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Giving to charity might be among the last things a business person expects to land them in legal trouble. However, depending on how a business goes about making those charitable contributions, and eventual tax deductions, there could be serious legal consequences (including jail time). For starters, not all charitable contributions are going to be deductible. While that shouldn’t stop your business from contributing, you may want to think twice about to whom your business contributes....

It’s every small business owner’s worst nightmare: finding out you’ve produced and sold a defective product. And from listeria in food to ignition switches on cars and even exploding bottles of marijuana soda, it could happen to any business. If you’ve got a defective product on the market or in the hands of consumers, you might need to institute a recall. Here’s how to recall a product responsibly and legally:...

Facebook, Twitter, online message boards. Increased technology and the existence of social networks make it all-too-easy for someone to insult you online. But when does an “insult” turn into a cause of action under defamation law? What is defamation exactly? For starters, “defamation” encompasses two types of civil wrongs. The first one is libel, which normally must be in writing. The second one is slander, which usually consists of oral communications....

As the worsening Lumber Liquidators scandal has shown, you can find dangerous levels of formaldehyde in some weird places. The CDC warns that exposure to formaldehyde can irritate your airways, causing a sore throat, scratchy eyes, and nosebleeds, may exacerbate existing breathing conditions, and has been known to cause cancer. Along with avoiding laminated flooring from Lumber Liquidators, here are some other places to be on the lookout for formaldehyde, and whether you can sue if you’ve suffered adverse health effects from formaldehyde exposure....

A dwindling number of small business owners are planning to take vacations this year according to a study done by Manta, an online community for small business owners. Only 50% of the 1,200 people surveyed said they plan to take a vacation this summer. That’s fewer than took a vacation two years ago when the number was 59%. Many owners feel that they just don’t have enough time to take a few days off....

When a hospital announces that one of its longest-serving obstetricians will require a chaperone when treating women in the maternity ward and has been removed from both hospital leadership and the list of doctors on call to deliver babies, you know something serious is going on. A week after the Los Angeles Times reported Dr. Patrick Sutton had been accused of sexual misconduct by five former patients, three other women filed a lawsuit against Sutton and Huntington Memorial Hospital, claiming he subjected them to unwanted sexual remarks and touching during exams in the 1990s....

Following the death of a relative, the last thing anyone wants is a fight over the assets of the deceased. Everyone, including those in the court system, want the process to go as smoothly as possible. With all of these good intentions, how do we still get into bitter disputes over inheritance? How can these disputes be avoided? The best way to guarantee an inheritance dispute is to die intestate, or without a legal will....

Whether you’re a hobbyist or enthusiast who likes making car modifications or maybe just someone who drove down the highway and did a double-take at seeing a vehicle seemingly floating on glowing neon lights next to you, you might be wondering about the legality of “underglow” or neon lights under vehicles. Most states have pretty specific traffic laws or vehicle codes governing, to varying degrees, vehicle specifications and equipment (including lighting)....

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge to a California Supreme Court decision that upheld in-state tuition for illegal aliens who graduate from a California high school. With more states considering extending in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens, and Congress mulling over the DREAM Act, the Court’s refusal to hear the appeal may be an indication that it believes that the issue is best dealt with by the states and legislators, not the federal courts....

As millions of Americans prepare to travel by air during the upcoming holiday season, long lines and delayed flights are poised to grate on travelers’ nerves. But travelers who may be hoping to offset their holiday stress by packing a bottle of their favorite libation in their luggage should be aware of the TSA’s rules regarding transporting special items such as alcohol. Can you bring your own alcohol on a plane?...

Delays in treatment may be responsible for more than 100 deaths at VA medical centers since 2001, according to a new report. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) admitted to the Dayton Daily News that at least 23 people have died because of delayed care. But the newspaper’s investigation found the words “delay in treatment” in 167 paid settlement claims with the VA. As the VA scandal unfolds, many veterans and their families may be wondering: Can you sue the VA over delays in treatment?...

Most of us don’t think about what happens to people deported from the United States, or where they go. But that process can be pretty complicated and require the cooperation of other nations accepting deportees. And the Trump administration is accusing four nations of being less than cooperative in deportation efforts, and using that lack of cooperation to withhold visas from citizens of those countries looking to enter the U.S....

Summer is here, and many parents will be dropping their kids off at camp for a week or two. Parents trust camps with their children’s safety, and a California court has ruled that relationship creates a duty for camps to disclose suspected molestation by camp employees. The case involved allegations of sexual misconduct by Keith Edward Woodhouse during his time at the Camp on the Hill, a summer camp for first through sixth graders....

In today’s modern era of the internet and energy drinks, small businesses come in all shapes, forms, and types of tangibility. Businesses today can exist solely in the digital sphere, selling digital products that people only use in digital worlds. Businesses that don’t have a presence in the digital world want in. But before businesses hire that pricey developer to start developing, an Invention Assignment Agreement should be signed. Developing code is not just a science, it’s an art....

New York lawmakers are considering a new measure that would require microstamping technology on semiautomatic pistols as an effort to help police officers solve violent crimes. Supporters say micorstamping technology is smart legislation and allows local officials to look to the potential of shell casings for answers in crime investigations, the New York Times reports. Microstamping technology imprints tiny markers on shell casings - markers that identify the weapon’s make, model and serial number....

“Cease and desist” has a commanding and alarming ring to it, one that makes recipients of cease-and-desist letters quake in their figurative boots. But there’s really nothing magical or legally damning about a cease-and-desist letter. Often they are just a cheap way for one party’s lawyers to shock or bully another party into “ceasing” or “desisting” without actually filing suit. Don’t be fooled by angry words in legalese. Here’s how to decipher a cease-and-desist letter:...

Recent focus on the relationship between U.S. guns and Mexican cartels has been limited to the ATF’s “Fast and the Furious.” That plan had agents selling assault rifles to Mexican gun runners so that they could track high-ranking cartel members. Though the ATF’s actions are a bit questionable, there’s actually a completely legal – and perhaps more harmful – way the U.S. is arming Mexican cartels. It’s called “direct commercial sales” and it’s operated by the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC)....

Jose Raman Greer dialed 911 from his third-floor balcony while three men tried to kick in the door of his Atlanta apartment in December 2015. Fearing for his life, Greer jumped from the balcony, suffered multiple fractures, and later died during surgery at a local hospital. Two of those involved in the home invasion, Mark Spencer and Lil’ Che Stafford, were convicted of felony murder this week and sentenced to life in prison....

The Missouri Supreme Court is set to rule on whether a 2005 law which set a medical malpractice cap violates the state constitution. According to the Insurance Journal, attorneys for the plaintiffs argue that the malpractice cap law should not be applied retroactively and cannot be used to discriminate against spouses of those who are injured. The law was passed because legislators claimed that it would limit the rise in costs of insurance premiums....

By all accounts, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico is a fairly quiet town about an hour north of Las Cruces. But since Sunday, the small city has been making national headlines. Out for an afternoon walk, resident Margaret Salcedo, 48, was suddenly and unexpectedly attacked by four pit bull mixes. She died soon after at the hospital. From what witnesses recall, Margaret Salcedo was walking through her neighborhood when the pit bull attack took place....