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A recent study revealed that workers who do not receive paid sick leave are more likely to get injured at work. The study’s findings should not be that surprising as you’re likely to be unfocused and distracted when you are sick. Still, as more employees lose their rights to paid time off, more workers are taking the risk by working sick so that they will not lose any pay. But if you get injured at work, can you blame your employer and sue for not giving you paid time off?...

Getting a business venture started or making a product via a crowdfunding project can be exciting. Seeing supporters, or backers, putting their money into your project can be uplifting. Just don’t forget about the IRS. Many people who get funded often wonder whether the money received from crowdfunding is taxable. Despite the lack of specific guidance from the IRS, the answer is yes, crowdfunded monies are taxable income for the year that they are received, with limited exception....

When he’s not berating his imprisoned staff behind closed doors, Dr. Phillip Calvin “Phil” McGraw has a popular television show on which he berates invited guests. He also has a website, and via this website Dr. Phil dispenses a list of “Divorce Survival Tips.” Dr. Phil is not an attorney, although contributing author Areva Martin is. But that didn’t stop her from posting some words of not-so-wisdom under the Dr. Phil banner....

The Department of Justice indicted a Scottish man who manipulated financial markets by tweeting false company information that impacted stock prices. The man acted on the false info to make trades but did not make much because he waited to long to sell his stock, reports Ars Technica. The Scottish man, James Alan Craig, 62, did not make much on the scheme, authorities say. He did, however, undermine confidence in American markets....

It may seem like a scene out of the “Final Destination” movies, but on Wednesday a driver was impaled by a metal pipe on a California freeway. Authorities found the victim, identified as Michael Cox, 33, dead on the side of Interstate 580 in Livermore, California, after a 2-foot-long metal pipe crashed through the windshield of Cox’s car, impaling him, reports San Francisco’s KPIX-TV. Although there is no word yet on where the pipe may have come from, there are many possible parties who may be held legally responsible for the driver’s death....

As an employer you know that you have to allow your employees family leave and you believe you are following all the applicable laws … or at least you are doing your best. But you should really check that your policy does comply with the patchwork of laws that apply to this topic, lest you find yourself sued. According to a study by the Center for Worklife Law at the University of California Hastings, lawsuits over family leave issues are on the rise....

Census data released yesterday indicates that Blacks and Hispanics are starting to fall further behind whites in pursuing higher-paying jobs, reports the AP. Indeed the discrepancies appear to be the “largest rates in about a decade” and are perhaps due in part to the tough economony as one demographer explained, “[t]he lesson of most economic downturns is minorities are the last hired, first fired. They lose jobs more quickly, and they will be the last to recover....

The FDA has issued new guidance regarding antibiotic use on farms, but some skeptics suspect that the new recommendations are little more than a smokescreen. While many have touted this as a victory in the fight against increasing antibiotic resistance, only “10-15 percent” of antibiotic use on farms may be phased out by following the FDA’s guidance, reports Forbes. Technically, the “rules” are actually just recommendations, and are not “legally enforceable responsibilities,” the FDA explains....

You can hire a teenager and even a child to take care of your child. Surprisingly, most states have nothing to say about it. Babysitting is outside the realm of much regulation. The national Department of Labor does not require that child babysitters be paid minimum wage and very few states have babysitting laws. There is also no minimum age requirement in most states, meaning theoretically any kid could watch your kid....

Each year, FindLaw.com, the web’s most popular legal information website, releases its list of the top legal issues for the coming year. This year, FindLaw’s in-house legal team has reviewed the issues that consumers of legal information have asked about, read about and learned more about, all year long. Based on our knowledge and on the most-searched terms from everyday legal consumers, we have put together this year’s FindLaw Top Ten List of Hot Legal Topics for 2011....

When it comes to hiring summer interns, contractors and employees, it’s important for business owners to know the legal implications of each type of worker. The lines can understandably get blurry, but it’s important to know the different categories. Here are some of the pros and cons of hiring each type of worker: Pros: Internships are a fantastic way to gain first-hand knowledge of a business and industry. If your internships provide valuable educational training, similar to training that would be given in an educational environment, you get cost-effective help, while interns gain valuable knowledge and skills....

A judgment is a court order and enforceable. Although the precise details will depend on where you are attempting to collect and a state’s specific process, let’s look at the general principles behind judgment and collection. Enforcing a Court Order The force behind a judgment is that it is a court order, and has the power of the authorities behind it. That means that the debtor – or the person who owes money based on the court order – must pay or face legal consequences....

Several baristas have been charged with offering more than extra foam on lattes and mochas they were selling at the Grab-n-Go Espresso stand in Everett, Washington. Their case calls for some clarification as to what exactly constitutes prostitution. According to the AP, the Grab-n-Go baristas were charged with prostitution over allegations that customers paid to touch the baristas’ breasts and buttocks while they made coffee drinks. A two month investigation also included reports of various levels of flashing flesh for a fee, and reports of charging customers to watch baristas lick whipped cream off of each other....

In case you needed one more reason why smoking is bad for you, a new study shows a link between heavy smoking and Alzheimer’s disease. The Kaiser Permanente study, released October 25, is the first to link the long term consequences of smoking with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, according to study investigators. The study monitored its subjects for 23 years to observe the long term health effects of heavy smoking, reports USAToday....

You get married and promise yourself to someone forever without knowing quite what that means. But when your spouse is arrested for a crime, charged, convicted, and imprisoned, then maybe you rethink your original plan and you decide to divorce. What impact will your spouse’s incarceration have on the process? Well, that depends. State divorce statutes vary and different locales have different grounds for divorce, as well as distinct processes for terminating a marriage....

Getting laid off is a terrible experience for anyone, and can understandably leave people feeling helpless or having doubts as to their value as employees. In recent months, layoffs have occurred often and sometimes in large numbers, leading many to join the ranks of job-seekers seeking unemployment benefits. To make matters worse, the AP reports that hundreds of thousands of previously laid off Americans will soon be exhausting their unemployment benefits, this despite the fact that Congress twice extended unemployment benefits last year....

You’d rather be flying with your kids, but sometimes circumstances don’t allow it. Or maybe you trust your children and are sending them on an adventure. Either way, sending your unaccompanied minor to the airport, and onto a plane, can be fraught with legal and emotional issues. Here’s what you need to know about unaccompanied minors flying on their own: Unaccompanied minors will normally get some extra attention from airlines, in the form of additional identifying or ticket information on their person, supervision while at the airport, and an escort to and from the plane....

It’s probably a safe bet that everyone in Congress wants to fight sex trafficking. But it’s also a safe bet that they won’t all agree on the best way to accomplish that goal. In a surprising turn of events, almost all U.S. Senators agreed to pass a bill that targets online sex trafficking. But the bill is not without its vehement detractors. An End to Online Sex Trafficking? Proponents of the bill, “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act,” or FOSTA, say that it makes it illegal to use a website “with the intent to promote or facilitate the prostitution of another person....

McDonald’s patron Klaus Geier is suing the fast food giant after an incident in which his OJ allegedly came with an unexpected surprise – a plastic spear which lodged itself in his throat. According to TMZ, when Geier tried to extract the foreign object from his mouth, a serrated spear deployed and fired itself into his esophagus. This may sound like a bad horror movie, but to Geier the nightmare is real....

Naming your business is one of the most important steps new business owners take. But it can also lead to legal troubles. Some common mistakes include choosing a business name that’s already taken and forgetting to register your business’ name with the state, if required. Even using a name that pokes fun at a recognized brand – like the “Dumb Starbucks Coffee” store in Los Angeles last weekend (which turned out to be a comedian’s publicity stunt, Reuters reports) – can potentially lead to lengthy litigation....