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New York’s Zuccotti Park will remain clear of tents following Judge Michael Stallman’s ruling against the encampment. Stallman’s decision declares that the Occupy Wall Street protestor’s First Amendment rights do not extend to indefinite camping in the plaza. The ruling came down hours after Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lucy Billings issued a temporary order allowing protestors back onto the grounds. There was a lot of legal wrangling going on in New York....

If you’re an unmarried couple living together, sharing property, and maybe even sharing finances, a cohabitation agreement is a great way to make sure your interests are legally protected. Also called a “nonmarital agreement” or a “living together contract,” this type of legal document can provide unmarried couples with the same legal protections often provided to married couples via prenuptial agreements and state laws governing the division of property at the end of a marriage....

A new FindLaw.com survey suggests that almost 40% of Americans have set foot in a courtroom – either as a plaintiff or defendant. Respondents had different reasons for entering the halls of justice, but traffic infractions (18%), custody and divorce issues (11%) and criminal complaints (7%) came out on top. Results also indicate that men are more likely to go to court than women. Forty-four percent of male respondents have been to court, while only 31% of women have done the same....

California is cutting many corners to save money, but a recent change – in mental health policy for handling sex offenders – is under review and may be illegal. The Sex Offender Commitment Program, in which mental health experts interview sex offenders to evaluate if they are too dangerous has changed the way it operates, the San Diego Tribune reports. Instead of conducting multiple face-to-face interviews many mental health experts are more likely to review inmate’s records from home on a computer screen....

The AARP Foundation has reported that the family of Bobby Glen Tweed has reached a settlement with the nursing home over the wrongful death action filed in Tennessee state court. Although the full terms of the settlement are confidential, the report explains that the family did secure a damages award. The death of Bobby Glen Tweed was alleged to a result of strong psychotropic drugs that were misused on him, as they are on countless other Alzheimer’s and dementia patients....

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has upheld the constitutionality of Ohio’s lethal injection protocol. In a unanimous ruling, a three judge panel upheld the district court’s previous decision denying death-row inmates Raymond Tibbetts and Alva Campbell their request to enjoin their pending executions. It’s the latest case in a string of stories concerning the state’s method of execution. The Buckeye State’s execution protocol has been a recurring news item....

If you live in a state or locality that is considering making it mandatory for employers to utilize the federal E-Verify system, or that wants to punish those who hire undocumented workers, pay attention. In a 5-3 decision issued on Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld Arizona’s mandatory E-Verify statute–which also revokes and/or suspends business licenses of employers who hire undocumented workers. It may be time to start lobbying. As you may know, employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers are subject to civil and criminal penalties under the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act....

A video of a Utah man pushing over an ancient rock formation may mean trouble for the man’s recent personal injury lawsuit. According to Salt Lake’s KUTV, Glenn Taylor was leading a Boy Scout troop in Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park earlier this month, when he was recorded toppling a large boulder in a video that later went viral. Taylor had filed a lawsuit in September, claiming debilitating injuries to his back from a 2009 car crash....

With school having already started in some parts of the country and starting soon in others, many parents of school-aged children may be wondering: Are my kids required to get vaccinated? And if so, are there any possible exemptions? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children be vaccinated for a number of different illnesses. But vaccine requirements for children attending school are set individually by each state....

In February, a tragic event occurred live at SeaWorld in Orlando when Dawn Brancheau, 40, was pulled underwater and killed by a six ton killer whale. As spectators watched, Brancheau was dragged and tossed by the whale, suffering terminal injuries to her spine, ribs and head. SeaWorld Orlando has been fined $75,000 as a result of three violations discovered in the investigation into the trainer death caused by a killer whale....

Small business travel expenses have soared higher than big business travel expenses, according to a new report. That could mean big deductions for your company come tax time. On average, small businesses spend 24 percent more per year on travel expenses than their big-business counterparts, according to Concur, a business travel and expense management company that recently issued its “Expense IQ Report” for 2013. Where is all that money going?...

The death of Springfield, Illinois, Mayor Tim Davlin is still a mystery. Reports point to suicide, but this early in the investigation, police will not confirm. Officers received a 911 call and arrived at the home of Mayor Davlin on the morning of December 14 to find the mayor dead of an apparent gunshot wound. There is no information about who made the emergency call. The Illinois State Police are in charge of the investigation of the mayor’s death, reports The State Journal-Register....

The New York Times editorial board this month published a problematic opinion piece that is illustrative of the difficulties and ironies that can arise in human rights law. The editorial is about segregated swimming sessions for women in one Brooklyn swimming pool, and it expresses outrage that a public location accommodates the needs of its community’s religious women. Citing city humidity and human rights law, the newspaper’s editorial board demands that the city swimming pool cease the accommodation — a few sessions a week reserved for segregated sex swimming in recognition of the needs of Orthodox Jewish women....

It’s a landlord’s market these days, with renters scrambling in many cities to find a rental home or apartment that fits their needs and budgets. Demand far outstrips supply in large cities by a ratio of ten to one. If you find something that seems to good to be true, it probably is. These days, almost all rental searches begin online. If the photo of the rental place you are researching has an MLS, or similar, watermark on it, beware!...

It seems that Toyota has a lot more motor safety issues to worry about besides the current recalls. We wrote previously about the recent recalls over sudden acceleration. The Los Angeles Times reports that the carmaker has a history of tamping down its motor safety issues. Toyota defects such as sudden acceleration have been played down by the company as human errors. Toyota recalls have been delayed until fatalities build up to a point that Toyota can not ignore....

A controversy is brewing in St. Augustine, Fla., where resident Sean May was fired over an American flag pin. The front desk supervisor at Casa Monica Hotel had worn the lapel pin for two years. But last Thursday, he was told to take it off, as its presence violated company grooming policies. May refused, and was sent home. He was later fired. Local veterans groups are incredibly offended by these events, according to WJXT-TV....

The dust has settled from Election Day 2014, and voters in four states have supported ballot measures to raise the minimum wage. Voters in Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota voted to raise the minimum wage in their respective states, reports The New York Times. The trend also continued in two California cities, San Francisco and Oakland, whose voters approved plans to raise the minimum wage by 2015. Here’s what you need to know about these minimum wage increases:...

The subject of a flurry of criticism and backlash from his fellow Democrats, Anthony Weiner resigned from his Congressional post this morning, though his wife Huma Abedin was not-so-curiously absent from his side. Even though this is probably the best move–for both his sake and that of his wife–the fact is that Anthony Weiner didn’t have to resign. Here’s why. 1. He didn’t do anything illegal. Or at least that we know of....

While many are celebrating the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of marriage equality in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, many others are still trying to resist the tide of progress. Before the ruling came out last Friday, 15 states still had bans on same-sex marriage. Of those states, many welcomed the new era of marriage equality with open arms while some reluctantly and grudgingly complied with the “law of the land....

Although using boilerplate forms can be a great way to cut down on time spend drafting repetitive documents, it can also come back to bite you. United Airlines found that out the hard way this week when a customer received the company’s fill-in-the-blank apology letter without any of the blanks filled in, reports the New York Daily News. United Airlines confirmed in a written statement that they “sometimes use standardized wording to start drafting a letter addressing the customer’s concern....