Posts

There are fewer malpractice claims against pediatricians than any other specialty, according to a recent study. But that same study concluded that a higher percentage of pediatric claims went to trial. Perhaps that’s because, pediatricians are tasked with providing medical care for our children, and their mistakes, though few, can be especially tragic. Here’s what you need to know about pediatric care and the possibility of medical malpractice lawsuits. Doctors, like anyone else, can be held liable for injuries they cause....

It would seem that the responsible thing to do if you are in financial trouble, or behind on your bills, is to go out and get a job to pay off your debts. Not so fast. If your potential employer runs a credit check, they may decide not to hire you for the very reason you need that job in the first place. Sounds like a classic catch-22, but with much bigger numbers attached....

On October 19, 2016, a powerful explosion ripped through Portland’s Northwest 23rd Avenue area. A natural gas line maintained by Loy Clark Pipeline exploded, leveling some buildings, and shattering windows in many others nearby. Gail Needham was working in one of those nearby buildings as a dental hygienist. The force of the explosion shattered the windows of the examination room where she was working with a patient, pushing her to the floor, sending glass shards into her back, and giving her a concussion....

Divorce can be hard on anyone. And when you add children into the equation, the process can only get more emotionally and legally challenging. Dealing with custody, support, and yes, even tax issues on top of an already difficult divorce can lead even the best parents to make some bad decisions. Here are a few of the worst legal decisions you can make during a divorce and how to avoid them....

While jury after jury has been awarding plaintiffs hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson for the cancer-causing risks in their talc and baby powder products, the company’s attorneys have consistently defended “the safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder” and asserted they believe the verdicts will be overturned on appeal. This week, J&J got one of those verdicts reversed, but not on the basis of the safety of its products....

A tragic series of events has a 14 year-old girl being charged, as an adult, with first degree murder and her 18 year-old brother charged as an accomplice. Artessha Holt allegedly shot and killed Jose Rodolfo Gonzalez-Coreas. Police allege that she confronted Gonzalez-Coreas and another man which led to the murder robbery. One of the victims laughed at her due to her youthful appearance, “Because of the age of the suspect the victims began to laugh at which time the suspect fired one shot grazing the victim Wilmer Bonilla’s head and striking Jose Coreas in the center of his forehead,” according to the charging documents....

Contracts can be complicated by legal jargon, but there are a handful of contract terms which even non-legal consumers should know. These basic terms control how a contract begins, when it ends, and even if it exists at all. With this crash course on contract terminology, you’re much less likely to be bewildered when an agreement goes sour. Here are five contract terms that you really should know: You may have heard the phrase “breach of contract,” since it is one of the most common legal missteps to occur in a contract....

As the field of robotics continues to advance, society keeps inching closer to that science fiction fantasy world with Robocop and ED-209 keeping law abiding citizens safe. However, one Silicon Valley company, Knightscope, has already started deploying security robots on behalf of clients seeking cost effective security enhancements. Unfortunately, the robots can’t stop criminals by themselves, and that is by design (protocol number 1: do not harm humans). The K5 robot functions as a roaming set of super-powered eyes and ears, that can identify some forms of danger, suspicious activity, and crime, then contemporaneously report what it sees to the humans in charge....

You might be able to get a deposit back on a new or used car. But whether you actually will get it back depends on where you are purchasing, what deal you made, and your tenacity. Consumer protection laws vary from state to state, but one myth prevails nationwide, according to Consumer Reports. Many people believe that they have three days to reflect on their car purchase before losing the deposit....

Popeyes fired a pregnant woman victimized in a robbery because she wouldn’t pay for it. A pregnant shift manager, at a Texas Popeyes location, was held at gun point by a burglar who demanded money from the restaurant’s safe. The manager claimed that she could only open the cash register. Normally, there would not be much money in the cash register, but the manager claimed that the restaurant had been busy....

Colorado unveiled the world’s first legal pot banking system on Wednesday, allowing marijuana businesses to move away from a cash-only model. The pot bank bill, HB 1398, approved by Colorado legislators would allow pot businesses to join “cannabis credit co-ops” as a way to handle their money. The Associated Press reports that Gov. John Hickenlooper supports the bill and is expected to sign it. Here are five key legal facts about Colorado’s pot banking bill:...

Different day, same old scam. While homeowners across the nation are struggling to hold on to their homes, quick thinking cons are doing all they can to separate consumers from the last of their money. With this in mind, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint in Florida federal court on November 18th against First Universal Lending for preying on just this sort of frantic homeowner with false promises of loan modification to rescue them from foreclosure....

You no doubt know about Elon Musk, the visionary behind Tesla Motors, manufacturer of self-driving cars. But what you may not know is that Musk is being accused of a possible violation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to Forbes, the SEC is “reportedly” in the beginning phases of an investigation regarding failure to disclose a “material event” just 11 days before the company and Musk sold $2 billion worth of shares....

Disneyland’s Segway prohibition may soon topple, after a federal appeals court ruled it likely doesn’t go far enough to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. As small business owners know, any business that offers “public accommodations” like a retail store, restaurant, hotel, or theme park must provide equal access to disabled patrons under the ADA’s Title III. But the ADA also requires businesses to go one step further, according to the Ninth Circuit’s ruling....

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued new guidelines regarding religious attire and grooming in the workplace, reminding employers and employees what’s prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Every small business should take some time to review the EEOC’s updated “Fact Sheet on Religious Garb and Grooming in the Workplace: Rights and Responsibilities,” along with the corresponding question-and-answer guide. As you read those items, here are six areas of concern business owners should keep in mind:...

Environmental regulation can be a thorny issue for small businesses. With evolving laws and ongoing studies revealing new facts about commonly used chemicals and pesticides, keeping up-to-date can prove to be a small business challenge. To assist small businesses in staying current with environmental developments, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a website of applicable resources directed entirely to small businesses. The EPA Small Business Gateway is organized with 6 topic headings....

Over 70 lawsuits have now been filed against University Hospitals Fertility Center in Beachwood, Ohio, as well as CAS DataLoggers. These two parties are at the center of a series of unfortunate events that led to the destruction of approximately 4,000 eggs and embryos after the cryo-facility inadvertently warmed-up to unsafe temperatures for an unknown period of time back on March 4, 2018. Fertility Freezer Meltdown According to University Hospitals officials, the temperature in the storage tanks warmed up to unsafe levels for an unknown period of time....

Are food allergies a disability entitled to protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act? If you’re a college student, the answer is apparently yes. Students at Lesley University in Massachusetts were worried about eating in the dining halls because of various food allergies. In 2009, several of them filed a complaint with the Department of Justice, claiming the school wouldn’t make accommodations for food allergies. The DOJ took notice and last month announced a settlement with the university....

What do you call it when you fall asleep on a plane and no one wakes you up after it lands? Ginger McGuire calls it false imprisonment. On behalf of McGuire, attorney Geoffrey Fieger is suing United Airlines for false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress and negligence. Fieger is well known as a legal commentator and former attorney for Jack Kevorkian. The strange story began when McGuire was allegedly left asleep on a United Express flight operated by Trans States Airlines for over three hours after it landed....

Is small business lending up or down? It varies based on who you ask. Like everything else in business, it depends on which numbers you look at. For lending to businesses with less than $20 million a year in sales, you can look at the numbers for new loans, or the numbers for all loans; each paints a different picture. According to government numbers, lending is still down. The full story of small business lending includes both points of reference, reports The Wall Street Journal....