L.A. Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling and wife Rochelle have more these days to concern them than the Clipper’s record (last year, 19-63). Recent news reports show the pair has settled with the U.S. Justice Department in a housing discrimination suit for what is being called the largest settlement ever in a case regarding apartment rentals. According to the Proposed Consent Order, which is awaiting the approval of U.S. Dist. Ct....
A CVS store is in hot water this week over a racial slur that appeared on a customer’s receipt. Customer Hyan Lee was more than dismayed when she found that her CVS receipt for photographs read “Ching Chong Lee.” Lee was furious when she learned that CVS had merely disciplined and counseled the employee responsible for the slur, and has filed a $1 million lawsuit, The Huffington Post reports. Given the current state of anti-discrimination laws and policies, Lee likely has more than one legal leg to stand on....
Could technology effectively do away with statutes of limitations? Prosecutors in a growing number of states are indicting the DNA of criminal suspects when they don’t know whom to charge. This allows them to prosecute the suspected perpetrator if they later identify the DNA, even if that doesn’t happen until long after the statute of limitation would normally have run out. Many types of crimes in many states are subject to statutes of limitation....
The majority of employment arrangements are at-will, meaning either the employer or employee can end the employment for whatever reason or no reason at all. But there are some reasons an employer can’t use to fire you. For instance, you can’t be fired for reporting workplace safety or wage and hour violations. You also can’t be fired solely based upon your race, national origin, gender, or religion. But what about your religious wear?...
In a recent story out of Michigan, Jeremy Hoven, a pharmacist at a Benton Harbor Walgreens, was fired after he shot an armed suspect who attempted to rob the drug store at 4:30 a.m. Though Hoven has a concealed carry permit and utilized his own gun, Walgreens determined that his actions violated the company’s “non-escalation policy.” Do you have a non-escalation policy? An employee robbery policy? Have you ever spoken to your employees about how they should respond to a robbery?...
Like many Americans, you are probably aware of the fact that Congress has been agonizing over public healthcare. But do you know what the specifics are? If you don’t and even if you do, you will want to read this post. Forbes did a wonderful job detailing the information you would want to know about each of the healthcare bills being discussed at Capitol Hill. There is one caveat: Forbes could not discuss the Senate bill in detail because it is not public yet....
It’s a common theme on E! True Hollywood Story, but the fact is that becoming an emancipated minor isn’t as easy as celebrities may make it out to be. And it’s not always about money, either. While it’s possible to become an emancipated minor via marriage or enlistment in the U.S. Armed Forces, emancipation is most often sought by minors who, as a result of a complicated familial situation, feel that they need to end ties with their legal guardian....
New online travel agencies, such as booking.com and Expedia have made it easier than ever to plan a family vacation with one-stop shopping. Or has it? Imagine that often unpleasant first day of travel. Arriving at your destination, you fantasize about lying down with some peaceful quiet. Everything is seemingly booked correctly, you’ve triple checked every detail, you swagger up to the front desk, and life suddenly takes a left turn....
There’s no age limit on citizenship but most immigrants who get sworn in were born in the last century. That’s not true for Joaquin Arciago Guzman who became a United States citizen Wednesday at the age of 102. The Philippines-born took the Oath of Allegiance in downtown Los Angeles and became part of a small group of immigrants who become citizens as centenarians. Only 27 people over the age of 100 have become citizens in the last 50 years, reports The Washington Post....
In the American criminal justice system, defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence. This is often stated by saying that one is considered “innocent until proven guilty.” In order to convict the defendant, the prosecution has the burden of proof. The defendant does not have to speak or otherwise give testimony that could be damaging to their defense. It is up to the prosecution to prove the case. The prosecution is in a somewhat unique situation in that on the one hand their job is to prosecute and convict the guilty, they are also supposed to let the innocent go free....
If there’s anything that injured plaintiffs and hospitals can agree on, it might be that medical malpractice lawsuits are time consuming and costly. Medical care providers, patients, and policy makers have all argued for medical malpractice reform. Their wish may be granted soon, if a pioneering new approach by a New York judge takes hold. Judge Douglas E. McKeon, an administrative judge in the Supreme Court of Bronx County, started his approach in 2002 when he made an agreement with the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation....
U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips has issued an injunction prohibiting the enforcement of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The injunction orders the armed services to “immediately to suspend and discontinue any investigation, or discharge, separation, or other proceeding, that may have been commenced.” The order by Judge Phillips, a judge for the Central District of California, stems from a case brought by the Log Cabin Republicans challenging don’t ask, don’t tell, reports CNN....
Legal troubles continue to mount for ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who is already in state prison for a probation violation stemming from an obstruction of justice charge related to lying under oath about an affair with his chief of staff. Kilpatrick has now been indicted on federal fraud charges. Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was indicted on 19 counts of federal fraud and tax charges and could be sentenced to 20 more years in prison, the Associated Press reports....
The kids are out of school, hanging around, and you want to put them to work. You should. It’s a good idea for many reasons. Hiring your kids has both long-term and short-term payoffs. You can keep an eye on the tykes while presenting a solid work ethic and helping them learn to appreciate of the family business. The summer working together can teach you to communicate with your kids as mature adults, a skill you will need soon enough....
What would you do if you were jailed for your twin’s crime? Sue? That’s what Mitch Torbett of Signal Mountain, Tenn. is doing. And he probably won’t win. Torbett was recently arrested while applying for a local construction permit. When authorities ran his driver’s license, they realized he had a federal warrant out for his arrest. He tried to explain that the warrant was really for his identical twin brother, Mike, who has been dead for two years....
A blizzard is more than inconvenient. It costs governments and businesses series amounts of money. When the streets are covered in snow, shoppers stay home, as did those in the Northeast on Sunday and Monday. In fact, according to recent estimates, the Northeast blizzard cost retainers $1 billion, according to ShopperTrak, a company providing shopper-traffic counting technology and data analysis. ShopperTrak found that Dec. 26 foot traffic was 11.2% off from what they had forecasted, CNN Money reports....
New York City is going to be a lonelier place for public school teachers. The city’s Department of Education has ruled that NYC teachers can’t become Facebook friends with students or follow their Twitters. The new guidelines prohibit teachers from interacting with students via social media Websites, The New York Times reports. However, the rules don’t ban NYC educators from using social media services in their personal lives. Also, teachers may still interact with students through professional online accounts approved by their school....
Animal rights activist group PETA has sued SeaWorld in a strange legal twist. PETA’s SeaWorld lawsuit alleges the company infringed upon 5 orca whales’ 13th Amendment rights. The group has accused SeaWorld of enslaving their killer whales. “The 13th Amendment prohibits slavery, and these orcas are, by definition, slaves,” said PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk in a statement. True, these whales are working at the theme park for no pay....
Philadelphia’s new marijuana policy will take effect next month and decriminalizes the small possession of pot for personal use. The goal of the new policy is to sweep about 3,000 small-time marijuana cases annually out of the main court system in an effort to unclog Philadelphia’s crowded court dockets, Philly.com reports. The policy decriminalizes small amounts of marijuana possession. The fines could range from $200 for minor drug possession and first-time offenders and $300 for others....
Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been sued by the federal government for civil rights violations, National Public Radio reports. The lawsuit was filed by the Justice Department. They accuse Arpaio of “violating the civil rights of Latino drivers and inmates in the county jail.” Among the allegations, Justice Department lawyers say the sheriff pulled over Latino drivers for no reason. They also claim he retaliated against judges and lawyers critical of him and gave no services to non-English-speaking inmates....
