While most people seem to be getting married at an older age these days, the age of consent under state marriage laws varies between 16 and 18. But there are instances where the age of consent is even lower, provided that there’s parental and/or judicial consent. While this may seem reasonable since the assumption is that parents and judges have a child’s best interests at heart, this is not always the case....
Are banks finally lowering mortgage principals? Until recently, debt negotiation and loan modification were the avenues of choice for many banks, if they even agreed to assist distressed homeowners. This involved perhaps adjusting interest rates and the length of the loan, but up to this point, not the principal amount owed. Forgiveness of debt was simply out of the question. Until now. Bank of America announced last Wednesday that it planned to cut mortgage principal on some loans, in order to assist the distressed homeowners involved, in an invitation-only program for homeowners facing foreclosure....
Stories of squatters gaining title to the properties they trespass upon are the urban legends that keep landowners awake at night. Under adverse possession laws, it is actually possible, albeit rather difficult, for a squatter to gain legal title. Landowners need to be aware of their rights when dealing with squatters, as many jurisdictions do provide squatters with some legal protections. For instance, if a squatter is actually a holdover tenant, or sub-tenant, meaning a renter who has stayed beyond the terms of their rental agreement, the formal eviction process will likely be required to remove the squatter....
A Pennsylvania judge served jury duty. If she didn’t have good enough reason to skip out on jury duty, neither should you. Cambria County Judge Linda Fleming received a jury duty notice just like everyone else. But given her job, no one would have blinked twice if Fleming opted out of her civic requirements. However, the judge said that her job was no more important than anyone else’s and showed up for jury duty....
Levi Johnston, the man who fathered former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s first grandchild, Tripp, is planning to seek legal joint custody. According to People Magazine, Johnston, 19 claims that Sarah Palin and the rest of the family are making it difficult for him to see his 10 month old son Tripp. He told Insider: “It’s not working. I’m done. It’s going to have to go to court. They just finally pushed me over the edge....
Small business owners rejoice: It looks like getting a loan from the Small Business Administration may soon be within anyone’s reach. The SBA offers loans to small business owners as an alternative to bank loans and other financing options. But landing one of those loans required a lot of paperwork, and not everyone could qualify. At least, that was the case before Karen Mills, the outgoing SBA chief, broke the news on changes to the program, the Jacksonville Business Journal reports....
Have you moved since the last time you voted? In fact, when was the last time you even voted? If you can’t answer either of these questions, or answered the first one affirmatively, it’s probably time to update your voter registration. Well, that is if you want to vote in the next election. Voter registration laws generally require residents to vote in their precinct and at a specified polling location. If your voting information isn’t up to date, you might be turned away....
We all know there can be costs to breaking the law. You may have to pay a fine, or pony up for an attorney. You might have to pay some court costs, and, if you agree to community service or classes, there may be a price tag on those. But some states have added a new wrinkle: prosecution fees. These, allegedly, are the costs borne by the state, county, or municipality associated with prosecuting criminal defendants, which are then passed on to the defendants themselves....
The parents of Andy Lopez, the 13-year-old boy shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy while carrying a toy rifle, have filed a civil rights lawsuit against the deputy and a California sheriff’s department. Rodrigo Lopez and Sujey Lopez Cruz filed suit in federal court Monday, claiming their son was killed “in violation of constitutional limits on police authority,” The Press Democrat reports. Civil rights suits over law-enforcement violence can be legally complicated, so what will the Lopez family need to prove?...
Response to Concerns about Court-Appointed Specialists Two California counties are going to have their family courts investigated for potential abuses in the way that court-appointed specialists are used. The state Joint Legislative Audit Committee voted unanimously last week to approve the audit in the two counties in response to the relatively higher number of litigants “reporting problems and filing complaints”. One report noted that the use of court-appointed specialists in family law disputes have been criticized in that “such appointees can form incestuous and incompetent networks more concerned with generating fees than helping children through painful custody fights....
We warned you – Black Friday is dangerous. And, as expected, quite a few people were injured while trying to take advantage of some sweet shopping deals this year. While we’re not quite as morbid as BlackFridayDeathCount.com (or as humorous as The Onion), it can be valuable to take a look at this year’s injuries, how they might have been avoided, and what lawsuits may follow. Here’s a rundown of 2017’s Black Friday injuries:...
The California State Senate recently approved a cost savings bill to save millions of dollars and release the state’s sickest inmates on medical parole. California’s latest cost savings strategy is aimed at helping to close yet another budget deficit by fiscal year’s end, the Associated Press reports. The state is facing a $19 billion budget deficit. Under the measure, the parole board also be allowed to send severely disabled inmates to outside facilities without posting guards around the clock....
Summer’s almost here, and that means BBQs, pool parties, and camping. And as fun as all that is, how many times have you thought, “You know what this party needs? A flamethrower”? Well, you’re in luck. Not only are flamethrowers already available, but a recent effort to regulate Elon Musk’s flamethrower has failed. So, you’re relatively free to light it up. What could possibly go wrong? Wildfire Fear After a year that saw the worst wildfires in the state’s recorded history, a number of California lawmakers were understandably nervous about a flame-throwing citizenry....
Pokemon Go is a legitimate sensation. The game became so popular so quickly, players were driving their cars into trees and getting arrested while playing. And any small business owner’s eyes will turn into dollar signs when she hears that a platform has more daily users than Twitter. So how can your small business break into the Pokemon Go market without breaking the law? Here’s what you need to know....
In a landmark ruling, a federal district court judge in Northern California ruled that police cannot force people to use biometrics to unlock their phones without a specific warrant. As technology advances, some are worried about their invasion of privacy, both civilly and criminally. Though this ruling has limited jurisdiction, it is the first of its kind to outlaw the use of biometrics based on Fifth Amendment rights. In this case, two suspects in Oakland were being investigated over allegations they were blackmailing someone over an embarrassing video using Facebook Messenger....
Considering the legal kerfuffle and PR nightmare over North Carolina’s bathroom bill and federal protections against transgender discrimination, many businesses are wondering how to comply with both state and federal law on transgender bathroom access. Lucky for you, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released a fact sheet on how business owners can provide access in compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. So here’s what small business owners need to know about Title VII, transgender employees, and appropriate bathroom access:...
A newly released study pits two beloved institutions against each other: social media – specifically, Facebook – and divorce. The study appears in the July 2014 edition of the journal Computers in Human Behavior. Researchers analyzed the relationship between social media platforms, marriage satisfaction, and divorce, discovering that “Facebook penetration” is associated with “increasing divorce rates.” Facebook has certainly never been of great help to troubled couples, but is social media use really associated with divorce?...
Whether it’s high school or college, students are working themselves to the bone, according to a new survey by Citigroup and Seventeen magazine. Nearly 80 percent of students are rolling up their shirt sleeves at least part-time during the school year, the study found. The findings on student employment – which included high school and college students – raise legal issues and concerns about the educational future of our country’s youth....
A Georgia family is grieving after a falling mirror killed their two-year-old daughter, Ifrah Siddique, inside a Payless ShoeSource store. It’s a tragic case touching on the legal responsibilities of retailers and the legal rights and remedies available to store patrons. According to media reports, Ifrah was trying on shoes with her family when a large mirror fell off the wall, crushing her underneath. She was taken to Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Georgia, but was pronounced dead at the hospital....
A stepparent will generally not be required to pay child support for a spouse’s children from a prior relationship. Courts usually will not even consider how much a stepparent earns. However, depending on the specific facts of a case, a stepparent’s income can still make a significant difference in the amount of support that must be paid for a biological parent. As a preliminary matter, because child support is usually based on a percentage of a parent’s net income, after getting married, a parent’s net income may increase due to tax benefits....
