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Are you exempt from Obamacare’s individual mandate? The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare, generally requires individuals to maintain a minimum level of health insurance beginning January 1, 2014. Most of those who choose not to meet the law’s requirements will have to pay a penalty. But among the Affordable Care Act’s many nuances are explicit exemptions for certain groups of people who do not have to abide by Obamacare’s provisions....

Disability insurance may sound easy enough – you’re too sick or injured to work, you file some paperwork, and you get your benefits. But, as anyone who’s been through the disability claims process can tell you, it’s not always that simple. Or maybe you’re stuck in the middle of the process right now – drowning in disability paperwork, trying to decipher your policy, or you’ve had your benefits claim denied and don’t know where to turn....

Over 100 claims have been filed against the makers of NutriBullet alleging the machine malfunctions and explodes under normal use, causing first degree burns, severe cuts, and even knocking out teeth. Most of these claims have been filed as product defect cases, with at least 22 lawsuits actively pending, but a recent lawsuit filed is the only pending class action, claiming that the product violates federal and state consumer protection laws, as well as warranty laws....

Back-to-school time can be a powder keg for divorced or divorcing parents, especially when it comes to dealing with child custody. While “divorce season” kicks off on New Years Day, as two divorce-mediation experts write for The Huffington Post, divorcing or divorced couples with children will test their mettle when summer ends and the school year begins. Meeting with teachers may take a back seat to battling with your ex about taking your kids to school....

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then videos of people texting while driving should give you millions of reasons to stay off your phone when you’re behind the wheel. From crashing into cows to slamming into manure trucks, texting while driving can lead to dangerous, costly, and sometimes smelly car crashes. Here are three texting crash videos and legal lessons we can learn from them: In this dash-cam video taken by a police car in Florida on January 4, you can see a car – driven by a man who’s texting – careen onto a sidewalk, where it hits a guard rail, a bus stop sign and a tree before rolling over....

A restraining order or order of protection can be a person’s last resort against threatening or harassing behavior. They can also be a person’s only means to stop domestic violence or abuse. In some cases, restraining orders can save lives. In other cases, they can ruin lives or be a tool for harassment. There are two sides to every restraining order, and cops and courts are often caught in between. When properly administered, restraining orders are an important tool in keeping people safe....

Swim at your own risk! Hotel swimming pools are great when you’re on vacation. It’s relaxing. You get great exercise, and you can show off your pretty bikini. The only thing that may ruin a great day at the hotel’s swimming pool is if you slip and fall; or you drown because you had too much to drink before going in; or you get sucked in by a broken drain and can’t get out of the water....

Of course you’re going to text with your spouse, just like you would anyone else. (Well, maybe not just like anyone else, but you get the point.) And if your spouse is becoming your ex, there might be some things contained in your text messages you don’t want seeing the light of day, much less a divorce proceeding. But if your soon-to-be-ex’s attorney subpoenas your text messages, do you have to hand them over?...

A number of video production companies create personal injury videos for use in legal proceedings, including litigation, mediation, and arbitration. But is it appropriate to turn to celluloid in a case? Videos that show how an injury affects a plaintiff, or how an accident occurred, can be helpful to a decision-maker like a juror, judge, or arbitrator. However, such videos can also be challenged on a variety of grounds. Here are some common types of videos used in personal injury cases, along with their pros and cons:...

Last week, Khalil Cavil, a 20-year-old server for Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa, Texas, posted a photo of a receipt on Facebook that read “We don’t Tip Terrorist” with no tip included and his name circled at the top. Cavil opined, “All day I’ve had to remind myself that Jesus died for these people too. I have decided to let this encourage me, and fuel me to change the world the only way I know how....

It’s almost become cliché to complain about back or neck pain after a car accident. But there’s a reason it’s such a common complaint. Car accidents, even simple fender benders, can be jarring – there’s a lot of weight and force exerted on the human body during a car crash. And while seat belts are designed to keep you secure in the car, they can’t keep your spine in perfect alignment during an accident....

Laser pointers have been a popular instructional tool for presentations for years. Their utility is fairly obvious – the brightly colored dot draws attention to the spot an individual is hoping to highlight. As with many things, every use has an equal misuse. Although not considered dangerous when used in the aforementioned manner, abuse of a laser pointer is believed to cause damage to eyes (mainly in children) and there is a new growing concern relating to the use of high-powered laser strikes and aviation safety....

The most iconic record store in Berkeley, California, Amoeba Records, is in the process of renovating their store to provide an independent medical marijuana dispensary with a storefront shop in what used to be their jazz section. Citing the decline in record sales over the past decade, the store’s owners hope that the pot dispensary will provide the necessary capital needed to keep the record store’s doors open. Having just celebrated their 25th anniversary, Amoeba Records has been approved by the City of Berkeley’s City Council to be one of the city’s half-dozen medical marijuana dispensaries....

The sun is out, and summer is here! This means pool parties and sunbathing. However, be careful of swimming pool injuries. You could slip and fall on slick and slippery floors. You could be injured from swimming pool chemicals. You could get electrocuted by improper wiring in pool lights. You may even drown because a lifeguard wasn’t paying attention. So, if you get injured at a swimming pool, can you sue?...

Are violent video games analogous to literature, which is not restricted by age, or is that a silly comparison? The U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear a case regarding California’s state ban on the sale of violent video games to minors. Those in favor of the ban say it is important and necessary to protect the children. (You always hear a lot about “the children” around election time.) Publishers and filmmakers say the kids are going to be just fine, but restricting video games is wrong and could have a chilling effect....

Is it legal to text message at a stoplight? By now, you’re probably well aware that texting while driving is against the law pretty much everywhere, with every state except Montana having some form of texting-while-driving prohibition on the books. But what about text messaging while behind the wheel of a car that isn’t actually moving, such as a car waiting at a stoplight? Is that still considered “texting while driving”?...

After serving a 44 year sentence for his role in the 1965 assassination of iconic black leader Malcolm X, Thomas Hagan is out on parole. Thomas Hagan, 69, walked free on parole, after being the only man to confess to the killing of Malcolm X, who was gunned down while giving a speech in New York’s Audubon Ballroom in 1965, CNN reports. Hagan was one of three men who shot at Malcolm X and was found guilty at trial with two others, in 1966....

Minnesota grandmother Carrol Knutson, 65, was shot in the leg during a Wild West re-enactment shooting that used real bullets instead of blanks in South Dakota. The re-enactment was put on by Wild Bunch Reinactors, reports the Rapid City Journal. Paul Doering, 49, was the man who fired the loaded gun during the re-enactment, reports the Rapid City Journal. And, there is no reason he should have even held a gun....

The Carolinas are still reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, but some residents are feeling it more than others. Dazia Ideah Lee literally lost her one-year-old son, Kaiden Lee-Welch. And now she is being charged with involuntary manslaughter. On September 16, 2018, Lee-Welch was trying to escape from the rising tides in her town and be with family. She thought the worst of the storm had passed, and got into her 2010 Hyundai Elantra, with her son, Lee-Welch, and headed for drier land....

The scales have tipped in favor of debtors as new rules for debt settlement are putting a tighter rein on debt settlement companies. Many businesses that are involved in the debt settlement process are upset over the recent changes enacted by the Federal Trade Commission, set to go into effect September 27, 2010. Here’s why: the new regulations essentially eliminate the ability of debt settlement companies to charge up-front fees for their services until some actual results are realized for their client....