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Yet another GM recall class-action lawsuit has been filed in federal court, with more than 600 plaintiffs alleging injuries and deaths due to the car manufacturer’s faulty ignition switches. The suit was filed by a Corpus Christi, Texas-based law firm, based largely on crashes that occurred after GM’s bout in bankruptcy court in 2009. Attorney Robert Hilliard told The Associated Press that this makes the suit exempt from GM’s attempt to shield itself under bankruptcy law....

Gene Rosen became known as the “Sandy Hook Hero” after he opened his home to six first-graders who survived the shooting. Unfortunately, the Good Samaritan is now a victim too, of harassment. Shortly after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a “truther” movement sprang up. Conspiracy theorists posit that the massacre was just an elaborate government hoax. They especially targeted Rosen, whose anguished face appeared on TV – anguish that “truthers” claim was just acting....

Many schools have cell phone policies in place to protect the learning environment. As a result, students who find themselves violating cell phone policies might find their cell phones confiscated. Legally speaking, can schools take cell phones from students? They probably can, with some limitations. Most school districts and schools are given the power to create certain school policies regarding discipline and student conduct. With the growing use of technology, cell phones have become an increasingly important part of school policy....

You can counterclaim in a negligence case. If someone sues you for injury and you believe that the plaintiff’s negligence caused or contributed to the injury, you can sue, too. Counterclaims are common in car accident cases and, often, it is the insurance company that decides whether to sue on behalf of the defendant. In other injury cases, your defense attorney can help you decide whether a counterclaim is reasonable....

Short answer: Yes. Especially if you live in Washington, DC. Renters across the country, even in states that provide for legal recreational or medicinal use of marijuana, can be evicted because of the drug. However, in places were marijuana is legal for recreational usage and medical usage, it requires more than a simple “no illegal activity” clause in your lease. Even where pot is legal, if you are selling it, growing it, processing it, and smoking it indoors or in the common areas, you can potentially get evicted....

You are a whiz in the kitchen and now you want to take what you make and sell it off your porch, at a farmer’s market, or on the street. What will you need to do this legally? The short answer is that you will probably need a permit. The more precise and much longer answer will depend on what, where, and to whom you are selling. Cottage food laws and regulations vary from state to state while permitting is contingent on the context of the sale....

Fifteen people were killed this weekend when a bus transporting passengers to and from Mohegan Sun Casino flipped over and slid hundreds of feet. Investigators are looking into whether the driver was speeding or fell asleep at the wheel. It’s virtually guaranteed that, right now, the Mohegan Sun bus company is looking into issues of employer liability. And you’re probably thinking that there’s no way to avoid it. Well, you’d be mistaken....

This morning, it was reported that the FBI is now probing U.S. Officials and Massey Energy, allegedly investigating bribery of officials of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the federal agency in charge of inspections and mining regulation. While it is important to note that these are merely allegations, this represents a significant turn of events in the coal mine investigation. In a statement to NPR in reply to its report, Massey says it is not aware of the bribery allegations, and is fully cooperating with any investigations taking place....

Fed up with exposed underwear, schools across the nation have banned students from wearing saggy pants–a fashion trend that is thought to have started in jail. Following in Arkansas’ footsteps, the Florida House of Representatives is now considering a mandatory statewide saggy pants ban, and the NAACP isn’t happy about it. Florida State Senator Gary Siplin (who is black) has been trying to to pass a Florida saggy pants ban for the last three years, calling them distracting and inappropriate for school....

Chances are, you opened your small business because you believe you can do it better than anyone else. And better usually means differently. Maybe you have a unique take on an old concept, you’ve figured out a more efficient means of production or delivery, or you invented something completely brand new. Either way, doing the same thing as your competition might be the furthest thing from your business plan. Which is why you might’ve also raised an eyebrow at a recent Entrepreneur article encouraging business owners to start copying their competitors....

Illinois is looking to cut cost and save money. But criminal prosecutors say the early release of prisoners may save money now but undermines the Illinois court system in the long run. Now the governor has suspended an early release program that had drawn concern from prosecutors. The state had allowed the early release of repeat drunk drivers, drug users and even people convicted of battery and weapons violations in order to save the state $5 million annually....

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, almost 20 percent of all traffic accidents involve distracted drivers, causing 3,179 deaths and an estimated 431,000 injuries in 2014 alone. And while drivers can be distracted by all kinds of things – food, loud music, unruly passengers – much of the attention has fallen on drivers texting and talking on the phone while driving. The NHTSA estimates 385 fatal crashes in 2014 involved the use of cell phones as distractions....

If you think Taco Bell meat is bad, you clearly haven’t heard about the KFC rotten chicken lawsuit. A former manager is suing the owner of a KFC franchise in Seaside, Ore. for wrongful termination and retaliation. He says the owner repeatedly ordered employees to serve rotten chicken – even when it was “turning green and was several days beyond the expiration date.” When employees refused to do so or complained about the practice, they were fired....

Are you thinking about donating your body to science? Sure, it’s a slightly morbid topic to ponder and “flesh out” – but it’s important to sort it out before, y’know, it’s too late. Gifting your body to science is a deeply personal decision, but if you’ve given it careful thought and wish to “pay it forward” to the medical community for giving you a long, healthy life, there are certain steps you must take to ensure a smooth donation....

We here at FindLaw know that legal jargon can be confusing. We hear people misusing legal words and phrases all the time. So we’ve decided to help you better understand all the legal phrases tossed around on Law & Order. Here is a new educational series we like to call FindLaw’s Legalese 101. Quid pro quo is a phrase that seems to come up around here quite frequently. It’s fun to say and sounds kind of cool, at least in some circles....

It’s time for another installment of Legalese From A to Z, explaining the plain-English meanings of some common (and some uncommon) legal terms that non-lawyers may find confusing. What is legalese? It’s the specialized language of the legal profession – words typically used only in legal documents and in court. Here are five legalese terms you may not know that begin with the letter “I”: In limine. Latin for “on the threshold,” in limine is typically used to describe motions, petitions, and orders regarding the admissibility of evidence before trial....

Ride-sharing company Lyft will pay $12.25 million to settle a class action lawsuit with its drivers over their employment status and compensation issues. This could be seen as a victory for Lyft, since the settlement will allow the company to avoid classifying drivers as employees and the additional costs and legal liability that would entail. It also remains to be seen how this will affect current litigation involving Lyft’s main competitor, Uber....

Accused Russian spy Maria Butina has changed her plea to guilty in federal court for conspiring to influence U.S. politics through her connections with the National Rifle Association (NRA). This comes as the first Russian national to be convicted of attempting to impact American politics around the same time as the 2016 presidential election. As part of the deal, the federal prosecutors dropped the charge for Butina not filing as an unregistered foreign agent....

One of the foremost problems with the nation’s welfare system is that it often fails to provide recipients with the skills necessary to find and maintain employment. New York City’s Work Experience Program is designed to do just that–place welfare recipients in “unpaid” city jobs to build employable skills. The news on the street is that WEP will be getting an influx of new positions, as the money-challenged Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has plans of hiring welfare recipients to clean the city’s subways and buses....

Was the mayor drunk? The question has surely been asked before. This time, mayor of Sunland Park, New Mexico and future congressional candidate Martin Resendiz is attracting the ire of fellow city councilmembers this week after admitting that he was inebriated while signing 9 contracts with a California company. The mayor has caused the city to potentially be on the hook for $1 million in work done by Synthesis+ despite the council’s failure to approve the contracts....