As a business owner, you probably have a lot on your plate. Tax filing is just another one of those items, and there’s only about a month to go before the April 15 filing deadline. If you haven’t already talked to your accountant or tax lawyer, you’d better get cracking on that. You have many reporting obligations and chances are that as a business owner, you’ll be itemizing your deductions. So that being said, you don’t want to be sloppy....
On Monday May 12, 2015, Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 completely derailed. The Amtrak train, traveling on Amtrak’s busiest route, derailed as it was going around a curve of track in Philadelphia Monday night, killing seven passengers and injuring 200 others. Passengers reported being thrown around their train cars and getting hit with flying luggage and debris. Preliminary investigation findings show that the train was going over 100 mph before the derailment....
Whether your personal injury claim (or any other case) will go to trial depends on many factors. No one will be able to tell you from the beginning what will happen, and that is true even if you do want to settle the suit. Sometimes you cannot know until the very last moment that a suit will settle. Being prepared for trial is the only way to ensure that you are prepared for any eventuality and that you can push for the best settlement possible....
Medical marijuana has been hailed as a wonder drug. Doctors frequently prescribe or recommend it to patients on opiates as it has potential to provide effective pain relief without the negative side effects of opiates. Although marijuana can be used to safely treat a variety of ailments, illnesses, and diseases, health insurance companies do not currently provide coverage for it. Even in states where medical marijuana is legal, because the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) puts marijuana on the same level as heroin, most health insurance companies’ policies require denying coverage....
When a pregnant woman goes into the hospital to have their baby delivered, they don’t expect to be suing the hospital over a botched delivery. Unfortunately, for three mothers in the Houston area, that was exactly their fate. They went into East Houston Regional Medical Center to have their babies delivered, and of the three, one child died and the other two were permanently injured during the birthing process. As well as all going to the same hospital, the three women had the same doctor....
You’ve got a fabulous new idea. It’s an idea that you believe will pick up steam, buzz. You might even be planning to approach a venture capitalist soon. At this early stage, you might be thinking of doing the basics. While the following steps may sound very simple, you need to be cautious because early mistakes could cost you down the line. Here are five legal mistakes startups make: Choosing the wrong entity....
From being a victim of food poisoning to being served “pot sandwiches,” “fed up” patrons often wonder when it’s appropriate to sue a restaurant. Here are five questions to ask yourself when considering a lawsuit against a restaurant: For extra guidance on whether you have a “good case,” you may want to consult an experienced personal injury attorney near you. Related Resources: Find Personal Injury Lawyers Near You (FindLaw’s Lawyer Directory) Filing a Lawsuit: Should you Sue?...
Most of us probably assume we know how to make a 911 call. In a high-stress situation, calling 911 should be the least stressful part of dealing with an emergency. But the act of effectively reporting a crisis is not as simple as just dialing 9-1-1. One can only hope that you’ll never have to make such a call (and if you do, that you don’t encounter what Cleveland kidnapping victim Amanda Berry did; police are investigating how her 911 call was handled, The Huffington Post reports)....
When you are looking over your apartment lease agreement, many questions may come to mind. What are my tenant’s rights? Does the landlord have to come by to fix things? What is the implied warranty of habitability? For one, checking your lease over is something all tenants should do. After all, the lease is essentially a legal contract. When you sign it, it becomes a binding and enforceable agreement between you and your landlord....
After meeting the with an arbitrator to avoid fees associated with breaching his employment contract to appear in a Broadway musical, Jeremy Piven was vindicated from blame and a potentially-costly payout. The sushi is still at large. Piven was slated to appear in “Speed-the-Plow” by David Mamet but abruptly left the production two months before it ended, after feeling exhausted from elevated mercury level. The self-proclaimed sushi lover thinks maybe the uncooked sea-life may be the real culprit....
The NAACP, along with 11 residents, have filed a federal voting rights lawsuit against Fayette County, Georgia, alleging that the way in which it conducts its elections is disenfranchising black voters. As evidence, the plaintiffs point to the fact that, despite housing a population that is 21% African-American, no black candidate has ever been elected to the Board of Commissioners or the Board of Education. The complaint states that Fayette County’s at-large voting method “guarantees precisely this result....
The corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich turned its focus to federal wiretaps as his former chief of staff John Harris took the stand. The jury listened to secretly recorded conversations between John Harris and Rod Blagojevich about the possibility of the former governor getting something in exchange for appointing a friend of the president to his old Senate seat, the Associated Press reports. Blagojevich was hoping to appoint Obama’s successor in order to land himself a high-profile post in Washington or overseas....
Preliminary testing of the Chinese-manufactured drywall that is causing havoc for thousands of homeowners reveals chemicals at high levels not found in U.S.-manufactured drywall, and the use of sulfur compounds which aren’t used at all in the domestically-produced building materials. The testing was carried out by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the results were announced this week. But it’s too soon to say whether the differences in chemical composition between the Chinese and U....
Consider Target, JP Morgan, Sony, and Anthem Blue Cross. If these corporations can get hacked, so can your small business. So what can you do about it? Obviously, prevention is key. But more and more businesses are also looking at post-hacking relief and finding it in the form of cybersecurity insurance. So is it time for your small business to get a cybersecurity insurance policy? The Threat Is Real The Sony cyber attack cost the company a reported $141 million....
The availability and affordability of housing in Silicon Valley has been making national headlines for several years now. Suburban California towns like, Palo Alto and Mountain View, with not much more to offer than proximity to work and the California sun (sorry Stanford, you’re a little boring), have seen rents increase beyond those in New York City. In response to the decreased supply, and increased cost, of housing in Menlo Park, where Facebook is headquartered, the social media giant has announced plans to build a residential village, with housing, shops, transit and more....
While it’s technically Easter Sunday, marijuana aficionados will also be celebrating “4/20” – the (un)official high holiday for weed lovers. Even though several states have legalized pot to some degree, there are still many legal issues to look out for. So here’s a status update on pot legalization: So this 4/20, remember that even if pot has been in some way legal in your state, you may still land in legal trouble....
Every now and then, whether it’s because of laziness or merely out of the goodness of one’s heart, everyone lends their car to a friend. But what happens if that friend isn’t such a good driver? Does ownership of the car make you liable for an accident when someone else is driving? When we discuss this form of car accident liability, we’re actually discussing vicarious liability. Principles of vicarious liability, along with state statutes, make a car owner legally responsible for a car accident in three situations....
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced yesterday that the popular government car trade-in program, CARS also known as Cash for Clunkers, will end Monday, August 24th 2009. Answering dealer complaints of slow rebate-processing, turnaround time, and technical difficulties, the Department of Transportation reiterated that the program has been an overall success with 457,476 new cars sold and rebate applications submitted, totaling upwards of $1.9 billion in new car sales. It also claims that it has processed at least 1/3 of the rebate applications and is working to round out the rest....
To help protect yourself and your children, it’s important to understand how to legally use a sex offender registry as an evaluative tool. The National Sex Offender Public Website coordinates the sharing of information between the 50 states and a number of tribal jurisdictions, all of which allow sex offender registries to be searched online or in person. Keep in mind that online and paper registries may not be up to date and accurate, so you should always verify information with local law enforcement before you use sex offender registry results as a basis for action....
It seems like every week opens with a new story about police misconduct and brutality, giving the public more and more reason worry about their civil rights. Following the continuing violence and police presence in Ferguson, Missouri, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has announced that a federal civil rights investigation is already underway and that law enforcement must act to “reduce tensions, not heighten them.” For civilians who have been injured by the police, here are 10 legal reminders on how to civilly defend your rights:...
