One of the toughest parts of estate planning is choosing a will executor. This is the person who will go through your belongings, make difficult decisions and ultimately dispose of your property. It’s a hard decision to make, and may cause some squabbling amongst your loved ones. But it has to be done, and you need to find the right person to take care of your affairs once you’re gone....
Aschea Austin, according to her civil complaint, visited the drive-thru South State Road Dunkin’ Donuts in Margate, Florida in December 2015, four months pregnant at the time. Unhappy with her order, Austin admittedly “became a participant in a verbal, then physical altercation with Xiomara Henry,” a Dunkin’ employee. One month later, Austin went to the hospital complaining of a fever, nausea, and vomiting. She later miscarried in the hospital, and is now suing the doughnut chain, claiming it and the employee are liable for the miscarriage....
Nicknamed the “dwarf barista,” Elsa Sallard of El Paso, Texas has reached a settlement with Starbucks over a disability discrimination lawsuit brought on her behalf by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Born with dwarfism, a local Starbucks fired Sallard after she requested a stool to compensate for her small stature–a reasonable accommodation under the American with Disabilities Act. Starbucks has agreed to pay Sallard $75,000, be subject to a federal consent decree for 2 years, and will train its area managers in how to accommodate individuals with disabilities....
For many small business owners, summer brings an increase in business and with it the need to prepare for hiring summer workers. With summer just around the corner, there are several things you can do to prepare for this influx of seasonal workers and avoid any potential legal mishaps along the way. Here are five tips to get you started: The first step is weighing the pros and cons of hiring summer workers as interns, contractors or employees....
Google Plus for businesses has finally opened its doors. The world’s most visited website has announced the grand opening of Google+ Pages. Like the old-fashioned Yellow Pages, Google+ Pages offer businesses a way to connect with customers – but with a lot more interactivity. So why get your own Google+ Page, when you’re already swamped with followers on Facebook and Twitter? Experts are chiming in, and their answers fall into three broad categories....
Employment contracts may seem boilerplate, leading you to think that all employment contracts look the same. But if you’re offering an employment contract to a new employee, you’ll want to do more than just pull up a free template off the Internet. Not all employment contracts are equal. While using standard templates may save on legal costs, it also helps to have an attorney to look over your contracts, especially if you drafted them yourself....
Sure, marriage is about two people who love each other confirming their commitment with an official (or not-so-official) ceremony. But there are some legal prerequisites and ramifications to getting married, and they’re serious enough to consider before you say, “I do.” Here are a few of the most important legal things you should know, and a few things you should do, before you get married: 1. 5 Questions to Ask Before Marriage Does your betrothed have serious debt issues?...
No, right? While most of us are generally familiar with the concept of double jeopardy – the legal precept that prohibits multiple prosecutions or punishments for the same crime – not all of us know the particular ins and outs. For example, can you be charged with both state and federal crimes for the same incident? And if you were granted a presidential pardon, could a state prosecute you later? These later questions will be decided by the Supreme Court next term, so here’s a look a double jeopardy generally, and the new Supreme Court case specifically....
Parents often threaten to kick their children out of their homes, and sometimes they even follow through. But is it legal to do so? While there might be some disagreement over parenting styles and child rearing, state and federal laws take a very dim view when it comes to endangering or abandoning children – unless the minors are emancipated. What does this mean for parents? A court can sever the legal obligation parents have to provide their children with food, clothing, and education by granting an emancipation petition, giving the child adult responsibility for her own welfare....
Can retweeting a false news story get you sued for libel? The question comes on the heels of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s legal settlement with a UK politician who is now going after individuals for allegedly libelous retweets, The New York Times reports. A few weeks ago, a BBC report falsely linked Alastair McAlpine to a child sex-abuse case. It quickly came to light that the report was incorrect, and that McAlpine wasn’t involved....
A lawsuit is a powerful tool for curbing annoying behavior by neighbors or acquaintances. But a recent case decision questions the legitimacy of using the courts to resolve petty differences. In the latest technical spat, Apple sued Motorola with each party trying to prevent the other from selling a smartphone. Both claimed patent infringement but Judge Richard Posner called them out for suing each other over something else - annoyance....
Co-founder of the famous Dooney & Bourke line of handbags and accessories Frederic Bourke was found guilty of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The case revolved around investments to buy the state owned oil company of Azebaijan. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act makes it illegal for individuals or companies to bribe foreign government officials in order to obtain or keep business. Before his recent trial, Frederic Bourke was famous for Dooney & Bourke all-weather leather handbags....
A chef is suing a Gordon Ramsay-owned restaurant in New York City after a bite into a burger allegedly claimed his sense of taste. Markus Barthel, a German chef who visited Ramsay’s restaurant – called Gordon Ramsay at The London – in March 2013, filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday claiming that something sharp concealed between the buns sliced up his tongue, the New York Daily News reports....
A healthy office culture is often difficult to create, but it is becoming a deciding factor in locking down those high-value hires. Employers may spend time and money trying to impress employees that they’re the “fun” company – the one which works hard and plays hard – but many of these strategies have legal issues. Instead of convincing potential hires that your office is cool, try these three simple tips to improve your office culture without getting sued:...
It’s not uncommon for your bill at a restaurant to come with both a service charge and a tip. Sometimes there’s no service charge at all, but still a line for a tip. Other times, neither are there, but one, or both, are expected of you. To make matters even more confusing: While the service charge seems to be a number that’s already calculated, the tip is there for you to calculate, but … sometimes “suggested” tip amounts are also given....
News has been pretty dismal on the lending front of small business. With the news of bankruptcy filings of CIT Group and Advanta, it seems like there are little if any options for small business financing. But the NYT is reporting that smaller local banks are moving in to fill that void. With charming slogans such as “Policies to serve your street, not Wall Street,” these banks are aiming to keep your business on Main Street alive....
Tennessee bar-goers whose first question is “may I take my gun?” received a bit of a setback this week. A judge ruled that the new Tennessee gun law allowing licensed handgun owners to bring their weapons to restaurants and bars that serve alcohol is unconstitutionally vague. Since Tennessee has no legal definition to distinguish bars from restaurants, Claudia Bonnyman, sitting in Davidson County chancery court, said the statute was “fraught with ambiguity,” the Associated Press reports....
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was indicted on two additional federal charges today: obstructing justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Those are in addition to five other charges on which Manafort was indicted in October of last year, including conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, being an unregistered agent of foreign principal, and false statements. The most recent charges, filed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s office, are based on allegations that Manafort and a longtime aide Konstantin Kilimnik (who is believed to have ties to Russian intelligence) attempted to tamper with witnesses in Mueller’s investigation....
Abusive head trauma, also known as shaken baby syndrome, is a term that no parent ever wants to hear. Usually, when a doctor utters those words, a baby is dead or dying, and a parent is going to go to jail on charges of child abuse or murder. For years, doctors were quick to diagnose a baby with shaken baby syndrome, but now the evidence may be too inconclusive to tell for sure....
The new 2018 Farm Bill signed into law this week legalizes hemp at the federal level by removing the plant from the Controlled Substance Act. This change was anticipated, after receiving recent backing by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but it does come with some strings attached. 1. Hemp Cannot Contain More Than 0.3 Percent THC To set the stage, hemp is the cannabis plant. However, legalized hemp cannot contain more than 0....
