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US Airways received an online beating Monday for a tweet that took off and went viral: a pornographic picture posted to Twitter in response to a customer’s complaint. After the customer tweeted @USAirways complaining of a flight delay, the company’s social media team attached a NSFW photo of a naked woman aiming a model jetliner toward her private parts. US Airways is calling the incident a “mistake,” but it will not be firing the employee responsible, reports Forbes....

While it is no surprise that most lawsuits settle without ever going to trial, many non-lawyers are surprised by how effective formal mediation can be at resolving legal disputes. Alternative dispute resolution has emerged over the past few decades as a successful tool to resolve legal disputes, often more quickly than going through a trial. Unlike a judge’s order, or jury’s verdict, settlement agreements can also provide for forms of relief that can’t be awarded by a court....

Imagine yourself in this situation. You answer the phone and hear a child cry out, “Help me, help me, do whatever they want!” A man tells you he is about to cut off your child’s hand, and maybe even kill them, if a ransom is not paid. Panicking, the next thing you hear is the man ask, “Here’s the deal, your child’s life is going to cost you.” This is every parent’s worse nightmare....

Lead poisoning, which until recently seemed like it might become a thing of the past, is back in the national spotlight. Children in Flint, Michigan have been injured and lawsuits, criminal and civil, stemming from lead in the drinking water in that area are being filed. This week three government officials became the first to face criminal charges for the Flint water crisis, and they could potentially spend years in prison....

Your health insurance company is supposed to help you when you are sick, so why would you want to sue them? Unfortunately, insurance is a business and in order for your insurer to manage costs and make a profit, it has to deny some claims and probably employs a fleet of people to do just that. What this means is that sometimes people do find themselves in legal showdowns with those very entities they paid for protection in a time of crisis....

A California substitute teacher has struck gold, inheriting $7.4 million in gold coins from a long-lost cousin. While some play Powerball to strike millions, Arlene Magdanz simply relied on her genes. Magdanz was discovered to be the only heir to a fortune of gold coins that once belonged to the reclusive Walter Samaszko. When Samasko died, cleaning crews discovered millions of dollars worth of gold coins stashed in his modest Nevada home, reports the Associated Press....

You know how to handle a romantic breakup – eat or shop or run it off, give it time, try not to text your ex. But what do you do when your business relationship is ending? Better yet, how can you prepare in advance? There is actually a lot you can do to ensure that you handle the dissolution of a business partnership with grace. It starts with the beginning of the relationship....

You should be familiar with the “We reserve the right to refuse service” placard in restaurants, and you may even sport one in your own small business. But is your “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service” policy legal? Here are three legal ways that you can turn a troublesome customer away. 1. No Flip-Flops in Your Shop There are federal laws in place that protect a business owner’s right to keep your employees in closed-toe shoes....

What happens to your Facebook and other social media accounts after your death? State lawmakers are pondering that question as they consider new laws about a deceased person’s “digital estate.” Most recently, a New Hampshire lawmaker proposed a bill that would allow the executor of an estate to access and shut down Facebook accounts. According to Facebook’s terms of service, the company will not divulge login information, even to a deceased user’s relatives, ABC News reports....

There’s an art to writing a help wanted ad. They have to be to-the-point, yet descriptive. You want to get it out to people, but you also don’t want to get swamped with responses. No matter what, be careful. With the wrong wording or recruitment process, your help wanted ad might be circled with a big fat red pen – for a discrimination lawsuit. Here are a few tips to prevent your help wanted ads from seeming discriminatory:...

Fair and democratic elections are an important part of America’s government system, and polling places play an important role in ensuring that. Both state and federal laws protect voters at polling places from unfair discrimination. To make sure everyone has an opportunity to vote in national elections, polling places are expected to meet certain requirements. Laws affect not just the polling place itself, but also what election staffers and voters are allowed to do inside and outside of the premises....

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a discrimination lawsuit against Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services, claiming the agency allows state-contracted and taxpayer-funded child placement agencies to use religious objections as a way to discriminate against qualified families based on their sexual orientation. The suit was filed on behalf of two same-sex couples who were denied the opportunity to adopt or foster children because of agencies’ religious objections, as well as one woman who was in Michigan’s foster care system as a teenager....

Richard Heene wanted attention for his family, but probably not the kind it is now receiving as authorities look likely to file criminal charges over the alleged Ballon Boy hoax. According to the Coloradan, police in Larimer County Colorado say they have evidence showing the incident was a hoax, and have recommended charges be filed. Here is a brief rundown of the drama surrounding Balloon Boy Falcon Heene who was feared stuck in a UFO looking balloon “accidentally” untethered in the Heene’s backyard....

Buying a gravesite isn’t exactly an everyday purchase. But it is an important, and often very costly, purchase that most people think about when planning their estates. Do you know what you’re getting when you buy a gravesite? This is one purchase you should not make without asking these five questions first: 1. Do I Own The Land? Buying a gravesite is not like buying land. In many cases, you do not actually own the piece of land the gravesite is on....

The highest state court in California has ruled, but the question seems not to be settled just yet. On Nov. 15, the California Supreme Court ruled it was legal for the state to give in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants who had attended at least three years of school in the state while denying in-state tuition to U.S. citizens who live out of state. The unanimous court found illegal immigrants can be eligible for the same lesser rate of tuition at public colleges and universities as legal residents of the state, reports The New York Times....

The owner of two restaurants in Portland, Maine ignited a national debate after she claimed on Facebook that she would no longer allow owners of semi-automatic rifles in her businesses. Anne Verrill’s post, which has since been removed, raises interesting questions, one of which is: can she do that? Actually, it seems highly unlikely. Let’s consider the legality and practicality of the proposal. Anne Verrill is not opposed to gun ownership and does not want Maine gun owners stripped of hunting rifles....

When we go to an attorney’s office, we pretty much expect that the billing clock will start ticking as soon as everyone sits down. Aside from an initial consultation or contingency fee arrangement, most lawyers aren’t in the business of giving their time and advice for free. But what if your lawyer comes to you? Or needs to go somewhere to view evidence or take a deposition? Is she billing you for the time spent in transit?...

A Duke University professor made waves last week when it was revealed that the syllabus for one of her courses included the warning: “Anyone who is on the staff of The Chronicle is not permitted to take this class.” Members of the campus newspaper were rightfully miffed at the supposed ban, which, in the end, turned out to be a poorly worded attempt to stress confidentiality in the courses content....

It’s more legal trouble for Casey Anthony as a nanny lawsuit for defamation, filed by Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, is back underway. Anthony had told investigators and family members that a woman with the same name, Zenaida Gonzalez, had kidnapped her daughter. Police officers had questioned Fernandez-Gonzalez about the incident, but later it was revealed that the babysitter that Anthony had referred to as “Zanny” did not really exist, reports the Orlando Sentinel....

Moving In: A Stop on the Way to Breaking Up? A recent study from the University of Denver concludes that that couples who move in together without the commitment of marriage have a higher chance of divorcing than couples who live together after getting engaged or married. To add insult to injury, the study– which was published this week in the Journal of Family Psychology– found that couples who did get married after an initial shacking-up period reported a lower satisfaction with marriage....