Three more states may soon make pot legal if their ballot measures pass in the November election. Washington, Oregon, and Colorado all have efforts to make marijuana legal on the ballots. Polls indicate that the Washington measure is currently favored and that Colorado supporters have a slight advantage. While the Oregon measure still has more opposition than support, at least one state may legalize marijuana this year, reports Huffington Post....
After a “rash of sexting cases,” the FBI issued a confidential internal disciplinary report to its employees to deter future misconduct. The FBI took this unusual action as a way to get its message out to its employees and teach them about what is appropriate and not appropriate use of FBI BlackBerries, reports CNN. The federal agency wants its employees to know that sexting is not appropriate for the workplace and that work BlackBerries are for official use only....
Did you know that smoking could kill you? The U.S. government wants to make it even more exceedingly clear with new “bolder” warnings on cigarette ads and cigarette packs. The Food and Drug Administration unveiled 36 proposed images that the public can consider through January 9, 2011. The new, sometimes gross warnings, if accepted, would be the most significant change to tobacco warning labels in 25 years. The public is being asked to consider the new proposed cigarette warnings....
Heidi Montag recently filed for divorce from her husband of just over one year, Spencer Pratt (yes, they were actually married). Although this announcement has coincidentally coincided with the end of their reality television show, there is a lot of buzz about the specifics of their divorce, and anticipation as to how it will play out. In her divorce petition, Montag specifically asked that her soon-to-be ex does not receive any spousal support payments....
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the lining of a person’s internal organs, such as the lungs, stomach, and heart. There is no cure for the disease, and most cases are directly related to exposure to asbestos. According the American Cancer Society, mesothelioma is a rare disease with approximately three thousand cases diagnosed each year. Individuals who become sick, injured, or die, as a result of asbestos exposure, may have a legal claim depending on how the exposure occurred....
Whether you’re a victim of harassment, stalking or domestic violence, you may be entitled to a restraining order, requiring your harasser to refrain from contacting you. Unlike some legal processes, you can easily obtain a protective order without an attorney. Here’s how. Restraining Order Step 1. From your state court’s website, or the local branch, obtain a petition for a restraining order and an affidavit. Fill out both forms thoroughly, telling your story as specifically as possible....
Several former and current Cook County Traffic Court employees were among those charged in allegedly arranging sham marriages to evade U.S. immigration laws. Allegedly at the helm was, Maria F. Cruz, formerly of Chicago and a one time traffic court worker. She allegedly doubled as a fake wedding planner who helped recent immigrants become legal residents, possibly shaving years off the typical wait for citizenship, according to the Chicago Sun Times....
Despite a clean body scanner image, Timery Shante Nance, an African-American woman with natural, unstraightened hair, was subject to a TSA hair pat-down last month while departing from San Antonio International Airport. Laura Adiele, another young African-American sporting a “normal-looking puff,” was also subject to a hair pat-down in June at the Seattle-Tacoma airport. Again, she did not set off any alarms. Is the TSA discriminating against black women with natural hair?...
A jury has acquitted chemical manufacturing giant W.R. Grace and three of its top executives in a federal criminal case that accused the company of causing – and then attempting to cover up – asbestos contamination in the small Montana mining town of Libby. Today’s decision puts the spotlight back on the longstanding health risks associated with asbestos exposure. Asbestos in Libby, Montana. In the town of Libby, population approximately 2,600, at least 200 people have died from illnesses caused by asbestos, with hundreds more made seriously ill, the New York Times reports: “And there is no doubt that the Zonolite Mountain vermiculite mine, owned and operated by Grace from 1963 to 1990, was the source of the asbestos....
Washington has followed Ohio’s lead and adopted a new single shot lethal injection protocol. The state switched from a three-drug to a one-drug cocktail after Ohio’s recent success with its single shot lethal injection method. According to the Associated Press, paperwork filed shows that the state made its decision and wants the high courts to dismiss parts of an appeal of death-row inmate Darold Stenson. The state argues that a challenge of the drug protocol’s constitutionality is now moot....
A man who was paralyzed in a portable-toilet tip-over prank is set to receive $5 million to settle his personal injury lawsuit. The prank left Donald Adams III, of Pennsylvania, a quadriplegic. He sued the pranksters – his two cousins-in-law – along with the portable-toilet company and the toilet’s installer for his injuries, according to The Associated Press. How did the prank happen, and why was the portable-toilet manufacturer named in the suit?...
Last year, California passed the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014 (AB 1522). The act is also known as the Paid Sick Leave law. The law requires employers to give qualified employees paid sick leave. While the law took effect on January 1, 2015, the accrual period starts July 1, 2015. Here is what you need to know: Does it Apply to my Business? All California employers are subject to this new law, including staffing agencies....
Here’s a tip: If your ‘voluntary’ prison work program offers two choices, either work for your toilet paper, toothpaste, and other hygiene products, or face additional criminal charges and 30 days in solitary confinement, it’s not really a voluntary work program. That’s just one of the many horrific allegations contained in a lawsuit against the nation’s largest private prison operator, CoreCivic, the second third lawsuit to charge the company with human trafficking filed in the past year....
Nick Dellaventura was finishing a voluntary preseason football practice when he suddenly started having trouble breathing. The 15-year-old collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. He was pronounced dead hours later. During the practice the players wore no equipment and there was no contact. But it was a warm day with relative humidity for the Staten Island-based team. Dellaventura seemed fine until everything suddenly went wrong. At this point, the cause of death isn’t clear and an initial autopsy came back inconclusive, reports New York Daily News....
It’s tragic when people die in an accident, but even more upsetting when you feel that the tragedy could’ve been avoided. Nancy and Jerry Cardigan, the parents of one of the victims who died in a helicopter crash in New York City’s East River, feel that negligence led to their son’s death. So, they have filed a lawsuit against the helicopter pilot and the tour company. How Did This Tragedy Occur?...
Depending on where you’re pulled over, there are a varying amount of consequences for refusing a field breathalyzer test. In just about every state, your driver’s license may be immediately revoked upon refusal. In some jurisdictions, prosecutors might be able to point to that refusal as an implicit admission of guilt, while in others, prosecutors may not comment on the refusal at all. And in some Chicago-area counties, police may start fast-tracking warrants for a blood draw....
California woman Maryann Slettehaugh, 83, was killed on Tuesday after she was struck by an errant skateboarder in Capitola. The unusual skateboard death occurred when Slettehaugh was in the midst of her daily walk. The skateboarder, a 17-year-old, was going at around 15-20 miles per hour when he struck Slettehaugh. According to reports, the teenager saw Slettehaugh in the crosswalk and tried to avoid her by jumping off his skateboard. Slettehaugh was one step away from the sidewalk when she was struck....
It has been a banner ski season thus far in 2011, with trails and slopes packed with snow. With all those skiers and snowboarders riding the ski lifts, accident are sure to happen. Every state has their own laws which govern liability for ski lift accidents. Some states say that by skiing, you assume the risk of a dangerous activity and therefore are liable for your own injuries. The laws in those states hold that skiing is inherently dangerous, so each skier or snowboarder is assuming the risk of being hurt....
President Trump has made it clear that immigration reform is one of his priorities. So, it’s no surprise that the Trump administration has decided to put a question back on the U.S. census asking about citizenship. The Justice Department asked officials to add the question about citizenship because it said that it needed better data on the voting age population in order to help enforce the Voting Rights Act. Challenging the Citizenship Question The state of California immediately challenged the plan to add a citizenship question to the census by filing a lawsuit in federal court....
With today being National Stepfamily Day, it’s a good time to remember that if your family includes stepchildren, you may need to revisit your estate plan. Stepchildren are often considered by their stepparents to be on equal footing with any biological children that parent may have. But legally, a parent’s natural-born children may be treated differently than stepchildren for purposes of distributing your property after your death under the terms of a will or through your state’s intestacy code....
