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Winter weather can lead to some treacherous driving conditions. Just ask the drivers involved in two chain-reaction crashes – a 52-car pileup and a 100-car pileup, both of which occurred Monday near Cincinnati. One person was killed and at least 20 others were hurt in the crashes, reports Dayton, Ohio’s WDTN-TV. You can bet investigators, insurance adjusters, and even some lawyers are now trying to sort out what happened. As wintry conditions settle over much of the nation, weather-related car crashes are inevitable....

If you’ve got a really great hire, the last thing you want to think about is that person taking an extended leave. After all, it doesn’t seem to make sense to pay someone to take time away from your business. But sabbaticals aren’t just for academia anymore. Businesses from law firms to craft breweries are granting employees sabbaticals (and in some cases forcing their employees to take an extended leave). So what’s the secret to offering your employees sabbaticals?...

San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf … famous for killer clam chowder, tourism, and counterfeit designer duds. In what is being pegged as the largest takedown of retailers of counterfeit goods on the West Coast, Federal authorities are putting an end to the bay side sale of fake Louis Vuitton, Prada, Oakley, and Gucci goods. Cheap goods come with an expensive price tag as the 11 retailers (2 being illegal immigrants) can face up to twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine apiece for smuggling goods into the country, ten years in prison and a $2 million fine for each count of trafficking counterfeit goods, and potential conspiracy to traffic counterfeit goods on top of that, according to SF Weekly....

One of the goals of Free Enterprise is to inform employers about how to legally deal with employees, both in company policy and on an individual level. Being an effective small business owner sometimes means firing employees, accommodating disabilities, and improving morale – all while complying with state and federal labor laws. This may seem like an impossible juggling act, but in the past year, Free Enterprise covered most of the basics....

We rely on pharmaceutical drug companies to make safe products to keep or make us healthy. But all drugs come with side effects, so we also rely on those companies to warn us about those effects, and on doctors to only prescribe drugs in a safe manner. And, as the past year has proven, that doesn’t always happen and the results can be disastrous. Here are the major drug lawsuits from 2017:...

Flu season is upon us and it is time to talk shots. Whether you are for or against influenza vaccinations, you probably have a position. Neutrality does not seem to be an option when it comes to this topic. Here are four basics about flu shots and employment to make the decision that will work for you this winter. Employers may institute a mandatory flu shot policy. It is generally legal to adopt such a policy and in some cases, getting a flu shot may be a precondition for employment....

During his latest pretrial hearing, suspected Ohio serial killer Anthony Sowell waived his right to a speedy trial in order to accommodate his new defense team. He also agreed to let police fence off the house with barbed wire to preserve evidence, CNN reports. The waiver of his right to a speedy trial now pushes any trial back to at least mid-2010. He faces 85 counts including murder, rape and kidnapping charges following the discovery of the remains at his home....

I would not wish back pain on anybody. It can be a constant dull ache affecting everything you do in a day, or it can be an excruciating stab in the back that can make it hard to even stand up. Back pain can be so pervasive that you may have to miss work, along with pretty much everything else in your life. While you can get workers’ compensation for a work-related back injury, can you get workers’ comp for back pain?...

A $75 million casino drinking lawsuit blames employees for causing a gambler’s death by serving him too much alcohol despite pleas by the man’s relatives. Bryan Lee Glenn, 30, originally of Long Beach, Miss., was found dead in the bathroom of his hotel room at the IP Casino Resort and Spa in Biloxi, Miss., in 2009, the Associated Press reports. Glenn’s death occurred after a night of gambling and heavy drinking....

Consuming some fish oil supplements might not be as good for your health as you initially would think. A group of environmental advocates, led by Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation, filed a consumer protection lawsuit on Monday, looking to force manufacturers of fish oil to warn consumers. As reported by the San Jose Mercury News, the subject of the fish oil safety warning would relate to the fact that that many fish oil supplements contain a banned substance, known as polychlorinated biphenyl compounds, or PCB’s....

It’s my property, right? Wait, does the property end before or after the sidewalk? Or in the middle? And if the sidewalk is on my property, do I still need a permit? After all, I heard you can get sued if your sidewalk is a safety hazard, so shouldn’t I just fix this ASAP? Not so fast. Like many construction projects, big and small, you may need a permit to fix your sidewalk....

Millions of equestrian enthusiasts ride horses every day without incident. But, as with any athletic pursuit involving large animals, it can be dangerous. Just ask Jenna Tatoulian, who was thrown from a horse while training in 2014, suffering multiple fractures in her pelvis and tailbone. Tatoulian is now suing the riding club, claiming that it was the club’s water truck backfiring that spooked her horse. Here’s a closer look at Tatoulian’s lawsuit, and others based on horse riding injuries....

Are you a social media addict? Do you post your location to sites like Facebook Places, Foursquare, Twitter and Gowalla? Ever wondered if there is a risk to posting that kind of information for all to see on the internet? After a recent case in New Hampshire, questions regarding the safety of location sharing programs are being raised. After a series of 18 burglaries in New Hampshire, police suspected that social media was used to facilitate the crimes....

Fish pedicures, wildly popular in Europe and Asia, are gaining in popularity here in the United States. Over the past decade, fish spas are popping up across the country, and consumers are definitely intrigued. But waders beware! Before jumping in, there’s a few things you should know. Fish pedicure patrons soak their feet in tubs of water that contain hundreds of tiny Garra rufa fish, which nibble away the dead skin, smoothing out rough patches typically found around the heel and toes....

A judge is meant to be a fair and impartial party in any hearing, even if the case will be decided by a jury. But if the judge is biased you may want to consider making a change. In most cases there shouldn’t be any problems. Judges are trained to look at both sides and not be swayed by anything other than the facts. Most judges are fair and while they may not be friendly, they do a good job of deciding cases based on the merits rather than the personalities of the parties....

If you’re in the retail business and a product that you sell has suddenly been recalled, you need to act fast and think on your feet. Failure to act promptly and wisely could subject you to liability. And you don’t want to be one of the parties named in an injured customer’s product liability lawsuit. So how should you react to news that a product you sell has been flagged for recall?...

Publicity has been showered on Follett Stock Solicitors, a law firm that offers free divorces if you apply before the June 30th deadline. “Do you need a divorce? Would you like a lawyer who is straight talking and hates jargon? Would you like to have a FREE divorce? If you answered YES, YES, YES then Follett Stock is the law firm for you,” reads advertisements posted by British firm Follett Stock Solicitors, according to The Daily Mail....

May 1 is “Law Day, U.S.A.” Believe it or not, this is an actual federally recognized tribute that’s been around for decades. As many presidents have done before, President Barack Obama today proclaimed May 1 to be Law Day, in recognition of the “institutions that uphold the rule of law in America.” Still not convinced? Here’s some more proof that Law Day is legit: Like many other federally recognized holidays, Congress has written Law Day into federal law....

The tax-man cometh. And you’re not ready for him. Although you scrambled to gather your bearings, your IRS income tax returns are just not ready, for whatever reason. Perhaps you haven’t received a 1099 that you’re waiting for. Or perhaps, you had a major life event occur and you were too distracted to prepare your IRS income tax returns. Or perhaps, you just procrastinated (it’s okay, you can admit it)....

Slip and falls send one million of us to the hospital emergency room every year, are the leading cause of workers’ compensation claims, and account for half of all accidental deaths in the home. And while many of us may be quick to blame ourselves and our clumsiness for a fall, the cause may have been a dangerous condition with the floor or surface we were walking on. In order to recover for injuries based on someone else’s negligence in constructing or maintaining a safe walking environment, you may need to prove the dangerous condition in court....