Posts

Depending on the circumstances, businesses that use trucks or employ truck drivers can be sued if there’s an accident. This is especially true if the accident resulted in injuries. But even if your business is sued, will a court hold you liable? That depends on many factors that will be unique to each individual case. Here are some common truck accident lawsuit scenarios and a few factors that courts will consider in determing a business’ potential liability:...

You came to the United States and decided to remain … maybe even just a little longer. What will happen if you overstay your visa? The answer to that question is not simple. It can depend on how you came, why you are staying, and more. Almost every rule has exceptions – perhaps you can’t go home or you need to stay for reasons recognized by the law. Let’s take a look at some general rules that will give you the tools to consider your situation....

There’s a special pang of anxiety that the sight of a pool causes in the hearts of parents with small children. And with good reason, since there are countless stories of children drowning or being severely injured around them. One Ohio family experienced this nightmare last year when their four-year-old little girl drowned at a South Carolina resort. Now, the family is suing the resort pool for wrongful death. A Drowning, a Birthday, and a Tragic Loss Lierra Stevenson was four years old when she and her family visited North Beach Plantation in North Myrtle Beach, SC....

After a year filled with news stories about data privacy breaches, including Target and Home Depot, it seems that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is finally doing something about it. On Friday, the FCC proposed a $10 million fine against two telecom companies for data breaches that potentially affected 300,000 customers, The Washington Post reports. How did this happen? And what does this mean for small business that store customer data?...

We’ve written about how small businesses don’t really have a legal obligation to give employees paid vacation time. But what about the owner’s small business vacation time? You’d think owner vacation time would rank low on small business owners’ priority list. And you would be right. A majority (59%) took no vacation last summer, says a report released by American Express. But the reason isn’t simply profit maximization. A large majority (79%) of small business owners do not feel guilty for taking a vacation, reports the AmEx survey of 500 small business owners....

Along with hours-long lines and historical precedent, the 2008 presidential election brought renewed attention to the availability of early voting. Voters cast early ballots in record numbers that election. And afterwards, policy advocates pushed for its adoption across the country. Despite the amount of attention given to early voting, many voters are still unaware that it exists. We’re here to change that. Early voting, along with the absentee ballot, is perhaps the best option for those who want to exercise their right to vote....

A Texas man has won a $5.2 million jury verdict against an elderly wrong-way driver who caused him to lose his leg. Jerry Wall was riding a motorcycle in Parker County, Texas, west of Fort Worth, in 2010 when he was struck by an 83-year-old woman driving the wrong way on Interstate 20. Wall lost his leg in the crash, reports the Weatherford Democrat. Why such a large verdict against an elderly driver?...

Military mom Spc. Alexis Hutchinson who refused to deploy to Afghanistan, claiming she had no one to care for her infant son, now faces criminal charges and potentially a military court-marshal. According to the Associated Press, the Army has filed criminal charges against Hutchinson, a 21-year-old Army cook. She possibly faces a prison sentence and a dishonorable discharge if she is convicted by a court-martial. The way it works is that charges have been filed, but now an officer will be appointed to decide if there’s enough evidence to try a case against her....

While most people may remember Ralph Nader for his quixotic presidential campaigns, the lawyer and political activist has been fighting as an advocate for consumer protection and environmental causes most of his life. Now, after a decade of planning, Nader is nearing his goal of opening the country’s first law museum, focused on injury lawsuits. The American Museum of Tort Law plans to open its doors next year in Nader’s hometown of Winsted, Connecticut....

A tragic story out of New York today where a police officer, Omar Edwards, was shot and killed by a fellow cop last night. The shooting, unfortunately has raised questions about race and the procedures followed prior to the shooting. However, looking at the alleged circumstances of the offense may also make one wonder who could bear the brunt of criminal responsibility in this case. The New York Times reported on those circumstances, as follows:...

They call him “Bernie Madoff on crack.” He’s 47-year old Scott Rothstein, the disbarred Florida lawyer who allegedly swindled investors out of $1.2 billion. He acquired this title not because of the magnitude of his Ponzi scheme but rather, because of how fast he made a name for himself. And now, the Feds are sticking him with a RICO suit – a legal action under the Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act....

A swimming pool chemical accident in Indianapolis sent many pool-goers to the hospital on Thursday. The accident was allegedly caused by a combination of ACID Magic pool cleaner and chlorine which produced a noxious chlorine gas. The pool was evacuated shortly after the spill occurred and buses were used to transport less severely affected swimmers to local hospitals. The chlorine gas didn’t cause burns, but it some of the patients suffered from fairly severe symptoms....

There are all sorts of good reasons to encourage your employees to be healthy, and a lot of good ways to incentivize them. And one of the biggest battlegrounds of employee health has been cigarette use. Smokers are loath to relinquish their habit, but they could be costing your company time and money. So is it time to start enticing them to quit by giving extra holidays to non-smoking employees?...

You are what you eat, and when you eat - guess what will happen? In the Lone Star State, a photo of your food is snapped, courtesy of a school lunch camera. A Texas school has decided to go high-tech in its fight against obesity with a $2 million grant. Their plan is to install high-tech school lunch cameras at the elementary school lunch line, capturing what students are eating for lunch....

Divorce is never easy, emotionally or legally. From court filings, fees, and paperwork, to even bigger questions about child custody, alimony, and property division, there is a seemingly endless amount of decisions to be made. As hard as these questions can be, there are answers. Here are ten of the biggest questions people have regarding divorce and where you can find the answers, from our archives: 1. Is It Divorce Season Yet?...

The story of a Seattle-area teenager who was fired after wearing a Denver Broncos jersey to work allows us to tackle a common employment law question: Is it legal for workers to be fired over their attire? That’s not exactly what happened to Nathaniel Wentz earlier this week, but the 17-year-old’s story still made headlines nationwide. What really got the teen fired, and were his employer’s actions legal? Wentz says his manager at a family entertainment center in Tacoma, Washington, invited employees to wear football jerseys to work Sunday, when the local Seattle Seahawks were playing for a spot in the Super Bowl....

Tying the knot does not have to feel like assuming a noose, but it does mean more responsibility. So if you and your boo just said I do, it is time to think in terms of we, not I. Marriage is a legal partnership and there are many administrative issues to address so that conjugal bliss is not threatened by a bureaucratic mess. Planning for problems in advance doesn’t sound romantic but it can save your marriage later....

Like nearly all legal questions, trying to predict a lawyer’s hourly rate will lead to one accurate answer: it depends. Factors like the type of case, the lawyer’s experience, and even where you live will all come into play. Is a friend of a friend doing you a favor? Or are you going to a big firm? Are you paying for an associate’s time, or a partner’s? While a variety of factors can create a wide range of hourly rates from attorneys, there are some general principles that can help you figure it out....

Repeated violent felonies can have dire consequences for some criminals. Many states, and the federal government, have three-strike type rules that require mandatory sentencing for certain convictions post-third-strike. Therefore, defendants can, and should, fight tooth-and-nail to keep convictions from coming under violent felony codes. Armed Career Criminal Act, Should Robbery Count? In Florida, Denard Stokeling pleaded guilty to possessing a gun after burglarizing the Miami Beach restaurant where he was employed....

On Friday, Senator Chuck Grassley introduced the Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2009. It aims to cut taxes for small businesses. If enacted, the bill would spread tax benefits to small, but also to many large businesses. Here is a breakdown of the bill’s main features. The primary benefits the Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2009 would give businesses is decreased tax liability along with increased deductions. It both expands small business tax benefits offered, and increases the size of businesses eligible for many of them....