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Is domestic violence a misdemeanor or felony? The answer is, it depends on a lot of different factors. What Is Domestic Violence? Domestic violence is a very broad legal term used to describe all forms of violence by one member of a household or family against another member of a household or family . The victim can be, but is not limited to, a: Spouse; Child; Significant other (gay or straight); Roommate; or Parent, grandparent, or elder relative....

Paying taxes is one of the few activities everyone must participate in, celebrities included. And U.S. Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn’s taxes are overdue to the tune of $1,705,437. Vonn owes the amount from her 2010 tax year earnings, USA Today reports. Via Facebook, the two-time Olympic medal winner claimed she only “recently became aware of the outstanding balance.” So what kind of punishments could Vonn face if she doesn’t pay up?...

Declan Sullivan, a 20-year-old Notre Dame student, fell 50 feet to his death while filming a football practice in windy conditions. What does the tragic incident mean financially for Notre Dame? It could mean a judgment as high as $30 million or more, according to Forbes. The university is looking at a massive wrongful death lawsuit by Sullivan’s family over the Notre Dame student’s death. If the university is found negligent and responsible for the majority of the fault, the potential compensatory damages would range from $15 million to $20 million....

Swipe fees, interchange fees, hidden costs, and complex fee structures can make credit cards a form of payment you hope your customers do leave home without. However, even in the landscape of fine print and boilerplate language, there is room for negotiating your credit card processing fee. And in light of proposed legislation dubbed the “Credit Card Fair Fee Act”, it is never too early for your business to build savvy in negotiating fair terms....

For three months in 2015 and 2016, 109,000 metric tons of methane spewed into the atmosphere over the Aliso Canyon north of Los Angeles. Thousands were evacuated from the Porter Ranch suburb. California declared a state of emergency. The state charged the Southern California Gas Company, or SoCalGas, with violating state health and safety laws by failing to promptly report the leak, and creating a public nuisance, and several other entities – the city attorney’s office, the county, and the California Air Resources Board – filed lawsuits against the company....

In these recessionary times when many of us feel like a pinball as we bounce from job to job, we often wonder: what can my former employer say about me after I’m gone? Blacklisting: About 20 states have specific laws against blacklisting. Blacklisting occurs when a former employer intentionally takes action to prevent a person from obtaining new employment, often in the same field or geographical area. Some states which specifically prohibit blacklisting include: North Carolina, Texas, California, Colorado, Arkansas, etc....

Settlement mills are high-volume personal injury law firms that advertise heavily and resolve claims mechanically. Avoid these firms like the plague although their national ads might make them a familiar name. The phrase “settlement mill” was coined and popularized by Nora Freeman Engstrom, a Stanford Law School professor who researches the intersection of torts law and ethics. She writes extensively about how these firms resolve legal matters mechanically at the expense of client rights....

Anger and debate rage regarding the Henry Louis Gates Jr. arrest, but outside of questions about race in law enforcement, what exactly is “disorderly conduct”? It turns out that any private exchange, no matter how heated, between Gates and his arresting officer inside Gates’ house would be very unlikely to constitute disorderly conduct under Massachusetts law. At this point, the Gates arrest has become such an issue that President Obama has weighed in on it, been criticized for doing so, and recalibrated his response....

Last Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced they had filed a complaint against Goldman Sachs & Co and one of its vice-presidents, Fabrice Tourre, for defrauding investors with misstatements about a financial product backed by sub-prime mortgages and offered by the company just as the U.S. housing market was beginning to fail. The SEC is seeking damages from Goldman Sachs and Tourre which include the disgorgement of profits, prejudgment interest and financial penalties....

It can be great to have employees on the road. They can meet with clients face-to-face and carry your small business to a big audience. But employee travel can be a bit of a headache as well, with the logistics and the lost time in transit, to say nothing of the legal issues that can arise when workers on the road, on the clock, and on the company dime. So what are the three thorniest legal issues with employee travel?...

While some small businesses are gearing up for the Christmas sale rush, others might be winding down for the holiday season. And whether you’re anticipating a rush of customers into your business or a flood of employees out on vacation, you also have to be on guard for the annual holiday crime spike. Whether its shoplifters who can’t afford or don’t want to pay for a gift, or staffing illegally adding to their year-end bonus, take these five tips to heart when trying to prevent Christmas crime at your small business....

You’ve got questions … we’ve got answers. If you have not yet asked or answered a question in FindLaw’s Answers community, what are you waiting for? This amazing free resource supports a dynamic community of legal consumers and attorneys helping each other out. Simple as that. We see a lot of great questions in our Answers community every day. Here’s a look at some recent questions relating to disability insurance from our FindLaw Answers boards:...

Guest post by Jennifer K. Halford, Esq. Limited liability companies, or LLC’s, are a popular choice for many business owners - especially when there is more than one owner. This isn’t surprising given the tax incentives and liability protection that an LLC can provide. And setting up an LLC on your own is possible. Yet lately I have noticed that few business owners realize before they create an LLC that it is not simple to get out....

Workers’ compensation is the system that compensates employees who are injured on the job financially without requiring a personal injury lawsuit. But do you need a lawyer to guide you through the process? The system is set up to be “no fault,” meaning that any negligence on the part of the employee or the employer is not at issue. Nevertheless, successfully claiming workers’ compensation benefits can be a complicated, frustrating process, especially if your claim is denied....

You were hurt on the job and you are getting workers’ compensation, which helps. But your debts are many and you worry that your creditors are going to come calling. You’d happily pay everyone what you owe if you could but you have no funds to spare and there is no way to pay off debt with the little you get now. Will your worker’s compensation be garnished? The short answer is probably not....

Here’s an interesting question for small start-up companies: If you’re the sole founder in a company, do you have to write up a stock purchase agreement? It’s a good question for many reasons. For one, it’s not one that every entrepreneur would think of asking. Many don’t realize the importance of having stock purchase agreements drafted at the early stages. First off, what is a stock purchase agreement? Generally speaking, it’s a definitive contract between the buyer and seller of shares in a company....

Taking the first steps to get your startup off the ground may mean taking some final steps with your current employer, ensuring you don’t burn any bridges or breach any contracts. The last thing your new business needs is a lawsuit from your old employer. So you’ll want to avoid some common startup mistakes. How can startup ideas violate employment contracts, and what can entrepreneurs do to not get sued? Here are some issues to consider:...

Most of us don’t think about where our food comes from. We see something tasty in the veggie aisle at the supermarket and toss it in our basket. Even those of us who are members of farm shares or community supported agriculture (CSA) programs don’t always consider the labor it takes to get food from the ground to our doorstep. And sadly, many of the workers who take care of our food have not enjoyed the same legal labor rights as other workers....

Joseph Casias has filed a lawsuit against Walmart with the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union and the law firm of Daniel Grow. Casias was fired from a Michigan Walmart after he tested positive for marijuana. The catch? He had a prescription from a doctor for medical marijuana due to cancer in his brain and nasal cavity. And medical marijuana is legal in Michigan. The case has the makings of a U....

General Motors has announced that it will recall almost 1.5 million mid- and full-size Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac vehicles, because an engine oil leak problem could pose a fire risk. The GM recall applies to the following vehicles, all of which have 3.8 liter V-6 engines: Buick Regal (1997-2003 models); Chevrolet Lumina (1998-2003 models), Monte Carlo (1998-2003 models) and Impala (1998-2003 models); Oldsmobile Intrigue (1998-99 models); and Pontiac Grand Prix (1997-2003 models)....