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Lael Feldman, a singer who performed under the name Lael Summer, leapt to her death from New York City’s George Washington Bridge last August. In September, the Port Authority of New York began installing the suicide barriers on the bridge. But those measures should’ve been taken earlier, according to a $100 million lawsuit filed by Feldman’s parents. The bridge is a “suicide magnet” according to the lawsuit, so will the Port Authority be liable for Feldman’s suicide?...

As the now-infamous MySpace suicide case winds to a close, it looks like Congress may at the same time be taking a shot at legislation aimed squarely at cyberbullying. The law introduced last month, entitled the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act after the victim in the MySpace case, would become the tool of choice for prosecutors to pursue cyberbullies. This became pointedly necessary, at least politically and in the court of public opinion, after prosecutors had to strain to find a way to go after Lori Drew in the Megan Meier case, eventually doing so using an anti-hacking law in a novel fashion....

When you die, your social media accounts and websites may be left in the hands of immediate family members or even deactivated. If you want to control your digital life after your actual death, you may need to consider a trust for your online presence. Placing these accounts in the care of a trust during your life can ensure that they are maintained post-mortem and that private information may not accessed by those you don’t trust....

College tuition may comprise a large chunk of your divorce settlement, but it shouldn’t be unexpected. It was a bit of a surprise for one New Jersey father who was ordered to pay half of his daughter’s Cornell Law School tuition – a whopping $112,500. What settlement language should divorcing spouses focus on when considering future tuition obligations? Although the term “child support” may be misleading, divorce settlements can guarantee support for children of divorcing spouses well into their 20s....

Gay marriage took a giant step in Arkansas over the weekend, with hundreds of same-sex couples flocking to Little Rock to get married after a controversial court ruling. Pulaski County Judge Chris Piazza ruled Friday that Arkansas’ ban on gay marriage violated same-sex couples’ equal protection under the law, reports Reuters. Pulaski County is the state’s most populous and includes Little Rock, the state’s capital. Can gays now freely marry in Arkansas?...

For Max Melitzer, pushing his belongings around in a shopping cart in Salt Lake City, Utah, was part of his daily life. That is, until David Lundberg, a private detective, found him and told him some startling news. Melitzer’s brother in New York had recently passed away. And, he had left the homeless Melitzer a small fortune - around $100,000. Melitzer hadn’t seen his brother, Morris, for nearly fifteen years, reports the Daily Mail....

Many types of employment involve close interactions with customers. People with a cold, the flu, or something worse may wander into our offices or businesses, putting healthy employees at risk. So if you catch an illness from a customer, is your boss liable? Workers Comp for the Common Cold Workers’ compensation insurance is designed to compensate employees for work-related injuries. If you are unable to work due to injuries or illness caused by the conditions of your workplace or your work duties, you may be eligible for compensation benefits....

Today the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by an ex-CFO many thought would be the first whistleblower protected under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. While statistics indicate that employers have an almost insurmountable likelihood of winning Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower cases, businesses are obligated to comply with a wide variety of whistleblower protections. Increased need to lay off workers calls for greater care in avoiding retaliation against a whistleblower. Though newer Ponzi schemes and casino style investment banking have pushed the shenanigans at Enron into memory, the legislation passed in Enron’s wake (the Sarbanes-Oxley Act) was meant to reign in duplicitous accounting practices and financial reporting....

The first New York gay marriage lawsuit has been filed by the New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, a group led by Reverend Jason J. McGuire. The lawsuit comes down days after the same-sex marriage bill came into effect on Sunday. Hundreds of same-sex weddings have already been performed in the state. The lawsuit seeks to make the Marriage Equality Act null, and also seeks to overturn all of the marriages that were performed under the new act, according to the complaint....

A New York stripper has filed a wage lawsuit against Dial-A-Dancer, a company that sends erotic dancers (and porn stars) to private parties in the tri-state area. Crystal DiCesare claims she only made $200 a week despite working three 12-hour days. She’s sung the company for an unspecified amount, requesting back wages and unpaid overtime. She’s also accused owner Roger Otway of skimming a portion of her nightly tips, which she says usually came in at about $500....

On Matlock, The Good Wife, and [insert your favorite legal drama here], the attorneys and their clients put their game faces on, suit up, and get ready to sue or be sued for a saucy legal issue that has arisen. But in reality, not every attorney is an Alicia Florrick, appealing to the judge and jury with grand gestures and a winning smile. On the contrary, transactional attorneys do the bulk of their work behind the scenes....

If you have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, autism, or bi-polar disorder, you may have heard of Risperdal. The drug, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, has been prescribed as an anti-psychotic that can treat those conditions. But Janssen has been in trouble for years over how it has marketed Risperdal, and now it’s in trouble for hiding the drug’s side effects. A 2012 study of autistic boys showed that breast enlargement and diminished sexual functioning are common side effects of the drug, and new lawsuits are claiming Janssen and Johnson & Johnson failed to warn doctors and patients about the risk....

In a move angering tort reform proponents, a Tennessee judge has ruled that the state’s cap on non-economic injury damages is unconstitutional. Donald and Beverly Clark sued Aimee Cain and AT&T for damages after a car crash in March 2012. The couple sought $22.5 million for pain and suffering damages. Before the jury decided on an award, AT&T moved for partial summary judgment because they wanted to cap any damage award at the legal limit of $750,000....

Nobody wants to bail on a business they built from the ground up. But some circumstances, like enough success to be acquired or a necessary shift in the company’s strategy, may require a founder to step aside. Finding yourself in this situation can be heartbreaking or a blessing, but either way it can also be legally complicated. And you may need to be careful to protect yourself, your finances, and your future if you plan on leaving the company you’ve founded....

Surrogacy seems simple enough: prospective parents who are unable to have children by natural conception and pregnancy ask a surrogate mother to carry an embryo to term for them. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Surrogacy laws differ by state, and not all surrogacy contracts are enforceable. And then there are the myriad issues that can come up during and after any pregnancy. Here are three of the biggest questions surrogate mothers and prospective parents face, and where to find some answers....

With New York and California enacting $15-per-hour minimum wage laws, and many other cities and states following suit, it can be hard to keep up with all the new minimum wage requirements. So we’ve got you covered. From the federal minimum wage to tips in the service industry, here are five essential minimum wage laws that small businesses need to know: Don’t freak out – the federal minimum wage remains $7....

In Virginia, nonviolent felons may have their right to vote restored within 60 days and Gov. Robert McDonnell has pledged to make it happen. The rights-restoration process would be eons faster than the two or three year long wait it typically takes for nonviolent felons to have their civil rights restored, the Washington Post reports. As previously discussed, In 39 states, prisoners and those on parole are stripped of their voting rights, but they are automatically returned to felons who have completed their sentences....

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a hostile work environment is when harassment–including unwelcome comments or conduct based on sex, race, or other legally protected characteristics–unreasonably interferes with an employee’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. What actions could cause a hostile work environment? The FCC cites the following as examples of actions that may create sexual hostile environment harassment include: Leering, i.e., staring in a sexually suggestive manner Making offensive remarks about looks, clothing, body parts Touching in a way that may make an employee feel uncomfortable, such as patting, pinching or intentional brushing against another’s body Telling sexual or lewd jokes, hanging sexual posters, making sexual gestures, etc....

Never say die. Despite the possible problems with the appeal in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the case in support of California’s ban on same sex marriage, Proposition 8, is not yet dead. Despite the fact that the state authorities who would be charged with enforcing the law, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown, refused to defend the law to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the proponents of Prop 8 are not yet beaten....

Dubbed the “Speed Freak” serial killers because of the methamphetamine-fueled crime spree that childhood best friends Loren Herzog and Wesley Shermantine engaged in for almost fifteen years, the two men are now on very different paths. Both men were initially convicted of several first degree murder counts. Shermantine currently sits on death row, while Herzog is set to be released and paroled later this week. CBS News reports on Herzog’s release:...