Welcome to the new FindLaw series, “If I Find,” where we’ll discuss the rule of finders keepers as it applies to different topics. We hope you’ll check back regularly! This week, we’ll follow the treasure map to where X marks the spot. Regardless of whether you followed a map or a rainbow to its end, if you find treasure, can you keep it? Treasure Trove Rule The treasure trove rule dictates that a treasure trove belongs to the finder....
Cell phone cameras have become immensely more popular and of higher quality. It’s now relatively easy to create detailed videos at a distance, even on these personal devices. Whipping out cell phones and taking pictures, be it selfies or candids of others, has become almost second nature to Millennials. Police Action Can Almost Always Be Recorded The first question you may have is “Is it legal?” meaning, is it legal to record police officers in public without their permission?...
Many parents have wished they could call in reinforcements to get their kids to do what they should, whether it’s clean their room, get off the phone, do their homework, or go to school. One California teen was so insistently truant that her mom actually felt she had no other choice but to call the cops for help. After that ended in the teen’s arrest and stint in juvenile hall, an appeals court disagreed with that course of action, ruling that in California it’s not a crime to refuse to go to class....
An environmental group filed a lawsuit against several of the country’s largest baby food manufacturers over lead in their products. The Environmental Law Foundation claims that companies like Gerber, Del Monte Foods, Beech-Nut, and others produce baby food with a low level of lead in them. While the lead may not be toxic, the environmental organization wants these companies to place warning labels on the products, reports CBS News. The lawsuit was filed in California and would require such labeling in California only....
Darrell Brackett suffered horribly on Christmas night when he was set on fire at a local gas station, after filling up a portable container with gas. The 44-year-old died in February as a result of his injuries. He was burned on 75 percent of his body after three men attacked, doused him in gas, and lit him on fire. At the time, he was on his way home from a Christmas cookout....
Have you ever wondered how you would use 21st century communications if you were blind or deaf? Items like smartphones, tablet computers, the Internet, and other technology has become a part of everyday life for many people. However, it is quite difficult for the blind, deaf and visually impaired to make use of the technologies due to a lack of accommodations for their disabilities. However, thanks to Senate Bill 3304, the Equal Access to 21st Century Communications Act, signed into effect by President Barack Obama, access to technology will become much easier....
The New York Police Department is facing a lawsuit over its internal computer database of names collected from a stop and frisk program. The New York Civil Liberties Union has filed a class action lawsuit arguing that the computer database is an unconstitutional cyber-warehouse of millions of names (and addresses) of New Yorkers, most of them minorities who were stopped and frisked but cleared of criminal charges, the New York Times reports....
Obamacare subsidies may not be available to some customers after a federal appellate court redefined the federal government’s role in doling out these tax credits. A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 Tuesday in Halbig v. Burwell that when the Affordable Care Act authorized the federal government to give subsidies, it only allowed those credits to go to customers who purchased insurance via a state-run insurance exchange....
You were walking down the sidewalk when – whoosh! boom! – a cyclist zooms around the corner and into you. You fall, you are injured, and you want to sue. Can you? Yes, you can sue a cyclist for negligence if you are injured and sustain damages. Negligence is generally a valid claim if you are injured by another, although whether a suit will succeed depends on whether you can prove all four elements of negligence....
If you own an online business, or any business operating during the holidays, you live and die by shipping. No doubt you know all about the news about companies looking for that competitive edge by offering free shipping for all holiday purchases. No matter if you can afford to ship for free or not, if you ship any merchandise to customers, there are a few laws and regulations you should make sure to keep in mind....
Drivers in Florida had better be paying more attention to wearing their seatbelts this week. A new Florida seat belt law took effect last week that allows police to pull over and ticket drivers and passengers 18-years-old and over who are not wearing a seatbelt (those younger already had separate laws). For those wondering if Florida was stuck in the traffic law stone-ages by failing to require individuals to wear seatbelts, that’s actually not the case....
Even in the most mundane positions, employees can have access to company networks that will allow them to steal your data. Smart business owners will try to protect themselves from employee theft, whether from current hires or recently terminated ones. The following tips can help your business effectively deal with situations in which current or former employees are stealing data. Even though an employee currently working with your business may not be stealing physical items like copper insulation or office supplies, data is often even more valuable....
Getting laid off is no picnic. While you have a lot more time on your hands, you can have a lot less dough in your wallet and a lot less certainly about your future employment and financial security. In an effort to aid former employees with their sudden loss of income, employers are required to make contributions to unemployment insurance programs, which pay laid off workers benefits while they are out of a job....
Yesterday Tesla Motors announced the first death associated with one of its cars in Autopilot mode. The accident occurred in Florida in May and was made public by the car’s manufacturer only when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an official investigation of the self-driving car’s Autopilot system. This first self-driving car death raises questions about the safety and future of automated highways at a critical time when authorities are attempting to figure out regulations....
Divorce may be hailed as a blessing by some, and a curse by others, but all will agree that divorces are costly. For couples that accumulated significant assets, and/or were high wage earners, divorces can be even costlier. Frequently, however, if one or both of the soon-to-be former spouses had significant assets going into a marriage, there will be a prenuptial agreement that explains who gets what in the event of a divorce....
You’ve already scheduled a consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer. So what should you do to prepare for your meeting? While you should leave the legal research to your lawyer and his or her staff, there are several things you can and should, if at all possible, bring to the table to ensure your consultation goes smoothly. Here are five things you’ll want to bring to your personal injury consultation:...
While getting a divorce requires a couple to decide on certain issues surrounding their children, such as child custody and child support, involving your kids in the process is not necessary. A divorce can be emotionally taxing on the couple ending a marriage, but can also be very difficult for the couple’s kids. For this reason, the more you can keep your kids out of your divorce, the better for their emotional well-being....
An airbag defect that’s blamed for at least four deaths has led the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a recall notice for more than 4.7 million vehicles. The NHTSA is warning drivers of cars subject to the recall to bring them to dealerships immediately. The latest recall brings the total number of cars recalled because of the airbag issue to 12 million worldwide, reports The Washington Post. What’s the defect in these airbags, and which vehicles are subject to this latest recall?...
Arizona legislators quickly approved emergency legislation Tuesday to head off picketing by Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. The church planned to protest near the funeral service for a 9-year-old girl who was killed in the Tucson shootings. Unanimous votes by the House and Senate sent the bill to Gov. Jan Brewer for her expected signature. It would take effect immediately. Arizona legislators assert that this piece of legislation will pass constitutional muster....
The legal marijuana businesses that have cropped up recently are true pioneers in the industry. Over the years, many have faced federal raids and prosecutions due to the conflict between state and federal law. However, there are several other unintended consequences of the conflict between state and federal law when it comes to the cannabiz. In addition to not being able to conduct business across state lines, legal marijuana vendors also cannot claim protection from creditors in the federal bankruptcy courts....
