You really don’t want to sit through another dinner with your in-laws and you just can’t stand your spouse another minute! Divorce seems like a solution and it may well be. But stop. Take a breath. There are some good reasons to grin and bear it for the holiday season. So, for practical, financial, and emotional purposes, consider waiting until January, as so many do, before you file for divorce....
Have you ever wanted to open a shop to sell the t-shirts you designed or all the paint-by-numbers you created? If you’re worried about committing to a yearlong business, you may want to consider starting a pop-up shop. If you’re planning on starting a pop-up shop, here are five legal requirements to consider: Does your city or state require businesses to have a license to operate? If yes, there’s a pretty good chance that those requirements apply to your pop-up shop too, regardless of whether you’re in business for 10 days or 100 days....
The need for daycare is both prevalent and problematic. Nationwide, some 12 million children age 4 and under are cared for daily by someone other than a parent, reports The New York Times. Factor in the millions of older children who need daycare when not in school, and chances are good that either you, or someone you know uses, or will soon start using daycare. But with spiraling costs and horror-story reports of children being abused or neglected at daycare facilities, what can you do to make sure that you’re sending your children somewhere safe?...
Does outdoor sporting retailer Bass Pro Shops discriminate against non-white job applicants? A lawsuit filed by the EEOC points to evidence that the 55-store chain has a pattern of discriminating against African-American and Hispanic job applicants. Seeking back pay and other damages, the Bass Pro Shops discrimination suit was filed after settlement negotiations fell apart last year. The agency had been investigating the company since 2007. Interviews with human resources employees and managers verify these allegations, reports the Wall Street Journal....
The gang rape and beating of a 15-year-old girl after a Richmond High School homecoming dance has caused a lot of pain not only for the victim but for the entire community. The case sparked nationwide media attention and public outrage after learning that as many as 20 people witnessed the rape or knew about the incident and did not report it. No one called police until a woman who was several blocks away heard people who heard people discussing what was occurring and notified the police....
Today is closing day for almost 800 Chrysler dealers nationwide. In response to a last bid challenge by about 300 of the closing dealers, the bankruptcy court ruled today that Chrysler’s sloughing off of these dealers may proceed. As reported by the Detroit Free Press, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Arthur Gonzalez approved the rejection of 25% of Chrysler’s dealer agreements. Tomorrow, these dealerships will no longer sell new Chyslers or Jeeps. Chrysler will also no longer honor agreements to supply parts or warranty repayment, taking away Chrysler repair work those dealerships may have had on vehicles they sold....
What’s the latest twist surrounding the Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case? The alleged DSK victim’s lawsuit, filed against the New York Post for libel. The Post had published some stories that the hotel maid is none too happy about. On July 2, the Post published a story with the headline “Maid cleaning up as ‘hooker’,” reports CNN. The story goes on to cite anonymous sources that say that the maid was doubling as a prostitute and getting money from male guests....
Employee smoke breaks can be costly, and not just for the smoker. According to a new study, the cost to businesses is about $5,800 per year for every smoker. That includes not only health care costs, but also work lost during all those smoke breaks. Other considerations include a lower productivity because of withdrawal symptoms and health risks attributed to smoking, NPR reports. What can employers do about this? For the study, researchers estimated that an average employee-smoker takes five 15-minute smoke breaks during an eight-hour workday; three of those breaks were assumed to be during designated break times....
Between credit cards, mortgages, and medical bills, many Americans face a seemingly insurmountable amount of debt. And while most of us don’t like to think about bailing on that responsibility, sometimes bankruptcy can be our last and only option. There are different options when it comes to filing for bankruptcy, and one of the most often used in personal bankruptcy is known as Chapter 7. And if you’re considering whether Chapter 7 is right for you, a big part of that answer will come down to how much it costs to file....
Following up on the announcement earlier this year, the FDA recently issued a press release updating the warnings on fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which, until now, were very commonly prescribed. These antibiotics, including levofloxacin (Levaquin), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), moxifloxacin (Avelox), ofloxacin, and gemifloxacin (Factive), have been associated with disabling and potentially permanent side effects. Due to the way the drugs were marketed to doctors and patients alike, patients have filed suit against the manufacturer as a result of falling victim to side effects that the manufacturer knew about but did not disclose....
A funeral is meant to be a time for loved ones to reflect and collectively mourn a death. For the family of Sylvia Wallace, a funeral home mix-up in Texas had them mourning a stranger. A veteran of the business for over 20 years, Falls Funeral Home director Rick Shaffer assumed the responsibility of the tragic mishap. Wallace had always wanted to be buried in Cobb County, Georgia, next to her mother, reports The Times Record....
Any time there is an issue of negligence, a claim can be brought in court. Nail salons owe patrons a duty of care to keep them safe from injury. Let’s assume that this duty was breached, due to either use of non-sterile tools or maybe the nail technician used the tools incorrectly. Small Claims If your claim is too minor for you to pursue in state court, small claims court may be a great option....
Most of us know what to do after a car accident: make sure everyone is OK, exchange insurance info, etc. But what if your car isn’t damaged by another car, but by the road itself? If your car is damaged by a road condition or during road repair or construction, can you sue the construction company or the municipality responsible for the road’s maintenance? From winter potholes to widening interstate highways, let’s take a look at who might be responsible for damage caused by poor road conditions....
The IRS’ message to taxpayers over its latest “Where’s My Refund” website glitch: We’re sorry, and we’re working on it. “The IRS apologizes for any inconvenience and will provide updated information as soon as possible,” a message on the IRS website says. The apology is aimed at alleviating taxpayers’ concerns, after the “Where’s My Refund” site mistakenly told them the IRS had no information about their e-filed returns. “It’s not even coming up, it just tells me my information is incorrect,” a distraught taxpayer in Tennessee told the Chattanooga Times Free Press....
Businesses are slowly catching up to e-cigarettes, with some of the largest employers barring them from the workplace. Walmart, General Electric, Target, and Home Depot have all decided to “lump e-cigarettes in with traditional cigarettes” and prohibit their use in their offices and stores, reports Forbes. Should your business follow suit and ban e-cigs at work? Here are a few points to consider: Some States, Cities Already Bar E-Cigs in the Workplace While you may have your own views of smoking and e-cigarettes, depending on your business’ location, you may not have a choice to allow either....
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has a thing or two to say about social media policies at work. These days, it’s no huge surprise that social media use is pervasive in the workplace, in addition to being used during one’s personal time as well. However, despite the many workplace policies regarding social media in the workplace, some of them apparently go a bit too far. In an NLRB memorandum obtained by Reed Smith’s EmploymentLawWatch....
These days, it’s going to take more than general search warrants for New York police to search everyone at a specific location. The NY Court of Appeals has now limited the scope of “all-persons-present” warrants. The New York Court of Appeals said police are obligated to provide sufficient probable cause to justify the arrest and search of any person found at a location where such a warrant is executed, the New York Times reports....
The Affordable Care Act’s “employer mandate” has been delayed to 2015, giving businesses and insurers time to carefully conform to insurance-reporting standards. Mark Mazur, the Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at the Treasury Department, stated in a press release Tuesday that the Obama administration is “engaging in a dialogue with businesses.” In response to concerns about implementing the ACA’s insurance-reporting mandate in 2014, the deadline will be extended to allow businesses more time to effectively implement the required changes....
Mix red wine, sleeping pills, an anti-depressant, plus an international trip to meet an online acquaintance, and what do you get? Airplane passengers on board a United Airlines flight last week from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Heathrow Airport in London got the distinct displeasure of finding out the answer to that question, according to a complaint filed by the government against Galina Rusanova. An FBI Special Agent’s affidavit accompanying the complaint broke down some of the more interesting details....
The family of a California woman who died after being becoming infected by listeria has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the grocery chain Safeway. In the lawsuit, the woman’s family alleges that 81-year-old Shirlee Jean Frey bought caramel apples contaminated with listeria at a Safeway supermarket in Felton, reports The Associated Press. The brand of apples Frey allegedly purchased were recalled last week after being potentially linked to an outbreak of listeria that has sickened 29 people in 10 states, including Frey....
