colleague mentioned they were struggling with rent. I told them what my starting salary was and what I make now to give them some perspective on growth within the company.

Somehow, this got back to the HR manager. Yesterday, I was called into a private meeting and given a "formal verbal warning." The manager told me that discussing pay is a violation of company policy and that any further "disclosure of confidential financial information" would be grounds for immediate termination.

I’ve checked my employee handbook, and there is indeed a paragraph stating that compensation is confidential. However, I’ve heard that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects employees' rights to discuss wages.

My questions are:

1. Is my company’s policy even legal if it contradicts federal law?

2. If they actually fire me, do I have a case for wrongful termination?

3. Should I sign the write-up they are asking me to sign acknowledging the "violation"?

I haven't signed anything yet. I’m looking for advice on how to handle the next follow-up meeting without painting a target on my back.

Posting on a throwaway acc just in case..... I don't even know where to start with this as Im in shock. It seems my employer wouldn't authorize me taking Paid Family Leave and declared that I abandoned my job when I had informed verbally and written that I would be returning In April from maternity leave. They were also informed by the company dealing with my PFL what my return date was and they decided to declare it job abandonment in February. I 10000000% do not want to try and work with a shady company like that again. My question is: do I have a case? Please also let me know if Im posting it wrong etc.

Hi everyone, need some advices on how to proceed with my situation here. I recently got into an accident, a kid on a e-scooter ran a stop sign on the side-walk as I was traveling down the road and t-bone me, damaging my front right fender and front bumper + headlight, estimate repair is 3000+. I slowed down (15-20mph) at the intersection to turn right at the alley but he was behind a park car, a kid less than 4’ I couldn’t see him, he is 11y/o, traveling 25+mph on e-scooter, and no helmet worn. A police report was made, I talked to my insurance and I would have to pay the $1000 deductible to get it fix. Respectively from my point of view this is technically not my fault. If I was to file a case for small claims court, what’re my odds of winning the case?

Thank you in advance.

Location : Texas

My mother passed away when I was younger and left me a retirement account through TMRS. Because I was a minor at the time (I was around 11), my sister was assigned as the custodian to manage the account and send me monthly payments until I turn 21, at which point I would gain full control of the account.

I am now living on my own and attending college, and I rely on these monthly payments for basic living expenses like rent and bills.

Recently, my sister stopped sending the monthly payments. I have repeatedly reached out to her asking for clarification and updates, but she either does not respond or avoids the questions.

I do have documentation, including:

- Screenshots and messages showing I’ve requested the missing payments and asked for confirmation

- Messages indicating she no longer wants to be in charge of the account

- A message where she said she would call the police if I showed up at her residence

- Bank-related information showing where the payments are supposed to be sent (I just do not have direct access to the account itself since she is the custodian)

I also contacted TMRS directly, and they told me there is not much they can do on their end because it is a custodial/legal issue and would likely need to be handled through the court system.

At this point, I’m trying to understand my legal options. Is this something I can take to small claims court or another type of civil court in Texas? What type of lawyer would handle this kind of situation?

Any guidance would really help.

Hi, I'm sorry if this isn't the right place for this, I'm new to Reddit and couldn't think of where else to put it. The rules didn't say this wasn't allowed.

I'm thinking of an urban supernatural story about a vampire that gains a conscience and turns himself in. It takes place in the US, and he's convicted on two counts of manslaughter and multiple counts of robbery from blood banks. It should be noted this is the first time a supernatural creature comes out in the open, and it creates a frenzy. He goes in for a one and done deal and expects to just be sentenced outright, but opposing council wants to make history and wants to "fight" for a higher sentence (even though he's not arguing the charges). Same reason why a super high profile defense attorney comes in as his council pro bono because he also wants this on his record.

In the story he was only turned about 5 years ago, and prior to this he was just "missing". I know there will probably be the argument about whether or not he still counts as a US citizen, and I'll work that part out later. My question is about the sentencing itself. Because he's a literal human eating monster with the ability to punch through a car door, I assumed he would be sentenced outright to ADX Florence, with the provision he'd be "transferred" to another high security prison if he behaves well (which would likely be a lie because they'll be terrified of him no matter). And before anyone suggests it, no he's not given "reason of insanity" as a defense because it's argued as a "biological need" moreso than a state of mind, if that makes sense. (His real reason is that he doesn't want to be locked up in a place where they could "test" him without supervision.)

Anyway the crimes take place across several states, so LOCATION: California, Oregon, and Washington state. For now, unless I change it, but either way I'm pretty sure it would still go to federal level. This isn't meant to be super realistic, I just want a general rundown of how a scenario like this would more-than-likely be handled.

I should also mention that before he was turned into a vampire he was literally an upstanding citizen. Volunteered work and everything, and I know the defense would play up the angle that he was in a state of survival, not violence. The reason the charges are manslaughter and not murder is because he made the effort to take from the blood bank when needed, and only killed when he was literally starving and instincts were too strong for him to fight.

Hello,

I am seeking guidance regarding an unresolved issue with an Amazon order, as I have not received an adequate response from customer support.

I purchased a monitor at a discounted price; however, when the order arrived approximately one month later, it was not the correct item. I contacted Amazon support multiple times via phone and written channels, but I was initially only offered refunds rather than a replacement. After escalating the matter to a supervisor, I was offered a replacement on the condition that I pay for the return shipping label upfront, with the assurance that I would be reimbursed. Given the lack of alternatives, I accepted this arrangement.

After another month, I received the replacement; however, it was again the same incorrect monitor rather than the one originally advertised. Since then, Amazon support has declined to assist with either reimbursement for the return shipping label or issuing a correct replacement.

Additionally, during my most recent interaction regarding the second incorrect item, I was offered a prepaid return label. This raises concerns, as I was previously required to pay out of pocket for return shipping despite the error being on the seller’s end.

I have consistently explained that I do not wish to receive a refund, but rather the correct product I originally purchased. I have also submitted an incident report with supporting images, yet I have not received any response.

Based on my understanding, customers should not be responsible for return shipping costs when the error is due to the seller. Given these circumstances, I would appreciate guidance on the appropriate next steps. Would filing a formal complaint to the FTC be advisable, and what options are available to ensure I receive the correct item or a fair resolution?

I would also like to note that I have contacted the seller on multiple occasions. They have indicated that they are unable to assist, as Amazon manages their inventory and fulfillment processes, leaving them without the ability to intervene in resolving this issue.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Location: Puerto Rico

I don’t know if this is the right subreddit. I have a family member (sister) who is a kleptomaniac. She has stolen countless items from pretty much everyone in the family. Over the years she has stolen over 2 grand from my sister, alone. And likely thousands from my parents by using their credit car info. She frequently steals cash, so much that it is a running joke not to leave any wallets or purses laying around when she comes over to visit. This has all happened during family events like thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. However, recently she has stolen items that are irreplaceable - while my parents were on vacation she was seen leaving the house with the bin of family photos. All but about 5 of my childhood photos are gone. Among other important things. I confronted her about it, she denied it of course. My intent is to retrieve them from her house. Needless to say, her and I do not get along so just going over there and retrieving them myself is not an option. Is there any way I can get them back? How much would the police help in this situation, if at all?

Location: IL

I am really interested in the Equal rights amendment and i would like to know if the 1982 deadline to pass the ERA can be removed or extended by congress to allow the Equal rights amendment to become the 28th amendment of the constitution? I would also like to know if states that voted to ratify the ERA can rescind their vote? Is there a way the ERA can pass that way or must the process start again to pass the ERA like justice Ginsberg believed should be done?

I moved in with my half brother and his dad. I lived in Tennessee prior. Was planning on getting my license and Id up here. How can I get a proof of address?

No real threat was made, and that was the only post wishing harm. She is a 17yo and she made the post about a 21yo man she works with after he harassed her. Her employer found her socials and terminated her employment. (This is fine, she had another job lined up because this place was abusive.)

She's worried about legal action. Would anything result from this? She's so young and doesn't want this to ruin future job/college. She's very scared right now.

LOCATION: Phoenix, AZ USA

I contacted the debt collector's attorney when I received a letter that they were planning to file a lawsuit if I did not pay. I contacted them in November and set up a payment plan and I've been making those payments every since. They still filed with the court and sent me a stipulation of judgment. Which I got notarized and signed and sent back to them (confirned recieved). In the meantime I responded with an answer to the court to ensure that even though we came to this agreement, they wouldn't get a default judgment.

To my surprise, I got an email from an arbitration party to set up an appointment to have a mediation call to come to a settlement outside of court, but this obviously should have been taken care of because I signed the stipulation of judgment. The court at this point is proceeding still as if this is an unresolved case. I have sent multiple emails to this attorney asking for a status on the stipulation of judgment and the only one response I got was they sent it to the court and would follow up. Do I file a complaint? Help!

Location: US, MA

Hello, on March 23rd I was a victim of identity theft from a fake passport renewal website. On March 24th, two transactions were done unbeknown to me at the time. One for $13k and one for $35k. On April 6th I was alerted that my account were restricted, and once I logged into my bank account I discovered the $48k that was transferred out to two separate financial institutions.

I immediately told my bank that this was not me, and that I had been a victim of identity theft and scammed. Then, I made a report to the FTC and filed a police report. I was waiting for my police report to arrive before I uploaded both documents to this „Message Portal“ area from SoFi. I was told that they would take 10 days to investigate my dispute. Yesterday, April 9 they told me that my accounts have been closed immediately due to suspicious and fraudulent activity. Then today, April 10 (4 days after initial dispute) my bank told me that both disputes have been declined and that my account will not be credited. I asked the bank account to provide me my last six months of bank statements. I can also prove that I was not at the location where the sign-in locations are from when my bank account was hacked.

I also have the debit card supplied by Brinks Armored Account that supposedly has the $13,000 that got transferred out. I called them to ask, if I could transfer the $13,000 to an actual bank account of mine, and they said that they could not provide any information to me.

I am going to make a complaint against SoFi to the CFPB. Is there any other steps I can take? Would a civil litigation lawyer be helpful?

Any thoughts are appreciated, thank you.

LOCATION: FL

I just read a post about someone having to adhere to a court order requiring to let grandparents have visitation every few weeks and Zoom calls weekly. My question is this: why is that even a thing? If parents don’t want to have their children have contact with ANYONE is should be taken as gospel and not something that can be court ordered.

To me, who’s not a lawyer, this seems like a severe overreach of laws and a slippery slope. Who’s to say a desperate mother wants a daughter, an only child, to produce grandchildren when the daughter wants to be child free. Considering female autonomy is getting stripped away gradually, and the way this country is now, this could conceivably be tried. Any insights?

Looking for some advice on how to handle the following situation:

I broke my apartment lease early (had to pay a cancellation fee) but have been required to make installment payments towards my overall lease balance until May, at which point the remainder of the balance will be due. I was told that I was responsible for the lease until they could find a replacement tenant.

The apartment has made no effort to publicly advertise the availability of the unit (I have screenshots showing that month-to-month). Do I have any legal recourse regarding the remainder of the lease balance when it is due in May and if so, how should I handle it?

Thanks for any help!

LOCATION: NJ

Hi everyone, would really appreciate advice from anyone with non-compete experience in NJ (I live in NYC).

I recently left a mid-sized healthcare adtech company based in NJ after ~4 months (commercial side: programmatic/DSP, pharma clients). I have a fairly broad non-compete (not company-specific). Realistically, I only worked with 1–2 clients and could easily avoid them.

I’m now exploring two paths:

• Option 1: A previous company I trust and would return to in a heartbeat
• Option 2: A new company that’s extended an offer

The complication is with Option 2: they’re requiring me to get a formal non-compete release from my former employer before issuing an official offer.

That raises a few concerns:

• I doubt my former employer would grant a release (especially for a similar role)
• Requesting one could “alert” them and create future risk
• I’m not senior (not C-level) and wouldn’t target the same clients (I'd be AE)
• It feels like the new company is pushing all legal risk onto me upfront

It also makes me worry that Option 1 could back out too because of the same non-compete.

Questions:

• Has anyone successfully gotten a non-compete release in a situation like this?
• Is it a red flag for a company to require this before even formalizing the offer?
• Would you reach out to your former employer, or avoid triggering anything?
• How do companies usually handle this?

Trying to be thoughtful here and not make a move that backfires long-term. Would really appreciate any insight from people who’ve navigated this.

How do they do it for guys? Is it possible to use a whizzinator?

Location:

Columbus, Ohio

Hi all, I’m building a small local services platform in California and wanted to sanity-check the legal structure before scaling.

The idea is a marketplace that connects customers with independent contractors for things like moving help, cleaning, deliveries, and small jobs.

The platform:

• Connects customers with local providers

• Handles booking + payments (customers pay through the platform)

• Takes a percentage-based fee (currently structured as an “activation fee” that goes toward the total job cost)

• Providers are not employees — they choose which jobs to accept

I’m trying to understand the main legal risks and how to structure this properly, specifically:

1.	Worker classification (California / AB5)

How do platforms like this properly classify workers as independent contractors vs employees?

2.	Liability

If something goes wrong on a job (damage, injury, etc.), what protections should the platform have in place?

3.	Payments / compliance

Are there any concerns with handling payments and taking a percentage (Stripe Connect setup)?

4.	Insurance

What types of insurance are typically required or recommended for this kind of platform?

5.	Terms of Service / agreements

What are the must-have clauses for both customers and providers?

I’m not trying to cut corners, just want to build this the right way from the start.

Any guidance or things I should watch out for would be really appreciated.

Location: Bay Area (California)

Illinois. My friend is saying that you can be sued for using self defense on an intruder. He also said it not just for excessive force, so is this true or just bs.