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As the need to job hunt continues with the still lagging economy, more and more of us are asking, what can my former employer say about me after I’m gone? A story out of the struggling school system in our nation’s capitol highlights the need for employers to be wise about what they say about former employees. Even if they weren’t particularly good at their job. As discussed in a previous post, Speak No Evil: What Can Your Former Employer Say About You, employers should exercise care in statements they make about former employees in order to avoid liability for defamation and possibly blacklisting....

Renting apartments is a year-round event. Whether you’re a college student searching for a temporary study hovel, a swinging bachelor wanting to impress, or a lovey-dovey couple looking to roost, finding a place can be tough. But don’t worry, FindLaw is here to help. We’ve just rolled our latest guide “The FindLaw Guide to Renting an Apartment: Know Your Rights as a Tenant.” The guide offers quick summaries of FindLaw’s numerous in-depth articles on apartment renting....

Ready to trade in your paperback for a digital version of your favorite book? Well, you may want to think twice after learning more about an ebook owner’s legal rights. Like a growing number of Americans, you may have purchased a digital ebook to read on an iPad, Kindle, Nook, or other device. But just because you bought an ebook does not necessarily mean that you own the book, reports the Los Angeles Times....

Tonight Facebook will open the flood gates and allow users to reserve vanity URLs. Instead of their Facebook page having a cumbersome address filled with numbers, these users (millions of them) will be found at addresses like www.facebook.com/john.doe. While such vanity URLs are nothing new, the land rush for Facebook vanity URLs will likely bring some users into conflict with other people’s trademarks. A vanity URL would be a definite benefit for businesses already on Facebook....

Ohio firefighter David Santuomo probably had to make a variety of plans for his absence while preparing to go on a vacation cruise. Amongst such planning, apparently, was a decision many of us face, that is – who’s going to take care of our pet(s)? Or in Santuomo’s case, two dogs. Perhaps ask a family member or friend to take them? Check for availability and pricing at local kennels? Have someone stay at or visit your place to check on the pets?...

The American government cannot get a handle on how its people are working. Employment has changed and many people now have gigs instead of jobs. The old measurements for economic health are gone and there are no new ones to replace them, so it is actually quite difficult to tell just how well workers are doing or what protections are needed now. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez announced last week the government’s plan to address this issue as US workplaces experience what he called “profound changes,” The Wall Street Journal reports....

Grilling out on a warm day can result in burns and lawsuits, almost as easily as it can result in a well-cooked Polish sausage and asparagus (with the perfect amount of char… mmm…). Outdoor cooking enthusiasts should take heed of the dangers, and be aware that if they are injured, they likely do have legal recourse. Here are some real-life examples of what can happen when grilling out goes horribly wrong, and some tips to stay safe:...

Being in debt can be a scary place – especially when a creditor starts taking a piece of your paycheck. In some cases, creditors could be taking so much you can no longer afford to pay other bills, sending you deeper into debt. It turns out you may have some options if you need to end or alter wage garnishment, including filing for an exemption or getting the debt vacated entirely....

At the center of today’s U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby are three family-owned businesses: Hobby Lobby, Mardel, and Conestoga Wood Specialties. The businesses were ultimately successful in their suits to avoid providing post-conception contraception to employees as mandated by Obamacare (aka the Affordable Care Act), Reuters reports. How did these businesses prevail in front of the nation’s highest court? Here’s an overview of the three-step legal analysis that won their case:...

It’s hard enough dealing with your diabetes. But now you have to worry about side effects from your diabetes medication? The FDA has received numerous reports of diabetes patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors who developed ketoacidosis, which can be accompanied by insulin deficiency, hyperglycemia, and dehydration. The negative side effects sometimes resulting in hospitalization. So what causes this, and what can you do about it? The Signs of Illness In May, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that certain SGLT2 inhibitors for diabetes could result in a serious condition of too much acid in the blood....

Most landlords try to make their rental properties as attractive to new tenants as possible. After all, they want to be able to charge the highest rents and attract the best tenants possible. Obviously, this includes making the property as safe as possible. But accidents happen. And when a tenant is injured on a landlord’s property, questions about who’s liable, and how do you prove it, can be rather complicated....

With Christmas just days away, many gun-toting Americans may be wondering how to legally give a gun as a gift. Because a gun is, after all, a weapon, gifting a gun may trigger a legal issue or two. But it’s not impossible. While gun laws vary by state, there are some general guidelines you should keep in mind. So before ye plinkers embrace the spirit of giving this holiday season, consider these five questions:...

Businesses use many different advertising methods, like passing out handbills to pedestrians, or posting ads on public signs or street poles. But is posting flyers legal? It depends. Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to that question. Many cities have enacted municipal codes that govern whether or not you can post advertisements. Depending on which city you reside in, it may be legal to post signs on public property. Local Regulations Differ San Francisco allows the public to post signs on public property so long as the signs conform to municipal regulations....

Two Minnesota lesbian students recently won a victory for gay students. Gay and lesbian teens have been in the news lately–and not for positive reasons. A rash of suicides has prompted a national discussion about cyberbullying and the harassment these youth face in schools across the country. The Anoka-Hennepin district in Minnesota has been at the center of the gay and lesbian teen suicide crisis. In the last fifteen months the district has seen five suicides precipitated by anti-gay bullying....

Many McDonald’s franchisees are furious over the rising costs of running their businesses, and they’re complaining directly to the company. McDonald’s is struggling to sell burgers as it is, and now a (Caution: Hot) brewing franchisee revolt is on the horizon, Bloomberg reports. From sky-high costs to a lack of control, franchise owners’ patience with corporate is wearing as thin as a soggy French fry. Here are a few of the McDonald’s franchise owners’ top complaints:...

North Carolina passed a law that makes it a crime for students bullying teachers on the Internet. The law provides that students face misdemeanor criminal charges for intimidating or tormenting faculty online, reports The Wall Street Journal. Students convicted of the crime could face a $1,000 fine and possible probation. The North Carolina law is interesting as many states have been pushing to pass laws that make it illegal for students to cyber-bully other students....

Watch out for the data pass. Online credit card rules have changed. If your company operates online, now would be a good time to check to make sure that you comply with the new rules. Visa now requires that all web merchants ask consumers to enter all 16 digits of their credit card number before allowing a purchase. Over the past several years, more than 30 million American consumers have been stuck with unauthorized charges estimated at $1....

Baseball season is in full swing, and few things beat taking in a ball game on a nice summer day. Whether you’re in the bleachers at your child’s little league game or behind home plate for a major league tilt, though, you need to be on your toes. Foul balls, bats, and even mascots and hot dogs can come at you fast. Here are seven of the nastiest, and strangest, baseball injuries:...

A Utah judge rescinded his order removing a foster child from the home of a lesbian couple. The order originally mandated that the child be placed with a heterosexual couple within one week, but now the kid can stay home as the prospective parents move forward with adoption, as planned, reports CNN. Juvenile Court Judge Scott Johansen rescinded the order after rights groups national outcry about his decision. He cited the legal standard “best interests of the child” but based his initial decisions on his “belief that research has shown that children are more emotionally and mentally stable when raised by a mother and father in the same home....

Now you can’t see it, now you can. That was the fate of the highly publicized Proposition 8 federal trial, but now, it is playing on a computer screen near you. In a neat circumvention of the Supreme Court ban on cameras in the courtroom where the Prop 8 trial was heard, intrepid filmmakers have taken matters into their own hands and have created a virtual trial based on transcripts and reports from the actual proceedings....