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Anyone with a loved one in a nursing home should be aware of the signs of elder abuse, and know how to spot nursing home abuse early. Types of Abuse Many cases of nursing home abuse can go undetected because we’re not familiar with the types of abuse elders can suffer in nursing homes. While we may often think about physical abuse in nursing homes like beating, force-feeding, and excessive use of restraints, elders can suffer from a variety of other forms of abuse, including:...

Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on a large portion of the Northeast and is already impacting small businesses. Forecasters predict that the hurricane will be unusually strong and much larger than past storms to hit the region, reports NBC. To prepare for the storm, cities like New York have already shut down their subway system. Experts say that Manhattan’s five-foot sea walls may not hold back Sandy’s 11-foot surges. As a result, the New York subway system could be flooded, reports NBC....

One of the most popular ways of passing on retirement savings, inherited IRAs, have little protection from bankruptcy after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued Thursday. While other retirement devices are typically protected from creditors during a bankruptcy, the High Court determined that inherited IRAs were not for “essential needs” in the same way as other retirement structures, Reuters reports. What does this mean for the future or present use of inherited IRAs?...

Here are some quick facts to know about documentation for an IRS tax exempt nonprofit organization: Make your annual returns available to the public. While you don’t need to go out of your way to meet someone’s request, you should make these documents (your 990 forms and your application for exemption) reasonably available to the public. Be ready to provide them if someone requests them. If someone requests them in person, you should make the documents available immediately....

So much of the hype surrounding the Black Friday shopping holiday centers around the deals. Whether searching for shoes, electronics, or kitchen items, the sheer number of markdowns is enough to inspire even the deepest turkey commas out of bed early Friday morning to beat the crowds. From a store owner’s perspective, the prospect of large sales should not be the only thing on your mind. With large crowds comes great responsibility....

The L.A. City Council has given a nod to a medical marijuana ordinance, with its final approval to end the so-called “Green Rush” that swept through Los Angeles and much of the state. The new pot ordinance will close hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries that cropped up during the past five years, the Associated Press reports. The ordinance caps the number of medical marijuana clinics in the city at 70....

As you try to manage your student loans, it’s important to remember that there are a number of loan forgiveness programs out there that you may qualify for. Forgiveness programs aren’t a quick fix, as they take several years to complete. Still, they’re a great way to see the light at the end of the tunnel, to avoid defaulting on your loans, and eventually, to help you move on with your life....

Would you use your MacBook Air as a knife? Videos, pictures, and stories have surfaced of Apple users across the globe using their MacBook Airs to slice fruit, mushrooms, and sometimes even their own elbow. Ouch. Starting at $999, a MacBook Air is a very expensive kitchen tool. Of course, “knife” is not the MacBook Air’s main function. It’s a notebook computer. Probably not, though videos of people slicing foods with their MacBook Airs are relatively entertaining:...

Jason Robert West was upset over a $25 bill he received from a medical center in Utah so he made his payment using only pennies. But that stunt cost him $140 in addition to the bill. The incident took place in May 2011 but in September 2012 West was convicted of disorderly conduct and ordered to pay a fine. The judge said the problem wasn’t paying in pennies but rather the way that he made the payment....

Maybe August 2011 should be considered Martha Stewart lawsuit month. First, Stewart settled a lawsuit that alleged her lawn chairs snipped people’s fingers off. Now, she and her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, are facing a design copyright infringement lawsuit. The suit was filed in federal court by Gregory Beauchamp, who says that Stewart published a graphic that he created in one of her magazine issues. And, she did so twice....

The arrival of May and the onset of warmer weather signals the unofficial start to “motorcycle season”, leading the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (and many state governors) to proclaim May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Now is a good time to take a look at recent motorcycle accident data, some of the unique safety challenges that motorcycle riders face, and the impact of state motorcycle helmet laws on serious injury prevention....

Denver TV news anchor Kyle Dyer received a skin graft and 70 stitches after a dog bit her face during a live newscast. As she recovers, she may be considering a dog-bite lawsuit for personal-injury damages. The dog bite happened Feb. 8, when an 85-pound Argentine mastiff named Max and its owner were guests on KUSA-TV’s 9News, the Associated Press reports. Anchor Kyle Dyer knelt down to caress the dog, which lunged and bit her in the face....

Across the country, the educational system is flailing under the pressure of internal educational challenges combined with increased budget constraints due to the economic downturn. Lack of funds for schools have resulted in lay-offs and lawsuits in many districts, but this week Indiana and Los Angeles, California are in the news. In addition, there is the small issue of a mass firing at a struggling Rhode Island High School. According to a report by the IndyStar, a group of school districts banded together to file a lawsuit challenging the legislature’s funding proposal which they claim does not live up to the state constitutional requirement of a “uniform” school system....

Less than a year after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a federal lawsuit accusing the largest student loan servicing company in the country of “systemically and illegally failing borrowers at every stage of repayment,” the Pennsylvania Attorney General followed suit, claiming loan servicing giant Navient “put their own profits ahead of the interests of millions of families across our country who are struggling to repay student loans.” Navient is in charge of some $300 billion in student loan debt after it split with Sallie Mae in 2014, and could be on the hook for that company’s subprime student loans and loan servicing shenanigans....

With Delaware now the 11th state to legalize gay marriage, same-sex weddings are going to become more and more common. But while same-sex marriage might be legal in these states and in Washington, D.C., there are still several thorny legal issues facing gay couples planning a rosy wedding. For example, a florist in Washington state recently refused to sell flowers for a same-sex wedding, citing religious beliefs. The florist is now being sued over alleged discrimination by both the ACLU and the state attorney general’s office, Reuters reports....

Climate change emerged as a hot political topic even on the presidential campaign trail. And with President Obama’s election, the movement for environmental law reform has only gained momentum. While big businesses may have an infrastructure to adapt and conform to proposed changes in the law, small businesses will bear a heavier burden to become ‘as green’ as the bills specify. So what environmental law changes can small businesses expect from Washington?...

As you know, starting and operating a business takes money. And one of the many tough decisions business owners must make is whether that money should come from debt or from equity. Most people are probably familiar with debt, whether from credit cards, car loans or home mortgages. A business loan is no different: You borrow money in exchange for the promise to repay it under agreed-upon conditions. Loans allow a business owner to maintain complete control over a business, but also require regular payments regardless of how the business is doing; they also often require a business owner to put up personal assets as collateral....

You can choose your employees, but you can’t choose your family members. This has been a hard lesson for a New York City mom-and-pop ice cream shop owner. You see, the actual mother and father are being sued for overtime by their son after the son claims to have worked 80 hours a week without a penny of overtime. In a strange set of facts, the mom and dad say that their son is only suing them as an intimidation attempt after they fired him for starting a directly competitive business....

I’m not sure what Michael Cohen charges per hour, but Donald Trump is surely overpaying him, at least for his opinion on criminal law. On Monday the special counsel for The Trump Organization responded to questions regarding Trump’s alleged rape of his then-wife Ivana Trump, saying, “You cannot rape your spouse. And there’s very clear case law.” Cohen couldn’t be more wrong. Marital rape is illegal in every state. Although some state rape laws treat marital rape differently....

Elizabeth Holmes was 19 when she founded Theranos in 2003. At its peak, the blood-testing company was valued at $9 billion in 2013 and ‘14. Since then, the fall of Theranos and Holmes has been precipitous. The company has faced numerous lawsuits from investors, clients, and customers, accusing it of overselling its testing technology, and Holmes herself has already faced and settled “massive fraud” charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission....