Passing out candy in elementary school is one thing, but how do you deal with Valentine’s Day at work? Good intentions may come off as inappropriate office behavior on Valentine’s Day. Amorous antics, even if meant as a joke, can potentially get you and your company sued. To prevent that from happening to your business, here are our Top 10 legal tips for managing Valentine’s Day at your workplace: Re-think hugging....
If you took our advice and set up a living trust, congratulations – you’ve taken the first steps to managing your estate, before and after your death. However, your work isn’t quite done. Many life events can alter your plans for your estate after your life is over, and your living trust won’t amend itself to reflect those changes. So here are some reasons you may want to revise your living trust, and how to do it....
When it comes to tax deductions, 2010 is the same as every other year: you will undoubtedly miss out on at least one tax deduction that can save you a chunk of money. In the spirit of the tax season, we’re going to give you a heads up. Here are our top 5 tax deductions–2010 only–that you shouldn’t miss. Non-cash charitable gifts. Everyone remembers to take a tax deduction for donated cash and goods carted to the local thrift shop....
UC Davis has placed its police chief and two police officers on administrative leave after campus police pepper-sprayed student demonstrators at an Occupy Davis protest last week. Two pepper-sprayed protesters were taken to the hospital and eleven others were treated on site, The Los Angeles Times reports. Video of the pepper spraying incident was posted online and has gone viral. Critics of campus police say their actions will likely lead to civil lawsuits by pepper-sprayed victims alleging excessive force....
With all of the attention paid to 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, many have not ever heard of the numerous other 501(c) organizations that qualify for some form of federal tax exemption. One prime example is the 501(c)(4)– Civic Leagues and Social Welfare Organizations. Curious about what makes it different? Here are a few notable features and characteristics of the 501(c)(4): Related Resources: 501(c)(4) -Civic Leagues and Social Welfare Organizations (IRS.gov) The difference between a 501(c)3 and a 501(c)4 (suite101....
Last week, actor and comedian Bill Cosby was convicted on sexual assault charges stemming from an incident that happened last decade. A total of 60 women have come forward with similar accusations, spanning almost 40 years. So why isn’t he facing criminal charges in all the other cases? Mostly due to statutes of limitation – legal time limits on criminal charges. These time limits can vary depending on the type of crime and even the state in which the crime occurred....
The California legislature has passed a bill that would expand parental leave laws in the state to cover more small to midsize businesses. Currently, the laws requiring parental leave only apply to employers with 50 or more employees. This bill, if approved by Governor Jerry Brown, would require employers of 20 to 50 employees to also offer parental leave. Proponents of the new law are hopeful that Governor Brown has changed his tune, as last year he vetoed a similar bill in the interest of protecting small businesses....
This week, on the heels of the massive Women’s March, the House of Representatives passed a controversial anti-abortion bill, HR-7. The bill, titled the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, not only bans federal funding from being used for abortions, but it also imposes restrictions for abortion coverage for individuals and businesses. If the act passes the Senate, small businesses will definitely be affected. Generally, prior to this act, under the Hyde Amendment, federal funds were prohibited from being used for abortions, unless the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest, or if the mother’s life was endangered by the pregnancy....
As widely reported, and discussed on FindLaw’s Decided blog, on June 28, the Supreme Court further widened its application of the Second Amendment right to bear arms in its decision in McDonald v. Chicago. Expanding its earlier decision in District of Columbia v. Heller which found the federal laws governing the District of Columbia could not prohibit the purchase of a gun for home protection, the Court has now overturned a lower court’s ruling that the Chicago city laws banning handguns was constitutional....
When an employee asks for a day off, an employer generally has discretion to approve it or not. But there are some types of leave that employers must allow. There’s a broad range of reasons for workers to request time off, including vacations, sick days, jury duty, and personal emergencies. Some time-off requests must be approved, though they don’t always have to be paid. Here’s a general overview of five different types of employee leave that employers must allow:...
The 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, is coming up soon in 2020. A group called Women on 20s wants a woman to be featured on the $20 bill by then to commemorate the occasion. Is this legally possible? Earlier this year, Women on 20s (W20) started a campaign to put a woman’s face on the $20 bill. You may have remembered the online voting campaign to decide which influential woman in our nation’s history should be chosen....
The ACLU has joined a new high school sexting case. The civil liberties organization is assisting a 19-year-old Pennsylvania woman in the lawsuit against her former high school for a violation of privacy. The issue leading to the sexting suit began in January 2009, when a female student was caught making a cell phone call on campus, a violation of school rules. A teacher confiscated the phone and turned it over to the administration....
Citing violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), on Monday the Federal Trade Commission announced a $50,000 settlement with Broken Thumbs Apps, a company that creates and markets iPhone and iPad games to children. The app maker was accused of collecting children’s e-mail addresses, names, and other personal information without parental consent. Can such a legal entanglement happen to you? Passed in 1998, COPPA is an attempt to prevent the collection, use and disclosure of a minor’s personal information without parental consent....
Injury lawsuits can be complicated, especially those involving a large number of people. Class action lawsuits can allow a group of people to collectively file a single injury claim, and they can have different rules for how and when they can be filed. One of these differences has to do with the statute of limitations, which limits the time you have to bring a case. So how do these rules differ?...
You are not ready to tie the knot but you and boo want to take your relationship to the next level. You plan to move in together. Do you just go with flow or do you need a written agreement? If you create a contract, are you undermining the romantic aspects of your evolving union? In other words, is it just too weird to turn your love into a business deal?...
There are many reasons to rent out a home rather than sell it. Say you have a new professional opportunity in a different city but are not yet certain that you want to commit to a lifetime move, or the sales market is not as strong as you’d like. Those are times when renting out your property might be preferable to selling, among others. Before you list your apartment or home as a rental, however, here are some things to consider....
A jury found former Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke guilty of second-degree murder for the 2014 shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Van Dyke, who is white, shot McDonald, who was black, 16 times and was also convicted on 16 counts of aggravated battery. Based on initial police reports of the incident, supervisors ruled the shooting was a justifiable homicide and within the bounds of the department’s use of force guidelines....
Staying seated on long plane flights may be hazardous to your health, according to a new study that seems to debunk some claims in so-called “economy class syndrome” lawsuits. The study and the lawsuits involve deep vein thrombosis, or DVT – when a blood clot forms in a vein, usually in the legs, and causes painful swelling. The clot can dislodge, block blood flow to vital organs, and can even lead to death, according to the National Institutes of Health....
We used to write things down on paper, including our estate plans. That wasn’t super secure – documents erode, get lost, or are destroyed. But now we conduct much of our personal business electronically and there is a new complication, providing fiduciaries access to digital assets while maintaining user privacy. There is a proposed solution, however: a uniform approach to electronic account access across the country – one that protects privacy – known as the Revised Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RFADAA)....
A Pennsylvania man who was terminated from his job at a local school district has filed a rather atypical civil rights employment lawsuit. The former employee has asserted that the termination constituted an act of religious discrimination, as he was terminated after refusing to comply with a task that violated his religious beliefs. While a case involving religious discrimination may sound more deplorable than atypical, the man’s religion, Satanism, is likely to turn some curious heads....
