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A damning lawsuit claims Uber had an Incident Response team with a very specific plan in place should law enforcement would raid its offices: shut down all the computers and encrypt them remotely. A former employee says he was charged with protecting the ride-sharing company’s data from the prying eyes of the police: “I would be called when governmental agencies raided Uber’s offices due to concerns regarding noncompliance with governmental regulations,” his lawsuit claims....

Are you and your partner finally ready to tie the knot? If so, you may be wondering how to get married abroad. Destination weddings are often the ideal route for many soon-to-be-married couples. They’re exciting, fun, and allow for you and your closest relatives and friends to combine a vacation with a celebratory ceremony. But before you buy those plane tickets and pack something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, here’s what you’ll want to do first:...

‘Made in America’ is a proud label for any product since it signifies to customers that the materials and labor come from American workers. It means to them that they’re supporting companies that keep jobs in this country. Part of the reason there’s so much faith in the label is that it’s highly regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Laws about truth in advertising also apply to labeling and require companies to back up the claims about their products’ attributes with facts....

Lately, FindLaw’s Blotter has reported on several posts about Ohio’s switch to a new single shot lethal injection. The state recently transitioned to a single drug, rather than a three drug cocktail in its death penalty procedures. With other states still using the three drug cocktail, all eyes are now on how the single shot method will work in Ohio. In December, Ken Biros became the first person in the U....

Retailer David Cohen, owner of the Mystique Boutique chain of Manhattan clothing stores has been arrested in New York City. And for those of you who are familiar with Mystique Boutique and its sister Manhattan clothing stores – no, Cohen was not arrested by the fashion police (although arguably, he should have been, for some of the merchandise carried in his stores). Cohen was arrested for, among other things, not being so nice to his employees....

What is sexting? Is it innocent flirting between two (or more) consenting parties? Or is it a dangerous form of pornography corrupting our youth? Count the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts in the former and the Massachusetts legislature in the latter. The ACLU filed a lawsuit over a new anti-sexting law that it says goes too far. They want the obscenity law challenged on the grounds that it is allowing for the censorship of legal discussion, such as contraception and pregnancy, sexual health, literature and art....

New York City has agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that guards at Rikers Island jail beat a man to death. The civil suit, brought by the family of 52-year-old Ronald Spear, follows a city medical examiner’s ruling that Spear’s death was a homicide. The district attorney’s office declined to press criminal charges against the guards alleged to have administered the fatal beating, reports the New York Daily News....

In what is being dubbed the first case of its kind, a Pennsylvania schoolgirl has sued her local school district under claims that her classmates’ bullying, and the school’s knowledge and failure to act, caused her to become anorexic. The Pittsburgh public school district settled the anorexia bullying case for $55,000 – a figure that the unidentified girl feels represents defeat. The mother of the girl is quoted in the Post-Gazette, “I just don’t feel that their settlement was fair....

As college students prepare for to start their fall terms, the unfolding saga of Senator John Walsh’s plagiarized college paper should act as a warning of the potential perils of academic plagiarism. Walsh is facing calls to withdraw from the race to defend his Montana Senate seat after allegations surfaced that he failed to properly attribute sources in a 2007 paper written while earning his master’s degree at the U.S. Army War College, reports The Huffington Post....

With Memorial Day weekend behind us, it’s the unofficial start to swimming season in backyards and community pools across the country. But many pool owners and public facility operators are learning that their pool drains need to be brought into compliance with new federal safety standards that aim to prevent drain and suction-related injuries and deaths. The new federal safety regulations for pool drains are part of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool Safety Act named for the daughter of former Secretary of State James A....

The California Supreme Court today upheld Proposition 8, the voter-approved constitutional amendment limiting marriages to those occuring between a man and a woman. Despite the legal setback for gay marriage advocates, gay couples who were married before the election (reportedly as many as 18,000) got good news in the opinion because the court found that the amendment did not apply to them. The court’s conclusion, in its own words, was as follows:...

With the death of comic and pop-culture stalwart Joan Rivers, many are mourning the loss of her quick wit and fearless comedic style. But along with a healthy supply of laughs, Rivers’ winding path to stardom and ability to remain in the limelight well into her twilight years can also provide a number of lessons for those who are seeking their own path to success. Here are five lessons business owners can learn from Joan Rivers:...

Americans have now lived through almost a year of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), but barring any changes to the law or major court decisions, it has many more years to come. On Saturday, open enrollment began for Americans to make their healthcare selections on the insurance exchanges, and for many, there will be little that changed from last year. However, there are still three things all Americans should know if they’re signing up for Obamacare coverage for 2015:...

Hoonah, Alaska, the picturesque island village home to just under 800 residents, has been struck with tragedy, as a shooting turned standoff has left half of the town’s four-man police force dead. The deadly shooting that left only Hoonah’s police chief and a trainee now has the state SWAT team staking out the shooter’s house, and looking to keep the death count to a minimum. 45 year-old Hoonah local John Marvin Jr....

A workplace gun policy at your small business may give your employees a sense of safety and security, not to mention potentially deterring gun mishaps at work. But in some states, employers may be more or less handicapped by how much they can regulate their employees’ possession of guns on company property. Keeping these considerations in mind, here are five tips for employers considering a workplace gun policy: More than a dozen states have passed specific laws dealing with balancing an employee’s Second Amendment right to bear arms with an employer’s desire for a safe workplace....

Vermont has become the fourth state to legalize gay marriage after its House barely overcame Governor Jim Douglas’s bill veto in a 100-49 vote (the Senate’s vote was not close, 23-5). Governor Douglas felt that there were other things that should have been taking up the government’s time, “What really disappoints me is that we have spent some time on an issue during which another thousand Vermonters have lost their jobs…We need to turn out attention to balancing a budget without raising taxes, growing the economy, putting more people to work....

Congress held hearings recently to review the voting rights of ex-offenders. The Democracy Restoration Act is a new bill proposed that would allow released ex-felons to vote in federal elections. According to the New York Times, the bill would reverse laws dating back to the post-Civil War era which mainly were used to prevent slaves from voting and restore ex-offenders the right to vote. The bill is sponsored by several members of the Congressional Black Caucus who argue that state disenfranchisement laws disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minorities....

It can happen to anyone, but in this case, it happened to Trevor Walker. Somehow, synthetic heroin was slipped into his Diet Coke at a McDonald’s drive-thru. No one knows exactly how the drug got into the drink, but tests taken at the hospital prove that Suboxone, a heroin-substitute, was found in Walker’s urine as well as his McDonald’s Diet Coke, but not in the Diet Coke served to his wife....

The family of the “affluenza” teen sentenced to probation after a fatal DUI crash has decided to settle lawsuits brought by some of the victims. Ethan Couch’s family has agreed to settle with the families of Breanna Mitchell and Hollie and Shelby Boyles – all three allegedly killed by Couch, then 16, in June, the Dallas Morning News reports. Youth pastor Brian Jennings was also killed in the crash, but a settlement with his family has not yet been reached....

A new survey shows that nearly one in five employers prefer to hire independent contractors, citing rising costs of employee benefits and the Affordable Care Act as key factors. The SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard survey for August 2013 found that almost 20% of small businesses are more likely to hire a contractor than a full-time employee, reports Inc.com. Should your business follow suit when faced with its next hiring decision?...