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Anyone would crack under pressure after a 10-hour police interrogation. So imagine how much worse it would be if you were only a 7-year-old boy. Wilson Reyes doesn’t have to imagine; the New York City boy experienced it first-hand. He allegedly spent four hours handcuffed at P.S. X114 in the Bronx, and was then moved to a local police precinct where he was held for another six hours. The cause for the prolonged interrogation wasn’t that Wilson caused serious injury or threatened anyone....

You never know when an employee will call out sick, you’ll be caught off guard by an unexpected rush of customers, or you’ll otherwise suffer from a staff shortage. That’s why it can help to have some of your workers “on-call,” meaning that they’re available to come to work at a moment’s notice. Clearly, this means that on-call employees are severely limited in what they can do while they may be called into work, so does that mean you need to compensate them for that time?...

How many proof of service tips have you gotten from court self-help centers? None? Never even heard of it? Well you’re not alone; many graduating law students don’t know about it either. Courts are sticklers for proper procedure, and they are nitpicky about making sure everyone has the correct paperwork. Every party has to be properly served with court documents. Service is the term for proper delivery, and there are certain rules to follow....

Riot Games, the video game developer behind megahit League of Legends, has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit by two female employees, one current and one former, for sexual harassment, discrimination, and violation of California’s Equal Pay Act. This comes on the heels of a massive expose by Kotaku which details a strong sexist culture that puts “bro’s before ho’s” in a company that is over 80% male....

This week, lenders began taking applications for the long anticipated Small Business Administration (SBA) backed ARC (American Recovery Capital) emergency loans. Despite some fears about lender participation, it looks like all the money set aside for the loans will be quickly used. But how many eligible small businesses will be left out in the cold? We’ve often discussed the SBA ARC loan program in this space. After last week’s release of details about the ARC program and eligibility for the loans, on June 15, applications began being accepted....

Just about every business, small and large, wants a diverse team of executives, managers, and staff. Primarily, diversity in backgrounds and opinions can make your company better, attracting more customers, clients, and prospective employees. Beyond that, you could get in trouble legally if your company isn’t diverse or inclusive enough. So, how do you get there? It’s no surprise that many small businesses are turning to tech to solve their diversity deficits....

It’s not too surprising when Victoria’s Secret racy lingerie sparks some romantic flames. A little more surprising is when a less revealing hoodie from the company’s PINK apparel line literally catches fire. Samantha Burke claims that a hoodie, t-shirt, and bra she purchased from Victoria’s Secret “burst into flame while she cooked, resulting in sever and irreparable injury to her body.” She is now suing the company, alleging that she “will bear the scars on her body, and in her memory, forever....

It took President Trump six days to address the devastation that Hurricane Maria wreaked on Puerto Rico, a United States territory. And even then, the messages have been mixed. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said it did not expect to waive the Jones Act, a century-old regulation that limits shipping into Puerto Rico to U.S. flagged vessels. On Thursday, the Trump administration reversed course, temporarily waiving the Jones Act, ostensibly in an effort to get more aid to the island....

This blog has been following the developments of two cases of same sex divorce moving through the Texas courts. On April 21, a three-judge panel in the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas, heard oral arguments in the case of two Dallas men who are seeking a divorce from their legal marriage, performed in Massachusetts. The appeal was brought by the Texas Attorney General from a lower court ruling granting the divorce....

When a member of Team USA scores an Olympic medal, the IRS scores gold by collecting taxes on the win, an anti-tax lobbying group reports. For Olympic winners like swimmers Missy Franklin, Ryan Lochte, and members of the “Fab Five” women’s gymnastics team, their newly acquired gold medallions – and the accompanying prize money – must be reported as income to the IRS, according to Americans for Tax Reform. So what’s the Olympic tax bill for each type of medal?...

Search at work is a complicated topic, and a lot hinges on reasonable expectations of privacy. Generally speaking, we can expect privacy at work with respect to our personal items – bags, briefcases, and purses – but there are certainly exceptions. Employers can, under certain circumstances, search an employee’s effects, like a locker or desk, and even a bag depending on company policy. The determination of legality or illegality is made on a case-by-case basis....

Ideally, you consider how to get out of a lease before you sign it. If that’s not the case, and now you find yourself seeking release from your lease, here are some steps to take. Remember, if you break your lease you are liable for the time that the space remains unoccupied. But a landlord must mitigate damages, meaning that the owner cannot just collect your money without seeking a replacement and working something out....

This season, consider giving the gift of a charity. Many consumers give charitable donations (and get tax deductions as an added bonus) during this time of year. If you’re considering making a donation, brush up on tax law first. This way, you can ensure you get the most out of your contributions. So, what are some issues you should be aware of? Donations can allow you to take a charitable contribution deduction if you choose to itemize....

The government shutdown began at midnight on Tuesday, and already businesses are wondering how they will feel the pinch from the federal gridlock. For many small businesses, life and profits will continue as usual. But for some, the shutdown could throw a wrench into the works. Here are five examples of how the government shutdown could make Q4 more interesting for small business owners: If your business is planning on filing some time in October or you’re worried about an audit, this news may come as a plus: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is suspending tax audits until the shutdown is over....

There are a number of kinds of service professionals you can invite on to your property to do work: landscapers, roofers, exterminators, etc. But what happens when those workers are injured on your property? Property owners do have certain responsibilities towards those who are allowed on their land, but this does not give workers freedom to be negligent or reckless. So when is a property owner liable for workers injured on his or her property?...

Even for the most amicable of uncouplings, divorce court stinks. A judge will be telling you what you must do, and what you must never do, in such a detailed way that it may feel you are back in kindergarten. Though it may be taxing, do all that you can to follow these orders to avoid a contempt of court charge. This can be damaging for a variety of reason, and will only serve to make your situation worse....

For almost 100 years, giant neon signs reading “GUNS GUNS GUNS” were perfectly legal for California firearm retailers, but “No handgun or imitation handgun, or placard advertising the sale or other transfer thereof, shall be displayed in any part of the premises where it can readily be seen from the outside.” That was until this week, when a federal judge ruled the handgun ad ban is an unconstitutional restriction on commercial free speech rights....

You are a worker in the USA, so you can get fired for anything, including calling in sick, or nothing, no reason at all. Your employer does not have to be fair. You just have to do your job and be grateful for it, or so says Glass Door, an employment guidance site. Legally speaking, most employment contracts are at-will, meaning you can go and you can be let go for any reason or no reason....

Refuse to turn off your cell phone? Wearing an offensive shirt, or no shirt at all? You can get kicked off an airplane. But, can you really get kicked off for having cancer? One California woman and her family were removed from their flight because she didn’t have a doctor’s note to fly. Elizabeth Sedway has cancer. She was trying to return home from Lihue, Hawaii when an Alaska Airlines representative told her that she could not fly without a doctor’s note....

On the Internet, do kids have a right to delete web postings? They would under a California bill that’s awaiting the governor’s signature, according to The New York Times. Legislators in California have passed the first measure of its kind in this country, giving minors the legal right to “erase” their online indiscretions on websites. While Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media sites already actually offer this option to their users, this bill would make it the law....