Q: The Police took a dog out of my home and are refusing to give me a report concerning the seizure of my animal. Can I sue them? (Turtle Creek, PA)
A: No, you cannot. There are privacy rules in PA regarding the dissemination of police reports, and the laws are strict. If this dog was removed from your home by Animal Control due to abuse or neglect, you will be receiving papers in the mail. When you do I suggest taking them to an attorney.
Q: She is 17 years old. They go into her room when she is at school and go through everything just to see if they can find something. The step dad is the worse about doing it. She has no privacy whatsoever. Can she get a restraining order or PFA?
A: In PA, she is a child until she reaches the age of majority at age 18. Even if she is 18, and living in her parent’s home, she has no privacy rights unless she is paying rent pursuant to a lease, assuming she does not own the property. She would not qualify for a Protection from Abuse Order if there is no violence. She can petition the court to become emancipated, which sounds attractive to kids, but is normally unrealistic as she would need to prove that she can sustain herself independently of her parents (rent, food, health insurance, etc.) I think she needs to play by the rules at home. If she is not hiding drugs or having on-line contact with sexual predators, she should have no problem.
Q: How can I keep an expungement secret from my family? Expungement of Possession
A: Not enough information to really answer but if you are filing to expunge a previous conviction, no one should know except you, your attorney, some of the employees in the court office who take the filing, the Assistant DA who handles it and employees in the State Police Office. You should not have to go to court. It is not published to the public, or advertised, or listed on the docket. It is a relatively private proceeding. Plus, don’t tell anyone.