Travelers in recent years have learned, perhaps the hard way, that Customers and Border Patrol (CBP) agents can detain you at the airport for refusing to allow them to search your cell phone. Under the Border Doctrine, a search warrant generally required under the Fourth Amendment is not necessary to conduct a reasonable search at the airport. As attorneys like to say, you can sue the pope for rape, but you might not win....
It sounds odd, but most of us parents love our kids so much, we’ve imagined all sorts of terrible and tragic ways they could get hurt. It’s actually a sort of built-in function that allows us to anticipate danger and find ways to prevent it. Unfortunately, some danger and injuries are out of our hands. One very early and potentially devastating injury a child can experience is birth asphyxia. However, there are a number of factors which can cause the condition, and not all of them are the result of someone’s negligence....
The hits just keep on coming against Craigslist it appears. By now, most people have probably heard about the so-called “Craigslist killer”, Philip Markoff, who is alleged to have arranged for meetings with individuals advertising on Craigslist while targeting them for robbery. Over the course of just the last week, however, two stories may well have blown that one way out of the proverbial water, at least if depravity is the measure....
Denver law enforcement officials have been using a 2012 city ordinance prohibiting unauthorized camping to conduct homeless sweeps throughout the city. The sweeps often involve police and other city workers detaining, citing, and arresting homeless people, while seizing and destroying their property. Just last week, a federal judge granted class action certification for a lawsuit filed on behalf of those homeless, meaning as many as 3,000 victims of the homeless sweeps can join the litigation....
When it comes to choosing the right tax attorney for you, what are five questions to ask a tax lawyer? Hiring a tax lawyer who’s a good fit for your case and personality is important because you’ll be entrusting them with your legal issues – and we all know that Uncle Sam doesn’t play around when it comes to taxes. So what questions should you ask a tax attorney? Here are a few you may want to consider:...
Six months have passed since the deadly explosions at the Boston Marathon. For many victims like Joanna Leigh – a 39-year-old with a Ph.D. who suffered a traumatic brain injury at the marathon – getting access to sufficient financial assistance has become struggle of its own. Leigh and a number of other victims are seeking more money from The One Fund charity for survivors. Leigh’s new life is in stark contrast to the one she had before that fateful day on Boylston Street....
California made history on Tuesday by signing the nation’s first statewide ban on plastic bags into law. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill, SB 270, on Tuesday, which will eventually remove single-use plastic bags from big box stores like Walmart and Target as well as grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies. The Associated Press reports that plastic bags have been successfully ousted from many large cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, but this statewide ban marks a major milestone....
One of the biggest concerns for business owners is whether they can be sued for their employees’ acts. Well, like most legal questions, the answer is going to be a resounding “it depends.” In many cases, employees can be considered “agents” of the business they work for. While this may seem like everything an employee does can be attributed to his employer, this is not always true. So, when are employers liable, and when are they not?...
Unless a grandparent has secured a court order granting them visitation, a parent is under no legal obligation to allow a grandparent to see their grandchild. In fact, barring a court order, a parent has the constitutional right to say no. If a court order has been granted, a parent will need to file a petition with the family court to modify or revoke a grandparent visitation order to stop the visitation....
More than 300 people aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship have fallen sick. Although the outbreak of gastrointestinal illness is not life threatening, passengers and crew members have experienced vomiting and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Currently, the cause of the sickness aboard the Explorer of the Seas is unknown, but the cruise line believes the illnesses are consistent with the highly contagious norovirus, Reuters reports. With so many passengers sickened by the Royal Caribbean outbreak, could a wave of lawsuits soon follow?...
If you’re wondering whether you qualify for Medicaid, you’ve come to the right place. Despite a number of systemic changes and budgetary constraints, Medicaid still exists. Though it is a federal program, Medicaid eligibility is generally state-dependent. There are certain groups of people states must cover. Beyond these groups, each state determines which low-income and disabled residents it serves. The following are general Medicaid eligibility guidelines, but if you can, consider consulting state-specific rules....
ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews is going after the hotels she stayed in for allegedly creating the condition that allowed her stalker to spy on her and record nude video. Andrews filed lawsuits against Marriott and Raddison Hotels, as well as others. The suit alleges that the hotels “failed to adequately protect her privacy.” She is asking for unspecified damages for negligence, infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy. The civil lawsuit was filed in Chicago....
Florida’s first same-sex marriages took place Monday afternoon in Miami-Dade County, after a judge lifted her stay on a ruling finding the state’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional. The weddings began about 1:30 p.m., reports The Miami Herald. The marriages in Miami-Dade County come just hours before court clerks across Florida will be required to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples by order of a federal court judge. What are the details behind Florida’s path to becoming one of the 36 states, along with Washington D....
A lot of government agencies across the country are trying to prevent holiday driving from escalating into a holiday DUI. According to Occupational Health and Safety, while DUI deaths have dropped since 2007, it still reaches to about 32% of 37,261 overall traffic fatalities that year, according to the latest statistics from the Federal Highway Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System for the year of 2008. As a result of holiday parties, drinking, and other festivities, we put together a primer of DUI tips so that way your holiday driving is safe and DUI free....
Individuals with disabilities are able to perform the same jobs as most other workers. However, due to stigma and ignorance, disabled individuals generally do not get the same career opportunities as non-disabled individuals. Despite the existence of strong anti-discrimination laws, in 2015, the Department of Labor explained that only 17.5 percent of persons with a disability were employed. New programs at large employers like EY and Microsoft, target specific candidates with disabilities that the employers believe may benefit them....
Can camping out for the iPhone 5 (or any other much-awaited product release) lead to legal issues? Alas, there’s no app to answer that question, and Siri isn’t much help either (“I found 15 campgrounds… 12 of them are fairly close to you”). But patient iPhone line-waiters may want to review a few legal rights, lest there be any problems with police or other iPhone fanatics. Here are 5 legal issues that may arise:...
It’s been an uncertain year for NSA surveillance, but a federal judge ruled Friday that the Agency’s phone surveillance program was and is legal. From the Southern District of New York, U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley dismissed a case by the American Civil Liberties Union which attempted to halt the NSA’s phone spying program, finding that phone records were not protected by the Fourth Amendment, reports The New York Times....
Manhattan attorney Matthew Couloute Jr. has filed a federal lawsuit against two ex-lovers who have taken to the internet, posting nasty messages about his allegedly cheating ways on a website known as liarscheatersrus.com. Alleging tortious interference with prospective business relations, Couloute claims that the messages left by Stacey Blitsch (who is also the mother of his child) and Amanda Ryncarz are destroying his legal career, costing him prospective clients left and right....
Many Americans in same-sex marriages can now share in their spouses’ retirement plans, regardless of their home state, according to the Department of Labor (DOL). LGBT rights supporters applauded the DOL’s decision on Wednesday to adopt what they’re calling a “state of celebration” rule – a rule that recognizes all legally married couples regardless of where the couple currently lives, according to Reuters. What does this DOL guidance mean for same-sex spouses wanting to share in their partners’ retirement plans?...
Slip-and-fall accidents in grocery stores happen pretty frequently, but the victims often are unaware of their rights to sue. Even under the stark, revealing light of grocery store fluorescents, many slip-and-fall victims are in the dark about a store’s legal responsibility for slip-and-fall hazards. Luckily for consumers, we’re offering some legal clarity – for free! If you slipped and fell in a grocery store, consider these points in deciding whether or not to sue:...
