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This week’s Supreme Court decision in a bankruptcy case involving student loan debt, not to mention the soaring numbers of bankruptcies, has many people curious about the boundaries of debt discharge in bankruptcy. Well, what is “discharge” in bankruptcy? In a nutshell, discharge is essentially a forgiveness of debt. If discharge is granted by the Bankruptcy Court, then the debtor is released from the liability of paying that debt. This means that creditors cannot come after the debtor for the debt, once the discharge is granted....

Model Liskula Cohen was victorious this week in her efforts to get Google to turn over the IP address and email address of an anonymous blogger who allegedly defamed her. She celebrated, according to the New York Post, by forgiving her attacker (one Rosemary Port, who was apparently retaliating against Cohen for some nasty things Cohen allegedly told Port’s boyfriend), and dropping a $3 million lawsuit against her.Perhaps Liskula Cohen was feeling generous, but do the rest of us have to worry about the “anonymous” things we post on the internet?...

What do we repeatedly hear is the number one driver of new jobs and innovation in the US? Small business. And the number one hurdle faced by small businesses? Health care costs. This week the National Small Business Association (NSBA) launched its Health Reform Today website, while today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report finding that the health insurance market for small business has become dominated by few insurance companies....

Need a little target practice? Go to the gun range. If you have your own gun, the gun range is one of the few places where you’ll actually use your gun (outside of hunting season). Even if you don’t have one, for less than $100, you can rent a gun, buy ammunition, and shoot at a poor paper target for an hour or two. It sounds like a fun activity, until you shoot yourself in the foot or blast off your own finger....

Lifeguards may seem like towering figures with their tall posts and zinced noses, but they can be liable for swimming injuries and deaths when they make mistakes. For this reason, lifeguards are required to be certified and trained to deal with common emergencies that occur in and around pools. Different states’ safety standards are not always identical, but they form a general patchwork of legal liability for when lifeguards falter in their duties....

A Medieval Times lawsuit claims a swashbuckling sword fight caused a customer’s eye injury and left him permanently blinded. Dustin Wiseman, 37, of Estelline, S.D., and his wife Melissa were on their honeymoon in California. They had front-row seats to a staged sword fight at the popular dinner theater in Buena Park, Calif., in April 2011, the Associated Press reports. But when the sword fight took place, a shard from a titanium sword hit Dustin in the left eye....

You probably already know by now that fast food is not healthy and that you shouldn’t live off the stuff because even if it doesn’t kill you, it will increase your chances of obesity. But now researchers have discovered another disconcerting angle on this type of food, which is that the preparation process itself seems to have harmful effects on consumers. Fast Food Woes According to The Washington Post, researchers at George Washington University linked fast-food consumption to the presence of potentially harmful chemicals in people, chemicals that in other non-consumable products have been linked to “a number of adverse health outcomes, including higher rates of infertility, especially among males....

Like any important strategic business decision, whether to use independent contractors comes with its benefits and its costs. And it’s up to you to decide what works best for your company. And here are a few things to keep in mind if you have to make that choice: BENEFIT: Flexibility Not every business has a steady stream of year-round income. (Think Christmas tree sales or landscaping crews.) Hiring contractors for short-term projects allows companies to scale up and down as needed....

There are many reasons to update your will. Maybe it seems morbid to actively be thinking of when you should be making changes to your will, but the truth is, you’re smart to do so. For a will to be most effective, it should reflect the additions, modifications, and significant changes to your life. As you know, those changes can happen at any time, without warning. Because it’s always a good idea to plan ahead, here are five of the most common reasons you may want to update your will:...

Three law firms, calling themselves Northern California Fire Lawyers, filed suit against Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), claiming the deadly Camp Fire in Butte County is the “direct and legal result of the negligence, carelessness, recklessness, and/or unlawfulness” of the company. The Camp Fire has all but destroyed the town of Paradise in Butte County. Specifically, the lawsuit claims PG&E failed to properly maintain, repair, and replace its equipment and that this “inexcusable behavior” contributed to the cause of the fire....

In the latest chapter of the on-going struggle in Arizona over illegal immigration, racial profiling and “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” Joe Arpaio, Sheriff Joe was deposed for nearly seven hours last month by attorneys for plaintiffs in the current racial profiling case. The suit was brought against Sheriff Joe for the alleged racial profiling tactics he used during his well publicized sweeps for illegal aliens in his jurisdiction of Maricopa County, Az....

You don’t want to pay your taxes. Who does? Not only is it expensive, but the forms are simply confusing. But as you know, tax collection is serious business. If you’re a salaried or a contract employee, your employer likely has to file W-2 or 1099 forms with the government. The IRS examiner has access to the information on these forms. So if you don’t file, you can expect that the IRS will start a collection process against you....

Divorce proceedings often mirror the relationship the couple had while married. Calm and collaborative relationships tend to end the same way, while wild and fiery romances go down in flames. And in some cases, one of the parties isn’t too keen on breaking up. A contested divorce can take many forms, from a spouse ignoring or refusing to sign divorce papers to scorched earth litigation. That’s why many courts allow what is known as “ex parte” divorce, or divorce based solely on one spouse’s filing and in the jurisdiction where that spouse lives, though it is valid anywhere....

When does doctor-patient confidentiality end and public protection begin? Or more specifically, do psychiatrists and therapists have a duty to disclose patient information if a patient poses a threat? Let’s talk a bit about what “privileged communications” are. They’re discussions between two individuals that are supposed to be kept confidential. State laws generally recognize a doctor-patient privilege, and some extend it to psychotherapists as well. There are limits to this privilege, however....

There’s a contract for everything. Or, at least, that’s the way it seems. If you’re watching TV, you probably have a service contract with your cable provider and you might have purchasing contract from the store you bought the TV from or the credit card company whose credit you sued to buy it. Surfing the internet on your phone? There’s likely a contract with your ISP, your telephone provider, and the phone manufacturer....

If small businesses don’t have their intellectual property in order and legally protected, they could be in big trouble. That’s why we normally take patents, trademarks, and copyrights so seriously around here. But every now and then we run across an IP story so weird we have to share it. So here are seven of the strangest stories involving patent and trademark law: 1. Is It Up to You to Save Velcro’s Copyright?...

Most people have a healthy fear of the airline beverage cart for a good reason. Those things always seem to be just barely small enough to fit down the aisle, but not usually without knocking some knees, toes and elbows hanging out into the aisle. Unfortunately for one American Airlines passenger, Charles Johnson, a runaway beverage cart caused much more than just a bumped elbow. Johnson was on a flight from Hartford, Connecticut to Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife, when a fully stocked, 300 lbs, beverage cart broke loose....

At a time when virtually everyone is squeezed financially, at least a little, even the most astute bill-collecting policy sometimes falls short. If credit checks, seemingly fail-safe billing terms, clear communication and a soft approach to collections doesn’t work, then it’s time for tougher collection techniques. No matter how much your business customer is struggling (they may share a sob story or two), it shouldn’t also become your burden. The following “get tough” collection techniques should be used if all else fails: Use the “Nuclear” Option: Collection agencies (Business....

An explosion this week at a ConAgra food processing facility in North Carolina killed three employees and injured dozens more. The story puts a renewed focus on federal regulation of workplace safety, the legal rights of injured employees, and navigation of the complex workers’ compensation systems in place in most states. Although the cause of Tuesday’s explosion and roof collapse at the ConAgra Slim Jim production plant in Garner is still under investigation, witnesses reported smelling a strong ammonia-like odor before the blast....

Female employees at a North Hollywood Sears are threatening to sue the department store after learning of a fellow employee’s arrest. Sears Peeper Alejandro Gamiz is accused of installing up to 60 hidden cameras so that he could film women in the store’s restrooms and fitting rooms. Sears claims it immediately contacted Los Angeles police when store security became aware of the situation. But lawyers for three employees say management didn’t contact police for four months....