Posts

Can the government compel you to decrypt your laptop? Ramona Fricosu says no, which is why she’s fighting federal prosecutors in Colorado who want access to her encrypted laptop, which they believe contains information relating to her alleged criminal activities. Refusing to handover her encryption key, Fricosu is pleading the Fifth, claiming that she has a constitutional right to deny the request. Charged with bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, CNET reports that prosecutors seized an encrypted laptop from Fricosu’s home that is likely to contain evidence of the alleged crimes....

A high school football player’s parents are suing over their teenager’s brain injuries, blaming his coaches for allegedly sanctioning a dangerous hazing ritual. Head football coach Britton Devier and assistant coach Todd Bringman of Woodmore High School in Elmore, Ohio, are named in a suit brought by the parents of a 16-year-old student, The Associated Press reports. As a result of the alleged hazing, the teenager now suffers learning and memory problems, the lawsuit states....

When signing a commercial lease, a “right to relocate” clause may strike you as odd, or even a bit unfair. Is such a clause even enforceable? Generally speaking, “right to relocate” clauses in commercial leases are legally valid, but there are certain things business owners can do to protect themselves when reviewing and negotiating a lease, and in situations when a landlord uses the clause to force you to relocate....

Craigslist, already a unique and mysterious company, took an unusual step over the Labor Day weekend. It blocked access to its adult services section and replaced it with a censored label. The company has offered no explanation for the move or the censored label. The controversy involves letters sent to the company from 17 state attorneys on August 24, which demanded that the company close the adult services section. The attorneys say that Craigslist is allowing human trafficking and prostitution on their site....

Do you need a business credit card? If you’re a small business owner, having a credit card that’s separate from your personal credit card can pay off in many ways. For example, a business credit card allows your business to establish creditworthiness, which can help secure financing, the Small Business Administration explains. It’s also a way to prevent your personal and business debts from commingling. However, there are still a few potential drawbacks....

As a business owner you have many concerns. Whether your employees make it to the gym is probably not one of them. But perhaps it should be. The health and well-being of your workers contributes to your business. When your people are thriving and have time to look out for themselves and their health, they also have more and better energy to put into work. So here are five things you can do to help encourage employee exercise and ensure you get the best for your business, according to the Houston Chronicle....

Cell phone AMBER alerts are becoming more common, but they’re still catching many mobile users off guard. How exactly do they work? Sending AMBER alerts to cell phones in a particular area is relatively new, but the system has been in place for more than a year now. Just this week, smartphone users in parts of Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma received such an alert, many for the first time, Wichita’s KAKE-TV reports....

The crackdown on undocumented immigrants comes with a high cost to tax payers but it’s a profitable business for private prison companies. The U.S. detains 400,000 immigrants each year, some of whom end up becoming legal permanent residents. Holding all those people is expected to cost taxpayers $2 billion this year. The number of immigrants has largely outgrown the beds available in government owned prisons so many end up in private facilities....

If you’re injured in a crash involving a commercial truck, you have the option of seeking recovery for your injuries through a lawsuit. Truck crash injuries are on the rise. The most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report found that truck crash injuries increased by 18 percent, from 88,000 reported injuries in 2011 to 104,000 in 2012. Truck accidents also led to nearly 4,000 deaths in 2012. But what should those who may be injured in a truck accident consider know about their potential legal options?...

Sticks and stones may break bones, but words will never hurt you. Or will they? When someone says something that damages your reputation, it might be worthwhile to sue for defamation. “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation and only one bad one to lose it,” according to Benjamin Franklin. Defamation law recognizes this. Specifically, it allows people who have been unjustly publicly badmouthed to defend their good name....

New Jersey is now offering jury duty text alerts. So if you’re terrible with dates and glued to your phone, you’re in luck. The new system will send text and email messages to prospective New Jersey jurors to remind them of their summons date and to advise petit jurors about whether they need to report for jury duty. Here’s why the prospective jurors should be counting their legal blessings – and their spare change....

This term, the Supreme Court will hear two companion cases asking whether sentencing juvenile perpetrators of non-homicide crimes to life in prison without the possibility of parole is unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment. The two cases, described briefly by the New York Times, involve Joe Sullivan, sentenced to life without parole for a rape he committed when 13 years old, and Terrance Graham, who received life without parole for an armed robbery committed when he was 16....

Federal investigators consider Miami-Dade County ground zero for Medicare fraud and abuse cases. According to CNN, federal agents recently shut down operation of five separate rings that allegedly filed $61 million in false claims with Medicare, and charged 32 people in Miami, Detroit, and Brooklyn. They are charged in indictments including conspiracy to defraud the Medicare program, conspiracy to launder money, money laundering, criminal false claims, making false statements and receiving kickbacks....

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced that government stimulus funds for two of its most popular lending programs has run out. No stimulus means fewer new SBA loans. This is not good news for small businesses who apply for SBA loans. This could leave a lot of struggling small businesses out in the cold this winter. Reuters reports that loan volumes for small businesses could fall if the stimulus money is not replenished....

Another day, another recall that raises more questions about the safety of products meant to keep children safe: Kolcraft Enterprises Inc. is recalling about 1 million portable play yards because of a latch defect that poses a fall hazard to kids. The recalled play yards were sold under the product names “Kolcraft”, “Carter’s”, “Sesame Street”, “Jeep”, “Contours”, “Care Bear” and “Eric Carle”. They were available for purchase at stores nationwide – including Walmart, Kmart, and Target – from January 2000 to January 2009, for between $50 and $160....

Let the games begin! Attorneys are battling it out for the lead in the Toyota lawsuits over unintended acceleration. And as one attorney stated, it promises to be a “bloodbath.” A plethora of attorneys gathered in San Diego to make their two-minute pitch on the merits of their venue as the venue of choice in the Toyota lawsuits. Indeed, home-court advantage was in high demand. As are the potentially huge contingency fees that could be collected on any Toyota lawsuit....

Referred to as the ‘Netflix tax,’ Pennsylvania will soon start charging a sales tax on digital downloads and online streaming services. The six percent tax will apply to video, music, and app subscription services like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, and Apple Music. So is binge watching about to bust your budget? Probably not, and here’s why: (Not) Pay Per View The six percent sales tax is applied only to the subscription fee, not to each show or movie you watch or song you listen to....

This summer was the third-hottest on record, and while cooler temperatures may be in the forecast, not all have escaped the heat unscathed. From simple sunburns to more serious and possibly fatal heatstroke injuries, the scorching temperatures left their mark this summer. But if you were injured in the summer heat, do you have a legal case? Here are a few recent heat-related lawsuits, and who can be liable for heat-related injuries and illnesses....

Good news for procrastinators: the tax day deadline has been pushed back, allowing taxpayers an extra weekend to file their returns. The new 2011 tax deadline is April 18. For a business owner, one of the biggest challenges is keeping your business and personal taxes separate. As a general rule you cannot deduct your personal, living or family expenses from your business taxes unless it is clear that there is an intersection between the two....

Watch out, taxpayers. The IRS can lose your tax return. That’s what the First Circuit Court of Appeals essentially said in a recent case. If you’re running a small business, you might want to take heed. It’s important to keep track of all your tax documents, in case the IRS or the U.S. Postal Service loses your return. If the IRS claims that it never received your return, you will have to prove that you sent it....