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Scott Brown’s Senate win in Massachusetts has cast confusion onto the prospects of the health care legislation we’ve been hearing about for months. One question that will likely remain is whether any eventual legislation will include a construction employer mandate. It is widely known that the Senate version of the health care reform bill requires employers with 50 or more workers to provide them with coverage. But a lesser-known construction employer mandate in the bill would require construction companies with just five or more employees and a payroll of $250,000 to do the same (Denver Daily News)....

Swiss drug company Novartis AG has settled its overtime lawsuit for $99 million. The Novartis settlement comes after 6 years of litigation. The settlement will cover more than 7,700 of the company’s former and current sales representatives. The plaintiffs alleged the company denied them overtime pay. Novartis, meanwhile, said their sales representatives should be considered “exempt” employees. These employees met with physicians in order to promote the company’s drugs. Classifying employees as “exempt” or “non-exempt” is vitally important for an employer....

If you need help with a worker’s compensation claim or want to appeal a denial of worker’s compensation benefits, then you may need a worker’s comp attorney. But how do you find the right one for you? Choosing the right attorney may have a profound impact on your ability to obtain worker’s compensation benefits or other compensation. And there’s likely to be a number of attorneys willing to take your case....

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, disaster loans will likely soon be available through the U.S. Small Business Administration. But just because they’re called SBA disaster loans doesn’t mean they’re only for small businesses. Indeed, homeowners, renters, and even homeowner associations (HOAs) may be eligible for disaster loans, according to the SBA. The federal agency actually offers different types of disaster loans for different classes of non-business applicants. These categories include:...

A promotional stunt at a New York TGI Fridays restaurant nearly ended when a drone crashed into a photographer, lacerating her nose with its unguarded rotor. The restaurant was flying the drone as part of a “Mobile Mistletoe” promotion in which the remote-controlled helicopter-style drone was adorned with mistletoe to inspire patrons to kiss on camera, reports Brooklyn Daily. But the holiday cheer was in short supply after one of the drones went out of control and took a chunk out of the nose of a photographer there to cover the event....

Well that didn’t take long. The first lawsuits have been filed challenging Arizona’s recently passed immigration bill. One was filed by Martin Escobar, a Tucson police officer with 15 years of experience. He argues that the Arizona immigration law violates several constitutionally protected rights and could in fact hinder police investigations. A second lawsuit was filed by a Latino Clergy group seeking an injunction to prevent Arizona from enforcing the law....

For those who don’t spend every day speaking, reading, and writing it, legalese – the specialized language of lawyers, judges, and those in the legal field – can seem hard to decipher. But we’re here to help. Each week, our series Legalese From A to Z breaks down some interesting (not to mention useful) legal words or phrases, working through the alphabet letter by letter. This week, we’re taking a closer look at five legal terms that start with the letter “P”:...

Last Friday, thousands of teachers took to the Chicago streets, demanding a new contract and an overhaul of the city’s school funding system. Republican Governor Bruce Rauner called the strike illegal, while Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis accused Rauner of trying to destroy the city’s schools. The strike only lasted a day, but affected some 400 students, highlighting the unique impacts of teacher strikes and the legal rules and agreements that govern them....

People who drive very small “mini” and “micro” cars may be saving big at the dealership and the gas pump, but they’re also paying big when it comes to car repairs after minor fender-bender accidents, according to bumper crash test ratings released this week by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The IIHS performed low-speed crash tests on seven “mini” and “micro” cars: the Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Mini Cooper, Smart Fortwo, and Toyota Yaris....

Fatal car accidents reached their lowest numbers in almost 50 years in 2008, and that nationwide trend is continuing into 2009, according to encouraging highway safety figures released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week. Overall, last year saw a 9.7 percent drop in the number of people killed in motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. – from 41,259 fatalities in 2007 down to 37,261 in 2008. That’s the lowest number of car accident fatalities since 1961, and the decline in fatalities is the largest since 1982 in terms of both number and percentage, according to the NHTSA....

Would you be okay with having bodyguards working for R&B legend Patti LaBelle attack you? Probably not, and neither is Richard King, 23, who is now suing LaBelle for the alleged assault. The attack occurred at an airport in Houston. King was the one who threw the first punch, and he was intoxicated and trying to get into LaBelle’s limo - or so said LaBelle’s bodyguards in a statement to the Houston police....

Sex change surgeries are now tax deductible. Those who undergo gender reassignment surgery will now be able to deduct these costs from their taxes according to the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS has recently notified the Tax Court that it will abide by its 2010 decision that allowed Rhiannon O’Donnabhain to deduct the $5,000 she spent on the surgery. O’Donnabhain was born male and fathered three children. She was married but divorced in 1996, and had the surgery in 2002....

Sharks are terrifying, which is why so many movies are made about them terrorizing us. But some people won’t be satisfied with the thrill of film and must see these creatures up close, and sometimes those who swim with sharks get hurt. A federal judge last week denied a motion to dismiss from defendants associated with a maritime tour that takes people to swim with sharks. The plaintiff says she was bitten by a shark when her allegedly drunk dive instructor negligently fed the creature bait that led it to her, and the court is allowing her claim to go forward under federal maritime law....

Getting high today? You and everyone else. Want to avoid the paranoia associated with wondering if you’re getting high legally? We got you covered. Here are our top seven marijuana law questions and some advice for keeping 4/20 legal, just in time for the premiere of “Super Troopers 2.” If you live in a state without legalized recreational marijuana, chances are you need a card to get medicinal weed. Will you end up on some government list if you get one?...

A soldier who lost both of his Subway franchises settled his lawsuit against the company after a long two year fight. The Dallas News reports that Lt. Col. Leon Batie Jr. was deployed in Afghanistan back in 2005. While he was deployed, he asked his younger brother and another Subway franchisee to look after his two Subway franchises. When the rent on the stores was not paid, Lt. Batie’s contract with Subway was terminated and the stores were taken and sold to other Subway franchisees....

As marriage rates continue to decline in the United States, unmarried couples may be looking to the IRS for an excuse to stay unhitched. That’s because in this day and age, love and marriage also go together with adverse tax consequences, attorney and tax planner Jeff Schnepper writes for MSN Money. Unmarried couples who cohabitate may end up paying less in taxes than married couples, Schnepper suggests. How does that happen?...

A suit filed late in the day on March 11 brought major allegations about widespread sexual abuse of young swimmers in San Jose, CA, were the case was filed, and throughout USA Swimming. The suit claims that since 1993, at least 32 swim coaches at clubs around the country allegedly abused their swimmers. This list includes San Jose swim coach Andrew King, who was sentenced in January to 40 years in prison for sexually abusing girls he coached....

Kickstarter is a great way to crowdsource investment money for you small business. That is, until your Kickstarter fails. Here is a legal look at your funding options, obligations to investors, and your promise to deliver when your Kickstarter project fails to live up to your dreams: Since Kickstarter began in 2009, it has successfully funded a wide variety of business ventures, from a man’s dream to have a desktop jellyfish tank to Zach Braff’s latest movie....

In a surprise move during a slow period for the auto industry, hundreds of New York car dealers are withdrawing from the federal government popularly known as Cash for Clunkers—officially called the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) which offers up to a $4500 rebate for trading in qualifying gas-guzzling cars for new fuel-efficient ones. What’s the beef? Auto dealers feel like they are getting a line from the government, you know one that goes something like “the check is in the mail”…...

With tax season upon us, you might be wondering who doesn’t have to file federal income taxes. Whether or not a taxpayer is required to file income taxes depends on your age, filing status, and gross income. It doesn’t matter if you’re unemployed; what matters is if your income (from all sources) is above a certain amount as specified by your age and filing status (i.e., married, single, etc.). So who must file?...