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A pill here, a “master cleanse” there. Fad diets have become a mainstay in our quest for health and wellness. We channel our inner-Jack LaLanne as we swallow supplements, or shortcut diet pills, and try to become our best selves. But sometimes things don’t go as planned and the next thing you know, that detox mix is making you vomit blood. Ah, wellness. Placenta and Beyond From placenta to cayenne juice cleanses, people try strange dietary regiments for the sake of a healthy glow....

Kids are a great hiring pool for small business owners looking for some seasonal support during the summer months. These able-bodied, highly trainable teen dynamos can give your business a kickstart, as long as you remember these five legal guidelines for hiring kids in summer: 1. The Minimum Hiring Age is 14. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) governs any child labor in the country. The Department of Labor, which enforces the FSLA, states that generally, children under 14 cannot be hired by your business....

The couple behind last month’s balloon boy hoax will plead guilty Friday to some charges in order to keep the family together, their lawyer said. According to the Associated Press, Richard Heene will plead guilty in the alleged hoax to attempting to influence a public servant, a felony charge and his wife Mayumi will plead guilty to false reporting, a misdemeanor. The parents of Falcon Heene, a 6-year-old boy reported their son floated away on October 15 aboard a homemade helium balloon....

When you are writing a will and planning an estate, there are many considerations to keep in mind. In addition to making sure your assets are passed on according to your wishes, you’ll also likely want to make sure your estate doesn’t pay any unnecessary taxes. When a person dies, state laws will dictate the procedure for distribution of property through a process called probate. Each state has its own laws of probate but all address the orderly distribution of assets and repayment of debts from an estate....

As the 2012 presidential election nears, there’s little doubt that some members of the populace will begin making plans to leave the country should their preferred candidate lose. These threats – or jokes – have become common election fodder over the past decade, yet few understand just what is involved in abandoning one’s U.S. citizenship. Though you can’t involuntarily be stripped of your citizenship, you can still lose citizenship should you engage in specific types of behavior....

The FDA has announced new proposed regulations for e-cigarettes, attempting to get a handle on a now multibillion-dollar industry. The public will soon have a chance to comment. The proposed rules not only cover e-cigs, but also pipe tobacco and cigars. The FDA wants to prohibit these products from being sold to minors, reports The New York Times. Will the FDA be successful in its latest attempt to regulate e-cigs?...

Today, Martin Gill is one step closer to becoming the “forever father” of his two boys, now aged 6 and 10. Gill and his partner have been caring for the boys since they became their foster parents several years ago, but because they are a same sex couple, they are not allowed to adopt under Florida law. On September 22, the Florida Court of Appeals handed down a decision which found the state’s blanket ban on gay adoption was unconstitutional....

What should you know about the government shutdown? In a standoff between President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress over differences over Obamacare, most of the federal government is now closed for business, Reuters reports. Until lawmakers reach a deal, what does the government shutdown mean for you? Here are 10 things every American should know: What’s closed? All national parks are now closed, as are other recreation and visitor sites, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Smithsonian museums, and Alcatraz in San Francisco....

Earlier this month, a Wisconsin District Attorney filed felony charges against a DNA profile for a crime committed six years ago. The statute of limitations was about to expire the next day for anonymous threats made against a sitting judge, and the prosecution felt strongly this perpetrator should face the charges, whomever he or she was. In this case, there was just enough saliva on the back of the nine cent stamp to recover sufficient DNA to identify the suspect, but just not the name....

Innocent spouse relief has nothing to do with that kind of cheating. No, instead it deals with tax cheats. That is, when your former or current spouse is a tax cheat unbeknownst to you. So if the IRS is trying to get you to pay up on a tax liability that you had nothing to do with, read on. You may be entitled to innocent spouse relief under federal law....

‘Tis the season for Spring Break trips, and many Americans are heading abroad. But is your state-issued driver’s license valid in the country (or countries) you’re planning to visit? The answer really depends on where you’re going and how long you’ll be staying there. Depending on your destination, you may need to get some additional paperwork processed in order to legally operate a vehicle. Know Before You Go U.S. driver’s licenses are valid in both Canada and Mexico....

Louisiana’s gay marriage ban has been upheld in a federal court, bucking a year-long trend of federal rulings against same-sex marriage bans. In Robicheaux v. Caldwell, U.S. District Court Judge Martin L. C. Feldman ruled Wednesday that Louisiana’s prohibition on gay marriage did not violate same-sex couples’ constitutional rights because the law implicates no fundamental rights and has a rational basis. As noted by The Huffington Post, Judge Feldman is the first federal judge to uphold a gay marriage ban since the U....

Happy Labor Day! Do you ever wonder about the history behind a day that Americans generally like to cram with barbecues, shopping, and the last occasion to wear white for a while? Labor Day has been a federal holiday for more than 100 years now. The holiday celebrates and recognizes all the workers in this country who are the driving force behind the spirit of this day. So what led politicians to make Labor Day a national holiday?...

As has been widely reported, the jury verdict in the trial for the shooting of Oscar Grant by Johannes Mehserle was returned on July 8. The jury found the defendant guilty of involuntary manslaughter, not of the more serious charge, as was hoped by the prosecutor and the friends and family of the victim. There has been strong public reaction, as expected, in the city of Oakland where the shooting took place at a BART station last New Year’s Day....

Both Consumer advocates and small businesses are concerned about a significant amendment that was included in the Senate financial reform bill. The amendment, created by Senator Olympia Snowe, was intended to benefit small businesses, but if it clears the House, it may end up hurting them. The amendment would require the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to to analyze the costs created by the regulation of credit firms. This would result in the CFPB being subject to the rules of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act....

$1.5 Billion. With a very capital B. That’s a billion dollars PLUS another 500 million dollars. That’s the current estimated Powerball jackpot and that is a nigh unfathomable amount of money. The kind of money that has people crossing state lines in hope for a shot at being set for life. But not all states offer Powerball, and the ones that do may tax it a bit differently. Here’s a rundown on state Powerball laws....

Relatives of a Florida teen who died after being Tasered by police plan to pursue justice by suing the Miami Beach Police Department. Israel Hernandez-Llach, 18, was caught spray-painting graffiti on a shuttered storefront by Miami Beach police officers earlier this month. After a foot chase, officers shot him with a Taser, reports The Miami Herald. Hernandez-Llach’s friends say he was lying on the ground in need of medical help while officers laughed and gave each other “high-fives....

Because there’s so much “good” stuff that goes on in with criminals and the justice system, FindLaw’s Blotter will be closing out each week with the best of the worst, so to speak. Yes, this will be the stuff that makes you wonder just how the criminal brain and justice system work, or (more likely?) how they fail to do so. And with such fanfare, the Dummy Files are open:...

A New York mom/attorney might have met her toughest legal opponent in the form of her two fighting kids. Madlyn Primoff, a partner at a respected New York law firm, apparently just couldn’t take it anymore after her two children, ages 10 and 12, bickered in the car. Primoff’s solution? Get out! She gave the kids the boot and drove off (they were reportedly about 3 miles away from home)....

Hurricane Harvey caused catastrophic flooding in Houston last month. This month, it was Hurricane Irma inundating Florida. With two more storms, Jose and Maria, setting their sights on the northeast coast and Caribbean, respectively, the physical and financial injuries from flooding and flood damage will only intensify, leaving many to wonder what kind of recourse they have. Here are some of the biggest legal questions and issues concerning flood injuries, and where to find the answers, from our archives:...