Eugene Lee Upshaw, a suspect in the rape of a California woman and several other crimes, was caught in upstate New York. Upshaw, who was wanted on a $10 million warrant in the Golden State, had been hitching rides across the country with truck drivers. He is wanted in Los Angeles over charges of kidnapping, rape, assault with a deadly weapon and sodomy. U.S. marshals in Missouri had been tracking Upshaw and alerted local authorities in New York....
Just like the recent reopening of diplomatic relations with Cuba, business owners are wondering what the new nuclear deal with Iran will mean for commercial opportunities in the country. While some American companies are already doing business in Iran, certain barriers, both legal and cultural, still remain. So here’s what you need to know about setting up shop in post-sanction Iran. Tread Lightly As of today, the lifting of economic sanctions remains dependent on Iran’s cooperation and compliance with nuclear-related measures....
A Tennessee hardware store was back in the news following this week’s Supreme Court decision in favor of a baker who refused service to a same-sex couple. Jeff Amyx, owner of Amyx Hardware & Roofing Supplies in Washburn, Tennessee originally put up a “No Gays Allowed” sign in his storefront window in 2015 in response to the Court’s ruling that bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. The story of Amyx’s sign, and his and the store’s outspoken homophobia, was recirculated in the media this week in the wake of the new decision, and the question is raised again: Can stores legally refuse service based on sexual orientation or gender identity?...
Circumcision is both a traditional religious ceremony and a modern medical practice depending on who you ask. The procedure is fairly mainstream in the U.S. and some health officials claim that it decreases the spread of STDs. But now parents in New York City will have to sign a consent form before their child can have a traditional Orthodox-Jewish circumcision. The issue isn’t the procedure itself. It’s that the religious practice includes a step that could spread serious diseases to infants....
Conde Nast, the publisher of magazines such as Vogue, Wired, and The New Yorker, has agreed to a $5.8 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit filed by former interns. The interns claimed the company made them perform work, but failed to pay at least the minimum wage as required by law. The settlement agreement covers about 7,500 interns; under the terms of the settlement, these interns – some of whom last worked for Conde Nast in 2007 – will receive between $700 and $1,900, Reuters reports....
Congratulations! It looks like your Etsy business is booming. Sales are so high you’re considering getting a partner or even hiring employees. However, before you do any of that, have you incorporated your business? Do you need to? For business owners, incorporating a business can have tax benefits and ensure limited liability, but it can also be a hassle. Here are the pros and cons of incorporating a business: Pros Limited personal liability - Incorporating puts a wall up between you and your business....
By now, most of us have heard of PTSD – posttraumatic stress disorder. Most commonly associated with soldiers returning from war, PTSD can occur in anyone exposed to a traumatic event, like gun violence, sexual assault, and extreme traffic collisions. While PTSD is classified as a “trauma- and stressor-related disorder” in the latest edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, does that mean it is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act?...
As of this moment, 22 states and the District of Columbia have in place right to work statutes–a subset of union law that preserves the choice of workers to decide whether or not they wish to join a union that exists at their place of employment. Because right to work law specifically deal with collective bargaining agreements and employer treatment of non-union employees, it’s especially important for you to understand how they function and may limit your actions....
Divorce is hard enough for anyone to go through, but add having to determine child custody, and it only gets harder. Sometimes parents are able to reach a custody agreement themselves, other times the parents may need to have a judge decide on the child custody arrangements. How Is Child Custody Determined? Like most legal family matters, child custody is governed by state laws. There are, however, some generally accepted factors in determining child custody....
For some jobs, we don’t have a say in how much we get paid – we’re offered a salary and either take it or leave it. In other cases, employers may give prospective employees a salary range dependent on experience. And in a few instances, it may seem like the salary is set, when employers are actually willing to have a bit more flexibility in pay. So how do you know when you can negotiate your salary?...
Getting a loan – for school, a car, or a home – isn’t easy. (At least, it’s not as easy as it was ten years ago.) The credit checks, the interest rates, and the possible down payment can make getting a loan next to impossible. And not everyone can get a loan on their own without family members or friends to cosign. A cosigner is the lender’s insurance policy in case the primary borrower can’t repay the debt....
It’s becoming increasingly clear to business owners: college students are a consumer group to be reckoned with. StudentUniverse CEO Atle Skalleberg says that Generation Y – the demographic encompassing those currently in their teens and twenties – is now estimated to be the largest consumer group in history with back-to-school spending by college students in this U.S. this year expected to top $30 billion according U.S. National Retail Federation reports. But marketing to college kids requires a few extra precautions....
If you believe you’ve been injured or harmed because of a mistaken diagnosis or poor medical treatment, your initial decisions could shape any possible legal claims you may have. The first steps in a medical malpractice case can be critical, so let’s take a look at what you should do if you’re thinking of filing a claim. Contact the Doc The absolute first thing you should do is contact the doctor or other medical professional involved in your treatment....
Joe Jackson is preparing to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Conrad Murray, according to TMZ.com. The celebrity news site recently obtained a Notice of Intent to File Legal Proceedings against Murray. The document, drafted by attorney Brian Oxman alleges “Defendant Murray has given multiple and contradictory versions of the times and events which lead to Michael Jackson’s death. Each contradiction demonstrates a reckless disregard for Michael Jackson’s life. The changing of times, dates, and events have taken place only because defendant willfully failed to keep medical records in violation of California [law]....
There’s no good way to put this, but noisy neighbors suck. They play loud music at all hours of the night; they scream and throw tantrums; they have an odd affinity for power tools and revving their car engine; they bang around in their apartment at 3 a.m. Besides taking the passive aggressive route and making your own noise, what can you do about it? Is there legal recourse for noisy neighbors?...
In a unique lawsuit, Elena Zakharova is suing a Manhattan pet store for the pain and suffering experienced by her dog, Umka. Four months after she purchased the female Brussels Griffon, it developed a congenital joint disorder. Umka is in pain every time she walks. Though sad, pets are considered property under the law. Property can’t seek damages for pain and suffering. What’s the deal? A lawyer for Elena Zakharova plans to present an argument based on animal abuse, according to CBS....
They Used to Rule the World… The collective strain on the economy has had impact on the country’s golden guys and girls. An estimated 80,000 adults sixty years old and older are victims of elder abuse each year, leading to an annual loss of an astounding $2.6 billion. And that was before the economy went south. Below are a few simple ways to protect your loved ones from elder abuse and what to do if you suspect it....
Do not accept orders unless complete information is provided (including full address and phone number). Require address verification for all of your credit card orders. Be especially careful with orders that come from free e-mail services – there is a much higher incidence of fraud from these services. Be wary of orders that are larger than your typical order amount and orders with next day delivery. Pay extra attention to international orders....
Summer is here, which means it’s road trip time! And if packing up the car, truck, camper van, or RV includes packing a firearm, that means taking a little more care on the nation’s highways and byways, legally at least. Gun control laws can vary significantly from state to state, so if you’re planning an interstate road trip, make sure you’re aware of each jurisdiction’s firearm statutes. And here are some other legal issues you should be familiar with, from our archives:...
Would you ever sign a sex contract? A British woman pondering this question recently wrote to the Daily Mail for advice. Her boyfriend refuses to marry her unless she agrees to have sex with him at least twice a week. It seems he’d like to put the agreement in writing. She wants to know whether it’s a good idea for a prenup to include sex. But what she should be asking is whether a prenup can include sex – legally?...
