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Hazing is not just for fraternities – it can happen in the workplace too. And when it does, it can get business owners into big trouble. Case in point: Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito, who was recently suspended over allegations of harassment. Incognito allegedly sent teammate Jonathan Martin “racially charged texts,” among other actions that may have created a hostile work environment. The NFL does not take lightly to acts like bullying and hazing, and business owners shouldn’t either....

When a large tree limb falls or an entire tree tips over, your car can suffer serious damage. In some instances, this damage may be covered by your auto insurance policy. In others, it may be covered by the insurance policy of the property owner. But in the event that the damage isn’t covered by insurance, who, if anyone, can be held legally at fault for damage to your ride caused by a tree?...

“Finders keepers, losers weepers” is a taunt that many American children have grown up with. But is it really the case that if you find it, you own it? A recent incident shed some light on the issue of found-property laws: A “lost” prototype iPhone created quite a stir in California. It also netted criminal charges for the two men who found the phone, Brian Hogan and Sage Wallower. For the two Californians, it’s likely they should have known that Apple owned the iPhone prototype....

Swedish health authorities have ruled that gender based abortion is legal. In other words, in Sweden it is okay in the eyes of the law to decide to get an abortion based on an unborn baby’s sex. First of all, for those wondering, sex selection abortion is not that unusual in many parts of the world, particularly in Asian countries such as China and India where cultural norms come into play leading to numerous instances of female feticide (sons are preferred)....

California’s recreational pot law goes into effect in January, and the state’s largest metropolitan area wants to be ready. On Monday, the Los Angeles city council approved new cannabis industry rules and regulations for growers, manufacturers and sellers of marijuana, including licensing requirements, operating hours, record-keeping, and security measures. And as with any new industry or new regulation, there are going to be some growing pains. Here’s what L.A.’s legalized pot industry may look like....

A suburban Chicago mom is suing her third-grader’s school and the bully she claims routinely attacked her son, along with the alleged bully’s parents. Deveri Del Core’s complaint, filed on behalf of her son, alleges he’s been the victim of weekly beatings and death threats over the past year. According to Reuters, Del Core was also fired from her job in the school’s cafeteria after she filed the complaint. If the allegations are proven, what kind of liability could the school and the bully’s parents face in court?...

A Nevada rancher has prevailed in a standoff against the federal government over grazing rights for his cattle. But the legal battles are far from over. Cliven Bundy, 67, attracted the attention of militiamen nationwide after he refused to pay grazing fees to the federal government – which then seized Bundy’s cattle. States’ rights protestors and militia members rallied to Bundy’s side, escalating tensions until the Bureau of Land Management finally agreed to release his cows on Saturday, reports the Las Vegas Sun....

The NLRB has filed 13 complaints against McDonald’s, accusing the fast food giant of allowing employees to be fired for participating in protests or union activity. McDonald’s is being drawn in to court as a “joint employer,” meaning that the NLRB wishes to hold the company liable for the alleged labor violations of its franchisees. Reuters reports that the complaints made by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will be heard by administrative law judges in March....

President Barack Obama has signed a one year extension of the Patriot Act. That means the Patriot Act provisions have been extended to track suspected terrorists, including roving wiretaps to track multiple communications devices. The act was originally adopted in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001. Under the Patriot Act extension, the following three sections will stay in force: Authority for court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones....

By now, you’d think we all know that sketchy social media behavior can cost you a job. But then we hear of people like Jofi Joseph, the National Security Council official who was recently sacked by the White House. Joseph posted highly offensive – and frankly, lame – tweets about Washington’s movers and shakers under the Twitter handle @NatSecWonk, The New York Times reports. Apparently, Joseph should have listened to the sentiments of young adults surveyed by FindLaw, 29 percent of whom feared their social media activity would get them fired....

A copyright and trademark battle is brewing, and it involves the Steve Jobs tribute logo. Three individuals claim to have independently created the popular image, which replaces the bite mark on the Apple logo with a profile of Steve Jobs. One claims to have created his logo in May. Another says he created his in August. And a third says he designed the logo on the day of Jobs’ death....

If you take a look at the U.S. Supreme Court’s calendar for January, you may notice a few cases that are of particular interest to you. From gun ownership rights to presidential powers, the Court is slated to hear a wide variety of legal issues over five days of oral arguments this month. Here are 10 Supreme Court cases to watch, in chronological order: National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning (January 13)....

Talcum powder, or baby powder as it’s sometimes called, seemed harmless enough before. But recently the stuff has gotten a reputation for its connection to ovarian cancer. Now, there is new evidence that use of the powder is strongly linked to ovarian cancer in African American women. This is reportedly because African American women were targeted by talc manufacturers in advertisements, according to the study’s principal investigator. Let’s consider what researchers discovered as reported by Reuters Health....

You founded your company around one great idea, and you want to protect it. Or that one great idea has led to a lot more great ideas and you need to protect those. And if your great idea is a new invention, product, or process, you’re probably going to need a patent to protect it. Unfortunately, patent law can be especially confusing, even for the experts. Here are five questions small businesses face when it comes to patents, and where you can find answers:...

The House health care legislation introduced earlier in the week notably sets forth a hefty penalty to small businesses who do not provide health insurance to employees. The Senate’s version of health care reform also contains a provision for small business to provide coverage, but gives small business a choice in the matter. The House bill, which hopes to extend health coverage to the country’s 46 million uninsured, comes with a price tag of over one trillion dollars over the next decade and aims to eventually cover 97% of legal residents....

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is moving forward with its proposed Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) which rewards producers with payments for using existing good conservation practices and implementing new ones. The Conservation Stewardship Program features two types of payments based on the methods and effectiveness of soil conservation and water-quality practices employed and comes packaged in the 2008 Farm Bill. It is slated to be available until 2017 and is a revamped and renamed version of the government’s previous conservation initiative, the Conservation Security Program....

If you’re out at the range or on the course, you’re probably most concerned with how you’re hitting the ball. But if you’re parked nearby, you might want to watch the other folks swinging the clubs. One circular dent in your fender can ruin an otherwise great round, and if you don’t know who dinged your ride, you could be on the hook for the repairs. Range Responsibility Most golf courses and driving ranges have posted liability waiver signs, which exempt the business from any damage claims....

ICE detention centers have come under fire recently for their treatment of families, most notably for separating young children from their parents. But in a little publicized situation, families-to-be are suffering an equally devastating situation. Pregnant women are miscarrying in these detention centers, and are not getting adequate prenatal care before, during, or after these miscarriages. In a particularly moving expose, a young woman, four months pregnant, tells her story of bleeding out and writhing in pain on the detention center floor for eight days, begging staff for help, with none ever being rendered....

Trying to sort out domestic violence incidents can be notoriously tricky. Tensions are high (sometimes literally, involving drugs or alcohol), facts are few, and stories often conflict. Rather than ask patrol officers to become Sherlock Holmes, many jurisdictions allowed “dual arrests” in incidents of domestic assault, where officers arrested both the perpetrator and the victim. But the Connecticut Legislature just passed a bill aimed at ending victims of domestic violence being arrested along with their abusers....

“Shark Tank” entrepreneur and guest Shark, Jamie Siminoff, has found himself in rough waters before, and here he goes again. Siminoff, founder of Ring, has been named as a defendant in a fraud lawsuit brought by former board member and investor, Russell Stephens, to the tune of $300 million. Stephens Claims $300 Million of That Is His According to Stephens, after the failed Shark Tank effort, he became an early adviser to Siminoff and invested more than $100,000 into the company in exchange for 200,000 stock options....