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Imagine that you just bought the home of your dreams, only to quickly discover that your home used to be a meth lab. Jonathan Hawkins and his young family bought a foreclosed home in an up-and-coming area of Klamath Falls, Oregon. However, soon after moving in, Hawkins’ wife began experiencing breathing problems, Hawkins began having migraine-like headaches and nosebleeds, and their two-year-old son developed mouth sores, reports Yahoo! A neighbor later revealed that Hawkins had just bought himself a meth lab....

It may not be marked on your calendar, but today is Boss’ Day in the United States, a day for workers to show their employers a little appreciation whether by a card, an email, or even a gift. But along with celebrating good bosses, Boss’ Day is also a great time to look back at some bad bosses. Bad bosses don’t just make for unhappy employees; being a bad boss can also increase the odds of your business encountering legal trouble, which typically makes for unhappy bosses as well....

According to a recent Treasury Department report, the IRS is cracking down on the misclassification of “independent contractors.” The consequences could be costly for business owners who aren’t too careful. For employers, the advantages of classifying a worker as an “independent contractor” are clear: You don’t have to withhold income tax and you don’t have to offer them any benefits, just to name a few. But the Treasury report estimates that “millions” of workers are misclassified as independent contractors, when they really should be considered employees....

Security cameras in private businesses are typically legal. But should your business install surveillance cameras in your restrooms? Yes, according to Virginia restaurant and club owner Dennis Smith, who installed a camera in the men’s restroom after “years of vandalism,” reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Smith claims the camera is situation “to capture patrons as they enter without revealing those using bathroom facilities.” Is it legal to install security cameras in your business’ restrooms?...

Before delving into charges that adult website YouPorn is wrongfully sniffing its users, let’s first discuss just what is sniffing? “Sniffing,” or “history sniffing,” is a technique in which a website uses surreptitious technology to harvest information about websites a user has visited. The browsing history would ostensibly then be sold to better target marketing efforts. In a complaint filed in federal court, two California plaintiffs seek unspecified damages from YouPorn, alleging that the website was sniffing their browser history in violation of cybercrime and consumer protection laws....

As the old saying goes, burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me. So, what happens the third time? You get the book thrown at you. George William Graham, a resident of Twentynine Palms, has been sentenced to five years in prison, and ordered to pay $21,019 in restitution, after pleading guilty to setting a fire that burned less than an acre of land in Joshua Tree National Park....

Vice Media, which operates the Viceland cable channel, is the latest company to face allegations of discrimination against female employees. Elizabeth Rose, a former employee of Vice Media, has filed a lawsuit against the company alleging that Vice Media discriminates against its female employees by “systematically and intentionally paying them less than their male counterparts.” What Is the Lawsuit Alleging? Rose alleges in her complaint that after seeing the internal memos that showed the pay disparity between men and women, she spoke to her female coworkers at Vice Media....

Unfortunately, closing a business isn’t as simple as locking the doors and laying off employees. An often drawn-out process, a business owner must follow a long list of sometimes complicated legal steps. So before you get started on the checklist below, be sure to assemble a dissolution team. Closing a business may actually require an accountant and/or a lawyer. Step 1: Vote If there is a written partnership agreement or articles of incorporation, be sure to follow voting procedures....

We here at FindLaw know that legal jargon can be confusing. We hear people misusing legal words and phrases all the time. So we’ve decided to help you better understand all the legal phrases tossed around on Law & Order. Here is a new educational series we like to call FindLaw’s Legalese 101. It’s a term thrown around in movies like Legally Blonde, but the fact is that even fake Harvard Law students aren’t exactly sure what mens rea really means....

Have you downloaded your NLRB employee rights poster? Late last month, the National Labor Relations Board issued a final rule requiring almost all private-sector employers in the country to notify employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act, which guarantees the right to organize, discuss workplace conditions, and strike and picket. The 11-by-17-inch notice, issued this week, will need to be posted in a conspicuous place and in all applicable languages by November 14....

One NYC pharmacy has intentionally decided to discriminate against their male customers in order to raise awareness for gender price discrimination. If you had to re-read that, it is understandable as the logic is baffling. The pharmacy instituted a policy whereby men must pay a 7 percent tax, while women do not have to pay the tax. The owner of the store claims that the tax on men represents the average, lower price on products marketed to men....

Covenant marriage is for couples who are extra committed. They are so committed that they accept certain legal obstacles to splitting up before they have even pledged their lives to one another. This type of marriage is relatively new under state law, but it refers to the oldest tradition in the book: a deal before God. Let’s take a look at covenant marriage. Three States A covenant is like a contract or a deal, but it is deeper....

Prenuptial agreements, or “prenups,” are a popular topic here at FindLaw. Here are five situations in which your prenup is either invalid or can be invalidated: Lack of a Written Agreement Was your prenuptial agreements only made verbally? Then it is almost certainly invalid. A valid prenuptial agreement must be in writing to be enforceable. You Were Pressured and/or Didn’t Read the Prenup Contending that you were pressured or didn’t read a prenuptial agreement is not a very strong argument for invalidation, but it is something....

Lately we’ve heard much talk about the government attempting to spur innovations in energy and health care technologies. One way the federal government encourages innovation in specific areas of technology is through the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR). Now, venture capital backed companies want access to the program as well. Here are some basics about the SBIR program and who is eligible to participate. As the Wall Street Journal reports, companies backed by equity investors (typically venture capitalists or angel investors), and their investors, want some stimulus from the Small Business Administration....

We all expect insurance to cover our injuries in the event of an accident but when a claim goes to settlement what actually happens can be different. Insurance is a business and that means maximizing profits when possible. It also means the settlement process is often a negotiation. If you’re been injured in a car crash or other accident and your insurance offers a settlement, it’s hard to know if the amount is right....

Data is worth its weight in gold now, or so we believe, which is why a partnership between Facebook and the digital cash register Square is making waves. The union between the two tech companies is intended to enable small businesses who use Square software to buy Facebook ads to access much data, thus closing the information loop between ads and sales. “That’s the holy grail,” according to Saumil Mehta, Square’s customer engagement lead, who spoke to The New York Times....

It’s no secret that business owners like to bury important terms and details in fine print and obscure locations. They do it in print ads, on television and on the Internet. It’s a common practice. But in some situations, using fine print is deceptive advertising. Federal Trade Commission rules require all significant conditions and limitations to be clearly and conspicuously presented. The agency has luckily provided a little bit more guidance on the issue of fine print and deceptive advertising....

A story came out today on a Morehouse soon-to-be-graduate, Joshua Brandon Norris, who recently got “the break of [his] life” thanks to a pretty sweet plea deal on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. However, as noted by CNN, the case raises questions about just how such a plea deal came about, and whether any legal options remain available for the victim of Norris’s offense, Rashad Johnson, who also happened to be another Morehouse student....

A judge decided that the recent Toyota Motor Corp. confidential settlement should not be confidential. The settlement was for $10 million, without an admission of liability on behalf of Toyota. Could this figure be the bar for future sudden acceleration cases? The automaker thought that the Toyota sudden acceleration settlement was going to remain confidential. The presiding judge thought differently. Legal experts believed that the Toyota sudden acceleration settlement figures would be substantially higher than $10 million....

It looks like the Toyota personal injury and wrongful death cases will be going forward. A federal judge issued a preliminary opinion indicating that he will deny Toyota’s motion to dismiss on several causes on action. U.S. District Judge James V. Selna did not indicate when he will make his final order. Assuming oral arguments did not change his preliminary opinion, the decision by Selna would be an early victory for plaintiffs suing over the Toyota recall, The Associated Press reports....