Roman Blum, a Holocaust survivor and real estate developer, left a staggering fortune behind – to no one. Why Mr. Blum would die without a will is nothing short of mind-boggling. His is the largest unclaimed estate in New York state’s history, reports The New York Times. With an estate worth $40 million and no heirs in sight, the state may soon claim the crown to a fairy tale ending worthy of “Anastasia....
You’re hiring an attorney but you really don’t know if the attorney’s on top of their game. That’s a valid concern, after all, you’re coughing up big bucks for your retainer fee just to have your attorney represent you. Here are a few pointers on keeping tabs on your attorney. Get to know your attorney. Have a look online to find out more about your attorney. Visit the State Bar’s website to see if your attorney has a history of discipline....
Although it may seem like a daunting task to organize a protest, it really only involves a few steps to ensure you stay on the right side of the law. However, those few steps can vary in complexity depending on the anticipated size and activities of the protest, as well as where you plan to hold it. At the outset, after you have been inspired to take action, you need to do some research into the legal requirements in your city, county, and state to make sure your protesters don’t end up as inmates....
Is it legal to fly with medical marijuana? With marijuana possession now legal for adults 21 and over under Colorado’s state laws, some marijuana advocates argue it’s within their rights to board airplanes with weed if it was purchased legally, reports Denver’s KCNC-TV. However, the Transportation Security Administration governs air travel regulations, and presents a roadblock for “legal” marijuana users, medical or otherwise. So who wins the battle between state laws and the TSA?...
The Arizona Republic recently reported that a lawsuit filed against the state or Arizona claims that the state treatment of illegal immigrants is an unconstitutional policy that affects local development practices. It also claims it affects how cities enforce requirements to receive government benefits. The lawsuit was filed by 90 municipalities that claim that state treatment of illegal immigrants could open the municipalities up for lawsuits if they acccidentally provide a public benefit to illegal immigrants....
Kmart and its infamous craft-maven partner have agreed to settle a group of Martha Stewart chair lawsuits that left a Kentucky child, an Illinois college student, and a New York retiree without full use of their fingers. Apparently, a line of Stewart-branded and designed patio chairs sold at the discount retailer unintentionally came with a built-in, secondary function. The legs acted as a mini-guillotine. While Kmart sold the product, Stewart’s company is ultimately responsible for the chair’s design, making it at least partially liable for any design defects that caused injuries....
If your lease is coming up for renewal you may have looked around to see that not only are home prices falling but rental prices have taken a tumble too. This may be just the time to re-negotiate your lease using sound negotiating principles–putting yourself in the best position for a great deal and giving your landlord peace of mind that the unit won’t lose money by sitting idle. Second quarter figures from the real-estate realm have been released and the numbers show that asking rents went down by 0....
As World AIDS Day approaches, a government panel is aiming to make HIV testing a routine part of a doctor’s visit for most Americans. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued its draft guidelines last week. If those recommendations become final, they could require insurance companies to cover HIV testing for everyone between 13 and 64. Currently, HIV tests are typically only given to those in “high-risk” populations, Reuters reports....
This year, December 1 marked World AIDS Day, a worldwide event meant to unite individuals across the globe in the fight against the HIV virus. Americans have made strides in the fight against HIV discrimination. Yet, a new study by the Williams Institute, a national think tank at UCLA Law, seems to demonstrate that individuals living with AIDS may still face an uphill battle for health services. The study focused on 612 dental offices in Los Angeles County, and found that 5% of dentists surveyed had a blanket policy against admitting HIV-positive individuals as patients....
With the holiday season approaching, you are probably planning an office holiday party in order to boost teamwork and morale amongst your own employees. But did you know that the office party opens you up to liability for a workplace lawsuit? The United States Department of Labor states that holding a office holiday party with improper use of alcohol can make employers vulnerable to liability under tort, workers’ compensation or other laws....
After three failed attempts by Congress to repeal Obamacare, President Donald Trump took matters into his own hands last week, signing an executive order reshaping how people get insurance through work and threatening to end federal subsidies to insurance companies under the Affordable Care Act. “I just keep hearing repeal-replace, repeal-replace,” Trump said while signing the order. “Well, we’re starting that process.” So what does the executive order do, and what could ending subsidies mean for your health coverage?...
A recent New York state ruling might have lowered web operator libel liability. “Web operators” include owners of blogs - and libel suits have been filed against blog owners in the past for potentially defamatory material posted on their sites. The case, brought between two rival apartment sales and rental companies, sets the precedence in New York that the Communications Decency Act stops a firm from suing based on offensive material that was posted anonymously on the other company’s blog, reports Buffalo News....
You likely know about the American with Disabilities Act and your duty to accommodate disabled employees, but exactly, what is a reasonable accommodation? Reasonableness is a fact-dependent inquiry based on the nature of the job, the disability, and the request, necessitating a unique analysis for every accommodation requested. Though there are some requests that are inherently reasonable, the following guidelines are what the EEOC, and thus courts, use to determine reasonableness....
It doesn’t matter whether your political leanings tilt toward the left or the right – we can all agree that we’re living and working in a pretty emotionally charged news environment right now and there are no signs of it calming down any time soon. Democrats, Republicans, and everyone else in between (and further out on the political spectrum) are all finding something to shout about, and they’re not leaving their opinions at home when they commute to work....
As many people undoubtedly know, the U.S. citizenship and naturalization process can be fraught with complicated paperwork, legal requirements, filing fees, and a whole lot of waiting. The time it takes to gain citizenship can seem interminable. But is there a time by which you must apply for citizenship, or risk losing your opportunity? Here’s a look: While there is no legal deadline for applying for citizenship, there are requirements an applicant must meet before filing, which can take time: An applicant must:...
Another Yosemite death has hit the famous but dangerous national park. A ten-year-old boy drowned after reportedly being pulled into the Merced River. The search is still on for his six-year-old brother, now presumed to be dead as well. National Park Service officials said Andres “Andy” Adams died and his brother Jacob was presumed dead, though the search continued, the Associated Press reports. Their mother Char-Lee Hargis Adams of Yorba Linda was hurt trying to save them....
The “Call of Duty” lawsuit is proceeding, now that a judge has ruled that game developers Jason West and Vincent Zampella have enough facts on their side to support their claims that they were defrauded by Activision. West and Zampella are co-founders of Infinity Ward, one of the heads behind the military-themed video game. “Call of Duty” is one of Acitivision’s most successful video game franchises, raking in more than $1 billion in sales over its history, reports The Hollywood Reporter....
It’s the most wonderful (macabre) time of the year! Many of you will get into the spirit of Halloween by throwing parties full of cobwebs, candles and Creepy Corpse Cosmos. But remember, hosting an epic Halloween party comes with a slew of potentially spooky liability issues. Here are our Top 10 Halloween party legal tips: Alert your alarm company. Let your alarm company know about your party. That way, cops won’t show up with handcuffs when some punk at your party drunkenly sets off your alarm for giggles....
Do you have a small business lawyer? If no, why not? When there are countless rules, regulations, and laws governing the operations of a business, small business owners can’t afford to ignore the legal aspects of running a business. Go find a small business attorney and ask him or her these three legal questions asap: In most cities, you need a business license to operate your business. Failure to do so could get your business closed temporarily while you try to apply for one....
Whether it’s the job of your dreams or just something to pay the bills, getting a job offer is a great feeling. You’ve done all the hard work of finding the position, applying, and interviewing, so saying yes should be the easy part, right? Well, not always. There are still quite a few things to consider before you shake your new boss’s hand or sign an employment contract. Here are three of those things you need to think about before you accept a job offer....
