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A Colorado family is expected to file a Listeria lawsuit over the infectious bacteria this week. The lawsuit will be filed against Jensen Farms, who voluntary started recalling their fruit after fears over the possibility of Listeria in their cantaloupe increased, according to the Denver Post. The couple, Charles and Tammy Palmer, purchased a cantaloupe at a local Walmart in Colorado Springs in mid-August. The cantaloupe was from Jensen Farms, according to the Palmers’ attorney....

According to estimates from last year, March Madness costs employers anywhere from $2.3 to $6.3 billion in lost productivity and profits. Between long lunches, streaming games at the desk, and organizing. updating, and conversing about the office pool, hours and dollars seem to disappear this month. Does that mean you ban the brackets altogether? And if not, how do you decide when acceptable fandom and office camaraderie goes too far? Here are some legal tips on what to expect with March Madness this year, and how to make sure your company advances through the tournament, rather than getting bounced early....

Attorney General (AG) Jeff Sessions has used his power as head of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in unprecedented ways this year. In a departure from the traditional laissez faire, small central government tenets of his Republican party, Sessions has been incredibly hands-on in his role as overseer of one of the DOJ’s groups, the immigration courts. Specifically, Sessions has taken under review numerous cases from the Board of Immigration Appeals....

After a school bus crash, when does it make sense to file a lawsuit? Some parents and at least one injured driver may be asking that question today, after a school bus crashed near Walt Disney World in Florida. The accident between a school bus and a PT Cruiser left 10 people hurt, including nine students on the bus and the driver of the PT Cruiser, the Orlando Sentinel reports....

Under certain circumstances, the plaintiff in a personal injury case may choose to pursue a lawsuit in civil court or opt to take the case to small claims court instead. But which should you choose? Both options of course have advantages and disadvantages. And though small claims court may not be an option in all cases, in many cases it may offer a less expensive, less time-consuming path to recovery....

An Illinois high school teacher’s self-incrimination warning to his students is getting a warning of his own. Batavia High School teacher John Dryden might face disciplinary action for reminding students that there is a Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, the Daily Herald reports. He gave the quick constitutional reminder before passing out a school survey with questions about alcohol and drug use. The School’s Interest In response to several student suicides in recent years, school staff members designed the survey as a social and emotional health “screener,” the school district’s chief academic officer, Brad Newkirk, told the Herald....

Prime Parking. What spelled trouble for one Michigan motorist? 6 previous DUIs, a revoked license, an off-the-charts blood alcohol level, having vommited on himself and choosing to park and rest on the front lawn of the police station. Weiner Troubles. The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile hadn’t been to Hawaii in five years. After a recent trip, it looks like it won’t be back anytime soon. An environmental group claims (apparently with justification) that the Weinermobile violates Hawaii’s ban on vehicular advertising....

Perhaps it’s fitting to celebrate civil disobedience the day before we celebrate our national independence. After all, a group of colonies officially declaring themselves a new nation, free of the empire that founded them, is a pretty epic act of disobedience. So July 3rd is Disobedience Day, a day to celebrate the refusal to obey certain laws, statutes, or other commands of a government. Of course, there’s a fine line between dangerous, illegal disobedience and peaceful, legal protest....

In the wake of the deadliest U.S. transportation-related accident in almost a decade, the operator of the limousine company whose “Frankenstein vehicle” was involved in the crash was arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide. And while he is facing criminal liability for the 20 deaths as a result of the accident, he and the limo company may also face civil liability as a “common carrier.” But what are common carriers?...

Protecting your intellectual property with a trademark or copyright is key to protecting your business. Intellectual property represents the unique aspects of your business and is often tied to profits. Sure, protecting your copyrights and trademarks can be a confusing process. But once you know the rules, it’s easy to figure out how to protect yourself. Basically, you just need to understand what protections apply to which creations. A copyright protects a “work of art” such as a song, a piece of writing, or a design....

Justine Barneck, 15, was killed when her father’s SUV hit the edge of a sunken road. The Utah sinkhole also caused another car to crash inside the huge depression. The accident occurred after a storm had swept out a culvert underneath Route 35. The damage took out a length of road that was 40 feet across and 30 feet deep, the Deseret News reports. Justine Barneck, of Tabiona, Utah, died on the scene after her father’s car careened and crashed....

As a business owner, you likely do everything you can to discourage employees from stealing from your business. Increasingly, however, employees are applying the same scrutiny to employers by filing so-called wage theft lawsuits against employers who fail to properly compensate them for their work. These lawsuits, including recent suits against large employers such as McDonalds and Walmart supplier Schneider, typically involve violations of minimum wage and overtime laws, reports The New York Times....

A small business in Washington state was slapped with a lawsuit after an undercover shopper for Coach bought five allegedly counterfeit Coach items at the local antique store. What can you learn from their ordeal? Pegasus Memorabilia’s owner Sherl Stocking was flabbergasted that the Coach products at issue – including a pair of glasses sold for $9.95 – were alleged fakes, claiming that he had bought them used at a trade show in Las Vegas, reports Seattle’s KING-TV....

When it comes to renting a home, a good landlord can make all the difference. However, even good landlords, like everyone else, will experience life as it comes at them, and their tenants or properties can sometimes take a backseat. But when problems within a rental unit persist, a tenant may find it necessary to withhold rent until the problems are corrected. However, tenants need to be very careful when doing so, follow their state or local laws, and provide ample notice....

Products that are improperly manufactured or designed in an unsafe manner can certainly lead to personal injury lawsuits. But even a product that is manufactured and designed properly can be subject to a product liability lawsuit for a defective warning, if the manufacturer failed to adequately warn about foreseeable risks of harm posed by use of the product. So when is a product warning considered defective? Although many manufacturers include warnings on their products just to be safe, not all products are necessarily required to include warnings....

For some women, seatbelts are simply uncomfortable. This isn’t necessarily news. But what is surprising is that female drivers and passengers are at a higher risk of injury compared to their male counterparts. A recent study slated to be published in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health found that female drivers wearing seatbelts are more likely to sustain chest and spine injuries in car crashes than males....

The recent debacle at Reddit over a popular moderator’s firing has claimed its casualties. Site moderators and thousands of Reddit users called for the resignation of Ellen Pao’s, Reddit’s interim CEO since Victoria Taylor, a well-like employee, was fired. As a result of the fiasco, Ellen Pao has stepped down as interim CEO, although she claims it was for different reasons. What can small business owners learn from Ellen Pao and Reddit’s mistake?...

Celebrate 4th of July with fireworks safety tips and a rundown on some common fireworks laws! While July 4th typically invokes images of choreographed fireworks celebrations, cookouts, barbeques, and the like, those who want to have a little extra explosive fun on their own should take extra precautions. States vary as to what fireworks are allowed in the state and what fireworks can legally be purchased. Do you know what laws apply to your state?...

As the business of blogging has become an important part of popular media, so has the blogger defamation suit. In one of the newer suits to hit the blogging community, a federal judge has refused to toss out a lawsuit filed by former USDA official Shirley Sherrod against conservative political blogger Andrew Breitbart. He and his employee have been accused of editing video footage of a speech Sherrod gave on racial reconciliation to make it appear as though she was making racist remarks against white farmers....

The repayment time of a home mortgage loan can run anywhere from 10 to 50 years, and a lot can happen in that amount of time. You may need to relocate for work, or want to relocate for retirement. You may add children to your nest or become empty nesters, necessitating more or less space. Or maybe it turns out the house you bought just isn’t for you. There many reasons we would want to sell a home, but is it possible to sell your home if you haven’t paid it off yet?...