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Perchlorate, a dangerous chemical used in the production of rocket fuel, has been found at trace levels in infant formula, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study tested the makeup of 15 different brands of infant formula (brand names weren’t disclosed), and found trace levels of perchlorate in each brand, with formula based from cow’s milk registering the highest levels of the chemical. The report was published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology...

The surge of unaccompanied child migrants hitting our nation’s southern border, and the debate over what to do about the situation, have roots in a 2008 immigration law designed to stop human trafficking. The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 was enacted under the final days of the George W. Bush administration with bipartisan support, The New York Times reports. The law slows the deportation of children not from Mexico or Canada....

For whatever reason, high school proms bring out the anti-LGBTQ side of school administrators. One Mississippi school cancelled its prom rather than let a lesbian student bring a female date, and then allegedly put on a “sham prom” for that student alone while the rest of the school partied at another location. And according to a lawsuit filed by a gay student in Buffalo, the run-up to this year’s prom has been filled with announcements over the loudspeaker advising students that “couples” tickets are reserved for opposite-sex couples, same-sex dates are prohibited, and if same-sex students are seen dancing at the prom, the principal will separate them....

Father’s Day is a great day for dads and their children, but how did it become a holiday? The federal recognition of Father’s Day didn’t occur until the 1960s, more than 50 years after the country had begun celebrating American mothers through Mother’s Day. So how did Father’s Day as a holiday come to be? The Library of Congress notes that Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington, is credited for encouraging the celebration of the first Father’s Day in 1910....

It’s a classic line from a classic movie. Michael Bolton (the character), worried that the group’s plan of siphoning off pennies from their employer in “Office Space” is unraveling, lays out the doomsday scenario: “We get caught laundering money, we’re not going to white-collar resort prison. No, no, no. We’re going to federal pound-me-in-the-a** prison.” Distasteful prison rape jokes aside, the bit belies a common perception among laypeople that there are brutal prison conditions for the poor or unfortunate, and country club prisons for the rich and powerful....

Adults who enter into contracts with minors may be wondering if it’s legal to do so. In general, minors don’t have the legal capacity to enter into a contract unless a court approves the contract or a state’s statute allows it. So when are contracts between minors and adults enforceable in court? To have a valid contract, all parties signing the contract must have the legal capacity to do so. This means that the person signing must have sufficient understanding that he’s entering into a contract and the terms he’s agreeing to....

The Illinois Supreme Court has delayed ruling on whether or not it will uphold its law on malpractice caps. The Chicago Breaking News Center reports that the Illinois Supreme Court has said that this is a normal occurrence. A spokesperson for the court said: “It is not unusual for an opinion that is on the anticipated list to be withdrawn before filing.” The next time that the court will issue rulings will be mid-January....

Illinois like other states around the country is facing a budget crisis. That means mass layoffs are planned for state troopers. Officials warn reducing the number of sworn troopers will have consequences to public safety and could delay response times, the State Journal-Register reports. Acting State Police director Jonathon Monken said for the bottom line it will be a loss of an estimated $12 million in citation revenue for counties across the state....

Was it really the new car smell that caused the hit and run accident that left a doctor severely injured and in permanent pain? The answer is yes, possibly. Morgan Stanley money manager Martin Erzinger was driving a new 2010 Mercedes when he lost consciousness or dozed off and hit Dr. Steven Milo who was riding his bike. Erzinger was charged with two misdemeanors and a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury....

Many of us dream of retiring to warmer climates, preferably to a beach, and one where we can stretch out under an umbrella and really stretch our retirement dollar. As it turns out, many of us have been living that dream, albeit somewhat illegally. U.S. News recently released a report on American retirees living in Mexico, and found that, despite a welcoming atmosphere both socially and legally, many U.S. citizens may be illegal immigrants south of the border....

Small business and Groupon: owners are talking about the online company; the benefits, the drawbacks and the out and out fakes. A story has been reported this week about a small business owner, an Atlanta photographer, who is being accused of promoting a fake deal on Groupon. According to the complaints of Groupon customers, the photographer couldn’t live up to the terms of the deal and what is more, may have been promoting her site with pictures she did not own....

The long-standing practice of gerrymandering – redrawing voting district lines to favor the political party in power – has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. And two legal challenges to partisan gerrymandering, one from Maryland and the other from Wisconsin, made their way to the Supreme Court this term. But in a decision that hardly feels like one, the Court declined to take a definitive stand on when gerrymandering along political lines goes too far, opting instead to rule on more technical grounds....

If you’re a business owner and you want to sue over damages to your company, how should you file your lawsuit? Should you sue as a business, or as an individual? That’s a tricky question, and one that could potentially cost you your entire case. For example, a judge may throw out a case if the plaintiff bringing the suit has no standing to sue, or if the suit was filed in an improper jurisdiction....

It’s not just Bristol Palin and Jamie Lynn Spears, even though it seems like it. In fact, it’s not just teenagers, although they are part of it. It is a huge leap overall in the past decade, in the number of women who become unmarried mothers. According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, in 2008 a record number of unmarried women gave birth in the U.S. Nearly half the births in 2008, 41 percent, were to unmarried mothers – numbering 1....

Francisco Cruz, 19, faces the possibility of the death penalty after he allegedly raped, strangled and stabbed Chloe Ottman to death. Cruz told police that he had a crush on Ottman and after she rejected him, he brutally attacked her, according to court documents. They had been friends for several years. Francisco Cruz was charged with first degree murder, first-degree sexual assault and second degree strangulation. Accompanying the arrest warrant was a statement from Cruz explaining, in great detail, how he murdered Ottman....

As a small business owner, you want to focus on making your product or service the best it can possibly be, and getting all the clients or customers you can. And what you may be overlooking is your legal liability to those customers and clients as well as to your staff. As an employer, you could be responsible for a whole range of harms, from office pranks to car accidents. So how do you limit your employer liability and protect your business at the same time?...

In personal injury lawsuits, lawyers talk about compensatory and punitive damages while economists may talk about hedonic damages. So what are hedonic damages? “Compensatory” and “punitive” are legal terms about what money a victim an be awarded. Compensatory damages pay for the harm, both physical and emotional, done to the victim or victims. Punitive damages are additional amounts meant to further deter the defendants from repeating their actions. Hedonic damages are technically an economic term, but they still have a place in the law....

Failing to pay court ordered child support is a serious legal problem with serious consequences. There is a rather compelling public policy purpose to have strict and severe penalties for intentionally avoiding child support payments, particularly given that a custodial parent may be dependent on child support in order to provide for the welfare of a child. Fortunately, courts can be somewhat understanding when a person comes to them to explain they are not financially able to make payments before going into arrears....

Certain areas of the country are prone to sinkholes, and disclosure laws aim to make people aware of that risk. A sinkhole is a naturally occurring hole that forms when flowing water underground has dissolved rock below the surface. That leads to an underground void that eventually is unable to hold up the surface layer. Thousands of sinkholes form every year, but some are more deadly than others, like the one that unexpectedly formed beneath a man’s home in Florida....

Advancements in gynecology and obstetrics mean that women have access to more quality reproductive health than ever before. But that doesn’t mean that all doctors are perfect, or that all medical outcomes are what we hoped for. So can your gynecologist be legally liable for failure to diagnose an issue, or for prescribing the wrong treatment? Are obstetricians responsible for birth injuries? And how do courts draw the line between a bad OB/GYN and a bad result?...