Posts

The state of New Jersey is considering a measure that would require retailers to charge consumers an after-rebate price, eliminating the requirement for consumers to clip UPC codes, fill out rebate forms, or log on to a a manufacturer’s website. The New Jersey rebate law would make the state the third to enforce statewide consumer protection relating to rebates. “Customers should not be deceptively lured into stores by low prices that only exist after they take the product home, cut apart the packaging, fill out aggravating paperwork and then wait weeks or months for a check,” said Assemblyman John Burzichelli, D-Paulsboro....

The popular stop-smoking drugs Chantix and Zyban will carry strong “black box” warnings on risky mental health side effects, as suicides among users of the drugs continue to rise, the FDA announced today. The new warnings will be required on the prescribing information for Chantix (made by Pfizer) and Zyban (manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline), and “will highlight the risk of serious mental health events including changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts when taking these drugs,” the FDA says....

When some small businesses see the holiday season approaching, their eyes get as big as dinner plates, looking forward to a boost in sales. Other small business owners might start sweating, anticipating numerous time-off requests, and wondering whether they have to pay extra for the employees that do stick around. Whether you’re anticipating big things for your small business in the coming months or anxiously awaiting February, ’tis the season to start making those holiday plans....

South Dakota this week narrowly escaped becoming the first state in the nation to pass a law forcing transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms of their birth sex. The bill would have forced students use facilities associated with the gender they do not identify with, making them prisoners of their biology. The governor of South Dakota, Republican Dennis Daugaard, this week vetoed the bill, saying it “does not address any pressing issue” and that the decision was best left to local school officials, according to Fox News....

The recent death of MTV’s “Buckwild” star Shain Gandee has thrust “mudding” into the spotlight. Many people are now wondering just what is mudding and whether mudding is legal. Generally, mudding involves driving an all-terrain vehicle or sport utility vehicle off-road through wet fields, streams, lakeshores, lakebeds, or other muddy areas, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Individuals who go mudding generally race through these areas, spinning their tires and throwing mud....

Patient harm is exactly what it sounds like: an injury to a person in a medical context. Hospitals and health care providers are legally obligated to report these incidents to state regulatory agencies, but there have been some very serious cases of patient harm that administrators did not report or did but made the harm seem more mild. So, not only were patients hurt in the hospital but health care administrators broke the rules of reporting....

Just got married? Just got un-married? Just can’t stand your given name? It is possible to change your legal name and it is not too difficult, although persistence will be required. Getting the court order and forms to record your name change is fairly simple. What might take some time and effort is ensuring all the necessary agencies, departments and record holders are notified and the all the forms they may require have been filled out....

Conducting a charity raffle may be an ingenious cash flow solution for your non-profit organization. Especially if a generous supporter has donated an item of value such as real estate, a vehicle, or vacation package, the cause and work supported by your 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) non-profit organization could stand to benefit substantially from ticket sales. However, before you start making fliers and planning a gala event to feature the drawing of the winner, you should investigate the particular state and federal laws that dictate rules on charity raffles....

With all the news about the recent Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, many people might be wondering just what kind of person he really is, particularly as he is so young at just 53 years old. While it might not play well in efforts to paint Judge Kavanaugh as an everyman, his mother was actually a judge in the state of Maryland who took the bench about a decade before her own son....

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced revised labeling for what is commonly called the “abortion pill.” The new label acknowledges the use of the pill in a manner that doctors have long been prescribing it, and may undermine legislation based on the old labeling. The “abortion pill” is medically known as mifepristone, and since 2000 it has been prescribed “off-label.” Now the FDA is acknowledging with the revised label that the drug is safe and effective when prescribed at lower dosages than initially recommended and later in a pregnancy....

Domestic violence doesn’t discriminate – it can occur in rich homes and poor homes, and can affect people of any race. While domestic violence laws vary from state to state, it’s usually classified as a serious crime in all jurisdictions. Unfortunately, sometimes someone may accuse his or her partner of domestic violence even though it’s not true. A person may do this out of spite or to gain the upper hand in a divorce....

“Anita,” a new documentary directed by Academy Award-winner Freida Mock, traverses the story of Anita Hill. As you may recall, Anita Hill was a little-known law professor who took the nation by storm in 1991 when she alleged that then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her. In 2010, with the 20th anniversary of the hearings approaching, she agreed to the documentary, deciding it was time “to revisit this, and for people to understand who I am,” according to The New York Times....

Nothing can ruin a wedding like a good scam. A bride’s happiest day could quickly turn into a nightmare if it turns out the wedding dress is a sham. And it turns out vendors themselves should be on the look-out for phony brides and grooms. Here are three of the biggest wedding scams and how to avoid them. The focal point for almost every wedding is the bride’s wedding dress. They can take months to pick out and weeks to fit and alter, all for one day of glory....

Cyberbullying has been a recurring topic here at FindLaw. Kids do the darndest things, and sometimes those things cross the line into cyberbulliyng law. What used to be limited to name calling and occasional punches on a playground has become amplified by new technology. Kids can take to Facebook to “kick a ginger,” or cause many other sorts of online harassment. Technology has changed, but what hasn’t changed is that many kids like to pick on other kids....

Young married couples aren’t the only ones filing for divorce. In fact, divorce among older adults has more than doubled since 1980, according to a recent study. Researchers at the Center for Family and Demographic Research at Bowling Green State University in Ohio reviewed U.S. census data collected in 2009 and found that 1 in 4 persons who gets a divorce in the United States is over 50 years old, reports Cleveland’s WKRK-FM....

Quick, what are the most valuable things you have in your home right now, and how much are they worth? Are you sure? Probably you’re not, because who takes a home inventory of their stuff? Smart people, that’s who, if they want some legal assistance when their stuff is stolen or destroyed. Without an inventory, how are you going to remember how much your couch was worth? Or your TV or other electronics, for that matter?...

Unemployment benefits are important for many Americans who suddenly find themselves out of a job during hard times but should millionaires get them too? Whether you say yes or no, there are currently no income limits on who can receive unemployment benefits. Over 2000 people who received unemployment insurance in 2009 had household incomes over $1 million, according to the Congressional Research Service. That adds up to a significant cost for the government even though it’s only a tiny fraction of the total number of people receiving unemployment benefits....

A handful of California business owners were dealt a legal loss in federal court this week on their class-action Yelp extortion lawsuit. A veterinary hospital, a dentist, an auto-body shop owner, and a furniture restoration store owner had joined in a class action suit against Yelp, claiming the online service had violated California’s unfair business practices law and had extorted them, reports Courthouse News Service. The business owners claimed that Yelp manipulated the appearance of positive or negative reviews in order to pressure the employers into purchasing advertising through its site....

A sign of changing attitudes towards marijuana, hundreds of revelers in the San Francisco Bay Area spent their Labor Day weekend at the International Cannabis & Hemp Expo–the country’s first marijuana street fair. In addition to vendors selling a variety of paraphernalia and THC-laced chocolate, the event included a space–named “215 Area” after California’s legalization measure Proposition 215–where medical marijuana users could openly light up. It was directly located in front of Oakland’s City Hall....

President Obama has announced that he will take executive action to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. This executive order, announced in the president’s speech to the nation Thursday night, will not grant amnesty or any sort of permanent legal status to those illegal immigrants covered by the action. But as NPR reports, it may prevent up to 5 million immigrants from being deported. Here are five things that immigrants and their families should know about President Obama’s executive immigration order:...