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An appeals court has cut back a woman’s multimillion-dollar award against one of the nation’s leading exercise-equipment companies. Still, the Cybex lawsuit award — now reduced to $44 million — could bankrupt the company. The Cybex lawsuit began seven years ago, when a physical therapist’s legs were crushed in a workplace accident. The therapist, Natalie Barnhard, had been using a Cybex leg-extension machine to perform arm and shoulder stretches when the 600-pound machine — which was not nailed down — fell on top of her, The Buffalo News reports....

What should businesses do when they encounter a “dine-and-dash” situation? When patrons walk into a restaurant, it is usually expected that they will pay for the goods and services received at the end of their meal. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. Here are some tips on how to deal with the situation, both before and after. Before a Dine-and-Dash While it is often impossible to predict that a dine-and-dash situation might occur, it is very possible to help prevent one by ensuring that a few things are done....

Looks like they check the spreadsheet before heading out to answer your 911 call in South Fulton, Tennessee. One homeowner in Obion County, just outside the city of South Fulton, found that out the hard way when firefighters called to the scene of his house fire refused to turn the hoses on. It seems that Gene Cranick “forgot” to pay the $75 fee for service by the fire department. No fee, no fight....

According to a class action lawsuit filed by a former sales representative at Groupon, overtime pay was not part of the company’s compensation package, despite requirements imposed by federal law. Ranita Dailey, the woman behind the suit, alleges that nearly 1,000 U.S.-based sales representatives received no overtime pay until March 2011, when Groupon executives were alerted to the problem. At that point, they began making payments, albeit at rates lower than those mandated by law....

Many parents encourage their children to eat their vegetables - but they usually don’t mean “eat some pizza.” Pizza as a vegetable has long been a mainstay in student meals. And now, Congress might soon be blocking new USDA standards for federally-funded school lunches that would have encouraged what many consider healthier choices - and eliminated pizza’s classification as a veggie. This move comes after Congress decided to propose legislation that eliminates funding for the new standards in an effort to reduce costs....

If there is one place you would hope to keep a convicted sex offender away from, it would probably be a school with teenagers. But according to claims, a Rancho Cucamonga construction company, Ledesma & Meyer, sent a convicted sex offender to supervise a San Bernardino middle school construction project. School officials allegedly failed to investigate the supervisor, and a 13 year old girl was assaulted and allegedly raped. Thirty-eight year-old Darold Jay Hecht has already been convicted of molesting the teenage girl....

If a parent ends up in a situation where they cannot properly care for their children, the children may be placed in foster care. But those situations may not always be permanent. While there are instances where parental rights have been terminated, those rights can be reinstated under the right circumstances. If your child has been placed with foster parents or a foster family, you might desperately want to get them back, or at least out of foster care....

Crime doesn’t pay. In fact, it can be very expensive.Billy Heisler learned this lesson last week when a New Jersey judge ordered him to pay Joshua Hahn $5.9 million. Heisler shot Hahn, a Mercer County sheriff’s officer, during an off-duty altercation in 2007. Hahn had intervened in a domestic dispute between Heisler and his sister outside a local pizzeria. He’s still awaiting sentencing, having been convicted of attempted murder just last month....

Anyone who has ever started a small business knows there’s always another piece of paperwork that needs to be filled out. Leases. Licenses. Supplier agreements. Receipts and contracts with customers and clients. And that isn’t even touching on costs: Federal taxes. State taxes. City taxes. Sales taxes. After a while, you may begin to feel like you’re paying all of your profits off to the tax man. But don’t overlook one easy-to-miss requirement of starting a business: the paperwork and fee for your local business license....

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alvin Greene has been indicted on two counts of obscenity by a grand jury in South Carolina. Greene allegedly showed a female student at the University of South Carolina pornography at a college computer lab, then discussed going to her dorm room. His arrest was reported the day after he won the primary by The Associated Press. The indictment puts Greene’s already longshot candidacy in jeopardy. Greene defeated Vic Rawl, a former judge, despite having no website, fundraising, staff, or doing any substantial campaigning....

Several states have taken up legislation to keep firearms made inside their borders free from federal gun regulations. Arizona is the latest state to join a handful of others challenging federal gun laws. The states have adopted a version of the “Firearms Freedom Act,” according to World Net Daily News. There are several other states in various stages of their own plans to challenge federal gun laws by rolling out the Firearms Freedom Act (FFA)....

Over on FindLaw’s Common Law, we reported on the Triad recall when the medical supply company voluntarily recalled alcohol pads, wipes, and petroleum jelly that was shown to be contaminated with dangerous bacteria known as Bacillus cereus. The Food and Drug Administration has logged 161 reports stemming from the use of Triad alcohol pads, according to MSNBC. One child died after developing meningitis allegedly caused by the pads, while another suffering from Leukemia developed bloodstream infections....

Credit report mistakes are more common than you may think. So if you’ve run into problems with your credit report, know that you’re not alone. In fact, according to a new FindLaw.com survey, nearly a quarter of Americans – 23% – say they have experienced problems with their credit report. Here are the five most common credit report mistakes, according to the FindLaw.com survey: If you find mistakes in your credit report, there are a number of ways to fix them....

The weather’s getting warmer and the days are getting pleasantly longer, which means it’s almost time for summer road trip season. The chance to hit the open road with loved ones, or even by yourself, is a beloved tradition for many. But before you pack up your bags, gas up, and prepare to gorge on many an indulgent drive-thru feast, it may be well worth your time to keep a few legal considerations in mind....

Even if you don’t wake up with a tiger in your bathroom, a bachelor party hangover can easily include lingering legal problems if you’re not careful. Whether it’s a wild night on the town with your bros or a laid-back gathering in your backyard, here are our top five legal tips for making sure that you don’t bring extra baggage into your marriage courtesy of a botched bachelor party: Don’t Let the Strippers Hurt You....

Drafting a legal and fully enforceable car sale contract may seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually more doable than you’d think. Here are three must-have provisions in every car sale contract: Additional Provisions Worth Including Sellers may want to include an “as is” clause. To do this, explicitly state that the transaction is “as is” and make clear the seller hasn’t agreed to or promised any type of express or implied guarantee or warranty....

There’s only one perfect gift-giver in this world, and it’s Santa. The rest of us give and receive mistakes every now and then. And this is OK, since we can always return a gift. Right? While most stores allow returns, there’s no legal right to a gift return or exchange unless the product is mislabeled or broken. So here’s how to return or exchange a gift legally: 1. Document the Purchase Nearly every store that allows returns or exchanges will require some documentation proving the sale....

Theme parks are the perfect place to go on a hot summer day, but they are also the ideal spot for slips, falls, and even drowning that can lead to injury. So before you slap on your fanny pack and slather on some SPF 30, consider these five common ways you can sue for injuries at a theme park: Rollercoasters can lead to injuries and even death. Unfortunately that was the case for a 3-year-old boy in 2011 who fell to his death from a coaster at an Illinois theme park....

There are a few ways to resolve a personal injury claim after an accident. Insurance could cover medical expenses, or a case could go to trial and a jury could issue a verdict and monetary award. The majority of cases, however, are concluded with an out of court settlement. Often, these settlements are negotiated by attorneys from both sides. But what happens if the other party, or their attorney, contacts you directly, or before you’ve hired your own attorney?...

According to the Washington Post, on the final day of the hearings investigating the 2009 crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, Deborah Hersman, announced further discussion by her staff into the practice of code sharing by airlines. The February 12, 2009 crash near Buffalo, New York, killed 50 people, making it the deadliest U.S. transportation accident in seven years. The Post reports that the flight under investigation was provided by a regional carrier Colgan, but the passengers bought their tickets for the flight from Continental Airlines....