‘Taking out empty calories from sugary drinks is a powerful lifestyle change we can make to help our children to get and stay healthy,’ according to Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen. ‘This law will help families make the healthy choice the easy choice.’ The law to which Dr. Wen is referring is Baltimore’s new ordinance that prohibits sodas and sugary drinks from appearing on kids’ menus in city restaurants....
We know you can get workers compensation for back injury, hearing loss, food poisoning, and hernias. What about knee injuries? Knee injuries are common among truck drivers, nurses, workers in manufacturing, and construction workers. Common knee injuries, including MCL tear, ACL tear, knee sprains, and meniscus tears, can cause severe pain, require a lot of medical treatment and extensive rehab, and cost you a lot of money. Can you get workers compensation for a knee injury?...
Maybe it was a parking lot fender bender that didn’t seem to cause any damage or an accident that occurred when someone else was driving your car. Whatever the case may be, if you are contacted by another party regarding a car accident, you may be taken by surprise. And unfortunately, doing or saying the wrong thing may have repercussions in the event of an accident lawsuit. So what should you do if you’re contacted about a car accident?...
It was a date with destiny more than three decades in the making. A deadbeat dad who had moved out of state was nabbed on a 36-year-old child support warrant and taken to jail. Stephen Schmidt, 70, of Jonesboro, Ga., hadn’t returned to Wisconsin in three decades, Reuters reports. But on his first trip back to the Badger State on Friday, Schmidt was pulled over for a traffic violation. A Wisconsin state trooper spotted Schmidt driving without tail lights, and noted his car exhaust was too loud, Milwaukee’s WISN-TV reports....
A Michigan father gets prison time in child support case that is making headlines. SFGate.com offers a clever equation to explain the story: one man + 14 women = 23 children and prison. Yes, the father to 23 children is behind in his child support payments by over $500,000 and will now serve two to four years in prison for it – a prison term over twice the state guidelines for this type of case....
In yet another setback to Trump administration efforts to curb immigration, a federal judge in California put a temporary hold on deportation efforts aimed at 300,000 immigrants covered under “temporary protected status” designations. Attempts to end the program, which protects refugees fleeing violence and disaster in El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan, lacked “any explanation or justification” according to U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen. In fact, the judge cited “serious questions as to whether a discriminatory purpose was a motivating factor” in the administration’s decision to terminate the program....
CBS News reports that the New Jersey Senate passed a new calorie law. The calorie law would require chain restaurants in New Jersey to post the number of calories in a product right on the menu. The calorie food count measure requires all restaurants with at least 20 locations nationwide to comply with the new law. The bill would not apply to salad bars or buffets. While the bill applies only to chains and not small businesses, franchise owners make up a part of the small business owner population....
With all the attention lately on paid family leave (or lack thereof), you’d think the women in positions of power would take all the time they can. Especially when one of those women instituted one of the most comprehensive paid family leave policies in the country. But just two short years after extending paid leave for both mothers and fathers at her company, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer announced she would only be taking 14 short days of maternity leave following the birth of her twins....
One question that many people ask when contemplating their estate plan is how to avoid probate. Probate is an expensive and time-consuming process that could significantly reduce what you leave to your heirs. While there may be some benefits of probating your estate – like having court supervision and having the unwinding of your estate be in a very public forum – the reality is that most people do not need these protections....
When you’re marketing your small business, you might be tempted to push the envelope. You may want to exaggerate your product’s effectiveness or fluff up its quality level. But be wary. There’s a line you shouldn’t cross. You don’t want to accidentally run afoul of fair advertising rules. So it’s good to give yourself a quick reminder now and then about the basics of fair advertising. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know:...
The tragic Indiana stage collapse claimed the lives of 6 people, possibly 7. The stage collapsed from a powerful gust of wind prior to a Sugarland concert at the Indiana State Fair. Among those who perished was Tammy VanDam. Her partner Beth Urschel has now filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of herself and VanDam’s estate. Tammy VanDam’s wrongful death suit seeks around $50 million in damages, reports the Post-Tribune....
College and grad students subsisting solely on Top Ramen may be trying to save money by photocopying textbooks. But is it legal to do so? While the best approach is to lawfully purchase or rent a textbook, you may be able photocopy a small section of the book for a single assignment without violating copyright laws, as Lifehacker explains. However, photocopying too much of a textbook could potentially lead to costly copyright infringement claims....
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has issued a warning regarding a new email scam that requests personal information under the guise of a federal jury summons. In a public alert issued this week, the Administrative Office noted that this latest juror scam has so far been reported in at least 14 federal court districts around the country. How does this new scam work, and how can you tell the difference between a scam and an actual federal jury summons?...
Two-piece swimsuits at a waterpark, sure. But how about two injury lawsuits? Kentucky Kingdom’s Hurricane Bay is now the subject of two lawsuits alleging that staff allowed patrons to use the wrong inner tube for a particular slide. Louisville’s WDRB-TV reports that two patrons, Brandon McClellan and Felicia Evans, have filed suit against Kentucky Kingdom for injuries incurred after falling out of the slide. Is Kentucky Kingdom liable for these waterpark victims?...
There’s no denying the national debate on gun control has reached a fever pitch in recent months, with more shootings and the media attention that follows. The questions that always arise after these shootings include: How did this person get a gun? Was it obtained legally? Should we change the law to prevent this type of thing from happening in the future? After a tragic incident in Wisconsin claimed four lives, investigators learned that the shooter had purchased his gun online....
The father of a man who stabbed his own mother has been permitted to sue his son’s psychiatrist for stopping his son’s medication. Victor Bruscato was mentally ill when he stabbed his mother to death in 2002. In 2001, Bruscato was assigned to Dr. Derek Johnson O’Brien, a psychiatrist at the community health center in Gwinnett County, Georgia. There, O’Brien prescribed Bruscato powerful anti-psychotic medication that helped control his violent impulses, reports the AP....
Is the 19th time the charm? Leslie Van Houten, 60, former Charles Manson cult member, is facing a parole hearing today. In each of her previous 18 attempts, she came up empty. But this time, she has a new attorney, Brandie Devall, and a new strategy. Devall plans to point to favorable California Supreme Court rulings for parolees issued in 2008 and 2009, according to the Associated Press. Devall stated that the cases she will refer to were not decided when Van Houten was last up for parole....
New Hampshire’s Democratic governor, John Lynch, is now indicating he will sign a gay marriage bill, if it is changed slightly. The hangup? Governor Lynch would like to see some protections for churches and employees that don’t want to take part in any gay marriages. In other words, if the churches don’t want to conduct any gay marriages, the law wouldn’t force them to. Gay marriage proponents indicated they approved the proposed changes, such as the executive director of New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition, who said, “This is language we can support”....
The Colorado Court of Appeals handed down a major bummer for pot patients last week, confirming that it is OK for employers to fire employees who smoke medical marijuana. The court ruled that since medical marijuana is prohibited under federal law, companies like Dish Network are free to terminate employees who test positive for pot, the Associated Press reports. Still, after the voter initiative in Colorado that legalized recreational marijuana use, why is it OK to fire pot users?...
With just days before Christmas, ’tis the season for last-minute holiday shopping. But if you’re planning to make up for procrastination by clicking online, you may want to pay closer attention to the fine print. A new Internet shopping survey by FindLaw.com finds more than half of U.S. consumers say they quickly read, skim, or just plain ignore online legal agreements. You know what we’re talking about: Those dense paragraphs and annoying pop-ups that contain so much fine print, most people just scroll to the end and click “Agree....
