Some people try to beat a drug test by using someone else’s urine, and will even go so far as to use something in their pants to make it appear they are urinating into the specimen cup. It may be necessary to pat you down to ensure you are not utilizing such methods to avoid a positive result.... View More

You can certainly quit your job, but it is rather difficult to get benefits if you resign. You must prove that you “quit for good cause attributable to the work or employer.” This is an objective standard, meaning that you must be treated so poorly that anyone would have quit under the... View More

Is your father benefiting from your use of those utilities in his home while he lives elsewhere? No, so you shouldn’t be using his money to pay for them. Incidentally, are you paying rent for your use of your father’s home? If not, then you are depriving your father from the rental income he... View More

If her name is on the deed, then by definition it isn’t solely in your name. Perhaps you mean the mortgage is only in your name but that is a different issue.

As part of the divorce proceedings the court will make a division of the marital assets, and the house is one of those assets. So... View More

It is legal for an employer to deduct amounts from an employee’s paycheck provided it doesn’t result in the employee’s effective hourly wage (gross pay less deduction divided by hours worked) being below the minimum wage, as that would be a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violation. I agree... View More

The roofing company's contract is not enforceable because it was signed by someone who lacks the authority to act on your parent's behalf. Your brother is not on the hook for anything because he has not breached the contract. If canceled, the roofing company is entitled to 35% of the... View More

Let me first thank you for your service. I’m sorry that you have considerable disability.

Unfortunately, I don’t believe you have any legal basis for contesting the matter. Being disabled doesn’t make exempt from city ordinances regarding lawn maintenance. As for the due process... View More

I should note that no attorney can accurately assess the ramifications of a contract without reading it in its entirety. That said, I will offer the following:

First, how old are you? Under Missouri law, you are not competent to enter into a contract until you are eighteen (18) years old.... View More

I’m not sure I’m understanding your question. The employer can certainly cut your hours as it sees fit. I don’t understand what you mean by “took away hours from my current pay period to compensate for overtime paid in the previous pay period.” Reducing hours in one week will not avoid... View More

If you were discharged due to your disability as you allege, you would have a potential ADA case. However, I think you posted this before and said you had a "potential" but not "firm" return-to-work date when the Employer filled your position. Your job was no longer protected by... View More

Once you exhaust your FMLA, your job is no longer protected, and you can be let go. There is no prohibition against letting someone go simply because they are out on a leave of absence, whether or not it is related to a disability. Many employers take the position that failure to return to work... View More

You haven’t actually asked a question, but I will attempt to provide some general information regarding discrimination claims.

You indicate you filed a complaint against your boss for preferential treatment. That is just another way of saying discrimination, so what was the basis for the... View More

The answer is "it depends." Generally speaking, if you work over 40 hours in one week (based on the payroll system's designation of when the week begins and ends), then you are entitled to receive overtime pay. However, I understand that certain entities are able to use a two week... View More

It is perfectly acceptable to discharge an employee for attendance. If you filed for FMLA but it hadn’t yet been reviewed, the common practice is to wait and see if it qualifies. If you had not formally submitted an FMLA request at the time you were discharged, then the company was acting on the... View More

Just because a company makes a mistake, does not mean you get a windfall. The company is legally permitted to require you to return the inadvertently delivered item. However, the company cannot require you to incur any expense associated with the return.

As an at-will employee, you can be discharged at any time and for any reason or no reason at all. While asking you to turn out your pockets in front of others may have been somewhat harsh, it is not illegal. The employer was simply trying to get to the bottom of the situation, and you, as the most... View More

If you complied with the warranty provisions in getting the repairs, you can pursue a claim for breach of contract and possibly a violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act. Typically you are required to get the work completed by the dealer that sold you the car, or if it doesn't... View More

Mr. Eisenberg is correct. "Hostile work environment" and "wrongful termination" are legal terms of art that don’t mean what most laypersons assume they mean. A boss can legally treat you badly, unfairly, and harass you without creating a "hostile work environment"... View More

You were obligated to leave at the end of January regardless. You are exposing yourself to significant costs per the Unlawful Detainer statute, which makes you liable to Truhold.com for twice the fair market rent of the property. Compare that with the likely minimal amount you might recover in a... View More

Ron is correct. However, as the owner of the dogs, your son was legally responsible for the cost of care and maintenance for the animals. So, negotiate a price for the dogs and then offset it with your bill for services for the care and maintenance of the dogs for the past roughly 2750 days of... View More