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Businesses can take many legal forms – sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs), and corporations, along with different flavors of each. One commonly used type of corporation is the “S corporation,” which can both limit liability and give tax advantages to some businesses. An S corporation is a regular corporation that has elected “S corporation” tax status. Being a corporation generally shields owners from the business’ liabilities. Being an S corporation offers this perk, plus the tax structure of a partnership....

Revenge porn, or posting an ex’s sexually explicit photos or videos on the internet, is a nasty and sometimes illegal business. And while state laws and courts have begun cracking down on those who post and facilitate revenge porn, protections for victims are far from perfect. Take the case of one New York woman, who, while successful at getting surreptitiously recorded sex tapes removed from porn sites, is having a harder time scrubbing her search results from Google, Yahoo, and Bing....

Lawyers always talk about why you need a will – the document ensures that your wishes are met upon death. But wills still leave a lot to be desired. There’s probate, taxes and a whole host of other financial issues that can arise. Enter the living trust. Trusts allow you to access and manage your assets while you’re alive, and then transfer that power to a trustee at death. Your heirs still get your property....

Looking to stay out of hot water regarding age discrimination? Here’s a tip, never ask for a person’s specific age or Social Security number until after that person is hired. That’s what large retailers Target and The Home Depot have been doing lately, and it has retirement-age applicants crying age discrimination. Some of the older Americans looking for jobs have been claiming to be younger to get hired, reports the Huffington Post....

A new McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles, two decades after the infamous “McDonald’s coffee” case that received worldwide attention. In the latest case, a woman named Paulette Carr claims she was injured by hot McDonald’s coffee in January 2012 at a Southern California drive-thru, reports the Los Angeles Times. How does Carr’s case against McDonald’s coffee compare to its infamous predecessor? The thrust of Carr’s suit is that McDonald’s caused her hot coffee injuries by “negligently, carelessly and improperly” placing the plastic lid on Carr’s coffee cup, causing it to spill onto her, reports the Times....

The business world is filled with unscrupulous people who are always willing to test the limits of decency and legality when it comes to making a buck. Bribery is one of those things that small business owners need to be cognizant of, as even trusted employees can be compromised, and innocent gifts misconstrued. Although there are vaguely specific rules about what can be considered a gift, or perhaps a campaign contribution, or donation, businesses need to be careful that these are not construed as bribes....

We tend to think of hospitals as places we go to get well. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. And if you’ve suffered from substandard care in a hospital, you may be wondering if you can sue the hospital. Hospitals that fail to provide patients with a standard of care can be sued for negligence. They can be held directly liable for their own negligence, but could also be held vicariously liable for the negligence of their employees....

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization announced that unprocessed red meat and processed meats like bacon, ham, and sausage are carcinogenic. The WHO report said that eating just 50 grams of processed meat a day could make you 18 percent more likely to get cancer, specifically colorectal cancer. While the WHO also said the risk of developing colorectal cancer is relatively low to begin with, what if you do get cancer?...

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition that causes anxiety following exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal, is a very common problem among men and women returning from active combat. A class-action lawsuit established to provide health-related and financial assistance to veterans of Middle East wars who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has been extended to allow more members of the eligible class to opt-in. According to The Examiner, the PTSD class action (Sabo v....

We all know that serving time on a jury can be a pain. Imagine if your boss fired you for doing your civic duty? That is exactly what allegedly happened to Ms. Jackalyn P. Strachan in Miami. Her story serves to remind us about employee jury duty and rights of employment. According to the Sun Sentinel, Ms. Strachan was wrongfully dismissed from her job as a security guard when she served time on a jury for a murder trial....

The Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will review whether or not anemia drugs increases a risk for stroke. This will not be the first time that the FDA reviews the risks of anemia drugs. The New York Times reports that an online commentary by the New England Journal of Medicine wrote that clinical trials suggest that high doses of anemia drugs may increase the risk for stroke related injury if the patients taking the drugs had diabetes or chronic kidney problems....

Last fall, the buzz of election frenzy predominated newscasts and reporting coverage. Fast-forward a year to find a new President, new Cabinet, and updated Congress and Senate. But, just as last year, there is still a single campaign carrying news waves. And this time the “election”– for health care reform– is set to take place in less than a week. So, mark your calendars and get ready for the showdown....

Between the people and the property, there are a lot of moving parts in a divorce. And while we often focus, for good reason, on the easy-to-spot issues like custody, child and spousal support, and who gets the house, we often forget to keep our eye on smaller financial issues like retirement benefits, investment funds, or inheritance. Whether you’re the beneficiary of an inheritance before the divorce or you’re concerned about your children’s inheritance after the divorce, here’s how courts generally handle inheritance issues in a divorce....

Car accident? Blame the other driver. No really, you’re a great driver and everyone else has no clue what they’re doing. Or at least that’s what we all like to think. Sometimes a car accident really isn’t your fault, and you’re stuck with a mangled car and an aching back. Even worse, you can’t go to work. In this situation, you may need to start calling a few car accident lawyers....

You probably know about social host liability when it comes to serving your guests alcohol, but what about food borne illnesses? Can you be sued for food poisoning? The answer is yes, so if you made it through the holidays without serving your family and friends a vat of bacteria, good for you. But don’t let that make you complacent. With upcoming summer eating, it’s time to be more vigilant than ever....

Joran Van der Sloot, previously a murder suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway and suspect in last Wednesday’s murder of Stephany Flores Ramirez in Peru, was arrested Thursday in Chile. Van der Sloot, of Dutch nationality, is suspected of killing 21-year old Ramirez in Lima, Peru. Ramirez was found dead in Van der Sloot’s hotel room in Lima, the same day he entered Chile. Ramirez’s body was found in Room 309 of the Hotel Tac according to police....

A simple kit to build a watch has raised over $675,000, as well as raised the profile of a website called Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a site that lets people pledge money to projects involving film, music, design, art, food, technology, publishing and more. It is not an investment site. In fact, the creators of the particular projects keep 100% ownership and control over their work. Instead of offering those who pledge on the projects a piece of the company, they receive a unique product or experience....

LA’s medical marijuana dispensary ban is set to take effect Sept. 6, but a lawsuit and a petition drive are aiming to stop the law in its tracks. Los Angeles’ city council in July passed an ordinance that prohibits medical marijuana businesses, LA’s KNBC-TV reports. At the time, more than 760 pot clubs were registered to operate in the city. In preparation for the new law, the city has sent letters to more than 1,000 locations believed to be pot clubs, warning them about potential fines and jail time if they don’t shut down by the deadline....

Americans are getting married later and less often, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. Only 51% of adults are married, and only 20% of those aged 18 to 29. Though marriage is down, cohabitation is up. More couples are either not marrying or are living together before tying the knot. Unfortunately, such living arrangements present a slew of legal issues for the persons involved. However, cohabitation agreements can help fill in those gaps....

George Hinnenkamp is baffled–and justifiably so. He’s being sued by the victims of a stolen car crash, and he wasn’t even driving the car. In fact, he owns the car and had already reported it stolen by the time of the alcohol-fueled crash. Joseph Dinwiddie, a man often hired by the 91-year-old to do odd jobs, had taken the car without permission. Even so, passengers Nicole Cunningham and Delano Oscar think it’s Hinnenkamp’s fault....