Posts

A former player for Clemson’s women’s soccer team has filed a lawsuit against the team’s coaches and 14 members of the team, among others, claiming that she suffered a permanent brain injury during a hazing ritual. Haley Ellen Hunt’s lawsuit, filed last month in a South Carolina court, claims that as a freshman in 2011, she and other freshmen players were forced to perform “humiliating and demeaning acts” by other players, reports the New York Daily News....

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California is looking for ways to shrink a nearly $20 billion deficit and has proposed a plan to put non-violent felons in county jails. Under the governor’s latest plan, about 15,000 non-violent felons would be housed in county jails for up to three years, the Sacramento Bee reports. The main issue, however, is that counties would get just under $12,000 per inmate, which represents less than half the savings the state would realize by avoiding the greater costs of prison incarceration....

How do damage caps work? Personal injury damage awards can rise to the millions. That’s where the whole concept of the ambulance-chasing attorney comes from. It’s the idea that you can become a millionaire overnight for tripping on someone’s driveway. Well, that might be a stretch. But nevertheless, some believe that lawsuits are a get-rich-quick scheme. As a result of this and general public policy, legislators in many states have enacted damages caps....

An international child custody battle ended with a joyous reunion at a New York City airport, as cab driver Eugene Pothy hugged the son he hadn’t seen in eight years. “Why are you crying?” Pothy’s 10-year-old son, Philippe-Emmanuel, asked his father in French. “Just for you,” Pothy replied, according to the New York Daily News. Philippe-Emmanuel’s return to the United States marks an end to an international child-custody battle between his father in New Jersey and his mother’s relatives in the African nation of Ivory Coast....

If you’ve ever tried to read a legal document or comb through a state code section, you’ve likely encountered a few words or phrases that left you scratching your head. You’ve just encountered legalese, the native language of the legal world. Understanding legalese can make seemingly difficult legal concepts much easier to understand. To that end, our series Legalese From A to Z breaks down the language of the law one letter at a time....

There’s no doubt that child custody determinations can be hotly contested battles between parents. So it’s probably not surprising that not all parents play by the rules. Even though it may come from a place of love and caring for the child, some parents have been known to stretch the truth or lie during child custody hearings or on court documents in order to gain or maintain custody. Parents have been known to fib about a child’s proximity to friends and family, dissemble about their own drinking or drug use, and even falsify allegations of child abuse....

An ex-con who allegedly participated in the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl leaving her homecoming dance in Richmond, California has been arrested. According to the Associated Press, 43-year-old John Crane Jr. walked into the police station and turned himself in without incident. Crane was recently identified by investigators as a suspect in the gang rape of the 16-year-old girl. Police described him as an ex-con with a history of violent crime....

If your first thought after a work injury isn’t, “When can I get back to work,” it’s probably, “When can I get paid for getting injured at work.” Missing work is tough, especially if you’re missing paychecks, too. If you got injured on the job, you probably know you can file a workers’ compensation insurance claim. But how long is that going to take? While all cases are unique, here’s a quick look at what to expect from your workers’ comp claim....

Most of us don’t want special treatment in the office. We just want to the opportunity to do great work, preferably in a field we enjoy, and be fairly compensated for our labor. But fairness comes in a lot of forms outside of our salary, and there are numerous ways we can be treated unfairly at work. But is that treatment necessarily illegal? And are there legal remedies for unfair treatment at work?...

The way in which the police go about enforcing the law is an issue that’s been debated for a long, long time. Whether it’s individual police tactics, the militarization of the police force, or issues with race relations, there are a lot of opinions out there. Privacy Concerns The usual tug-of-war that goes on around these issues is between safety on one end, and privacy on the other. Sure, we could potentially be very safe if the police could track everyone’s movements with cameras, tracking devices, facial recognition, and the like....

Earlier this month the California Foreclosure Prevention Act, which established a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures in the state, ended. Mortgagors have been relieved that the close of the program on September 15, 2009 has not been marked by a pronounced spike in new foreclosure filings. And while California homeowners may be on their own, Wisconsin residents are getting a little more time to sort out their home finances. Marshall & Ilsley (M&I) Corporation announced this week that it was extending its foreclosure moratorium for another 90 days—until December 31st 2009....

Trademarks exist in order to allow consumers to differentiate products and services that exist in a marketplace. When a business, other entity, or individual, puts time, money, and effort, into developing a valid trademark, the law provides certain protections for the trademark holder. For instance, when trademarks look similar, or have the potential to confuse the public or consumers, a trademark infringement action can be brought against the infringing party. If the infringing party has profited off the use of the infringed-upon trademark, or has harmed the goodwill associated with the trademark, the amount of damages claimed can increase drastically....

When taking the steps to file a personal injury lawsuit, you may be taken aback when a personal injury lawyer won’t take your case. If you’re rejected by one lawyer, don’t take it too personally. Attorneys regularly turn down cases for a variety of reasons. But if several lawyers turn you down, that may be a sign that your case isn’t as strong as you think it is. Here are five reasons why an injury lawyer may not want to take your case:...

Flash mobs have created a new kind of shoplifting where large groups go into a store for the purpose of taking merchandise. These groups can make off with a large amount of high value goods in a short period of time. Retailers across the country have been affected by flash mob shoplifting. In most cases, the perpetrators are teenagers. These flash mobs aren’t like the fun dance parties that are organized via Twitter or Facebook....

You worry about your business and try to do everything you can to help it thrive. You set goals, you have plans, and you are strategic, thinking long term. But one thing still stumps you. How do you avoid lawsuits? Well, there are no guarantees for anybody, person or business. But there are some things you can do to stay out of trouble, or to at least be prepared should you get sued....

If you’re ever hurt while on a bike trail, your instinct may be to immediately start gearing up for a bike trail lawsuit. But not so fast. Depending on where your injury took place and the chain of events that led up to your accident, your attempt at getting compensation for a bike trail injury may fall flat in court. That’s why it’s a good idea to consult an experienced personal injury attorney to spot potential legal obstacles to winning your bike trail lawsuit....

It wouldn’t be a BP update if it wasn’t bad news. New estimates suggest that the BP oil spill is leaking 1.5 to 2.5 million gallons a day into Gulf, equivalent to having an Exxon Valdez disaster every 4-7 days. We’re now going on 8 weeks, which means that without accounting for whatever BP has been able to siphon, we’re looking at between 4 and 8 Exxon Valdez spills. And the leak is ongoing....

The Golden State has long been one of the most worker-friendly when it comes to everything from minimum wage to paid time off. California continues to roll out employee protections in 2018, prohibiting employers from including questions regarding salary history or criminal convictions on applications, or even inquiring during job interviews. And these are just two major changes California employers need to be aware of in the coming year. Here’s what you need to know for your small business....

Being a non-citizen resident in the United States can a precarious position. Until you become a naturalized citizen, there are many grounds upon which you can be deported. A criminal conviction doesn’t just affect your day to day life, it can get you deported. But, what if you never went to trial? Can a guilty plea affect your immigration status? Deportable Crimes For unlawful residents in the United States, any crime can get you deported....

The Los Angeles Times reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that they will visit the site of a toxic waste dump in Kettleman, California and address concerns over a rash of facial birth defects. According to UPI.com, Kettleman City in the Central Valley about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on Interstate 5 is home to about 1,500 people. Most of the residents in this city are poor migrant farm workers....