A Nevada baggage handler has been cleared to return to her job, weeks after being fired for reporting a severe case of animal abuse. The move may also serve to fend off a potential lawsuit. Lynn Jones, 56, was loading baggage and pet carriers onto planes last month at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. One pet’s plight in particular caught her eye: An emaciated pointer with bloody paws, its body covered in sores....
Often dubbed “the world’s most popular fruit,” the banana is quite versatile. Who knew it could help smuggle cocaine? And not just a small amount. At a prison in Texas, banana boxes were used to smuggle $18 million of cocaine. Corrections officers were unloading 45 boxes of ripe bananas donated to the Wayne Scott Unit in Texas when one noticed something odd. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, “They snipped the straps, pulled free the box, and opened it up....
A lawsuit filed in California accuses Costco Wholesale Corp. of falsely imprisoning its employees, by keeping workers after hours while bosses inventory jewelry and check cash registers in the warehouse stores. The lawsuit, filed in San Diego County, alleges that Costco workers are prevented from leaving even though they’re not being paid during the 15-minute store closing routines. The main plaintiff is Mary Pytelewski, a clerk at a Costco store in San Marcos, and the suit seeks class action status and $50 million in damages, the Los Angeles Times reports....
We all love a deal. Consumers continue to look for the best way to find a bargain during Black Friday, Cyber Monday and throughout the rest of the gift-buying season. However, if we go first to the internet to find that best buy, we might be contributing to the cycle of hard times by hurting our local small businesses. One proponent of local small business, especially in the retail sector, believes that is exactly what is happening, according to BusinessNews....
As if there were not already reason enough for employers to avoid bad-mouthing ex-employees, add defamation to the list. As a recent Connecticut case illustrates, making false statements with willful ignorance can be the “actual malice” that defeats any privilege normally given to in-company communications. Concerns about defamation liability (in addition to common sense) counsel employers to keep their mouths shut, particularly if they do not know the facts in question....
Commercial tenants have it tough. Sometimes landlords have their own plans for the space where you make your living, disrupting your business and earnings. This is just one reason why New York Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a law that shields mom-and-pop shops from landlord harassment. Calling small businesses essential to the city, the New York mayor said the new law will protect these shops from harassment and penalize offending landlords....
Things are changing in California, and employers better be prepared. New weather patterns and select burgeoning career paths have created the necessity for state government to regulate protections for heat injuries occurring indoors. More workers than ever spend their days inside shipping containers, thanks to the rising e-commerce industry. Pay is good, at around $16 per hour, but the risks are high. Workers spend a majority of their day performing manual labor inside a forty foot long metal container, often in California’s warmer climates....
Recently, a federal judge in Dallas held that Blockbuster can be sued over its practice of transmitting lists of movies rented by particular customers for posting on those customers’ Facebook pages. The judge rejected Blockbuster’s argument that its terms of use agreement requires arbitration of all claims. Why did the arbitration clause get tossed? Blockbuster’s terms of use agreement was found to be “illusory” because it allows Blockbuster to unilaterally change any part of the agreement....
Add employers in the state of Washington to those who may legally fire medical marijuana users. On Thursday, the Washington Supreme Court released a decision in which it severely curtailed the rights of medical marijuana patients in the workplace. Not only may they be fired, but the decision also bars the state Human Rights Commission from investigating complaints, leaving employers with little liability under anti-discrimination laws. Though many states with medical marijuana laws allow employers to fire medical marijuana users for on-the-job impairment, there are a lot of lingering questions about whether an employee can be fired after failing a drug test if he legally uses medicinal pot....
The Florida Supreme Court reached a decision this week that is sure to please medical malpractice lawyers and victims currently pursuing their cases in the state. The state law limiting pain and suffering, and other non-economic, monetary awards in medical malpractice cases has been ruled unconstitutional, rendering the cap null and void. Under the old law, a person that suffered an injury due to medical malpractice could only be awarded $500,000 for pain and suffering by the court regardless of what a jury decided....
Georgia lawmakers could overhaul current Georgia gun laws and allow weapons just about anywhere – even handguns on college campuses. The proposed broad legislation would lift a ban on firearms in most public buildings, churches and even the state Capitol. It would allow gun owners with permits to carry in college campuses. The places where Georgia gun laws would ban firearms would mainly be limited to jails, courthouses and prisons....
In the down economy, job seekers are doing whatever they can to get a foot in the door. For some, that means trying to clear their criminal records to boost their chances of getting a job in a tough market. Often the background checks that dig deeper into the past hinder many job applicants. Also, databases now make it easier for employers to quickly learn information about arrests and convictions....
When you got married you imagined that you and your true love would retire together in Florida after a long and fulfilling marriage. But things did not work out and now you and boo are splitting up your lives and cutting your losses. Are you entitled of a share of the money that your spouse put into a retirement plan when you were together? And if so, how will you collect, considering the many years left before this plan is tapped?...
Though there is a federal law against distributing bomb-making instructions, a little more has to go into the effort before it is considered illegal. It’s a balancing act between free speech and national security. But beware, if you are found guilty, the penalty is high. In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed Title 18 of the United State Code, subsection 842(p), outlawing the distribution, teaching, or demonstration of information on how to make a bomb, so long as the offender intends the information to be used to commit a federal violent crime, or knows the person receiving the instruction intends to use it to commit a federal violent crime....
Unpaid invoices aren’t just a hassle for most small business – they can significantly derail your cash flow, to the point you have trouble making investments, compensating employees, or paying your own bills. What seems like a minor headache of harassing a customer or client into payment could turn into a major business roadblock. Your first inclination might be to sue a recalcitrant customer or send the bill to collections. But you might have another option....
Sometimes employers want to discipline an injured employee. After all, accidents may occur because of the employee’s negligence or bad behavior. Employers might wonder if there are any workplace injury laws that bar discipline. It all depends. You might need to examine your employment or labor contracts. And, you probably need to scrutinize your disciplinary policies. You also need to be careful about relevant OSHA statutes. You wouldn’t want to be accused of retaliation....
Gay marriage proponents are toasting a modest victory in Maryland this week. Although not an absolute legal victory, gay couples are seeing an increase in the rights afforded to them under Maryland law. The Attorney General of Maryland, Douglas F. Gansler, released an opinion on Wednesday that sent cheers and applause from gay-rights advocates. The opinion, while not necessarily legalizing gay marriage, is a significant step in the direction of legalizing gay marriage, as it will be recognizing gay marriage in other states, According to the ruling, same-sex couples are afforded the same benefits from state agencies as heterosexual couples....
New Jersey approved a medical marijuana program more than two years ago but the program will finally begin to go into effect on Thursday. That’s the day when qualified patients can first register to receive an ID card for purchasing medical marijuana. That doesn’t mark the start of any drug availability which is likely to come sometime next month. Creating a patient registry is an important first step in allowing patients to use medical marijuana....
A New York public school teacher is planning to bring a lawsuit against the city claiming that he was attacked and beat up at school. The alleged perpetrator? A 50-pound first grade student barely over four-feet tall. To make matters worse, the teacher claiming injury is a 220-pound hulk of a man, and former college running back, reports the New York Post. The teacher, 27-year-old John Webster, said that he was accompanying a group of first graders to the cafeteria for lunch....
Sixteen families with autistic kids are suing Disney over alleged Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) violations. The families claim that the park doesn’t provide adequate access, after Disney stopped offering “guest assistance cards” to autistic visitors. The “guest assistance cards” allowed the visitors to bypass lines, according to Reuters. The program was called in question after Disney discovered that people were finding ways to cheat the system. Under the ADA, commercial facilities and places of public accommodation are prohibited from discriminating against a person on the basis of their disability....
