Do you know how to get a separation? Often, a married couple will consider a separation – either to try to sort out their issues while apart, or as a first step toward divorce. Regardless of how it pans out, the fact is that many couples may need some time apart. But note that informally separating is much different than pursuing a legal separation. Here are the steps you’ll need to take when it comes to getting a separation:...
If your employer has violated federal or state employment laws, you may be owed back pay. Back pay is typically the remedy for wage or hour violations, making up the difference between what an employee was actually paid and what he or she should have been paid. How can you get your hands on back pay that may be owed to you? Here are a few general considerations: One common source of back pay awards are violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)....
When you own and operate a business, it’s always important to comply with all applicable small business laws. A new lawsuit filed against Lyft is alleging that the rideshare company is in violation of laws that guarantee equal access to those with disabilities. More specifically, Disability Rights Advocates have filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Lyft “discriminates against people who use wheelchairs by not making available wheelchair-accessible cars in the San Francisco Bay Area....
The National Opt Out Day is an event encouraging airplane passengers to refuse the new body scanning machines and instead choose the new “enhanced” security pat-downs. Those who refuse both could be subject to a civil penalty for their refusal. The penalty is designed to deter terrorists from backing out of a security check once one begins. However the TSA has never fined a traveler for not completing the screening process....
As ever, the state of California is the home of the experimental. Think Silicon Valley. Think Haight-Ashbury. Think Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. This time it is the Citizens Redistricting Commission. This Commission, brought into existence by California voters passing Proposition 11 in 2008, provides for a committee of real, live citizens (as opposed to politicians) to redraw the boundary lines for the state Assembly, state Senate and Board of Equalization voting districts....
Got a light? The question that unites smokers everywhere will be relegated to sidewalks, as a new law in New York City will ban smoking in bars, bingo parlors, beaches, and parks. According to CBS News, former smoker Mayor Michael Bloomberg pushed the NYC smoking ban through earlier this week. Bloomberg is quoted by CBS: “Fundamentally, people just don’t want the guy next to them smoking. People will adjust very quickly and a lot of lives will be saved....
Fitness trainers and instructors who use public outdoor spaces are running into legal problems in some cities, and they’re not the only small business operators at risk. The city of Santa Monica, California, is considering charging an annual fee for trainers who use public parks as workout spaces, and asking for a percentage of their gross revenue. If that happens, it could be a huge expense for those fitness buffs-turned-entrepreneurs....
The Great Seal of Wyoming features a rancher near a banner with the words “Livestock” and “Grain” on it, and a miner next to a banner that reads “Mines” and “Oil.” They may also want to add “Bitcoin” to their mining operations. The Equality State just enacted 13 laws aimed at enabling blockchain innovation, in a move to become the home of digital asset creation, storage, and development. So, is the “tax-friendliest state in the United States” about to become the Bitcoin-friendliest state?...
Odds are none of your business’ supplies or shipments to customers is on one of the ships pirated off Somalia, but with the pirates upping the ante in the last day, who knows. Voice of America reports that they have seized 4 more ships off of Somalia in the last 24 hours. Even if less exotic, all small businesses have encountered shipping problems. One basic rule that applies to goods shipped by many small businesses is the “30 Day Rule....
The small business holiday bonus may be just what your company needs in order to boost employee morale and add some cheer this small business holiday season. Contrary to the rather dismal post we wrote previously in Free Enterprise about how small business owners have elected to use their limited resources to give customer gifts instead of employee bonuses, CNN is reporting that more employers are actually planning to give a holiday bonus....
Any new presidential administration can cause some apprehension on the part of small business owners, whose operations can be affected by even the slightest changes in the legal landscape. And the election of Donald Trump is no different. While Trump’s stump speeches were short on large-scale economic policy, a few planks of his platform can have a tangential affect on small businesses. Here’s what could change under future President Trump, and what that means for you....
Times are definitely changing. To imagine even ten years ago that there would be mainstream marijuana megastores in the United States would have seemed laughable. But with the passage of medical marijuana laws, marijuana is going mainstream. Now the latest development is weGrow, the so-called Walmart of weed. The 10,000-square-foot store Sacramento store will contains everything you need to grow marijuana, as well as marijuana-related products. But the store will not sell any marijuana, the Associated Press reports....
Auto accidents are scary enough on their own, but when you are pregnant and get in a car crash, the level of fright is rather escalated. It is estimated that nearly 300 to 1,000 pregnancies are lost each year as a result of car crashes. While expectant parents are rarely thinking in terms of liability when disaster strikes, if the expectant parent was injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, both the parent and unborn child may have strong legal claims....
As a business owner, you try your best to create a safe environment that prevents on-the-job injuries, but sometimes an injured worker is just out of your hands. As you likely know, after acquiring emergency care for such an employee, you need to report the injury to your insurance company and the state within a set period of time. But your obligations don’t end here–you may be required to take (or not take) further action under your state’s workers’ compensation laws....
Unemployment insurance is a government-sponsored program that provides financial assistance to qualified workers who lose their jobs. The federal government has an unemployment insurance program, as do individual states. While every state has different rules and regulations for determining eligibility for unemployment insurance as well as different processes, there are some general guiding principles. Here’s an overview of how to apply for, and collect, unemployment insurance: For more information, check out FindLaw’s free Guide to Unemployment Insurance, available as a PDF that you can download for easy reference....
The market is now a renter’s market. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that apartment vacancies hit a 30 year high. Landlords are scrambling to entice tenants to move into their rentals. This leaves room for more apartment tenant rights than ever before. The Wall Street Journal quotes Victor Calanog, director of research for Reis as saying, “If you are renting a place, now might be a good time to renegotiate that lease....
Identity issues are a touchy topic in the office. For the most part at work, we put our personal selves aside and handle assignments. Who we are on a personal level is not supposed to be super important. But of course it truly is. Who we are influences our understanding of the world … and work. So it is important at times to recognize the contributions of those the culture has not always championed but oppressed....
Keeping sexual predators off of social networks and monitoring Internet use may be a challenge for California, as critics and parole agents take a closer look at the state’s new measure to limit sex offenders’ Internet use. The bill moving through the Legislature prohibits child molesters from using social networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook and presents a challenge for CA enforcement, the San Diego Tribune reports. As previously discussed, Assemblywoman Norma Torres (D-Pomona) is author of the proposed law AB 2208....
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder should be held in contempt of Congress, a House committee asserted in a party-line vote. The contempt resolution now moves to the full House for consideration, USA Today reports. The committee’s 23-17 contempt vote came after Holder refused to comply with a subpoena seeking documents related to a controversial Justice Department gun-tracking program called Fast and Furious. Hours earlier, President Obama had asserted executive privilege to keep the documents confidential....
Unemployment insurance can be a boon when you’re suddenly laid off, but getting severance pay may pull that financial cushion out from under you. So when and how does severance affect unemployment insurance? It depends on your particular situation, including which state you live in. Here are a few possibilities: Some states do not consider severance payments when determining eligibility for unemployment insurance. This may be true in states where it is also required to give employees some sort of severance after a lay off....
