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Hired and trained to uphold the laws of the land and protect local citizenry, there is something especially tragic when it is “the law” found to breaking the law. Such is the case in a recent trial of a 40 year-old Providence policeman that has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the March 2007 rape of a woman. The Boston Globe reports that Marcus Huffman has been convicted of first-degree sexual assault for the on-duty rape of his then 19 year-old victim....

So if the calendar flipping to April sent off a little alarm in the back of your mind but you haven’t quite been able to put your finger on what it is you’re forgetting to do, you might need to file your taxes. Don’t panic – you still have until the 17th. But you might want to start getting your paperwork together this week. And here are three tips for you tax procrastinators to help with your last-minute filing....

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, as the saying goes. So, it’s not unusual that your plans have changed and now you want to leave your apartment. The consequences of breaking your lease depend on a number of different factors, most notably the reason for your departure and state laws where you live. But generally speaking, a lease is a contract or a legal agreement, and what will happen if you break the contract depends on the terms for termination outlined in your deal....

Nepotism is a decidedly negative word. But if you threaten someone that you’re going to sue for nepotism, will you be laughed out the door? If you phrase it that way, you might get some strange looks. But favoritism at work can be a form of discrimination, as Demand Media explains. In some cases, you may even have a right to sue. There are few, if any, laws that specifically prohibit nepotism....

We all want to have workspaces that our employees enjoy, but sometimes we can take it a bit too far. And a couple of recent stories illustrate the injury risk of office play areas. So read on before you install your company carousel in the lobby. Slip ’n Slide ’n Hospitalized Last Christmas, an Australian travel company’s holiday party got the summer fun treatment when it built a makeshift slip-and-slide past a row of cubicles....

If your employees are healthier, they’ll miss work less, and you’ll pay less money for their medical care. So, it would make economic sense to encourage employees to be healthier right? Many employers have introduced wellness programs that offer incentives such as discounts for employees that meet certain health goals. Do you offer such a program? Here are three legal concerns of wellness programs that you should watch out for:...

January 19 is the first day of tax season, so make sure your tax stand is ready and you only bag as many taxes as your hunting license allows. We kid. Actually, the Tuesday after next is the first day the IRS will begin accepting tax returns, and will continue until Monday, April 18th. Two weeks is enough time to get everything in order, right? It is, and here’s what you need to do:...

Cases of molestation or sexual assault by a doctor are especially heinous. These cases are just as shocking when a teacher, pastor, or police officer commits a similar act. What makes these types of crimes so bad is the violation of the public trust, as well as the likelihood of there being multiple victims. Unfortunately, these types of crimes occur all too often. Just this past week, a California doctor was arrested for allegedly assaulting multiple patients....

Opening up a magazine or surfing the Web and unexpectedly seeing a picture yourself can certainly be surprising. And although some may be flattered by the extra exposure, some may be a little bit less than thrilled. Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt was certainly not amused when she discovered a company called Slim Spray had been using a photo of her holding their product to promote its line of weight loss sprays without her permission....

The holidays are a time for family, so does that mean grandparents also get holiday visitation to see their grandchildren this time of year? It seems like a simple question but unfortunately it doesn’t have a simple answer. Unlike parents, there is generally no presumed right to custody for grandparents. It’s not a federal issue either; each state has its own rules about how visitation with grandparents will work. If you’re a grandparent who already has a visitation agreement for your grandchildren, that’s a good place to start....

For the first time in more than 30 years, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued new federal guidelines about workplace pregnancy discrimination. The EEOC’s new guidelines follow an increase in complaints of pregnant workers being discriminated against over the last decade, reports The New York Times. The guidance also comes as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a workplace pregnancy-discrimination case during its upcoming term in October. So what do current and future moms need to know about the new guidelines?...

As an employer, “hostile work environment” is a phrase you’ve probably heard many times. But do you really know what it means? If you don’t, you probably should. Maintaining a hostile work environment at your business can create liability for harassment claims and other employee lawsuits. Equally as important: It can lead to unhappy employees and lower productivity. But you can’t prevent what you aren’t looking for. So what exactly is a hostile work environment?...

The California Foie Gras ban went into effect last week. Yet patrons of some San Francisco restaurants can still order the French delicacy. What gives? Several clever chefs believe they have found the loophole around the law. The law states that California restaurants cannot sell duck and goose liver. Restaurants openly defying the law argue they are not “selling” the foie gras and that they are not in fact in California....

A lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Michigan over accusations that Michigan Blue Cross violated some important antitrust laws. The Justice Department sued Michigan Blue Cross on charges that the healthcare provider was illegally negotiating contracts with Michigan hospitals with the stipulation that Blue Cross’ rivals could not have the same or better rates. Reuters reports that the lawsuit has some problems with Blue Cross’ “most favored nation” clauses present in many of the company’s contracts....

Though it is poised to take over the world of in-home entertainment, all is not well in the world of Netflix. Sued by deaf advocacy group National Association of the Deaf, the purveyor of streaming video and television is being accused of violating the American with Disabilities Act. According to the lawsuit, the company only offers closed captioning on about 100 of its titles. The allegations made against Netflix are not new–deaf advocacy organizations have been requesting that it expand subtitles to the entirety of its online library, reports Reuters....

We’re in the home stretch for tax season 2012 and what better way to prepare yourself for the inevitable than to get up to speed on the new tax laws for 2011! There have been some changes since last year. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most obvious changes for your 2011 tax filings. Deadline to file is April 17, 2012. Alright procrastinators (you know who you are). You have one extra day to file your return....

Intoxication and consent – it’s a complicated topic. The very definition of consent, what it means to be able to give it, and how intoxication factors into consent, has been the subject of heated debate. Recently, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that a police officer can draw the blood of an unconscious driver without a warrant, and without actual consent. Fourth Amendment – Search and Seizure Before getting into that case, an overview of the search and seizure law is in order....

Crashing a rental car can be a real nightmare, but you can try to prepare for the worst. Not only are there practical tips you can follow, but you should also consider the legal ramifications. Getting into a crash in your own car creates enough legal problems, but when dealing with a rental agency and your insurance company and the other party, you may be ready to pull your hair out figuring out where to start....

I may be stating the obvious here, but it is illegal to fire an employee based on complaints regarding company discrimination or harassment. As the name implies, retaliation is the term used to describe any unlawful action a fellow employee takes against another to “punish” an employee for complaining about discrimination or harassment. Ok, glad I got that out of the way. Now here are the top 5 ways to avoid a retaliation lawsuit…...

Chaos. Intense. Executive overdrive. A reality show. There are a lot of ways to describe President Donald Trump’s first week in office, from the absence of his wave from Air Force One to his social media presence in a public spat with Mexico’s president. However you characterize the new president’s first seven days, he has been a busy man. As of January 26, Trump has issued 13 “Presidential Actions,” including executive orders, proclamations, and memoranda outlining executive action that can be taken without congressional input....