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The Obama administration wants to make wiretaps easier, specifically when it comes to the internet and e-mail. According to U.S. officials, law enforcement has been hindered by the use of encrypted phone and e-mail systems that block out government wiretaps. Law enforcement says that it needs to be able to access such systems in order to monitor and prevent potential acts of terrorism or other crimes. Right now, many popular services are encrypted or have options that allow encryption, including Facebook, Skype and BlackBerry e-mail....

An Alabama student claims a Geek Squad tech support agent stole naked pictures of her and posted them online. University of Alabama art student Nicole March has filed an invasion of privacy suit against Best Buy, alleging that a Geek Squad employee at a Tuscaloosa store stole and distributed her photos after she brought in her computer for repairs, reports The Huffington Post. What recourse could March or any other victim have against computer repairmen who allegedly pilfer private photos?...

The wellness incentives offered by your employer will be restricted by the government pretty soon. Starting Nov. 21, 2009, employer offered wellness programs will have to comply with new regulations under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. This Act is commonly known as GINA. What is GINA? GINA is the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act passed in Congress in 2008. It is intended to prohibit using genetic information in health insurance and employment improperly....

In most cases, a dog can make a house a home. One of the few downsides to owning a dog is the potential for liability if your dog bites a person. Who Let the Dogs Out? The case involved three housemates and three dogs. While the dogs belonged to one of the housemates, the other two would feed them, clean up after them, and let them outside if the owner wasn’t home....

Remember the lovely Michigan judge who sentenced three children to juvenile detention because they refused a court order to spend time with their father? She’s back in the news, only this time she’s the one being taken to task rather than the other way around. A special master of Michigan’s Judicial Tenure Commission found Judge Lisa Gorcyca committed several acts of misconduct in her handling of the visitation case, including “[f]ailing to act in a patient, dignified, judicial manner by making disparaging comments to the children about themselves, their siblings and their mother” While Gorcyca’s punishment has yet to be determined, the report had some harsh words for the judge who contends her treatment of the children was merely “stern language....

In an unusual example of government looking out for the little guy, Cintas Uniform company settled a living wage suit brought by its laundry workers today. Filed in 2004, the workers Union accused the company of failing to pay a living wage from 2000-2004 while under a contract with the county, as provided for by the Los Angeles County Living Wage Ordinance. Cintas admits to no wrongdoing under the settlement and says it settled to avoid litigation costs....

Though the proposal started off as an attempt to end puppy mills and kitten factories, San Francisco’s Humane Pet Acquisition Proposal has morphed into an incredible attempt to completely ban pet sales within the city’s borders. Yes, even goldfish. While some are shaking their heads, pigeonholing the proposal as just another in San Francisco’s long line of strange laws, others are now questioning their business’ future. Though the proposal aims to ban pet sales to prevent animal cruelty and overpopulation, it still permits the adoption of animals, the importation of purchased animals from outside city limits, and the sale of live animals for the purpose of human consumption....

Workplace discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation is common in Mississippi, according to a report released by the Williams Institute of UCLA Law School. More than a third of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workers in that state report being harassed at work, while a quarter say they have experienced discrimination. Mistreatment takes many forms – from name calling to wrongful termination – and for the more than 40,000 LGBT workers in Mississippi, it can make work a nightmare....

Last week, Britain stunned the world by voting on a referendum to leave the European Union, known as Brexit. Now the stunned world is trying to figure out what the implications of this decision will be for Britain, European Union nations, and the rest of us. Some experts say that Britain’s decision could lead to a slowdown in local small business lending by banks and decreased spending by American consumers, which directly impacts businesses....

Dennis Kucinich’s website touts him as “America’s Most Courageous Congressman.” According to the Dennis Kucinich lawsuit, he suffered “serious and permanent dental and oral injuries,” after biting into an olive pit in a sandwich wrap back in April 2008, USA Today reports. His lawsuit says that the food “was unwholesome and unfit for human consumption, in that it was represented to contain pitted olives, yet unknown to plaintiff contained an unpitted olive or olives....

You transport the bubonic plague one time and suddenly police get all suspicious. A 70 year-old scientist detained at Miami International Airport for a suspicious item in his suitcase that looked like a bomb had been arrested before. In 2003, Thomas Butler was teaching at Texas Tech when he was accused of illegally transporting the plague, a potentially lethal bacterial infection which killed millions of Europeans in the Middle Ages. Butler was acquitted on the plague transportation charges but convicted of fraud....

Governor Jerry Brown signed the California Fair Pay Act into law Tuesday, bringing some of the strongest equal pay protections to the Golden State. An effort to close the wage gap between men and women, the new law will give employers a choice: pay similarly situated employees the same amount regardless of gender, or come up with some really compelling reasons why not. So what, exactly, are the burdens the new law places on small businesses?...

With changing familial structures that involve divorce and remarriage, some family relationships and roles fall to the wayside. Grandparents are often victims of these changes, with their visitation rights commonly terminated upon a relationship’s demise. Because of the bond between grandparent and grandchild, it’s important to understand just what constitutes grandparents’ visitation rights. Grandparents’ rights are actually governed by state statutes, which are given effect in other jurisdictions via federal law....

Today’s employees are a fickle bunch. They come and they go. Sometimes they go taking a little bit more with them than when they came. It is not uncommon for businesses to hire employees away from their competitors. Losing an employee hurts because you’ll have to do interviews, find another employee, and then train them all over again. But, losing an employee can hurt even more if that ex-employee is using your trade secrets to steal your clients or copy your products and technology....

You may think that “support animals” are just another name from “service animals,” but there’s a fine legal distinction. A recent federal court decision put a fine point on the difference in a man’s legal battle with a Florida homeowner’s association. His HOA’s “no pet” policy couldn’t be applied to the man’s service animal because service animals are not pets – especially when they are trained to address a condition like PTSD....

Fortunately for workers, the law protects individuals who refuse to commit illegal actions for their employer. However, despite the law, from time to time, employers may pressure or force employees to break the law. For employees, it can be difficult to say no to their boss, and this can be extremely uncomfortable if your boss is asking you to do something illegal. Unfortunately, legal protections mean very little when a person has been fired and must face the immediate financial hardship and the associated stresses....

Going to a theme park can be the highlight of any person’s summer. For the most part, rides and attractions are safe, but things can go wrong. When a guest is injured at a theme park, that guest might be left wondering what rights they have to recover for their injuries. Although theme parks frequently try to limit their liability by requiring guests to agree to liability waivers as a condition of entry, these will not always protect the parks....

The Women’s March on Washington is scheduled for Saturday, January 21 – the day after President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in – and is estimated to draw some 200,000 participants. While organizers stress they “do not intend to engage in any civil disobedience” and “expect all marchers to abide by all laws and any instruction of law enforcement,” protestors may still have questions about those laws and instructions. Organized marches should acquire permits to close streets along the path of the march....

A man in Chicago is facing a criminal indictment of 250 felony charges including murder and armed robbery, after he shot and killed a Chicago police officer on July 7. The defendant, Bryant Brewer, is being held without bail. According to the Chicago Tribune, Brewer confronted police veteran and Academy instructor, Officer Thor Soderberg, before he got into his car outside a police station, struggled with him for his gun, and shot him three times....

Memorial Day is a time to remember those who served. It’s also a good time to remember your duty, as an employer, to employees who currently serve in our armed forces. Under the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), which applies to all employers, business owners can’t discriminate against employees in hiring, retention, promotion or employment benefits based on past, present or future membership in the armed services (or other “uniformed services”)....