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Apple Inc. has been under fire recently for working conditions in Chinese factories responsible for producing iPads and iPhones. But did you know that warehouse conditions in the United States may rival those found overseas? A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of warehouse workers in a Southern California distribution center accuses three companies of falsifying pay records and forcing employees to work in unsafe conditions. The main defendant is Schneider Logistics, which handles Walmart goods....

For many people, a work related injury doesn’t just mean pain and suffering. It means days of work will be missed, medical bills will pile up, or money will get tight. Most people will need their workers’ compensation benefits as soon as possible. So, how long will a workers’ compensation claim take? When will you start receiving money? Medical Bills Do not wait to get medical treatment for an injury. Even if you fear you can’t afford treatment, do not wait....

When a married couple, or just one married person, wants to divorce, the first concern is finding the right divorce lawyer. While a person’s first instinct might be to hire their one lawyer friend, or the same lawyer that handled their injury case, or the cheapest lawyer they can find, unless those lawyers know divorce law, it’s a big risk. With the help of online lawyer directories, the simplest way to find a lawyer is by calling as many as you have time to call, and talking with as many potential lawyers as you can....

It’s safe to say that an Internal Revenue Service audit scares most people. Even if your taxes are simple and you pay on time, and you have nothing to fear, getting a notice from the IRS is bound to make you nervous. This is all the more so for small businesses, which can have very complex finances despite being tiny. Given this, you may not be thrilled to hear that last year the IRS increased examinations of business tax returns....

Americans work too hard. Many people don’t even take vacation time because they don’t get vacation pay. When employers do offer their employees the benefit of paid vacation, they usually do so voluntarily. Are employers ever required to offer paid vacation benefits? Unlike health insurance benefits, the Fair Labor Standards Act and state labor laws do not required employers to offer any paid vacation benefits to employees. Employers are able to and often do offer such benefits voluntarily....

How do you claim a hardship for jury duty? Most of us don’t look forward to appearing for jury duty, but skipping out on it can lead to some serious consequences. However, regardless of which court has summoned you, you can always ask to be excused. Not many potential jurors will have a legitimate enough reason for not serving on a jury that they’ll be excused from jury duty entirely, but if you think you have a good reason, it might be worth a shot....

Plano, Texas is just the latest city to upgrade its 911 system to receive text messages, but as local NBC news reported, not all area counties or cities have the same option. Clearly, the ability to text (rather than call) 911 can save your life, and may be the only option for the hearing impaired. And the more cities and counties that get on board, the better. But texting 911 isn’t available nationwide yet, so here’s what you need to know....

A federal judge in Sacramento, California has upheld a portion of California’s concealed gun law. The decision likely sets battle lines for an appeal on Second Amendment grounds, which could eventually go to the U.S. Supreme Court. Gun rights advocates challenged a policy set by Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto that requires applicants to state a reason, such as a safety threat, to obtain a concealed weapons permit. Plaintiffs, the challengers to Yolo County’s policy, claimed requiring a reason to get a permit infringes their right to keep and bear arms, as stated in the Second Amendment to the U....

If you’ve ever wanted to take a peek into desert playhome Phonehenge West, you better get moving. A California jury has convicted its creator, Alan Kimble Fahey, of violating building codes and unlawful use of land, which means that the oversized maze of a home may be no longer in just a few short weeks. How sad. Phonehenge West, located in the desert community of Antelope Valley, is a 20,000 square foot series of 13 interconnected buildings, which the Associated Press reports contains a barn, a railroad car, bridges, ramps, and a 70 foot tower adorned with stained glass windows....

Are pregnant drivers more likely to crash? A new Canadian study suggests that pregnant women are more likely to be involved in a serious motor-vehicle accident, especially in their second trimesters. Why is this? And does this finding mean you should avoid driving while pregnant? The study, authored by Dr. Donald Redelmeier at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Ontario, examined more than 500,000 pregnant women for four years before delivery and one year after....

Pottstown Middle School has started a unique clothing ban for an even more unique reason. The Philadelphia-area school recently instituted an Ugg ban over cell phones. The ban actually encompasses all “open top boots.” Students may still don the fur-lined footwear but must change into different shoes before class. Apparently some clever teens were using the boots to smuggle in prohibited items – including cell phones. Cell phones are permitted in the school....

After five years battling it out before the probate courts, Brooke Astor’s estate has finally been resolved, with a significant amount going to philanthropy. The story of the estate of Brooke Astor is a complex one, involving allegations of elderly abuse, fraud and deceit, reports Thomson Reuters News & Insight. A prominent New York socialite, Brooke Astor passed away in 2007 at the age of 105. The bitter battle raged on for years and brought to light several sordid details about Astor’s family politics....

You already know when and why you need a lawyer, but how do you know you’ve hired the right one? We talk about getting second opinions all the time in the medical context, but what about in the legal context? The legal profession is like any other: there are some great lawyers out there, many good ones, and, unfortunately, a few bad ones mixed in. So here are a few signals that might indicate it’s time to get a second opinion from another attorney:...

Ah, the selfie. That staple of social media. Who needs a silly little “I Voted” sticker when you can share your voting status worldwide with a few taps on your smartphone? The ballot selfie has become the most popular way to prove you participated in the political process, but some states aren’t too keen on the idea. Quite a few states have banned ballot selfies, and a few state courts have overturned bans....

The 2018 mid-term elections are right around the corner, and voting rights advocates are putting polling places front and center. In California, a coalition of groups including the ACLU have filed a lawsuit claiming the Secretary of State improperly limited the scope of language assistance at state polling places, meaning some 80,000 Californians could be deprived of translation services necessary to voting. California law requires translation services at polling places where a certain percentage of the surrounding residents have limited English proficiency....

Opening statements and the trial testimony of a lesbian couple and a gay couple kicked off the start of the Prop 8 case Perry v. Schwarzenegger being heard in San Francisco this week. The two couples’ testimony was very personal as they recounted how they loved each other and want to be allowed to marry. The San Francisco Chronicle quotes Paul Katami as saying, “I’m proud to be gay. … I love Jeff more than myself....

Do you remember when everyone was planning to get rich by getting in on the ground floor of the next great tech startup? Well, those days are already over and, despite the enthusiasm for technology generally, startups are facing increasing scrutiny from investors and regulators. Bloomberg reports that we can expect a lot of investor lawsuits in the near future, and many of them will be focused on information sharing. Startups don’t have to follow as many rules as public companies and, anyway, they pride themselves on disrupting business as usual....

So you’ve got a Facebook page for your business. You have some likes, some friends. What happens if another business comes along and demands Facebook take down your business page? One recourse may be to sue Facebook. Just ask a New York spa named Complexions. A California spa also named Complexions discovered the New York spa’s page; and sent a “take down notice” to Facebook. Initially, the California Complexion’s owner complained that the New York spa’s page violated their copyright....

Finding a dead body can frequently be a traumatic experience. Even when the body is not a loved one, personally encountering death can have wide range of effects on individuals. The most important thing to do is to remain calm. Then, if you are able, confirm death without disturbing the scene or body, and contact the authorities (9-1-1). Feeling for a pulse, or breathing, will generally be okay. If the deceased has clearly been so for some time, there is no need to confirm a pulse or breathing....

Buying or selling a home can be a complicated, emotional, and stressful process, which is why you hired a real estate broker to help. Hopefully, you interviewed her beforehand, and hopefully, the broker is someone you can trust. But what happens when that trust is broken? Of the many legal issues facing real estate brokers, lawsuits for misrepresentation are by far the biggest. So how do you know if your real estate broker has made misrepresentations, and when can you sue because of them?...