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Private equity may seem like an appealing solution to many small businesses. After all with many banks tightening up their policies, a private equity investor could be the only way for a small business to get much needed capital. However, seemingly fast and easy money from private equity investors can have its drawbacks. Some small business owners unprepared for the world of private equity have found themselves losing control of the companies they worked so hard to create, reports The New York Times....

The Arizona chapter of the Small Business Administration released figures showing continued decline in SBA backed lending to the state’s small businesses. Other places, such as Florida, report a similar trend. This is despite recent government stimulus to bolster SBA backed loans. Lenders blame the government strings attached to the program. Small businesses blame stingy lenders. No matter who’s to blame, there are ways to improve the chances of your business getting an SBA backed loan....

Spring break is the glorious week in which college students get a break from school to do what they wish. But, even though spring break seems to have become synonymous with partying and freedom, there are still certain rules to be mindful of when it comes to spring break travel. The following are some tips to avoid legal issues during your spring break travel. Comply With the Rules of the Road While most states have similar traffic laws, it’s important to be aware of the specific traffic laws when driving in different states....

A self-billed horrorcore rapper has been arrested on suspicion of four murders in Virginia. A Myspace trail led police to “Syko Sam” (Richard Alden Samuel McCroskey III) of Castro Valley, California. The AP reports that authorities arrested 20 year old McCroskey, who has been charged with the murder of a Virginia pastor. He is also a suspect in three related murders. MySpace messages connected McCroskey to the daughter of Reverend Mark Niederbrock, of Appomattox County, Virginia....

When we need help treating addiction, drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinics are vital resources to make us well. Unfortunately, rehab doesn’t always work. And if you’ve suffered from substandard care in a rehab facility, you may be wondering if you can sue the facility for negligence or malpractice. Addiction rehab clinics that fail to provide patients with an adequate standard of care can be sued for negligence and be both directly liable for their own malpractice and vicariously liable for the negligence of their employees....

Online real estate marketplace Zillow was hit with five new lawsuits this week alleging employee discrimination, retaliation, and other mistreatment of workers. The five lawsuits were all filed by the law firm of Geragos & Geragos, reports LAist. Geragos & Geragos is the same law firm representing a Zillow employee who sued the company earlier this month for sexual harassment. In that lawsuit, former Zillow employee Rachel Kremer described the company’s Irvine, California office as having an “adult frat house” culture....

Attention entrepreneurs: Need tips on how to make social media work for you? For business owners who are just getting off the ground, your social media presence and your use of social media can be especially important. It can serve as one of your primary tools for branding and shaping your image, and for bringing in and retaining new customers. Here are 10 tips for entrepreneurs on social media: Post regularly....

The first Johnson & Johnson DePuy hip implant lawsuit to go to trial has resulted in an $8.3 million jury award for one man’s injuries. This could be the first of many large jury awards, as more than 10,000 similar lawsuits have been filed nationwide, Bloomberg reports. Analysts say that means J&J may end up having to shell out billions of dollars. The lawsuits allege that J&J’s DePuy unit defectively designed its ASR metal hip implants, which caused painful injuries to thousands of recipients....

As we’re fully in the midst of summer, parents are sending their kids off to summer camp, swim lessons, and football camp. But instead of a time of innocence and fun, these summer camps are now more frequently associated with child sex assault and crime. Still, you can’t shelter your children forever, and you will eventually have to let them out into the world. If you send your children off to camp, these following three tips can help ensure that another Jerry Sandusky does not abuse your children, reports The Baltimore Sun....

Workers’ compensation law is a complex area of law that blends principles of employment law and personal injury law. Workers’ comp claims cover on-the-job injuries, of all sorts, for employees in nearly every industry. However, not all employees will be covered. For an employee’s injury to be covered by workers’ comp, the two main requirements include: that the employee actually be an employee, rather than an independent contractor; and that the injury occurred within the scope of employment....

For the first time, a majority of Americans now favor the legalization of marijuana, a Pew Research Center poll has found. Some 52% of Americans now say pot should be legal, up from 41% in 2010. The survey indicates a dramatic shift since the late 1960s, when a Gallup survey found a mere 12% in favor of legalizing “Mary Jane,” while 84% were opposed. Not surprisingly, Pew’s 2013 poll found that older Americans are more opposed to pot legalization than younger generations....

At will employment affords both employer and employee considerable flexibility in starting and ending an employment relationship; however, there are limitations. Though employers can choose to hire or not hire a candidate for many reasons and can fire at will employees for cause or no cause, employers cannot make employment decisions on grounds that are illegal. And in order to abide by the law, you need to know what the law is....

Michael Smith was facing a $1 Million phone bill from AT&T. Smith’s company phone line was hacked and fraudulent calls racked up a steep bill. AT&T didn’t dispute that the calls were made fraudulently, but they still insisted that Smith had to pay up. Smith, a small-business owner in Massachusetts, actually has his phone service through Verizon. In September 2009, hackers found a way into his phone system and started using it to make international calls....

Here’s a timely legal question for employers: Can you require employees to be vaccinated? The recent outbreak of measles at Disneyland, coupled with the fact that many parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children, is leading to new workplace policies designed to forestall damage from highly communicable diseases. This led NPR to wonder whether an employer can legally require employees to be vaccinated as a condition of employment. Can employers really force employees to be vaccinated?...

Can you sue someone for beating you up? The answer is yes, but is it even worth your time to pursue a lawsuit? Modern America isn’t the Wild West or a Kung Fu movie. We live in a civil society where you have the right not to be beaten up by strangers, police, or even family members. So here’s how to go about suing if someone beats you up, along with a few factors you’ll want to consider:...

Female Congressional staffers earn significantly less pay than their male counterparts, a new National Journal survey reveals. The House Republican female staffers had it worst, making only 84 cents for every dollar their male colleagues made, reports Politico. Senate Republicans fared slightly better making 86 cents to every dollar a male counterpart made. Female House Democrats had it best, though still earning less than their male colleagues at 97 cents to the dollar....

As investigators look for answers after Monday’s Metrorail Red Line commuter train crash in Washington, D.C., reports are surfacing that D.C. transit officials had been warned in 2006 about safety problems posed by older subway cars. The Monday evening accident occurred on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Red Line, when a six-car train rear-ended a stopped train on an above-ground track between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority....

We have heard again and again of the perils of distracted driving, especially about texting or talking on the phone while behind the wheel. But last week, came an example of another form of distracted driving, courtesy of spicy pork rinds. Yes, readers, it was not the evil temptation of texting, but the fat laden, cholesterol producing evil of pork rinds that was to blame for a major single-vehicle accident in Blaine, Washington....

PGA golfer Doug Barron is fighting doping allegations levied against him this past November with a lawsuit against the PGA under the Americans With Disabilities Act. According to CNN, the golfer claims that he was using beta blockers and testosterone to treat a heart condition and low testosterone levels. He claims that he has been getting synthetic testosterone shots since 2005. CNN reports that the golfer’s natural testosterone levels were 78 nanograms per deciliter of blood....

Don’t do crime. That’s our official stance. But if you’re going to disregard our advice and do crime, don’t do crime on your smartphone. And if you’re going to do crime on your smartphone, maybe don’t use it to take pictures of your hands holding drugs and send them to customers. That’s how three dealers in Wales got nabbed, when police found photos on the phone of another suspect clearly showing a man’s hand, with enough detail to lift his fingerprints, holding ecstasy tablets....