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When can you deduct the interest on your mortgage to lower your income tax amount? There are allowable deductions for mortgage interest, but the federal income tax law is riddled with complex definitions. Sometimes, it can go over your head. But it does not need to be that complicated. Here’s a simple primer on deducting your mortgage interest. “Qualified residence interest” is deductible. But what does that mean? Acquisition indebtedness: You used that loan to buy the house, make significant improvements on it or construct it....

One of the most popular questions lawyers receive from noncustodial clients is whether child support can go directly to a child. Sure, your child may be a toddler, but she’s brilliant and probably has impeccable (Monopoly) money management skills. Sarcasm aside, it’s a valid question that becomes particularly pressing when a custodial parent becomes unfit (e.g., develops an expensive addiction) or begins to squander support payments. If you can’t make payments directly to your child, you may be able to pay a third party....

The Proposition 8 trial on the California ban on gay marriage wrapped up on Wednesday with closing arguments from both sides. Experts believe the case is inevitably headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Depending upon how the decision is framed when District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker rules on the case this summer, it could have a major impact on same sex marriage nationwide. Prop 8 was narrowly passed with 52% of the vote in 2008, revising the California Constitution to ban same sex marriage in the state....

If you’re in the type of business that extends credit to customers, then you’re officially in the business of collecting debts. Unfortunately, collecting debts can oftentimes be difficult, time-consuming, and fruitless–not to mention a drain on your financial resources. However, by following these tips on how to collect debts, you may be able to make the process easier and a lot less painful. Be reasonably persistent and polite. Though you may want to yell at a debtor and talk to them on a daily basis, neither of these is a very good idea....

All children under the age of 18 have the same rights with respect to owning property. They cannot enter into a contract without a parent co-signing, unless they are emancipated minors. But assuming that a minor came into the possession of the item without having entered into a contract, as is the case with most purchases and gifts, parents have no ownership rights over the property of children. Parent’s do, however, have legal responsibility for their children’s actions, both criminally and civilly, under the doctrine of parental liability....

When you decide to permit an employee to drive a company vehicle or even their own vehicle while on the clock, you’re opening yourself up to liability for any damage or accidents the employee may cause. In order to make proper decisions regarding company cars and employee driving, here are the four situations, via the legal principle of vicarious liability, that are most likely to result in employer responsibility for employee car accidents....

The Equal Pay Act marks its 50th anniversary today. On this day 50 years ago, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to prohibit wage discrimination based on gender. The EPA is an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act and was enacted to rectify the pay inequity that existed – and still persists today – between men and women who perform the same job duties....

A new report issued by an anti-gun group shows that guns from Georgia are linked to crime scenes in other states. The report released by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence uses information from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (the ATF), which shows that guns sold in Georgia were recovered at more crime scenes outside its borders than any other state, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports....

More than a dozen Illinois prisoners freed in an early release program are back behind bars and accused of new violent crimes. The state secretly allowed the early release of inmates under an early release program by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. As previously reported, the governor recently suspended the early release program as it had drawn concern from prosecutors. That reversed a state policy of requiring Illinois prisoners to serve at least 61 days before receiving good time....

No business wants to get dogged in a Yelp review, especially dog walking and sitting companies that thrive on word of mouth and positive customer feedback for new clients. But could a lone one-star Yelp review really cost a Lone Star state pet sitting company $1 million dollars in lost business? That’s what Dallas-based Prestigious Pets is contending, after a couple left a less-than-stellar Yelp review of their dog-walking and fish-feeding services....

A doctor generally cannot practice medicine unless they are competent to do so. Each state defines what requirements a doctor must meet to be considered, and remain, competent. Typically, doctors are required to complete a certain number of hours of course work, as well as do on-the-job training, and pass grueling exams. Below, you’ll find three tips on what to do if you are concerned that your doctor may not be competent....

As state legislators fled Wisconsin to protest the governor’s attempt to deny state workers collective bargaining rights, state labor unions in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan also came under attack. If the apparent assault on collective bargaining in the Midwest has caused you to consider unionizing your workplace, here’s a quick primer on how to start a union. The National Labor Relations Act is designed to encourage and protect collective bargaining rights in the public sector....

A New Jersey man has become the first to be criminally charged with theft of an internet domain. He allegedly stole the P2P.com domain, and subsequently sold it, oddly enough, to Los Angeles Clipper Mark “Mad Dog” Madsen. Domain theft has been going on for a while. Perhaps the most famous case was the theft of the highly valuable sex.com, which was accomplished through some old fashioned forgery and fake letters....

Much to the dismay of their loving sons and daughters, moms have been joining Facebook in droves in order to keep in touch – and keep tabs – on their kids. In fact, about 1 in 3 mothers are “friends” with their teens on Facebook, the Associated Press reports. While this gives moms a window into their children’s and friends’ lives, in some cases Facebook use (and misuse) has landed moms in hot water – and even in jail....

Flora Kim and David Kang, of Dallas, Texas were enjoying the annual meeting of the American Association of Oral Maxillofacial Surgeons at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki September 2014 with their son. That was until the boy’s foot got caught in an escalator at the resort, tearing skin from his leg and requiring emergency surgery. Now the parents are suing Crocs, claiming that the shoes the boy was wearing at the time were “negligently and improperly designed,” and that the company knew about the risk to children wearing their shoes on escalators....

All eyes are on a class action suit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) challenging the state’s failed public defender program. The New York public defenders case will be heard by the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court. Many argue that, like many other states, New York’s public defender program is filled with poorly trained and poorly supervised lawyers handling huge caseloads. A class-action suit will be argued in the New York Court of Appeals in the upcoming weeks....

O pet store, if puppy mills are banned, where did you get that doggie in the window? Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz has proposed the City of Los Angeles study prohibiting the purchase and sale of pets bred in puppy and kitten mills, reports the Los Angeles Times. Koretz’ proposal targets sales of hundreds of thousands of live animals by puppy mills to pet stores. “This is a serious problem....

The Internet’s sharing economy – fueled by breakthrough startups like Airbnb and Uber – has made its way into a somewhat unlikely new area: musical instruments. A new service called Sparkplug allows musicians with musical instruments, gear, or practice spaces that aren’t being used to rent it out to other musicians who may need it. Unlike Craigslist, eBay, or other sites where users can buy and sell musical gear, Sparkplug allows musicians with valuable equipment to generate income during downtime without having to part ways with a prized musical instrument or hard-to-find amplifier....

A lawyer is seeking permission to sue the state of Connecticut in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook elementary school shootings. The proposed Sandy Hook lawsuit would seek $100 million on behalf of a 6-year-old survivor who heard the violence over the school’s intercom. Lawyer Irving Pinsky says that he isn’t bringing the lawsuit on behalf of his client, whom he calls “Jill Doe,” for the money. Instead, he says that he is suing to better protect the children, reports The Huffington Post....

As summer slips into fall, calendar-wise, the incoming wet weather in many parts of the country brings with it the risk for a more literally kind of fall: a slip-and-fall injury. Unfortunately, wet surfaces are just one of the many conditions that can cause a slip-and-fall injury. Outdoor slip-and-fall injuries can be caused by cracked pavement or sidewalks, inadequate lighting, or hidden dangers such as unfilled holes. Indoors, polished or wax floors, torn carpets, worn stairways or improperly maintained elevators and escalators are all sources of slip-and-fall injuries....