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A new rule will allow the Department of Homeland Security to gather social media information for immigrants, including “social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results.” While this might seem like a normal update to the vetting process for incoming visitors or visa applications, the rule would reportedly also apply to people who have already obtained a green card or completed the naturalization process. Additionally, the new rule could make U....

Prenuptial agreements can cover a lot of ground, most of which is concerned with the assignment of rights to financial assets and physical property. But what about your intellectual property? Does your ex have rights to the good ideas you came up with before or during the marriage? Or can you set aside those ideas as yours and yours alone in the case of a divorce? You can easily protect your intellectual property with copyrights, patent, and trademarks – can you also protect it with a prenup?...

Vendors, bars, and social hosts beware: your liability may not end when topping off a guest or patron’s cup with alcohol or closing out their tab. Dram shop laws, which essentially hold an alcohol seller accountable for injuries an intoxicated patron causes after consuming alcohol, are becoming more common for states to enforce. The laws, which can vary greatly in scope depending on the state, create an actionable cause for a victim of a drinking-related accident against more than just the that person directly caused the injury....

We want to believe that our elderly loved ones will be safe and well taken care of should they need around-the-clock access to medical professionals that a nursing home can provide. Sadly, stories of nursing home neglect and nursing home abuse are all too common. So how do we address and hopefully prevent these tragedies? One idea has been video monitoring and surveillance in nursing homes. But the cameras don’t come without controversy, from employee and privacy advocates....

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has been accused of sexual harassment and discrimination against male employees. In the complaint, Napolitano is accused of turning her female-run department into a “frat house” where male staffers were routinely humiliated, reports Forbes. Along with the culture against men, Napolitano is also accused of providing unequal opportunities for men and women, promoting women to the highest positions while equally qualified men were bypassed. The lawsuit against Janet Napolitano serves as a stark reminder for employers that discrimination goes both ways, and that you have to be on the lookout for much more than men harassing women....

Crib manufacturer Jardine Enterprises has announced a second expansion of a recall involving many of the company’s wooden crib models, because of an ongoing defect that poses a strangulation and entrapment hazard for infants and toddlers. Today’s announcement applies to about 96,000 Jardine cribs, including the drop-side “Olympia”, “Olympia Lifetime”, “Americana 4-in-1”, and “Capri 4-in-1” models. The recalled cribs were sold for about $220 to $330 at KidsWorld, Geoffrey Stores, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Babies ‘R’ Us stores, from September 2005 through April 2009....

The fate of 3D-printed guns remains a tug-of-war between federal judges, the Department of Defense, gun spec publishers, and the bottomless well of the internet. After a July settlement with the State Department allowed gun company Defense Distributed to re-publish designs for its “Liberator” 3D-printed handgun, U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik blocked publication of those plans based on the “likelihood of potential irreparable harm.” Lasnik extended that injunction this week, despite reports the files had already been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times from various internet sources....

A suspect has been arrested in connection with a triple murder in LA after a marijuana robbery in West Hollywood. Detectives suspect that the man shot the three men at an apartment because he didn’t want to pay for the marijuana he was buying. 31 year-old Harold Yong Park was arrested in Lomita on Monday. His vehicle was found using an automatic license plate recognition system. Park was arrested with multiple pounds of marijuana in his possession, which police believe he may have stolen from the men he allegedly murdered....

You may have participated in the pre-college requirement that incoming freshmen all read the same book over the summer preceding their entry on campus, so they may discuss the common issues they then have in mind. The University of California, Berkeley, is taking that common cause one rather large step further. In their “Bring Your Genes to Cal” program, over 5,000 incoming freshmen and transfer students will be asked to donate a swab of their DNA for analysis....

Do you want to be buried with your pet? Well, head to New York. The state Division of Cemeteries had banned the practice earlier this year after learning about Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in Westchester. The cremated remains of about 700 people had been buried there since 1925. But regulators have relented. Subject to restrictions, New Yorkers can now be buried in pet cemeteries along with their furry (or scaly) friends....

They’re mad as hell, and they’re not going to do takeout anymore. A New York couple is suing the people in charge of their apartment building after a prolonged gas shutoff allegedly made their kitchen inoperable and forced them to eat takeout food for 10 months, the New York Post reports. Louis Maione, 68, and wife Beverly Taki, 66, say they dished out $27,000 to cover restaurant bills because of the gas shutoff....

Can a school district restrict the display of the Confederate flag on a car owned by the bus driver? Ken Webber considers himself a proud redneck, and says there is nothing racist about his love for the Confederate flag. Webber has tattoos that say “100 percent American,” and a Confederate flag and the words “Pure Redneck.” Webber, 28, drives a bus of kindergarten to Talent Elementary School every school day. Webber also has a Confederate flag that flies inside his pickup truck....

Digital or analog? A recent study says that it does not matter which format a billboard takes when it comes to driving accidents. The eight year study, commissioned by the Foundation for Outdoor Advertising Research and Education, looked at the frequency of traffic accidents at various billboard locations throughout Reading, Pennsylvania to conclude that there is no greater chance for an accident when looking at print or digital billboards. The Car Connection reports on the study: “The overall conclusion of the study is that digital billboards in the greater Reading area have no statistically significant relationship with the occurrence of accidents....

Beware! Grease thieves are on the loose. San Francisco restaurants are the latest establishments to fall prey to these thieves. They come in the night, and siphon off used cooking oil stored in metal barrels behind the restaurants. When recyclers come to take the waste off their hands, it’s already gone. Used cooking oil is worth about 50 cents a gallon. Grease recyclers go to great lengths to convince restaurants to save this liquid gold, explains David Levinson of Got Grease....

Hey Baby, What’s Your PSI? As Americans take to the highways for summer vacations – and just in time for National Tire Safety Week (July 7 - 13, 2009) – FindLaw’s Injured puts the focus on tire safety, with tips on proper air inflation and watching your tread wear. When it comes to tire safety and the steps you can take to avoid tire failure, the three most important things to watch out for are:...

While this week’s historic U.S. Supreme Court rulings are giving many gay couples cause to celebrate, let’s not forget about family law. Thanks to the Court’s ruling on California’s Prop 8, same-sex nuptials have already resumed in the nation’s most populous state. And thanks to the Court’s ruling on DOMA, many married gay couples are now eligible for a wide range of federal benefits. So celebrate first. But then, you may want to consider the following Top 10 family law issues for same-sex couples:...

If you provide temporary rentals via services like Airbnb and VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner), not being aware of the legal liabilities can result in severe financial consequences. For instance, if someone is injured in your rental, or you fail to abide by local laws, the financial liability could significantly eclipse any of the monetary benefits. However, being informed and prepared can help to ensure that even when things go wrong, you won’t be left in the lurch....

ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is the federal agency tasked with enforcing US immigration laws. This means that individuals who are suspected of violating immigration laws may eventually get stopped by an ICE agent or officer. ICE often conducts random roadside checkpoints and targeted raids to arrest and deport immigrants who do not have proper documentation. Frequently, ICE will obtain an arrest warrant, just like regular law enforcement, for a single individual or group of individuals....

Being a stepparent is no simple task. Children will eventually rebel against their parents, and stepparents are easy targets. Unfortunately, stepparents are often caught in the middle, or left in the dark, when it comes to decisions involving their stepchildren. Stepparents do have some rights, but those rights are typically limited to what the legal parents allow. Below, you’ll find five of the top legal questions stepparents ask about their rights....

Did Toyota know about and try to hide cases of sudden acceleration in their cars? In a situation resembling the “phantom recall” of Motrin performed by Johnson & Johnson, allegations have surfaced that Toyota was aware of sudden acceleration problems for years, but bought the silence of car owners with a buy-back of the car and a confidentiality agreement. The Los Angeles Times reports a new complaint in the multi-party suit filed in federal court in California alleges the car company was aware of sudden acceleration problems, but worked to keep customers in the dark....