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Being the victim of a hit and run accident is uniquely problematic on so many levels. There’s no one to exchange information with, no one to report to your insurance company, no one to interview to determine fault, and no one to sue if you seek punitive damages. But don’t think that your hit and run is a worthless lawsuit. It isn’t. In a hit and run, the person that “ran” is usually presumed to be the one at fault, so at least that’s one less thing to worry about....

When you move into an apartment, you’re probably going to be asked to put down a security deposit. The security deposit amount is oftentimes the same as one month’s rent and the landlord will hold onto it until your lease ends. Ideally, when you move out, you’ll get your full security deposit back. Practically speaking, you’ll probably only get a fraction of your deposit back. So how do you get your security deposit back after renting?...

For parents, they promise to love their adopted children as if they were their biological own. And many children feel a stronger bond with their adoptive parents than with their birth parents. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the legal system sees the relationship in the same way. Do adopted children have the same rights as natural birth children? What about when it comes to wills and inheritance? Here’s what you need to know....

Due to their size and shape, tractor trailers have various no-zones – blind spots and other dangerous areas surrounding semis where accidents are most likely to occur. And these accidents can be especially deadly: the latest statistics show that 3,660 people were killed in large truck accidents in 2014 alone, the vast majority of whom were not the truck drivers. So how do you identify tractor trailer no-zones and how can you avoid these dangerous accidents?...

Texas women who plan to vote using maiden or even hyphenated names may experience a hitch or two at the polls because of the state’s new voter ID law. The issue came to light earlier this week when a district judge in southern Texas had trouble casting a ballot. With early voting already underway in Texas, women of the Lone Star State may want to take proactive steps to thwart potential ID problems....

You’ve heard about it. A friend’s friend somewhere in a different state walked away from their home. They just left it there for the bank and happily rid themselves of debt. Now, you hear, they live somewhere on a golf course, in a McMansion that cost them half the price. So, you’ve heard, like some sort of urban legend in the social circles of distressed homeowners. Do people really walk way that easily from their homes?...

In case you missed it, Kanye West dropped some knowledge regarding the perks and perils of being an entrepreneur. To wit: “If you are an entrepreneur you may have debt and lawsuits #facts.” The assertion came a week after the artist admitted to being $53 million in debt. But just because Kanye included the irrefutable hashtag, does that mean his tweet is actually correct? Are lawsuits and debts facts of entrepreneurial life?...

Forget snakes on a plane, we’re talking cockroaches on a plane. A lawsuit filed by Harry Marsh and his fiance Kaitlin Rush alleges that their Air Tran Airways flight was plagued by cockroaches. The couple flew from Charlotte to Atlanta on September 15, and witnessed the roaches crawling through vents and luggage compartments. To make matters worse, they allege that the flight attendants ignored their complaints and suggested that they keep quiet....

Ex-NBA player Lorenzen Wright’s murder remains unsolved a year after his shocking death. But now, his ex-wife and his mother are suing the police department that handled Lorenzen Wright’s 911 call. The lawsuits are separate, and in part allege that the police departments of the Germantown and Collierville, Tennessee, were negligent in handling the phone call. According to Wright’s ex, Sherra Robinson Wright, the NBA star was supposed to visit her house on July 18, 2010, to visit his six children, but never showed....

Fans of the podcast Serial are atwitter over the news that the subject of the captivating podcast’s first season has been granted a new trial. Adnan Syed was convicted 18 years ago for murder. But as the podcast brought to light, there seemed to be serious inconsistencies and missed opportunities by his original defense team. Perhaps Serial lovers will now get a new season covering Adnan’s new trial after all these years....

Another Prius hoax? Not so fast! Results are in for the New York Prius incident. Although the San Diego incident was largely speculated to be a hoax, the same cannot be said for the New York Prius incident involving unintended acceleration. You see, the black box has spoken. The black box is essentially the vehicle’s data recorder. And now, as the investigation has come to a close, the black box is screaming “driver error!...

When we go to doctors for treatment and medication, we want to believe the medications are safe. And when we hear the phrase “FDA-approved,” we generally believe the drug or medication has undergone extensive testing and that the FDA wouldn’t approve a drug – and a doctor wouldn’t prescribe it – if it weren’t safe. But what a doctor will prescribe medication for and what the FDA has tested a drug for may not always match up....

Sometimes turbulence in a marriage is just a passing part of the journey, a time to re-fasten your seatbelts and lock in your tray tables; however, after one, two, or a few bouts of tumultuous crosswinds, it may be time to make an emergency landing and evacuate. Two-time Academy award winning actor Sean Penn and wife Robin Wright Penn have negotiated the fine line of fighting to stay together and fighting to go their own ways on a few occasions, having initiated divorce proceedings in 2007 and earlier in 2009....

By all accounts Harvey Weinstein left a trail of sexual harassment, assault, and rape a mile and decades wide before being fired by his company’s board of directors this weekend. The board claims it only just found out about Weinstein’s behavior, but his excuse – “I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then.” – would appear to undercut that assertion....

You clock in and work all day. Then you clock out, go home and answer calls, reply to text messages and emails on your phone all night. Should you be getting paid for overtime? Just last month 3 individuals sued T-Mobile on the basis that they were required to respond to work messages after hours using their company-issued smartphones. On submitting the extra hours to management for compensation, they were told that they should expect to work the extra hours as part of T-Mobile’s “standard business practices....

In a short and definitive opinion, the United States Supreme Court overturned an Alabama Supreme Court opinion that refused to recognize the parental rights of a lesbian woman who adopted three children with her partner in Georgia. While the case may sound confusing at first, the Court’s opinion was clear: Alabama must recognize valid adoptions from other states. This case didn’t previously garner a lot of media attention. However, the ruling could have an enormous impact on the adoption rights of same-sex parents....

In an incredibly hypocritical story out of Texas, mom Rosalina Gonzales has been sentenced for spanking her 2-year-old daughter, though the practice is technically legal under state law. Punished with 5 years of probation, a parenting class, and a $50 fine, Gonzales was also given some interesting advice by presiding Judge Jose Longoria. “You don’t spank children today.” In December, Rosalina Gonzales was arrested after her daughter’s presumably well-meaning grandmother noticed red marks on the girl’s backside, reports the Houston Chronicle....

The California Court of Appeals recently rejected a challenge to one part of California’s mandatory reporting laws for therapists. This case came about because the law in California was changed a few years ago to include a ban on the viewing of child pornography online. Mandatory Reporting What is a “mandatory report”? In every state, there are certain categories of individuals, usually school staff and doctors/hospital staff, that are required by law to report signs of child abuse to law enforcement....

Like every year, 2012 has been a busy year for small business owners. And like every year, the end of the year is a good time to reflect on small business lessons learned. You may have had a relatively smooth year and avoided legal troubles. But the same can’t be said for all your business owning cohorts. Here are five of the most popular legal lessons that we covered in this blog in 2012, which every small business owner can benefit from:...

No. 10: Robocalls: Pervasive, automatic calls pretending that your car warranty is about to expire or your credit card interest rate can be lowered. Both not true and both so common that the FTC took action to further restrict the calls in 2009. No. 9: Sweepstakes Scams: A perennial favorite. The consumer is told they have won the lottery or Clearinghouse Sweepstakes and asked to send money to “cover the taxes” on the winnings....