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In a divided decision, the en banc Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals overturned its prior three-member panel decision, and ruled that age discrimination protections only apply to employees and not to job applicants. The plaintiff in this case, Dale Kleber, was 58 years old when he applied for a senior staff attorney position with CareFusion Corporation. The job posting claimed the company was looking for someone with three to seven years of legal experience....

Civil unions, or domestic partnerships, give committed couples benefits, legal recognition, and official status with the state. Traditionally, only married people were awarded these types of benefits. In the US, civil unions became popular in great part because same-sex couples could not marry, which is no longer the case. But these unions are actually for any couple who can’t or won’t get married for political or personal reasons yet is truly together, ostensibly forever....

The California Supreme Court rejected several constitutional challenges to Jessica’s Law, which is designed to keep sex offenders from living near parks, schools and other places where children gather. According to the Associated Press, a 5-2 court ruled that Jessica’s Law (Proposition 83) does not violate the rights of sex offenders to apply the law retroactively if they were on parole when the law was adopted. In addition, the high court ordered more hearings to determine claims by four ex-convicts who say they cannot find a place to live because of residency restrictions....

If you were stuck at work last month while your friends were all celebrating Memorial Day, you may be asking yourself: Can my boss really make me work on a holiday? After all, government services like post offices and banks are all closed on federal holidays, so shouldn’t you get the day off too? Well before you make your big plans for the Fourth of July, you should probably keep reading....

Alleged Waffle House shooter Travis Reinking is now in custody, after construction worker Lydia French dialed 911 when she spotted him emerging from the woods near her worksite near Nashville, Tennessee. Reinking did not answer questions or provide police with a statement, leaving the motive for the shooting, during which he killed Akilah Dasilva, DeEbony Groves, Joe Perez, and Taurean Sanderlin, unclear. What Reinking did leave behind, according to police, was a mountain evidence linking him to the shooting and a criminal history that makes it unclear why he was able to access weapons he was prohibited from owning....

Cops killed a couple’s dog at their Des Moines, Washington home. Now the couple has filed a $600,000 lawsuit against the Des Moines police department. Two years ago, Charles and Deirdre Wright left their two dogs, Rosie a Newfoundland, and Bentley, a Saint Bernard, alone in their home while they were away overnight, reports the Examiner. During their absence, a woman called the police to report that a “big black dog” was running in the streets and expressed fear that the dog may get killed....

The Internet never forgets. But the Internet’s largest search engine Google soon might, after a European privacy court ruled that citizens of particular European countries have a “right to be forgotten” from search results. In response to the ruling, CNET reports that Google has created an online form by which users can request that links be removed from search listings. How does the form work, and who can now invoke this new online right?...

Convicted sex offenders don’t have many housing options when it comes to finding a place to live. More than 20 states, including Florida, limit where convicted sex offenders can live – keeping them away from schools, parks and other places where children congregate. But 90 miles outside of Miami, in a small city with numerous churches of multiple Christian faiths, convicted sex offenders are welcome. Dick Witherow is pastor at Miracle Park, a church community mostly made up of sex offenders....

A fire at Las Vegas’ Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino left one man with critical injuries and forced guests to evacuate the building’s top floors, firefighters said. The Golden Nugget fire was intentionally set, a hotel spokeswoman told the Associated Press. Flames broke out on the unoccupied 22nd floor of the popular downtown hotel Thursday morning. Sprinklers put out the flames about 8:30 a.m. About 60 guests were forced to evacuate rooms on the 21st and 25th floors, the spokeswoman said....

“I love dog poop stinking up my yard right where I can step on it!” said no one ever. Does a neighbor’s dog keep pooping in your yard? Have you tried to talk to the dog’s owner a million times but nothing works? What can you do? What You Shouldn’t Do Dog poop on your lawn can be very frustrating, but here are a few things you shouldn’t do: Don’t shoot your neighbor....

For those of you who loved watching the TLC reality show Jon and Kate Plus 8, we have some very sad news. Tonight is the series finale of the show. That’s right, there will be no more new Jon and Kate dramas to be seen… on that television show, at least. CBS reports that Jon Gosselin had brought a dozen red roses to a meeting that he had with his soon to be ex-wife Kate Gosselin....

Miracle-Gro marijuana. If there’s one example of why you should pay attention to new laws and legislation, this is it. Taking advantage of laws in 16 states that permit the use of medical marijuana, Scotts Miracle-Gro, known primarily for its high-impact soil and plant food, is in the process of expanding into the pot market. The medical marijuana market, that is. And it’s projected to reach $1.7 billion in sales this year....

Discussions about where to hold the upcoming 9/11 trials are continuing to unfold. The Obama administration is weighing the pros and cons of trying professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in civilian court lower Manhattan. The administration is looking at abandoning a civilian 9/11 trial. According to the Associated Press, Attorney General Eric Holder is now open to other possibilities for hosting terror trials before a military commission instead of the civilian trial originally planned for New York City....

It’s hard out there for a model. The Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, issued a news release yesterday, announcing that she was pursuing judicial relief against two Chicago area modeling agencies, in a nationwide crackdown by the FTC, known as “Operation Bottom Dollar.” Madigan filed suits against Glamour Model Talent Inc. and its President John Vuolo. She also filed a separate complaint against Latte Model and Talent Agency Ltd. and its owner, Robert Owczarek....

You want to provide your employees with the best benefits to keep them happy. And after crunching the numbers, you figured that if you cut out the insurance middleman, you can pay your employees’ medical claims directly, effectively acting as their insurer. This system is known as self-insurance, and after a period of prohibition in some states, self-insurance is coming back to the small business world. But what happens in a catastrophic case?...

Tawana Brawley’s hoax is going to haunt her for the rest of her life in the form of monthly payments. Twenty-six years after the infamous hoax, Brawley has started making defamation payments to Steven Pagones, the ex-prosecutor whom she falsely accused of rape in 1987. Brawley made her first payment last week – in checks totaling $3,764.61 – though she still owes Pagones $431,000 in defamation damages. In 1987, authorities found Brawley lying in a plastic bag in Wappingers Falls, New York....

If you waved the tax collectors by last April by filling a Form 4868 extension, you should know they will be coming by again on October 15th. The six-month automatic extension comes due in just a few weeks. Here are a few things to keep in mind: You have to pay interest on any 2008 tax that was not paid by April 15, 2009 What if you still can’t pay your taxes?...

Time is running out to get your tax filing in, but there’s good news for all you procrastinators: We’ve rounded up all our best tax advice for small businesses to help make sure that filing is correct, and help you find any deductions or benefits you might’ve overlooked. And if you’ve already filed and are already looking ahead to tax time next year, these articles can help prepare your startup or small biz for 2018’s filing....

It’s been quite the year for Volkswagen. The car maker was rocked by scandal after it was caught cheating on emissions tests, polluting the environment, and trying to cover the whole thing up. But when some were wondering if the company’s rep could ever recover, VW went out and set annual sales records, including a recent jump in December. And now that it’s wrapping up the emissions scandal, paying $4.3 billion to settle civil and criminal charges with U....

Guest post by Jennifer K. Halford, Esq. Every business owner should have a mentor. Mentors encourage you, provide advice and expertise. And a good mentor can also help you avoid legal issues. The first step is to find a quality mentor. She should have relevant industry experience. She should also be able to advise in areas in which your business skills are lacking. This may mean that you will need more than one mentor....