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Wi-fi names are becoming the new community message boards. But can these cheeky wi-fi names also lead to escalated neighbor disputes and even be illegal? If you look at the wireless network names in your area, you may see ten to 20 networks available. While most names may solely have a utilitarian purpose like “2WIRE399” or “Home,” some clever users have given their wi-fi networks names like “Shut The Barking Dog Up No 7” or “We can hear you having sex,” reports BBC....

Do you shower before you swim? If not, you’re likely contaminating the pool with fecal matter, according to a new CDC study that’s making waves. That’s right: Everybody poops, but not everyone cleanses themselves responsibly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that child and adult swimmers alike introduce fecal material into pools without even knowing it, which can spread germs to other people. During the course of the CDC study, researchers found a variety of bacteria in Atlanta pools they tested last summer....

Injury lawsuits are all but inevitable in the wake of this week’s tragedy in Washington D.C. Nine people were killed and at least 75 more injured when a six-car D.C. Metrorail train rear-ended a second stopped train on the rail system’s Red Line, during Monday’s evening commute. The latest news from the ongoing investigation is that the moving train was operating under automated control at the time, but neither the computer’s anti-collision system nor the operator’s apparent efforts to apply the emergency brake could prevent the crash, the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting....

Paul House, an individual convicted and sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of Carolyn Muncey has now been cleared of the charges against him. House’s incarceration and appeals took an exceedingly long and circuitous route (he was convicted in 1986), and it wasn’t until 2006 that the Supreme Court finally heard and considered new evidence challenging House’s conviction. The 2006 Supreme Court case was noteable, because House managed to establish the very difficult “actual innocence” exception in a federal appeal....

Many businesses start out as partnerships but that doesn’t mean they’re destined to stay that way. Business partnerships can end for a number of reasons, both good and bad. Maybe one partner wants to retire, is moving, or is having some financial difficulty and needs to bow out. Or maybe the relationship between the partners is strained and that is negatively affecting the business. The best time to figure out ending a business partnership is when you start the company....

At-will employment means that both the employer and the employee are entitled to end the employment relationship at any time. These days, most employees are at-will employees. Generally, an employer may fire such employee for any reason or no reason. Employees are not at-will employees if there is an employment agreement in place specifying otherwise. Additionally, for at-will employees, there are some exceptions to the gereral rule. These include but are not limited to the following:...

Facebook hate speech has become the topic of concern to the company, after a coalition of women’s groups brought some offensive and degrading posts to its attention. In these posts, users made light of subjects like rape, sexual abuse, and domestic violence. Now, Facebook says it’s taking immediate steps to remedy this, with an update to the site’s guidelines. Posts containing hate speech will be more quickly alerted to Facebook user operations team members....

A Minnesota school has agreed to fork over $70,000 for demanding a sixth-grader reveal her Facebook password. Riley Stratton, now 15, painfully remembers when Minnewaska school officials cornered her over a Facebook post and threatened her with suspension, reports the Star Tribune. The confrontation ended with Stratton relinquishing her password, but thanks to the ACLU’s intervention, its ultimate end was the school cutting a check. What were the legal reasons behind the school’s Facebook password settlement?...

Biking can be a healthy and ecologically friendly alternative to driving. But bicyclists should be aware that the number of fatal bicycle accidents involving motor vehicles is on the rise. Between 2010 and 2012, the number of U.S. bicyclists killed in accidents involving motor vehicles rose by 16 percent, reports the Los Angeles Times. The numbers come from a report by the nonprofit Governor’s Highway Safety Association. What else did the GHSA’s report have to say about fatal bicycle crashes?...

Do the crime pay the time. But exactly how much time should those who are charged with possession of child pornography serve? That’s what federal judges around the country participating in series of hearings before the U.S. Sentencing Commission are trying to decide. Currently, the commission has put the federal sentencing guidelines (which call for sentences of up to 25 years for child porn convictions) under review. Judges from New York, Chicago, and recently Denver, based their argument on a belief that some of the defendants who view child pornography have never molested a child or posed a risk to the community and may be better served by treatment rather than prison, the Denver Post reports....

In every state, courts have recognized that grandparents have an interest in the well being of their grandchildren. However, each state has different rules when it comes to awarding shared custody rights to grandparents. Courts generally will look to the grandparents to take custody, at the grandparent’s request, if the parents have terminated custody, or died. When it comes to sharing custody, in states that allow this, courts look to various factors to see if shared custody is in the best interest of the child....

It’s that time of year again and some of you should be expecting your property tax bill for the first half of 2011. If that’s the case, then you’ll probably be wondering just how the government calculates property tax rates and just why your bill seems to change every year. Well, here’s an answer to your questions. First, there is a difference between property tax rates and a property tax assessment....

From claims of dangerous pharmaceutical drugs to allegations of falsely advertised products, we often hear about class action lawsuits in the news. A class action lawsuit is one that is brought against a defendant by one individual, or a few individuals, on behalf of a larger class of people who suffered the same or similar injuries from the defendant’s product or action. But before a lawsuit becomes a class action, there are legal procedures that must be followed....

There have been numerous studies apparently showing the correlation between a person’s age when they get married and their likelihood of getting divorced. However, age only tends to factor into the legal logistics of divorces when there is a significant age gap or the couple is nearing retirement. A person’s age can have big impacts on the financial and practical considerations in a divorce. If a older couple decides to divorce, their respective ages can be an important factor to be considered as it relates not just to their health, but also to their retirement benefits....

You’re injured in a car accident and it is clearly not your fault because you were not behind the wheel but merely an unfortunate passenger. Can you recover any money? How much? Do you sue someone or go through insurance? The answers to these questions will depend in part on state statutes – each locale has its own laws governing car accidents, insurance coverage, and negligence lawsuits. Additional major factors are the severity of the accident and extent of injury....

Regardless of your personal feelings about #hashtag activism and personal shaming on social media, the fact remains that an employee’s personal tweets can have a negative impact on your business. Look no further than Regal Movies employee Hyley DiBona’s racist tweets following the Charleston shooting, and the subsequent boycott of the theater chain until DiBona was fired. Yes, they were just tweets, and yes it was her personal, in-no-way-related-to-work account. But her online comments undoubtedly had a negative effect on Regal, and the company fired her quickly and publicly....

Did you ever think about all the hazards at your friendly neighborhood home supply stores? Paint could spill on the floor, and you could slip on it. You could puncture your foot on dropped nails and screws. A pretty light fixture could fall from the display, and hit you on the head! So, if you’re injured by slipping or hit by a falling object at a home supply store, can you sue?...

It’s not a surprise that downloading copyrighted music and movies is illegal but college students are often still surprised when they get caught. There are a lot of myths about whether illegal downloading is really that bad and whether it will lead to legal trouble. The answer to those two questions is ‘yes’ and ‘yes.’ Entertainment companies take their intellectual property seriously which can lead to big fines for illegal downloaders....

A chimp attack four years ago cost Kristin Howard most of her left thumb but the Oregon Court of Appeals recently ruled that she has no right to sue. Howard was less than two weeks into her internship at Chimps Inc. when she was attacked by a chimp named Kimie. Chimps Inc. is a private sanctuary for chimpanzees who previously worked in some form of entertainment. Howard’s injury is real but the court still said she can’t file suit, even for her medical bills....

A Las Vegas strip club may be on the hook for millions of dollars in back wages after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that an estimated 6,500 strippers the club had claimed were independent contractors were actually employees entitled to minimum wage. In a unanimous decision, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor of the dancers at Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club, which bills itself as the “World’s Largest Strip Club.” The suit was first filed by six dancers in 2009 and was certified as a class action lawsuit, meaning that the ruling could affect as many of 6,500 current and former dancers at the club, reports the Associated Press...