Posts

Some drivers don’t have insurance. Yes, even in states where motorists are required to carry a minimum collision policy - it happens. And if you’re reading this, you may be one of the unlucky many to be hit by an uninsured driver. Not so good for you. But don’t worry, you’re not completely without recourse. If you’ve been hit by an uninsured driver or an underinsured driver, you may still be able to get your insurance company or the other party to pay your bills....

Under the law, you can sue the same day an accident happens. However, before filing a lawsuit, you should have a good idea about how the accident happened, who caused it, and how much money you are owed as a result of the accident. If there is no concern over missing a statute of limitation, it is better to wait until you have more information about your damages before filing in court....

President Donald Trump hasn’t been shy about his stance on immigration. He’s trying to block refugees and immigrants from several Muslim-majority countries, he wants to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, and his Department of Homeland Security rolled back an Obama-era program that protected immigrant parents of a citizen or legal resident children. Then this week he threw his support behind legislation that would slash legal immigration while altering the criteria for entry....

You are not only a business person but a person, and you know how annoying other people can be, especially when they are trying to sell you on something. Yet you read so much different business advice that you can’t always figure out when to be aggressive and when to be nice. Opt for the latter whenever you wonder what approach to take because there are some deceptive trade and sales tactics that are not only unpleasant for the customer, but also illegal....

You want your business to succeed and you try to stay abreast of all legal and industry developments to ensure that you are on top of things and out of trouble. But it is difficult to be aware of all the government agencies and all of the regulations that might impact your business. Here is a fine example. In 2010, the Department of Justice proposed new rules outlining what businesses would need to do to bring websites in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act....

Charitable giving is commendable, and as a small business owner with local clientele, it can get you more than just good will. Sure there are some tax benefits, but for a business that’s also part of a community, giving back to a local group or charity can come with rewards that keep on giving throughout the year. There are many ways, and many benefits, to keeping your donations closer to home....

14 California lifeguards were fired from the city’s aquatic center for a parody video they made of the popular ‘Gangnam Style’ music video. Several lifeguards in El Monte, CA participated in the video but others were fired just for being in the background while it was shot. The pool manager was also fired even though he doesn’t appear in the video. The city was upset that the lifeguards used the public facility as the background and that they’re wearing their uniforms in the video....

We get massages to relax, heal an injury, or as long-term therapy. In essence, we go to a massage therapist to feel better. But that’s not always the case. As with any medical or therapeutic treatment, a massage doesn’t always go as planned, and sometimes a massage can result in injury. If that happens, can you sue? What Kind of Lawsuit? Suing for a massage injury is much like a classic medical malpractice case: Spas, gyms, and the massage therapists they employ owe patients a standard of care equal to their expertise....

Everyone loved your uncle Joe, but his Doberman … well, not as much. If your uncle left you his pet as part of your inheritance, are you stuck with this dog? Not necessarily. There are alternatives that may be better for both you and the animal. But before giving up the dog, consider that caring for animals can have great health benefits. Also, it’s a way to keep Joe’s memory or spirit living with you, quite literally....

GW Pharmaceuticals, a British company, has asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve a pot mouth spray – the world’s first marijuana-based prescription drug. The spray, called Sativex, contains THC and cannabinoids. These chemicals are said to have anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant and anti-tremor properties. They also stimulate appetite. Sativex is currently available in Canada, New Zealand and 8 European countries. But marijuana is illegal in the United States. Can the pot mouth spray be approved?...

The things that make Halloween fun are the same things that make it frightening: out at night, among scary costumes and spooky decorations. We certainly want to be a little scared on Halloween, and it can be a fine line between scary and safe. So here are three ways to keep the frightening fun this Halloween, keep the scary stuff safe, and avoid injuries that can ruin a good All Hallows’ Eve....

October 15th 2009 is last day sole proprietors, certain individual partners in a partnerships, and certain shareholders of an S corporation, can take advantage of IRS Net Operating Loss (NOL) carry back incentive, for large losses in 2008. The incentive was introduced as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in February. There are efforts to extend tax benefit, as part of the proposed NOL Carryback Act, but self-employed entrepreneurs risk missing this opportunity by waiting....

President Obama’s Treasury Department announced a new effort to unlock access to small business loans. Under the plan, the government will buy up securities backed by small business loans, guarantee a higher percentage of individual small business loans, and require lenders to periodically report how much they are lending to small businesses. Normally, loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are sold by lenders to investors on the secondary market....

The Unforeseen Consequences of Criminal Proceedings Immigration law allow for the deportation of aliens convicted of an “aggravated felony”. Immigration laws go on to list various crimes and types of crimes that qualify as these aggravated felonies, and sometimes the language in those definitions can set a hard line for when a crime will become aggravated in nature. The language that the Supreme Court addressed today, for example, dealt with crimes of fraud or deceit and makes an alien deportable if such a crime involves a loss of more than $10,000 by the victims....

College students don’t often think about the legal consequences of their actions until it’s too late and that can lead to trouble. This fall get a jumpstart on recognizing situations where things are likely to go wrong. No, the issue isn’t with studying too much or doing too well in class. It’s that other part of college life where people start having too much fun that things go wrong. If you have a college student (or you are one) make sure to know the top 5 situations that can result in legal trouble....

Home foreclosures for July 2009 numbered 360,149, a 7% increase from June and 32% increase from July 2008. The report comes from RealtyTrac, an online marketplace for foreclosure properties. The report also showed that one out of every 355 housing units in the U.S. was on the receiving end of a foreclosure filing in July. Which states topped the home foreclosure list? Other states with high foreclosure rates included Florida, Utah, Idaho, Georgia, Illinois, Colorado, and Oregon....

After hearing so much for so long about the devious Ponzi scheme that Bernie Madoff used to snatch nearly $65 billion from small businesses, individuals, non-profit organizations, and various other entities that invested with him, we have been wondering about the Madoff victims. While Madoff contemplates life and times while doing the jailhouse rock, what of the unsuspecting souls that lost big and small to his borrow-from-Peter-to-pay-Paul scheme, during a time when the economy was also flat-lining?...

Guest post by Jennifer K. Halford, Esq. The Internet is full of checklists and resources to use if you are planning to move. There are packing timelines. There are lists of packing supplies. There are even directions on how to pack boxes. But moving is much more than purging and organizing your personal affects. There are legal tasks you need to take care of too. Here are 5 legal tasks to complete when you move:...

Imagine a doctor’s office that had jars of aborted fetuses and severed babies’ feet lining shelves. It is not a scene out of a horror movie; the Philadelphia district attorney’s office has charged Dr. Kermit Gosnell with 8 counts of murder, specifically of newborn babies and a patient, The New York Times reports. The clinic specifically treated low income minority and immigrant women and offered late-term abortions. Dr. Kermit Gosnell is accused of performing illegal late term abortions by inducing labor in his patients, delivering the babies alive, and then snipping their spinal cords to kill them....

If you’ve ever been upset when an airline has lost your luggage, take heart–at least it didn’t lose your husband. Martha Elena Flores-Cura is suing Continental Airlines in response to an August 2009 incident during which the carrier allegedly lost the remains of her deceased husband, Humberto Rivera, after his body had been flown from Atlanta to Texas. Flores-Cura made arrangements to move the body of Humberto Rivera to Texas so that his body could be driven across the border to his hometown of Monterrey, reports The Monitor....