Outspoken celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s company is being sued by some former servers and baristas over alleged wage and hour violations. What can employers take away from this lawsuit? Four women, who were all employees of The Fat Cow in Los Angeles, are accusing the restaurant and Ramsay’s company of not compensating them for overtime hours or working through breaks, among a whole slew of other complaints, reports Radar Online....
Sheri Cerame has a chilling story about problems in Missouri with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Her deaf son was reportedly assaulted and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and became a danger to himself and others. Following a psychiatrist’s advice, she took him to a state mental health facility. Within an hour…a nurse tried to strap on a straitjacket because of the “flailing hands” of the then-preteen boy, who is deaf and cannot speak....
Living with multiple roommates is always an exciting move to make, but of course it raises many legal issues. While you may feel like you’re prepared, having been a tenant in the past, it may be a different situation when others are involved in the process too. So before you break out those invites to your housewarming party, here are five legal issues to keep in mind if you’re going to have multiple roommates:...
October is National Women’s Small Business Month. While the glass ceiling may still be alive and well, women are “leaning in” more than ever, and the hard work is paying off. Consider this: There are now more ladies serving as general counsel at Fortune 500 companies than ever before – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. To commemorate National Women’s Small Business Month, here are five interesting facts about women in the small business sector:...
Shopping never looked more scandalous. A woman has filed a lawsuit against Neiman Marcus after the luxury store refused to take back $1.4 million worth of merchandise. Patricia Walker was showered with gifts from her then-husband Robert Tennison. Walker was bedridden at the time after surviving a car accident in 2007, ABC News reports. Tennison allegedly made the purchases at the retailer’s Dallas location using Walker’s account. Unfortunately, Tennison was also reportedly carrying on an affair with Walker’s Neiman Marcus personal shopper, Favi Lo....
Maryland has become the first state to change they way it does a head count of prisoners in an effort to improve census data used for redistricting. Under the new law, the census population data will require incarcerated persons to be counted as residents of their home addresses in order to ensure fairness and accuracy, the Washington Post reports. The state will redraw its local legislative districts after the 2010 census, requiring that prison inmates be counted at their home addresses....
Metoclopramide, commonly known as Reglan, has been used for decades to treat a host of digestive ailments, such as GERD, acid reflux and heartburn. As early as 2004, studies linked Reglan to the debilitating muscular disorder tardive dyskinesia. Just how much exposure to Reglan is harmful is unknown, but the FDA has found that those suffering from side effects took the drug for more than three months. In response to this, the agency began limiting the drug’s use to 12 weeks....
It’s September, meaning parents everywhere are now sending their kids to school again. Bus stop safety and school bus safety should be on parents and children’s minds. Bus safety is especially important if your child takes the bus to school every day. With that in mind, here are some top tips to ensure your child gets to school safely: Bus Stop Safety Tip #1: Instruct your kids to be careful....
Q: What happens when an apartment’s ’no pets’ policy comes up against a prospective tenant with a service dog? A: Nothing good for the landlord’s policy. Service dogs and other assistance animals as classified by the Americans with Disabilities Act are specifically considered separate from ‘pets.’ These animals are trained to assist their owners with a diagnosed disability Since service animals are covered by the ADA, landlords need to provide ‘reasonable accommodations’ for their owners....
Sexting. A story that is becoming more and more common: what starts as innocent text messaging between teenagers turns sexual. Soon the messages, photos or videos make their way to authorities. Next, as in the case of a teenager in the La Joya School District in Texas, is being charged with possession of child pornography with the risk of prison and a sex offender label. The recent case in Texas is reigniting the debate over teens sending sexually explicit materials by phone....
A former Southwest Airlines employee is suing the company in federal court for racial discrimination. Jamel Parker, an African American, claims that Southwest had a segregated “whites only” break room, dubbed the “WB,” at Houston’s Hobby Airport up until 2016 or 2017, when the area was renovated and the room removed. In addition, he asserts that a noose made of bungee cords hung at a Southwest airport gate for years....
In the midst of the fatal accident on Wednesday at Orlando SeaWorld, one begs to ask: how often do theme parks get sued? The question comes in light of the horrific events on Wednesday, where a SeaWorld employee was dragged into the water by a whale, with children surely watching the scene unfold. The SeaWorld veteran employee was thrashed around violently and pronounced dead by the time officers arrived to help her....
After celebrating Memorial Day and honoring those who died serving in the nation’s armed forces, many may be wondering how the military and the legal system interact. In some cases, like the court martial process, the military has its own separate judicial system. In other cases, like divorce, military personnel are subject to the same judicial proceedings as everyone else. Here are the top five legal issues facing military personnel and their families:...
In our nation’s capital, private sector employees, particularly those in low-paid hourly jobs, should be rejoicing as D.C.’s Council voted to approve the nation’s most generous paid-family-leave law. Under the new law, private sector employees, both full and part time, will now be entitled to eight weeks of paid time off after the birth of a child, as well as six weeks to care for a sick family member, and two weeks of sick leave for the worker....
Local permits can often be a roadblock to allowing a small business to actually open its doors to customers. Dealing with permit problems can leave owners in a financial bind. Before you even register as a corporation, it’s crucial to square away all the necessary local permits before you plan on your company’s grand opening. To that end, here are the five most common permits you’ll need to enable your small business to open and thrive:...
After the disastrous Colorado flood, there are many legal issues that still remain. Evacuations are still underway after last week’s severe flooding that, as of Tuesday, had left eight people dead and at least 1,600 homes destroyed, Reuters reports. President Obama declared the area a major disaster over the weekend, and has set aside federal funds and resources to aid the state in its recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also issued a news release summarizing some of the federal aid programs available....
Most people know that employers can’t discriminate against someone on the basis of that person’s sex, age, race, religion, national origin. Most might assume that the law is going to scrutinize those forms of discrimination in a similar manner. But a Supreme Court ruling today essentially says that age is different. Those suing under federal law for age discrimination in the workplace will have a significantly higher hurdle to jump in proving certain age discrimination claims....
Victims and relatives of last summer’s Aurora movie theater shooting can sue the theater’s owner for liability and wrongful death, a federal judge has ruled. But not all claims are moving forward. U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson ruled that claims of negligence against Aurora theater owner Cinemark USA cannot proceed. Jackson’s ruling affects 10 lawsuits filed in the wake of the massacre. The idea that any theater could have been prepared for the actions of a lone gunman may seem ludicrous, but the case made by the plaintiffs has strong foundations in Colorado law....
When an individual is financially underwater, they might explore bankruptcy as an option. However, when that individual is married, the question about whether or not to declare bankruptcy becomes more complicated. While they can and often do, spouses are not required to file for bankruptcy jointly. Generally, bankruptcy will allow a person, business, or married couple, to get out from under debt either by liquidating assets to discharge the debts, or structuring a repayment plan....
Are schools allowed to monitor their students on social media? Middle and high schools in Glendale, California are doing just that. School officials have hired a company to track 13,000 students’ online posts on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and others, paying more than $40,000 a year for the service, CBS News reports. Glendale’s superintendent says the reason behind this somewhat drastic new measure is an emphasis on student safety. It also allows school officials to intervene if students are discussing suicide, violence, substance abuse, or bullying....
