Getting rear-ended can be a frightening experience. You’re sitting there at a stop sign or red light, and out of nowhere, BANG. Even if you’re not seriously injured, you can be emotionally shaken, making it more difficult to figure out what happened, and what to do next. There aren’t many ways to truly be prepared for a car accident, but there are a few things you can do after one happens that will help....
With airplanes, cell phones, and the Internet making international connections so easy, international divorces have become increasingly common. Getting a divorce is hard enough, but how much harder will it be if you and your spouse live in different countries? Where do you file? How do you get the paperwork served? How do you enforce it? International law is complex and the interaction of American family law and foreign law is even more complicated....
Leaky faucet keeping you up all night? Your shower goes from freezing cold to scalding hot one second to the next? You need to wear a parka inside your apartment to keep warm? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions and have had no luck in getting your landlord to act, you’ll want to keep reading these tips on how to get your landlord to make apartment repairs....
A great thing about technology is that it allows even the smallest companies to have a national presence. However, you should be prepared for dealing with some of the unique challenges of managing out-of-state employees. When you first started your company, you and your small group of employees may have developed a tight team atmosphere. It can be hard to replicate this same team feeling with employees you rarely ever see....
Bosses know that many employees aren’t just working on the job, they’re also writing personal email. The employer trump card? Monitor employee email activity. But is it legal for your boss to read your email? Generally, you don’t have privacy rights in your emails at work. If you’re on your employer’s computer system, your employer can monitor your communications, as long as they have a valid reason for doing it....
Beware of the eight-legged chicken! Don’t worry. They don’t exist. At least, that’s what KFC wants to remind us. The fried chicken company has long been plagued with rumors of mutant chickens in China. But now, the company has finally had enough. It’s turning to the courts to squash the rumors. Mutant Chickens! For the past few months, KFC and its parent company Yum Brands Inc. have been losing customers and profits in China....
You knew it was coming. We couldn’t let April 20 pass without at least a few posts about marijuana and the law. And this time, we’re going to discuss whether you have a legal right to grow weed in a rental unit. Unfortunately for pot aficionados and medical marijuana patients, the answer isn’t pleasant. Even if you are licensed by the state to grow, sell or use pot, chances are your landlord can prohibit you from growing on the property....
Ever been the victim of nail salon discrimination? No? Because Norris Sydnor III of Maryland claims he was, and now he wants $200,000. Filed against Rich’s Nail Salon in Landover, and set to go to trial next month, the lawsuit claims that being forced to pay $1 more than a woman for a manicure was emotionally distressing. And illegal. Norris Sydnor III claims that he was humiliated after having to pay $10 for a basic manicure, despite the fact that he skipped the polish, reports the Daily News....
Normally if you’re concerned with ice at a hotel, it’s locating the nearest machine to your room. There was a different concern for guests at two Motel 6 locations in Phoenix, Arizona – that employees were calling ICE to report guests who may be in the country illegally. A recent news investigation found at least 20 Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests made at those locations, and some of those arrested claim no one else knew they were there....
Oklahoma legislators may intentionally be tempting the U.S. Supreme Court, according to Reuters. Oklahoma Senate Bill 1433, also known as Oklahoma’s Personhood Bill, is gaining traction, and if passed, would give embryos, from conception, the same rights as already born persons. Some believe the bill would restrict contraception, in vitro fertilization and abortion. But others claim it will do no such thing, and is merely a political statement that, “in Oklahoma, we value life....
A new study of small businesses in the U.S. and Europe has found that fewer and fewer entrepreneurs are optimistic about their success in the coming year. Insurer Hiscox Ltd. reported that 38% of business owners felt optimistic about the next year, a sharp decline from last year’s near half of small business owners who felt confident in their futures, reports Bloomberg. With confidence dropping, the market is bound to be affected, so here are five tips to shore up your business in uncertain economic conditions....
The peer to peer lending (a.k.a. person to person or social lending) success story Kiva.org has expanded its lending operations to U.S. small businesses. If it’s pilot program works, Kiva hopes to bring its developing world microlending success to more small businesses in the U.S. Kiva, based in San Francisco, was inspired by the Nobel Peace Prize winning Grameen Bank of Bangladesh and its founder Muhammad Yunus. Yunus’ innovation was simple, elegant, and has proved incredibly useful: small locally geared loans to those deemed uncreditworthy by traditional banks are very often repaid dutifully and give recipients the bit of capital they need to succeed as entrepreneurs....
The mother of a preschooler with special needs alleges her 3-year-old child was abused by teachers, and has filed a lawsuit in response. It’s the third such lawsuit against Livonia Public Schools, a district outside Detroit. Two other lawsuits, filed last month, allege that three other children with special needs in the same class were also abused. Especially disturbing, the suits claim that staff members knew about the abuse but didn’t do much to stop it, reports the Observer and Eccentric....
Can you get fired for selling Girl Scout cookies at work? A single mom from Washington, D.C., has learned the answer the hard way. Tracy Lewis worked for several food services companies on American University’s campus for almost 30 years, and most recently worked as a retail service manager for an on-campus convenience store. She’s been selling Girl Scout cookies at work for three years without any problems, she told Washington’s WTTG-TV....
News of stimulus money gives hope not only to small businesses in need, but also to scam artists looking to prey on those seeking government assistance. With headlines publicizing increased federal support for small business loans, small businesses need to be on alert for loan scam artists. Here are 6 tips for avoiding small business loan scams. Beware of any loans or financial assistance offered via unsolicited phone call, email or letter....
When it comes to the world of 3D printing, businesses that can benefit from the new technology need to be cognizant of the liabilities, which can be numerous. Like nearly every other business, 3D printers might be best served by contracting around those liabilities. For instance, a company that is only engaged in printing objects according to their customer’s design may want to require their customers to sign indemnification agreements before commencing to print....
Hiring independent contractors, as opposed to full-time employees, can benefit your small business. You can be more flexible as you expand, bring in specialists for specific projects, and wave goodbye without any harsh feelings or unemployment benefits to worry about. But contractors can complicate things, legally speaking, and treating contractors like employees can get you into some tax trouble down the line. So, when are independent contractors not really contractors, and what are the costs of misclassifying employees as contractors?...
The economy may feel frozen, but there are some hot startup sectors that are seeing fast growth and have a low barrier to entry. A recent IBISWorld report spotlights industries teeming with opportunity for startup entrepreneurs in 2013. But opportunity often comes with risks – including legal ones. Without further ado, here are five sizzling-hot startup industries that are worth checking out, and some legal reminders for each: Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Google+....
Suits between disabled patrons and business owners over building access are on the rise. Businesses that fail to comply with the standards promulgated by the American Disabilities Act can face costly litigation. ADA requires all businesses, big or small, to provide reasonable access to all disabled customers and clients. A growing problem is disabled individuals are discovering minor (or major) violations of the ADA and filing multiple lawsuits, regardless of whether he or she actually suffered harm from the violations....
Recent Headlines Have Many Wondering: What Is Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress? Burr Oak Cemetery: Relatives of 7,000 people buried in site near Alsip seek information on grave sites (Chicago Tribune) The Suicide Reportedly Resulting from a MySpace Friendship that Turned Abusive: Could It Provide the Basis for a Successful Tort Lawsuit? (FindLaw’s Writ) Intentional infliction of emotional distress (Definition, from the Legal Information Institute) Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (provided by Broussard & Hart, L....
