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Workers’ compensation is the name given to state and federal programs under which workers who are injured on the job can recover for the costs associated with their injuries, including medical bills and lost wages. To qualify for coverage under workers’ compensation insurance, an injury must be work-related. These injuries can include both physical injuries, such as broken bones or carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as mental or emotional injuries such as depression....

Last week, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer dropped a bombshell on Yahoo’s 14,500 employees – the work-from-home policy would be done by June. This is a huge shift for the company, which to date, left telecommuting policy in the hands of its individual managers. But ever since Mayer took to the helm last year, she’s been taking company matters into her own hands and revamping the one-time Internet leader. Marissa Mayer’s bold new move has raised some interesting questions....

With the dog days of summer upon us, here’s hoping your pool party doesn’t belly-flop into a lawsuit. When it comes to potential pool party liability, safety is key. Before you fire up the grill and play another round of “Marco Polo,” take all the necessary pool safety precautions – or you could get sued. Here are a few tips on how to lawsuit-proof your pool party: Above all, remember: No pooping in the pool....

Desperate times call for desperate advertising. In light of a $19 billion deficit, the California Senate is considering creating digital license plates and selling advertising space on the plates. Sen. Curren Price, a Democrat from the Los Angeles area, sponsored Senate Bill 1453 which would authorize the development and evaluation of a digital electronic license plates. The bill passed the California Senate by unanimous vote. It heads to the California Assembly’s Transportation Committee next week....

It’s summer. It’s hot. And kids are running around with ice cream, snow cones, and slushies. But why should they have all the fun? “Basically, it’s single malt beverages that are available in single serve cans, that are just opened and poured right into the slushie machine,” Jeff Martin, manager of Breski’s Beverages told Pennsylvania’s Fox43 News. “Takes about a half hour or so, and you have a slushie.” “You can buy them now, and take them home and put them in the freezer, and then later when the kids go to bed, you can have a slushie,” added Lisa Adams....

While “table side racism” might sound like an insane dining service, it’s actually a phenomenon sweeping American restaurants. A new study finds that “dining while black” can be just as bad for African-Americans as driving while black. Minus the police brutality, of course. What reasons did wait staffers give for their actions? Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly), a lot of stereotypes were cited. Respondents reported viewing black diners as more rude and demanding than other customers....

A call from family can warm a grandparent’s heart. That is, of course, if the caller is actually family. All too often these days, a caller is a con man or woman, posing as a grandchild in need, in order to scam money from trusting and protective grandparents. The grandparent scam has become more and more pervasive in recent years, preying on the best intentions of vulnerable senior citizens. Here are some ways to identify the scam and protect yourself and your loved ones....

Accidents happen. But some accidents can be avoided, and if someone doesn’t take the right steps to avoid an accident, they can be liable for the injuries that occur. Those injuries can be serious or widespread, and if it’s a large company or corporation that failed to protect customers or the general public, the lawsuits regarding injury liability can be huge. The past year was no exception and there were some serious injury lawsuits filed, along with some big verdicts, in 2018....

Among the hundreds of new California laws that went into effect this year is AB 1897. The law affects businesses that use contracting agencies to hire contract employees, making the business liable for the wage and hour violations of the contract agency. The law is designed to encourage businesses to police their own contractors, using the stick of liability if they don’t. Workers whose contracting agencies fail to pay required overtime, for example, can sue either the agency or the business that hired the agency to provide the contract labor....

Technology has consistently made our favorite music more mobile. Music streaming sites like Pandora and Spotify allow us to have our own soundtrack everywhere we go. Businesses are also taking advantage of streaming sites. By now we’ve all seen a bartender or a barista with their phone plugged into the sound system, setting the mood for the establishment. But is this kosher, legally? Are there different rules for streaming Pandora at a business?...

The AP reported that a packed commuter train for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority caught fire in Philadelphia today. The train was crowded more than usual because there was a city wide transit strike in progress. Official said there are no injuries reported but the fire added to the chaos caused by the Philadelphia transit strike. Here is a news clip of the incident: Flames and smoke billowed out of the front of the train as it traveled from the Overbrook station to the Amtrak station in Center City....

Disneyland can expect a lawsuit from former employee, Imane Boudlal, for their alleged refusal to let her wear her hijab, a Muslim head scarf, in front of customers. Boudlal worked at ’the happiest place on earth’ in California for two and a half years until late 2010. When she began wearing her hijab to work, management told her to take it off, work where customers couldn’t see her, or go home....

The first time home buyer tax credit expires December 1, 2009. So, you have to finalize the purchase of your home before then. A “first time home buyer” is someone who has not owned a principal residence for the three-year period before buying this new home. The first time home buyer tax credit applies to the home used as buyer’s primary residence The tax credit does not have be repaid Homebuyers receive 10% of the home’s purchase price, up to $8,000 maximum....

The killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin may lead to civil lawsuits – for which George Zimmerman and other homeowners in his gated community may eventually have to pay. The homeowners association at the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Fla., where Martin was shot and killed, could face a possible lawsuit in connection with how its neighborhood watch program was conducted, a lawyer told the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s a cautionary tale for other associations,” the lawyer, who specializes in homeowner-association law, said....

Sometimes an employee just doesn’t work out. Although the employee you want to fire may need the job, as an employer, you have a business to worry about. Running a business requires making the tough decisions, which includes firing employees. However, many small business owners become concerned about the legal liability of firing an employee. It may feel rotten to have to fire someone, but unless there was something more going on, there is nothing illegal about terminating employees for valid business reasons, such as poor performance, downsizing, or restructuring....

If you don’t have the best relationship with some of your relatives, omitting those family members from your will is one option to consider. One example comes from late fashion designer L’Wren Scott. She left her entire estate to her boyfriend, Rolling Stone lead singer Mick Jagger. Noticeably absent from her will are her two siblings. So if you don’t want your relatives to inherit your estate upon your death, here’s a general overview of how to omit them from your will:...

The ability to understand legalese, the specialized language used by lawyers, judges, and others in the legal field, is essential to understanding and resolving legal issues. In our continuing series Legalese From A to Z, we examine the meaning and purpose behind some important bits of legalese. Today, let’s look at five legal terms that begin with the letter “E”: Eminent domain. Eminent domain is the government’s power to take property from a private owner in order to put it to public use....

Kennedy clan member Michael Skakel might have won after all, even though finally convicted in 2002 for the 1975 murder of his then teenaged neighbor Martha Moxley. Although currently serving a 20 years to life sentence, Skakel will be eligible for parole in 2013. The Moxley murder case garnered nationwide attention after court and society observer Dominick Dunne and former police investigator Mark Fuhrman both wrote books that helped bring the case back to the attention of authorities....

As discussed on a recent post on FindLaw’s Legally Weird Blog, a woman is suing the Hyatt Hotel corporation for invasion of privacy, negligent hiring, training, supervision and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The plaintiff, Dayanara Fernandez, returned to her room in a Hyatt in Deerfield, Illinois, to find an employee attired in his Hyatt uniform - from the waist up. From the waist down, he was dressed in her skirt and a pair of her heels and even worse, a pair of her underwear....

One of the leading brain surgeons that co-founded the North Shore University Hospital’s Chiari Institute is facing three malpractice lawsuits over surgeries to correct Chiari malformations. The suits all allege that Dr. Bolognese improperly or needlessly performed a surgery to correct a Chiari malformation in each of the three separate plaintiffs. The Chiari malformation is a rare condition where part of the brain forms under the brainstem where it connects with the neck and spinal cord....