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Do you know whether your confidentiality agreement is legal? A number of issues can render confidentiality agreements invalid. Common pitfalls in such contractual agreements include overbroad, unreasonable, or unduly burdensome terms. When these terms are not legally sound, they risk making the agreement unenforceable. Here are three questions to ask yourself to figure out if your confidentiality agreement is valid: A binding contract must be supported by consideration. That means the person signing the confidentiality agreement needs to get something in return for his or her promise....

In theory, Lazy Cakes, melatonin brownies marketed as a path to relaxation, sound like a great product. They taste good, they’re legal, and they’ll mellow you out. But with a significantly higher dosage of melatonin than recommended for an adult, they’re making kids sick. For an adult, melatonin is considered to be relatively safe and effective for those suffering from insomnia and jetlag. However, for children, melatonin in adult doses can cause deep sleep, nausea, mood swings, headaches, and digestive problems....

On February 19, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley tried to move her state one step closer to completing its challenge to the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. As discussed in the post on this blog, What is The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)?, the federal act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, defines marriage for federal legal purposes as the union of one man and one woman....

A graduate student accused of fatally stabbing a retired professor at Binghamton University has been charged with second-degree murder. The student, Abdulsalam al-Zahrani, 46, was charged in the death of Richard T. Antoun, who was stabbed in his office in the university’s Science I building, according to the New York Times. Antoun served on the dissertation committee for Zahrani, who is from Saudi Arabia. Gerald F. Mollen, the district attorney declined to discuss many details of the case in a telephone interview with the New York Times, only saying that an autopsy performed on Dr....

At a young age, every child is taught to dial 911 in case of an emergency. The three digit phone number is specifically reserved for emergencies, in which dispatchers are available at all hours of the day to assist people in need, and immediately send the necessary services to a given location. The system is not perfect. A Pennsylvania family is suing over a death that occurred after the family made 10 911 calls and waited 30 hours for help to arrive....

Multiple shootings, assaults, aggravated robberies, narcotics, and other crimes. At least four patrons arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated. One intoxication assault of a police officer. A grand total of 90 arrests at the location since it opened. Perhaps Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg wasn’t far off when she called Houston sports bar Bombshells a “crime factory.” Ogg’s office filed a public nuisance lawsuit against the bar last week, and obtained a temporary restraining order banning the bar from serving booze until the case is resolved....

From “epic” interpretive dance videos to brilliantly snarky farewell emails, quitting a job with a prank full of dramatic flair feels like such a good idea – at the time, anyway. If you plan on pulling an epic prank when quitting your job, keep these legal tips in mind: Fateful words: “Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler.” Related Resources: Your Rights when Losing or Leaving a Job (FindLaw) Do You Need to Give 2 Weeks’ Notice to Quit a Job?...

Actor Robin Williams passed after taking his own life on Monday, but a trust he set up before his death aims to legally protect his children. According to TMZ, the legendary comedian set up a trust while he was alive to provide for his three children: Cody, 22; Zelda, 25; and Zachary, 31. This trust did not include the whole of Williams’ assets, which may have been a good thing in light of his shaky finances near the end of his life....

Like prime real estate, handicap parking spaces are all about location, location, location. But they’re also about the law. Chances are, you’ve seen a few able-bodied drivers illegally parked in handicapped spots. Some do so blatantly, while others hide behind handicapped permits for which they may or may not be qualified to hold. So should you report handicap parking violators? Here are some issues to consider before calling for backup:...

Internet use has become commonplace, even for non-Web-related industries, so it has become a priority for businesses to filter the content which their employees view online. Takings these concerns into account, should your business use Web content filters? There are a variety of ways to protect your small business from cyberattacks, but one easy one is to use Web content filters. There are a variety of options in this market, and according to Tech Republic, many of them are suitable for both work and home....

In an effort to get sued, officials in 12 states are moving to impose taxes on out-of-state Internet retailers. This is meant to prompt Congress to pass a federal law, uniform standards for the revenue that states consider their due. They hope that retailers will challenge the taxation and create a sense of urgency in the federal government. Alabama’s deputy revenue chief, Joe Garrett, for example, told The Wall Street Journal he wants his state to get sued soon....

A Salem, Oregon teen is suing his former school district after he suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of slipping in another student’s vomit on the basketball court. The lawsuit alleges that after a student vomited on the basketball court, the area was either not properly cleaned or not properly dried, and 15 year old Robert Amarillas, while playing basketball during an open gym session, slipped and fell on the vomit, or liquid left behind after cleaning it up....

Wage laws are tricky. But it is an area of law all employers need to familiarize themselves with. It’s necessary to compensate employees – sometimes even when you least expect it. In fact, there are times when employees need to be paid for… not working. Wait, wait. “Wages” are supposed to be money employees get for their “work.” Right? It depends. There are times when an employee needs to be rightly compensated for well, doing other things besides work....

The internet is alive with rage over the recently passed initiative by the University of Maryland’s student government that would increase student fees by $34 to fully fund the university’s Title IX office, which is charged with investigating on campus sexual assaults, rape, and discrimination. Media outlets are reporting that this fee to fund the school’s Title IX office is the first of its kind. Under federal law, universities are required to hire a Title IX coordinator, whose function is to ensure that claims under Title IX get investigated....

“Bikini barista” stands are popping up – and popping out – all over Washington state. And legal trouble is brewing. Police in Everett, north of Seattle, say the service at one espresso stand was so piping hot that it violated the city’s adult cabaret law and constituted lewd conduct. Three “bikini baristas” at the Hillbilly Hotties coffee stand were arrested for reportedly “exposing body parts and behaving inappropriately.” For risqué coffee stand owners, the incident serves as a reminder to leave the steaming to the beverages and to discipline employees – and not in a “Secretary” kind of way....

As the saying goes, “Everything ends badly, otherwise it wouldn’t end.” And while not all relationships involve or end in violence, many do, and dealing with an unhappy ex can be frightening. But there is legal help if you feel unsafe. Here’s what you need to know. Domestic abuse doesn’t just happen between husband and wife, and isn’t limited to romantic relationships. Domestic violence statutes can cover anyone “related by blood or marriage” so long as they are “currently residing or have in the past resided together in the same single dwelling unit,” and some include “vulnerable adults....

How easy is it to invalidate a prenup? Just because a prenuptial agreement is in place doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t be tossed out in court. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s possible. Case in point: A Brooklyn judge in February decided to invalidate a prenuptial agreement between Elizabeth Petrakis and her millionaire husband. Why? Fraud is only one ground to invalidate a prenup. Here are four other ways a prenuptial agreement can be invalidated:...

What should you look out for before you buckle down and buy office space? We recently went over tips on renting an office space, but buying property is a whole ’nother playing field. Before planning out your wall art, first figure out whether you should buy or rent your office space. If you’re confident that you want to hunker down and pay the big bucks for a piece of property, keep these five tips in mind:...

On Tuesday, Corey “C-Murder” Miller, rapper and member of his cousin Master P’s 1990’s southern rap empire, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for the attempted murder of two people in a Baton Rouge night club in 2001. Earlier this month, he got a life sentence for the 2002 murder of a teenager in a Harvey, Louisiana night club. As reported by the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Miller received the 10 year sentence just weeks after receiving a life sentence for the 2002 murder....

A 42-year-old woman has been accused of driving teenage boys around California and having sex with them in her Hummer. Livermore, California police have now arrested the woman involved for statutory rape and sexual assualt. Christine Shreeve Hubbs was known as the “Hummer Mom,” purportedly because she gave teenagers rides in her car. She has now been charged in the sex abuse case with a total of 67 felony counts of sexual assault, oral copulation, lewd act on a child, exhibition of lewd material to a minor, and statutory rape, the Examiner reports....