People who honk their horn gratuitously and/or angrily better watch out because they might not have the First Amendment to fall back on if they get in trouble for it. At least, that’s what an appellate court judge in Washington said in the case of Helen Immelt, who got arrested for, essentially, excessive horn honking. The whole noisy matter started, as is so often the case, with a dispute between neighbors....
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has indicted Robert Joel Halderman for attempted grand larceny over the David Letterman blackmail plot. So what exactly is larceny, when is it “grand,” and what constitutes extortion? The alleged blackmail attempt and Letterman’s comments about it to his studio audience yesterday have been widely reported. Someone tried to blackmail him for $2 million using the threat of exposing Letterman’s dalliances with staff members. That someone was allegedly Robert Joel Halderman, who has long worked as a CBS news producer, most recently on 48 Hours Mystery....
Assault - the threat of physical violence; Sexual assault and battery - actual physical violence of a sexual nature; False imprisonment - unauthorized confinement of a person; False pretenses - usually, the use of false statements to coerce someone into giving up their title to property; Fraud - the use of false statements or misrepresentations upon which someone relies, to their detriment; Intentional infliction of emotional distress - outrageous, intentional conduct that causes severe emotional distress....
A Michigan teacher is petitioning for reinstatement after she was suspended, and then fired, for allegedly helping students try to organize a Trayvon Martin fundraiser. The school, however, denies that’s why she was fired, the Detroit Free Press reports. More than 50,000 people have signed an online petition at Change.org, demanding the Pontiac Academy for Excellence rehire journalism teacher Brooke Harris. Harris claims the charter school fired her after she supported her students’ plan to wear hoodies and hold a fundraiser in support of Trayvon Martin, the Free Press reports....
When Alix Genter tried to purchase a dress from the Here Comes the Bride bridal salon in Somers Point, New Jersey, all she left with was another example of just how sexual orientation discrimination can infiltrate even the most happiest of moments. Though at first she was willing to help, when the store’s manager found out that Genter was marrying another woman, she called the couple’s pending nuptials an “illegal action,” ultimately refusing to sell her the dress of her dreams....
The Small Business Administration has proposed to revise its size standards for small businesses. If the revisions are put into place, more than 120,000 additional companies would be counted as small businesses. These businesses would become eligible for SBA loans and government incentives granted to small businesses. The Washington Bureau reports that: “The SBA is reviewing size standards for all industries in order to accommodate changes in industry structure, market conditions and business models....
Some employers are sending fake “phishing” emails to test their employees’ safe computing practices. Should you do it too? One of the most popular fake “phishing” emails pictures a Turkish Angora cat with a purple mohawk and the subject, “Check out these kitties! :-)” The email includes an attachment or link promising more feline photos. But workers who click it get a surprise: A warning from their IT departments not to open such emails, reports The Wall Street Journal....
The math is pretty simple for businesses and Obamacare. Under Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act upheld Thursday by the Supreme Court), impacted businesses can either continue their employees under their current healthcare plan, or employers can drop healthcare and face the monetary penalties set in the law. It’s not unheard of for businesses to spend $10,000+ dollars per employee each year on health insurance premiums. The penalty for a business not providing health insurance under Obamacare?...
Sanctuary cities – those that decline to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement – have become a target under the Trump administration. The president attempted to punish sanctuary jurisdictions by withholding federal funds, but his executive order was blocked by a federal judge two weeks ago. Now Texas has enacted a law aimed at punishing local law enforcement authorities who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration agents. In response, the ACLU has declared a travel warning for both U....
While you may not find yourself in the middle of a global patent infringement battle like the Apple Samsung case, there are things you can learn from Apple (and Samsung’s) litigation strategy. Let’s say your company developed a new technology and spent considerable fees in properly filing and registering the patents. As the technology gained popularity, you quickly notice that others – including much larger competitors – have developed similar technology....
Bright lights flashing. Loud voices. Exchanging numbers. No, this is not a description of a Hollywood club, but the scene after a car accident. Even a simple car accident can turn into a major headache as it often involves dealing with injuries, insurance companies, lawyers, and other parties remembering the chain of events slightly different. Even for the innocent driver in the accident, there are certain steps one should always take post-fender bender....
There are a lot of ways discrimination can occur in the workplace. If you suspect it’s occurring at your job, you probably have a lot of questions about the discrimination itself and what you should do. Here are five questions to ask a workplace discrimination lawyer. Does my situation rise to the level of workplace discrimination? Each state deals with discrimination differently, but some of the more significant federal anti-discrimination laws include:...
We might not have chocolates or flowers for you this Mother’s Day, but we here at FindLaw would like to give you something special: knowledge and resources to help you resolve your family’s legal issues. Whether you’re a single mom, a stay-at-home mom, or a working mom, chances are you’re making important legal decisions every day for your kids, your spouse, your aging parents, and even yourself. Here are seven ways busy moms can address important legal issues facing the family:...
A Continental Airlines passenger suffered a broken neck and broken back on Saturday when a flight experienced serious turbulence over Texas. The 47 year-old female passenger was injured in the plane’s lavatory at a time when flight attendants had instructed passengers to return to their seats and fasten their seatbelts, according to news reports. ABC News is reporting that the unidentified woman “was one of two passengers and one crew member on Continental flight 511 from Houston to McAllen who were injured early Saturday morning in mid-flight....
There’s a tall tale among many employees that if they get sick or simply want time off work, they can automatically receive an FMLA leave of absence. In almost every office, there are rumors that someone was able to receive months off work for any reason like stress or just needing a vacation simply by saying F-M-L-A. However, the reality is that the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is not an automatic route to time off....
The fires that ravaging Northern California were barely snuffed out when Southern California was set ablaze last week. Wildfires in Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Diego Counties have burned over 150,000 acres, along with countless homes, and President Trump just approved a California disaster declaration and put the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in charge of disaster relief efforts in the state. But what are homeowners left to do if their homes have been damaged by the wildfires?...
There is a new warning-label requirement for makers of certain asthma drugs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last Thursday that it will be requiring manufacturers of long-acting beta antagonists (LABAs) to include a warning in the product labels that these drugs should never be used alone in the treatment of asthma in children or adults. This new warning requirement comes in the wake of FDA clinical trials that showed an increased risk of severe worsening of asthma symptoms, which could potentially lead to hospitalization in children as well as in adults....
For many employers, red flags on a job applicant’s resume are the only thing they’ll look for. After all, spotting red flags is an easy way to weed out lackluster candidates – especially when your help wanted ad results in a glut of responses. Knowing what to look for on a resume not only cuts down on your time, it can also help you avoid potential liability or other issues that can affect your business....
A travelling medical technician that worked across six states is believed to be a serial infector of hepatitis C. David Kwiatkowski infected about 30 people with the blood-borne liver-damaging disease over the past several years, authorities say. Kwiatkowski, 33, was allegedly addicted to anesthetic drugs and would inject himself with the needles at the lab. The technician then left the needles in place, where those same needles were used to inject other patients – infecting them with hepatitis C....
Most cases of assault are handled by criminal courts, through trials, fines, and jail sentences. And while that may serve to punish the person who committed the assault, it doesn’t always address the needs of the victim. That is left to the civil courts. Yes, assault victims can sue for money. But how much can they get? In personal injury cases, damages are awarded to the injured party in an effort to make them whole or come as close as possible to returning them to where they were before the injury....
