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You’re applying for citizenship in the US and wondering what issues will impact your application. There are many factors that go into a final determination about whether to grant status, and an initial denial does not necessarily mean you have no chances of becoming an American. But there are some specific matters that will impact the determination. Let’s briefly examine them here. Taxes: You must show evidence of tax filings and will be denied citizenship if you are in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service....

Accidents happen, but sometimes they happen because of someone’s negligence. And when someone’s negligence leads to another person’s death, family and loved ones of the deceased person may file what are known as wrongful death lawsuits. Wrongful death lawsuits can be complicated, and there are several limiting factors when it comes to filing them. So here are five important questions (and answers) regarding wrongful death claims from our archives: 1. Who Can Sue for Wrongful Death?...

Divorces can be grueling and emotional legal battles, and your divorce attorney is far better equipped to handle the fight than you on your lonesome. Don’t believe us? While we understand that you may be cutting ties because you’re tired of being controlled and dependent on someone else, here are five things an experienced divorce lawyer can do that you probably can’t: Find “hidden” assets. The nitty-grittiest parts of your divorce case may be determining which assets should go to which ex-spouse....

Despite popular belief, oral contracts are enforceable. They usually are not in your best interests, and end in a “he said, she said” battle. But as long as there is enough evidence, a court will enforce an oral agreement. However, there is one particular exception to this rule, and it’s called the Statute of Frauds. Statute of Frauds As adopted in most states, the Statute of Frauds (which is a general contract law principle) requires a written contract in the following situations:...

So you’re headed back to college for another year or several of sleeping in, dorm parties, and possibly even attending class. But as you pack up your flip flops and wrap up your summer internships, you may want to take a moment to solidify your legal situation. Didn’t think you had any legal problems? Well peruse over this “back to college” legal checklist and see if there’s anything you may have missed:...

Everyday so many of us adjust our thoughts and expectations about what is still private in the age of Facebook, reality TV and camera phones. Today, reports come of one more incident that would make George Orwell turn over and sit up in his grave. The Lower Merion School District in Pennsylvania was sued on February 10, 2010, for allegedly spying on its own students and their families via webcam....

First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs in Mississippi has come under fire for its refusal to marry a black couple. Charles and Te’Andrea Wilson had planned to marry in the church where they are both members of the congregation. Te’Andrea has been part of the church community for over a year. But the couple’s planned nuptials ruffled some feathers in the predominantly white church. When church members told Rev. Stan Weatherford that they didn’t want a black couple married in the church, he gave in to their demands to keep the peace....

The Boy Scouts of America are embroiled in a child sex abuse scandal. Similar to Penn State University and the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts are accused of not reporting allegations of child sex abuse to the police and also of covering up instances of abuse, reports Reuters. The Catholic Church was able to survive the sex abuse scandal as they have millions of congregants and deep pockets to pay off the lawsuits....

Sadly, just because we’re in a hospital doesn’t always mean we’re getting the best treatment. Understaffing, neglect, or negligence can produce poor treatment, even leading to easily preventable maladies like bedsores or pressure ulcers. Simple measures like frequently turning an immobile patent, proper cleaning, and hygiene can prevent bedsores, so if those steps are not taken, is the hospital’s fault? Can you sue if you or a loved one develop bedsores in a hospital?...

Working alongside 4,000-lb wild animals may seem like an inherently dangerous job. And wildlife lovers may not have a whole lot of sympathy for a zoo employee injured by an animal that has already tried to escape twice and should be roaming free in the grasslands of Central Africa. But a female zookeeper struck by “Archie’s” horn at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is probably just wondering if she can get paid for the time she’ll miss work....

What does attorney Jason Medley do when his child is the victim of cyberbullying? File a cyberbullying lawsuit. Or, more accurately, a defamation lawsuit. Jason Medley, a Texas attorney, recently filed a lawsuit against three middle school girls. He says that they made defamatory and false statements about his daughter. Medley’s daughter was the subject of a Facebook video, created by the three girls and posted to the social media site....

One industry reporting record numbers for 2008? Data theft. A report released this week concluded that more than 285 million records were compromised in 2008, supposedly more than the previous four years combined. As one part of their defense against identity theft, businesses of all varieties should make sure to comply with federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) obligations to properly destroy certain types of consumer and employment information....

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” or so they say. But when a giant retailer copies your t-shirt design, is that flattery or actual copyright infringement? Work-at-home fashion designer Melissa Lay discovered Target is selling a nearly identical tank top to one that she printed in her garage for her Etsy store. She admits she didn’t copyright the design, but could she still have a claim? #Merica, the Beautiful Lay’s Etsy store, Sandi Lake Clothing, sells matching tees for kids and adults....

You may not have a will, or a durable power of attorney, but if you have a disabled child or family member who will be in need of care once you’re gone, you should absolutely leave your assets in a special needs trust. Designed to protect assets and provide for the care of disabled or mentally ill children and adults who lack the capacity to manage finances, special needs trusts are the premier estate planning devices for family members with disabilities....

Remember Seth Rogen’s character in Pineapple Express? No, he wasn’t a butler – he was a process server, an obscure yet essential part of the legal system tasked with delivering the bad news of a lawsuit to the person being sued. After all, if people don’t know they’re being haled into court, it’s kind of hard to defend themselves. Because service of process is the necessary first step to a lawsuit, many think if they can just avoid the process server for long enough, they can’t be sued (hence Rogen’s disguises)....

Sometimes things are not as they initially appear to be. When Toyota vehicles were recalled after a series of Toyota crashes, the media and the public were quick to pile on the automaker. After five months of investigating, the picture has changed. While Toyota could be responsible for a large number of crashes, the investigation has yet to find any defect beyond the defects Toyota reported. Further, in over half of the crashes that have been blamed on problems of “sudden acceleration,” the driver was not actively breaking at the time of the accident, according to a government study....

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a New Mexico case over whether a business can refuse to serve gay and lesbian customers, leaving the New Mexico Supreme Court’s decision intact. In August 2013, the New Mexico High Court ruled that a wedding-photography business that offered its services to the general public could not, under New Mexico’s anti-discrimination laws, refuse to serve clients because they are gay – even if that refusal is based on religious beliefs....

The government is releasing $3 billion in government grants for businesses engaging in clean, renewable energy projects. The announcement, made last week, specifies that the grants will be direct payments in lieu of tax credits and will support 5,000 biomass, solar, wind and other renewable energy production facilities. The green business grants will be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), which aims to save and create more than 3....

Are your loans getting too hard to pay? In certain instances, you can take advantage of the fact that loan agreements aren’t set in stone. If you’re in trouble and are unable to pay your loans, you may want to request a loan modification. Banks and the government offer many loan modification programs that can help you. For example, the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), created in 2009, allows eligible homeowners to reduce their mortgage payments to 31 percent of their pre-tax monthly income....

Almost 50 medical malpractice lawsuits filed, and hundreds of dollars awarded to patients injured by botched LASIK eye surgery procedures. That’s the recent litigation history against one Chicago eye doctor who is still treating patients, and just part of the alarming story being reported in the Chicago Tribune this week. Almost a year ago, the chief medical prosecutor in Illinois investigated the mounting claims of negligence against Dr. Nicholas Caro, and recommended that the Chicago ophthalmologist’s medical license be revoked or suspended, after Caro “mishandled Lasik surgeries and failed to properly manage treatment of post-operative complications,” the Tribune reports....