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Two weeks ago, the doors of a Rotorua, New Zealand gas station were shuttered. Its owners, rather than cashless, were likely already out of the country with over $2 million their bank accidentally made available to them. Though perhaps bringing a grin to the faces of many small businesses whose recent experience with banks has not involved the dolling out of millions, the case shows us one way, a bad way, to close up shop....

No loving couple enters into a marriage contemplating divorce. But, alas, divorce happens. And when it does, it leaves many spouses wondering what criteria are used to calculate alimony. That and how much spousal support they should expect to pay or receive. The truth is, alimony support varies widely depending on your financial situation. It can also be contingent on your state’s laws. But what are some of the usual factors a court will look at when they determine spousal support?...

You know it’s happening – employees are staring out their windows, wistfully wondering how the summer is going by so quickly. So why not get them out of the office for a little fun in the sun? If you haven’t already planned a summer BBQ or office picnic for your staff, it’s a great way to foster both personal and working relationships and give your employees a much-needed break from the monotony....

Can you sue for business damages if someone takes to Twitter or other social media sites and starts talking trash? Is there such a thing as twitter defamation? A recent case involving Courtney Love and a small business sheds very interesting light on the subject. The case involving allegations of defamation against Courtney Love stems from posts she made about a small businesswoman. In her tweets, Love called Simorangkir a drug-pushing prostitute, with a history of assault and battery, who lost custody of her own child, who capitalized on Love’s fame and then stole from her....

And you thought summer time temperatures of up to 120 degrees in Vegas were hot? Bill Pintas was enjoying himself at the new Vdara hotel pool in the City Center, when he suddenly encountered the “death ray”: Apparently, due to an architectural flaw on the glass building, the sun’s light is being amplified and reflected into an area of the pool. There have been reports that plastic has melted from the heat....

Last week, the City of New York came to a settlement agreement with the family of Sean Bell, the young man who was shot and killed by police officers on the eve of his wedding in 2006. Payments will also be made to two friends of Bell’s who were with him at the time and were injured in the shooting, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield. The two will be paid $3 million and $900,000, respectively....

Using a phrase like “a great bachelor pad for any single man looking to hook up,” might well get you into a spot of trouble, but not the kind you think. The Connor Group, owners and management company for nearly 1,900 rental units in the Dayton, Ohio, area reportedly used that tag line to advertise their rentals on craigslist.com and wound up with a lawsuit from the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center....

On the heels of the lawsuit filed against Apple for the death of 5 year old Moriah Modisette due to an auto accident caused by a FaceTime-ing driver, a class action lawsuit has been filed against Apple alleging that the tech giant prioritized profits over customer and public safety. In the new case against Apple, the driver, Julio Ceja, was rear ended by a driver that was texting on their iPhone....

Arizona lawmakers have approved a controversial 20-week abortion ban that would also impose additional requirements on doctors, abortion clinics, and the state’s health department. Arizona’s House of Representatives voted 37-22 in favor of the bill, which already passed in the state Senate, Reuters reports. The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Jan Brewer for approval; Brewer has not announced her position on the bill, but a spokesman emphasized her “strong and consistent pro-life record....

While many of us couldn’t imagine life, much less business, without a mobile device, some business owners are choosing not to go mobile. Despite the proliferation of iPhones and BlackBerrys in the workplace, a staggering 34% of companies use no mobile devices in their business, according to a new study by Constant Contact Inc. and reported by Daily Deal Media. With a healthy one-third of businesses no using mobile technology whatsoever, maybe the old-fashioned methods are worth a second look....

Blockbuster, once the king of video rentals, is preparing to file for bankruptcy next month. Blockbuster hopes to use time in Chapter 11 to restructure their debt load. The company has nearly $1 billion in debts and hopes to escape leases on over 500 stores. The Blockbuster bankruptcy comes largely as a result of the company’s inability to shift gears into the digital age. Netflix and Redbox made renting movies online and from kiosks faster, easier and cheaper than going to a Blockbuster....

Homeowners having work done to their homes may be concerned about not just the quality of the work, but also about the potential legal liability for injuries sustained by contractors performing the work. By virtue of owning the property, homeowners may generally be held responsible for injuries caused by negligence in failing to maintain the property in a reasonably safe condition. What is considered negligence in a given situation depends in part upon the status of the injured person, but also the cause of the injury and the circumstances surrounding an accident....

Summer is coming. Your business had a good year. You want to reward your team with a company picnic! However, be careful. Company picnics and events can be great ways to build rapport and reward your employees. But, depending on how you plan your event, you could be exposing yourself to a host of liability issues. Workers’ Comp Workers’ compensation covers employees injuries caused by employees duties or the conditions at work....

If you’re getting married, you may be asked to enter into a prenuptial agreement. If so, you’ll want to carefully consider the legal implications before you sign it. As you probably know, a prenup can ensure that your interests are protected in the event your marriage doesn’t last. But because it’s a contract, you’ll want to make sure you know exactly what you’re agreeing to, and what may happen if the agreement is violated....

Not all small businesses can take care of everything in house – some of us need to subcontract out different pieces of our business, whether that be advertising, construction, production, or distribution. And if you’re one of the many small businesses that regularly uses subcontractors, or a small business that regularly acts as a subcontractor, you may want to pay attention to some new federal rules imposing additional obligations on prime contractors and what happens if they fail to satisfy those obligations....

For millions, the green card lottery is their ticket to the American dream. Winners of the green card lottery, open to citizens from countries that have low rates of immigration to the U.S., have the chance to apply for a green card. But now, a green card lawsuit has been dismissed by a federal judge. The reason for the lawsuit? A glitch in the State Department’s computer systems made it so that the “random” selection of the 15 million or so entrants into the lottery was not so random, reports The Wall Street Journal....

Gary Null says he nearly died after taking a dose of his own medicine. Null, health guru, author, critic of the medical and psychiatric communities, and seller of Gary Null’s Ultimate Power Meal, claims that after taking the supplement as directed for a month, he suffered from a variety of ailments including kidney damage, “excruciating fatigue along with bodily pain,” as well as bleeding “within his feet.” Null has sued Triarco Industries, alleging that the supplement they made contained 1,000 times the recommended dose of Vitamin D....

When juries award multimillion-dollar sums to injured persons, it may seem like a win. But often these awards can be overturned for being excessive. What does it mean for a personal injury damage award to be excessive? Here’s a general legal overview: Sometimes juries can reach staggering monetary totals in awarding a plaintiff (or punishing a defendant) with huge damages in personal injury cases. For example, a recent verdict for a man who had his leg amputated after a car crash totaled $19....

Anyone who’s scraped the last of their money together at the end of the month to pay rent has worried if they’ll get fined for paying late. Same for those who’ve wondered about subletting or leaving their apartment before the lease expires. But are these fines or penalties legal? And what are the limitations on fines in residential rental or lease agreements? Learn Your Lease This item should just be standard in any discussion of landlord-tenant law: know your lease....

The cause of a fatal Minnesota bus crash may be due to the fact that the bus driver suffered from an aneurysm bursting in his chest while he was driving. The AP reports that the crash occurred on the Strain Bus Line which was operating a tour bus to an Iowa casino. The bus driver, Ed Erickson was driving the bus on a clear Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 90 near Austin, Minn....