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The truth of what happened to Natalee Holloway in Aruba may never be fully known, but some confessions have now been made by the man often linked to her death, Joran van der Sloot. Van der Sloot has revealed that he lied when contacted by Holloway’s family for information about the whereabouts of her remains. Van der Sloot was charged with wire fraud and extortion in Alabama, for allegedly attempting to extort more than $250,000 from Holloway’s family in return for disclosing the location of her body....

As soon as the dust and tail lights have settled, and we make sure everyone is okay, we want to know whose fault a car accident was. Did someone not use their blinker? Did you check your blind spot? Was the other driver speeding? Multilane roads and highways normally have higher speed limits, meaning we’re around more cars and switching lanes at a much faster pace. And many different elements can come into play when trying to decipher who is at fault for a lane-changing accident....

It’s a pretty basic concept. You do the work, you get paid for it. In many cases, people don’t even really do the work, and they still get paid. But what happens when you hold up your end of the bargain but your employer doesn’t? Here are a few tips to keep in mind for what to do if your employer stopped paying you. The first option is an obvious one....

New York City’s sugary drink ban has been blocked by a judge just one day before it was supposed to take effect. The city plans to appeal. Mayor Michael Bloomberg was a major proponent of the law that sought to prohibit sugary drinks in restaurants, movie theaters, and other establishments, reports Reuters. Bloomberg had hoped the ban would help fight health problems like obesity and diabetes, much like cigarette regulations cut down on smoking more than a decade ago....

Ten women have joined together to sue their plastic surgeon even though they’re satisfied with her work. What they’re not happy about is how she posted before and after photos of their breast surgery on the internet. All the women involved in the suit had breast augmentation surgery with Dr. Michele Koo of Kirkwood, Missouri. Doctors often post before and after photos for potential patients to see their work but in this case the photos crossed a line....

Parents love laundry detergent pods for their convenience. Unfortunately, kids love them, too, because they are brightly colored and wrapped like candy. More and more children are poisoned by laundry pods every day. If your child is injured by ingesting a laundry pod or laundry detergent, can you sue? And if so, whom? Pod Danger The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began issuing warnings regarding laundry detergent pods in 2012....

A judge called the use of excessive force used on New York’s Westchester County jail inmates “disturbing,” bringing attention to violent encounters by correction officers and inmates. A 42-page report released recently by the Department of Justice describes how Westchester County jail failed to protect inmates. The Department of Justice also is threatening to sue Westchester County after finding inadequate medical care at the facility in Valhalla. In the letter, Justice Department lawyers said the county had failed to protect inmates from injuries caused by officers’ use of excessive force and failed to provide acceptable medical and mental-health care – especially to juvenile inmates....

As if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could get any murkier, now American states are battling with American companies over the issue. South Carolina became the latest state to pass a law allowing the state to boycott businesses that boycott Israel. Reminiscent of the famous California-Arizona Boycott Wars of 2010, South Carolina’s new legislation goes well beyond a similar law passed in Illinois last month. How far? Let’s take a look. Who Will Boycott the Boycotters?...

New York and New Jersey flyers may be facing a new airline cell phone fine if they don’t turn off their devices. The new regulation would require travelers to shut down their cell phones and other tablet devices prior to takeoff. The restriction is currently being considered by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Fox News reports. Should it pass, airline customers could face stiff new penalties for not complying....

Strippers around the country may be dancing all the way to the bank, as a strip-club employment lawsuit has settled for $13 million. The suit centered around whether the exotic dancers were properly classified as independent contractors or if they were in fact employees. Why should a small business owner care? Because the improper classification of workers is a common employment law problem faced by employers everywhere. However, because the strippers settled their lawsuit out of court, similarly situated workers will not have a ruling they can cite, reports The Huffington Post....

Do you have an expectation of privacy with regard to text messages sent from your company phone when you pay part of the bill? The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on this issue Monday. As discussed previously in this blog, this is the first federal appellate level case attempting to reconcile company issued electronic devices with employees’ privacy rights under the 4th Amendment. However, an informal policy existed which allowed the officers to use their pagers for personal use, with the understanding that their messages would not be audited, as long as they paid overage charges....

While we have written about small businesses worrying whether or not to dole out holiday bonuses, it seems that CNN is reporting that most employers are not planning to cut out the office party from their roster of holiday festivities. The office party is seen as a way to retain employees when the economy starts looking better. The office party is just what small business owners need to have in order to show that they appreciate workers and to boost up worker morale....

We get it: there’s no easy way to start talking about estate planning. And who wants to spoil the holidays with morbid talk about what’s going to happen after a family member dies? None of that sounds appealing. Then again, when else are you going to do it? The holidays are one of the few times you can get most of the family together, and maybe the holiday spirit will make everyone a little more patient, understanding, and generous....

Lawsuits are only as good as the evidence. And this is especially true for personal injury lawsuits, which could rely on extensive physical and financial evidence in order to be successful. But what happens if evidence – like photographs, handwritten notes, medical records, or receipts – goes missing? Or what if you threw something away that you didn’t realize could even be evidence in an injury lawsuit? The loss or destruction of evidence is called spoliation, and courts may handle it differently depending on the type of case, the evidence involved, and how it was lost....

Though you’d think that the only way to obtain a repetitive strain injury (RSI) like carpal tunnel or tennis elbow is to spend a bit too much time at the computer or in competitive play, the truth is that every person who works with their hands is at risk. Even coffeehouse employees, who are reporting the existence of “barista wrist” in increasing numbers. And subsequently ramping up owners’ workers’ compensation fees....

If you’re involved in a serious car accident, one of the biggest decisions you’ll make is hiring the right lawyer. But how do you find out which lawyer is right for your case? Online reviews and personal referrals are a great start, but you’ll have to meet with a car accident attorney before you hire one. And here are a few essentials questions you’ll need the answers to: 1. How Much Experience Do You Have?...

Seven U.S. Marines were killed in an explosion during a training exercise. Seven others were hurt. The explosion happened at the Hawthorne Army Depot in western Nevada, reports Reuters. The cause of the explosion, which occurred about 10 p.m. Monday, remains unclear. Investigators are still reviewing whether the proper safety protocols were followed. Regardless, the military could potentially be liable for these death and injuries. In a civilian setting, employers can be held liable for the injuries of their workers....

Tristan Beaudette took his two young daughters camping in order to give his wife some much needed quiet time to study for an upcoming exam. That fateful good deed had a tragic ending. Beaudette, a pharmaceutical executive, was fatally shot in front of his children while camping at Malibu Canyon State Park, and his family has now filed a lawsuit for failing to warn campers about the known shooter in the area that ultimately killed Beaudette....

If you or someone you know is diagnosed with cancer, the last thing you want to worry about is administration and bureaucracy, bills and money. But the ill especially need financial support, and Social Security Disability Insurance does compensate cancer victims who cannot work. Not all cancers are created equal in the public disability scheme, however. Some types – such as inoperable breast or bladder cancer – require only a simple diagnosis to quickly qualify for compensation whereas others only qualify depending on the extent of the disease’s progress....

Theoretically, you can sue for libel in small claims court in most states. But there are monetary limits on small claims that would make this an unusual choice. Small claims courts, as the name implies, generally handle small disputes with limited monetary damages. Some states do not allow lawyers to appear in small claims court but libel cases are difficult to prove and probably will require an expert. So for this and other reasons small claims court is usually unsuitable for a libel claim....