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Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that is produced by burning fuel, including coal, wood, charcoal, natural gas, and fuel oil. It can also give rise to lawsuits in certain situations. Coined a “silent killer,” carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the leading causes of accidental poisonings in our country. Injuries that result from carbon monoxide poisoning can often be blamed on a host of parties, including manufacturers, businesses, builders, and landlords....

Federal authorities in Grand Rapids, Michigan last month named four people in an indictment alleging an elaborate insurance and healthcare fraud ring. The quartet reportedly set up medical clinics and staged car crashes to defraud insurers, as well as paying people to participate in staged crashes or to make false claims, stating they were patients at the medical clinics. The scheme went on from January 2014 to May 2015, according to a report in Michigan Live....

What’s the best way to respond to an employee lawsuit? Many people want to avoid costly litigation, so there is a prevailing idea that settlement is better than fighting it out in court. But is that really the case? Is it better to pay off the employee, rather than take the battle all the way to trial? There are arguments to be made on both sides of the issue. Litigation can be a drain on the company....

Wisconsin and Indiana gay couples were vindicated today by a Seventh Circuit ruling that found both states’ gay marriage bans unconstitutional. In a unanimous decision, the federal appellate court found that neither state was able to provide a rational basis for the same-sex marriage prohibition, leaving it to unconstitutionally deny gay couples equal protection of the laws. The Associated Press notes that with this new decision, the number of states with legalized gay marriage jumps from 19 to 21....

The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a 17-year-old girl cannot refuse chemotherapy to treat her potentially fatal Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The justices voted unanimously to uphold a trial court’s ruling allowing state officials to intervene in Cassandra Callender’s medical care, Fox News reports. Callender, with the support of her mother, had refused to undergo chemotherapy treatments that her doctors say provide her with an 80 to 85 percent chance of survival, believing the treatments would do more damage to her body than the cancer....

Arizona raised a few eyebrows this month by legally permitting concealed guns in bars. And while alcohol and ammo may be a potentially-dangerous combination, the state law also allows those licensed to carry concealed weapons the right to keep loaded guns in locked cars at work or state college campuses. The move unearths the debate of guns on campus, with vocal supporters on either side. It is a grisly scene. A lone gunman with a loaded weapon enters a college campus and approaches a lecture hall, opening fire and inflicting injury, destruction, and fatality....

Gay marriage advocates celebrated legal victories in Indiana and Utah on Wednesday, after two separate federal courts ruled the states’ bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. Indiana same-sex couples rushed to the courthouse after a federal district judge ruled that the state’s ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. Meantime, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reached a similar decision with regard to Utah’s gay marriage ban. Although thousands of miles apart, what do these gay marriage rulings have in common?...

Adopting a dog is an amazing and occasionally challenging experience. It requires time, effort, some money, a lot of love. But soon enough you will have a new best bud. Still, it is daunting to be responsible for another creature, so consider carefully before committing. Abandoned animals especially need consistency and care, and you can’t return a pet to a shelter like you do a sweater to the store. Four-Legged Friendship Checklist Are you ready for four-legged friendship?...

Have you ever wondered if your doctor had a medical malpractice history? Well the North Carolina Medical Board wants you to know. They announced that medical malpractice report access will be available to the general public on its website. The Raleigh News & Observer reports that the medical malpractice report access is in response to legislation passed by the state’s General Assembly that forces the North Carolina Medical Board to publish malpractice payments, misdemeanor and felony convictions, hospital suspensions and discipline by medical boards in other states....

Michigan’s ban on affirmative action has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, making the practice illegal for public employment, government contracts, and admission to Michigan’s public universities. In a 6-2 ruling issued Tuesday, the High Court determined that Michigan’s Proposal 2 did not violate the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection, leaving the federal courts no authority to strike down the law, Reuters reports. The fight over affirmative action in schools is far from over, but here are five takeaways from today’s decision on Michigan’s affirmative action ban:...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture listed another 218 counties as disaster areas earlier this week. This addition means that now over half of the U.S. counties in the U.S. are disaster areas. In 32 states, 1,584 counties have been designated as primary disaster areas. Many of these “disaster” designations have come as a result of a severe drought that has crippled much of the heartlands. The drought is considered the worst in decades and has taken an especially severe toll on farmers and agricultural workers, reports The Associated Press....

The first overhaul of the Small Business Administration 8(a) Business Development Program has been completed, with revisions to the SBA 8(a) program taking effect on March 14, 2011. To recap, to participate in the SBA 8(a) program, a business must be owned and controlled by at least one U.S. citizen (of good standing) that belongs to a socially and economically disadvantaged group. This can include race, ethnicity, disability, and gender, amongst other classifications....

New York legislators recently debated a bill that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. The NY transgender bill would amend all of the state’s anti-discrimination laws, including those that cover employment and housing. The State Assembly passed the legislation with overwhelming support, but it is currently sitting in the Senate Rules Committee. Supporters are trying to mobilize a floor vote before the end of the current legislative session....

The Equifax data breach, wherein the credit information for 143 million people was exposed, is potentially catastrophic. Hackers were able to gain access to full names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and even driver license numbers – everything they would need to steal a person’s identity, take out loans or credit lines in their name, and ruin their credit history. And that credit history is especially important to small business owners, many of whom have financed their business using their personal credit....

The most inexperienced drivers on the road may also be engaging in some of the most dangerous behavior, according to a new survey that examined the habits of teenagers when they get behind the wheel. 61 percent of teens admitted to risky driving habits like chronic speeding, driving under the influence, and typing and reading text messages while driving, in a survey of over 1,000 drivers age 16 and 17, conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA) and Seventeen magazine....

Despite the fact that using recycled and reclaimed materials in building, and renovation, is a rather popular trend, a group of parents in the San Diego Unified School District are anything but excited about the new fields made from recycled tire rubber. Cancer Risk and Other Harms Claimed The lawsuit alleges violations of the California Environmental Air Quality Act (CEQA) for failing to conduct environmental impact analyses, nor notifying the public prior to the installation....

No one really knows yet if this is good or bad, but 2017 is shaping up to be a year of big changes for businesses, small and large. Many of the big changes are going to be coming as a result of new anticipated laws and regulations that affect businesses. As a business owner, if you don’t already have an attorney on retainer, you may want to consider getting one before you need one....

Love is not always sunshine and roses. Many marriages often lead to bitter disputes, and unfortunately, divorce. But, for those who don’t necessarily want to call it quits, what are some reasons to stay married and not get divorced? Okay, there are the generic reasons. Maybe you’re still in love with your spouse. Maybe you think you can work through your problems. Maybe you want to stay together for your kids....

“Wardrobing” is a consumer return scheme that cost the retail industry about $8.8 billion in 2012. But Bloomingdale’s has a plan to stop the hemorrhaging over hemlines. According to The Businesss of Fashion website, the department store giant has a new tactic to curb shoppers who buy, try on, and then return clothing items: refusing to accept items without a black tag. Should your retail business take up this security trend?...

In most cases, we might refer to a door hitting someone on the way out of a casino after losing money as adding insult to injury. But it was the other way around for 87-year-old Elaine Catuara, who was hit by a malfunctioning front door at Harrah’s Casino Hotel in downtown Joliet, Illinois, “violently catapulting her to the floor.” Catuara suffered fractures to her hip and to two vertebrae in her lower back, and was hospitalized for almost three weeks....