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Are shoplifting searches ever illegal? Searches of suspected shoplifters occur all the time, most commonly as part of a store’s protocol if a bag sets off the alarm for some reason. Usually, customers don’t object to them if they have nothing to hide. But business owners beware: Some types of searches can potentially be considered illegal. Here are some general guidelines: One legal concept that allows merchants and business owners to conduct searches and then detain suspected shoplifters for a short period of time is called the shopkeeper’s privilege....

The House passed the Small Business Lending Fund Act (SBLF) last week by a vote of 241-182. The legislation, H.R. 5297, is designed to provide an incentive for community banks to increase small-business lending. An increase of small-business lending aids small businesses by increasing their access to capital. The bill will now be taken up by the Senate, where it faces a questionable future. To get access to the new lending, banks would submit a plan for how the plan to use the infusion of captial....

A jogger was killed after being mauled by four pit bulls Thursday in Southern California. Law enforcement officers are now on the hunt for the animals. The Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department issued a warning to stay away from the area in the town of Littlerock, near Palmdale, where the 63-year-old female victim was attacked, reports The Los Angeles Times. It’s not yet clear who owned the pit bulls involved in the jogger’s mauling....

A gay Ohio teenager’s t-shirt proclaiming “Jesus Is Not a Homophobe” is the subject of a federal lawsuit. His prayer for relief: permission to wear the shirt at school. Maverick Couch, 17, actually did wear the t-shirt to Waynesville High School last year, but the principal made him turn it inside-out, The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. That’s standard procedure when a student’s t-shirt is deemed potentially disruptive, the district’s superintendent said....

In a bizarre tragedy, 18-year-old college student Rebecca Kim fell to her death from an eighth-story Art Institute building window in Philadelphia last year. While police originally thought Kim slipped while taking photos from the window sill, messages on her Facebook page and other evidence led the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office to rule Kim’s death a suicide. But Kim wasn’t the only casualty that day. During her fall she struck a pedestrian, 45-year-old Erica Goodwin, causing her severe injuries....

Legal tip for the day: It’s always an invasion of privacy to videotape someone without their consent, even if you’re a high powered surgeon. Dr. William Martinez was dating D’Anna Welsh when he started putting surveillance equipment in her home. When they broke up in 2007, he didn’t mention it to her and left the devices transmitting live video. She discovered some devices in her home a few months after their relationship ended and asked him about them....

Happy 11/12/13! Thinking about getting married today? You’re not alone – courthouses across the country are preparing for an onslaught of couples who want to wed on this rare (and easy-to-remember) sequentially numbered day, the ABA Journal reports. But before you dash to the altar to say “I do,” here are 10 tips to keep in mind for your 11/12/13 wedding (or any wedding in general): You’ll need to meet the requirements for a marriage license....

With the job market tighter than ever, more and more Americans are turning to freelancing as a way to put their skills to use. According to freelance worker advocacy group the Freelancers Union, a recent survey found that 53 million Americans are freelancing, working as independent contractors for clients as a “small business” of one. But along with unique benefits – such as scheduling flexibility, being able to choose the projects you work, and being your own boss – there are also several legal issues that freelancers in particular should be aware of....

When a person decides to pursue legal action to resolve a dispute, they often envision having their day in court in front of a judge and jury. However, the vast majority of cases never get that far. Most cases settle before trial, and many will settle without the parties ever seeing the inside of a courtroom. Attorneys and courts have increasingly turned to alternative dispute resolution (also known as ADR) to help people resolve their legal disputes....

Sometimes the only thing standing between life and death for a soldier is their gear, such as body plate armor. Well, the U.S. Army has admitted a rather large mishap: about 5 million plates of body armor were not tested properly. According to a report from the Defense Department Inspector General, many units were not tested properly, while some units weren’t tested at all. Of course, just because the units weren’t tested properly does not mean that they are defective....

Justine Sacco, a former PR executive at a powerful technology company, sparked a firestorm of controversy after posting a joke on Twitter about AIDS in Africa on Friday. Sacco’s employer, media company IAC, fired her on Saturday. Sacco’s tweet, sent before she boarded a flight for Cape Town, read: “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” By the time she arrived in South Africa, the tweet had gone viral....

When you start a business, you’ll have a lot of things on your mind (like actually getting your business off the ground). But you’ll also want to think carefully about how to make your small business lawsuit-proof. In fact, most owners don’t consider the legal aspects of their business until they’re actually defending themselves in a lawsuit. That’s not a fun experience, and it’s not cheap either. There is some credence to the old adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure....

With cloud storage becoming increasingly popular for businesses, many small new SaaS companies are popping up. But some people are setting up low-budget SaaS companies online, without fully addressing the legal issues involved. Drafting an SaaS agreement can be tricky, since it’s a complex agreement. But if your startup doesn’t have the funds to hire a lawyer, you’d better be smart about how you draft one of these contracts. Let’s start at the very beginning: What is an SaaS?...

‘Tis the season for holiday shopping, merriment, and crime. If you’ve gone through a holiday shopping season before, you may know that this is the peak season for shoplifting and theft. But while most small business owners can’t afford high-tech security surveillance systems, you should know that some of the most effective ways to prevent shoplifting are free. Here are the five best ways to stop shoplifting without spending an extra dime:...

The pain of forking over the money for a security deposit when you sign a new lease is only manageable because you assume you’ll get it back when you move it. But between moving in and moving out, you might forfeit the deposit without even realizing it. Money paid for a security deposit isn’t really yours anymore and it isn’t really the landlord’s. It’s in this weird limbo meant to cover costs when you move out....

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and a lasting icon of dogged humanity in the face of racial oppression, died Thursday after a prolonged illness. Mandela was 95. America’s first black president, Barack Obama, mourned the loss of Mandela on Thursday, and took the moment to express his deepest gratitude to the South African leader who inspired his own involvement in politics. “He no longer belongs to us,” President Obama said....

A second Arizona transplant patient has died. Gov. Jan Brewer’s passed extreme budget cuts that stop paying for seven types of transplants, ABC News reports. The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid agency, offers healthcare programs such as transplants for state residents. Doctors and transplant patients throughout Arizona are criticizing the drastic budget approach. This approach to tackling the state’s budget has angered many, including Nina Roosevelt Gibson, who is the granddaughter of President Franklin D....

Want to play the ponies at the Kentucky Derby or at a racetrack closer to home? If so, knowing some general horse-betting laws can pay off. Betting on horses is one of America’s oldest forms of gambling. But before you sip your mint julep and place your bet, check out these five legal facts about betting on horse races: If you’ve traveled to the Bluegrass State to bet on your favorite steed, you may want to check the betting age....

A new California law will require drivers to keep a bicycle buffer zone of at least 3 feet when passing bicyclists. The law, which aims to protect cyclists from aggressive drivers, will go into effect September 16, 2014. Until now, California had a less specific standard that required drivers to keep a “safe distance” from bicyclists. Bike Buffer Laws The bill, AB1371 , was proposed by Assemblyman Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), reports the Associated Press....

Bank of America whistleblower Kyle Lagow will be receiving $14.5 million as part of a 2009 suit he brought against Countrywide Financial on behalf of the U.S. government. He accused Countrywide, which was bought by BofA in 2008, of inflating appraisals on government-insured loans. Overall, Lagow’s BofA whistleblower suit led to a $1 billion settlement between the bank and the Department of Justice. It also contributed to the $25 billion settlement reached between the major banks, federal and state governments earlier this year....