Is there any real way to make someone whole after time in the hole? Stephen Slevin spent 22 months in solitary confinement and was awarded $22 million by a jury for his ordeal. Lawyers for Dona Ana County in New Mexico, where the incident took place, appealed the award. But in the end, Slevin walked away with $15.5 million. But is that really enough to compensate him for what he endured?...
Have you considered enrolling your eligible employees in Medicaid? Under the Affordable Care Act, employers with 100 or more full time workers must offer affordable health insurance coverage. In 2016, employers with only 50-100 employees will also have to comply. With the high cost of health insurance, offering health insurance to employees could have a major impact on your business’ bottom line. Medicaid for Low Income Workers Arizona, Connecticut, California, Iowa, Kentucky, and 25 other states have recently expanded Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act....
A divorce or separation can be tough on kids, but a good co-parenting plan can help you and your children maintain a sense of normalcy. That’s probably one reason why actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, singer Chris Martin, announced they plan to “consciously uncouple and co-parent” as they work through their separation, Reuters reports. If you’re also considering a co-parenting arrangement, here are 10 tips to make it work for everyone:...
Child abuse can manifest in physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological cruelty, or a combination of these. States define abuse in statutes, and there may be some variation in the wording of the law from place to place, but all states prohibit cruelty to kids. Children are especially vulnerable to abuse and less able than adults to articulate complaints, which means that adults in certain professions have an obligation to look out for and report suspected mistreatment....
According to an internal Justice Department document obtained by the New York Times, the DOJ is looking for lawyers interested in working for a new project on “investigations and possible litigation related to intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admissions.” The Times also reports that the project will likely be run by the Trump administration’s political appointees in the DOJ’s front office, rather than career civil servants in the Educational Opportunities Section, and will examine and possibly sue schools over admissions policies deemed to discriminate against white applicants....
Are parents liable for adult children? Not usually, which is why a lawsuit filed by the mother of Staci Montgomery is quite unique. In December 2009, Montgomery was murdered by Scott Marshall – the former law firm partner of her ex-husband. Her mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Marshall, his parents and his 92-year-old grandmother. She believes their negligent actions contributed to her daughter’s death. The lawsuit accuses Scott Marshall’s parents and grandmother of failing to warn Staci Montgomery about their son....
Parking lot car accidents and crashes can be just as costly as those that occur on roadways. In many cases, they can be just as serious. In one recent incident in Florida, former Orlando Magic player Chris Duhon was the victim of a hit-and-run in a parking garage, Orlando’s WOFL-TV reports. It resulted in the ex-NBA player spending the night in a hospital; the driver who hit him could face criminal charges if caught....
If you’re planning to get married, you’ll want to avoid making some common prenup mistakes. What do we mean by that? Here’s an example: Girl meets boy. The two fall in love. Boy proposes to girl. Girl says yes. Boy puts together a prenup with stipulations regarding finances, children, and even sex. Boy and girl sign the prenup, and get married. Now the prenuptial agreement is in full effect. Or is it?...
In the wake of the large-scale hack of Sony Pictures late last year, businesses have begun implementing security measures to prevent being victimized by a similar attack. As Bloomberg reports, unlike previous data breaches, which were primarily focused on financial data and trade secrets, the Sony hack included the release of a large amount of personal information on Sony employees. This information included details on employee pay, medical records, and confidential correspondence between Sony employees....
It’s not just Black Friday and Cyber Monday – some of us will be doing our holiday shopping right up until Christmas Eve. And whether you’re grabbing gifts online or IRL, you need to keep your ID secure. Here are a few tips on avoiding identity theft during the holiday shopping season: Identity Theft on the Internet By now you should be aware that while online shopping has gotten safer, it still comes with some legal pitfalls....
The Obama White House expressed frustration with BP last Thursday, asserting that the information that the oil company has provided about the gulf spill is lacking in detail. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson sent a highly critical letter to BP. The letter states that BP’s efforts to keep the public and government fully informed are insufficient: “those efforts, to date, have fallen short in both their scope and effectiveness....
The good side to being a publicly traded company? People buy shares in your company, giving you revenue. The bad side? Some of those shareholders can meddle in your company’s affairs. But only so far. A church that owns a significant amount of shares in Walmart sued the retailer last year, trying to force it to stop selling assault rifles in its stores. But a federal appeals court dismissed the lawsuit, saying the church couldn’t interfere with the company’s ordinary business operations....
A former student body president at Alpharetta High School in Georgia has filed a federal lawsuit, accusing the school of violating his First Amendment right to express unpopular viewpoints. Reuben Black, 18, says the school removed him from his elected role after he offered what some are calling a “gay prom proposal.” Black suggested that the school change “Prom King and Queen” to “Prom Court.” He felt the gender-neutral term would be more inclusive of LGBT students....
A study released today claims that small businesses would benefit from proposed health care reform even if required to help employees pay for coverage. Some claim that forced employer contributions would increase the burden on already stressed small businesses. Others claim this would actually improve small business’ bottom line. Of course, the answer will largely depend on the details of whatever reform package becomes law. As reported by Reuters, the Small Business Majority (a non-profit health care advocacy group) released a study it commissioned, which was conducted by M....
While filing for bankruptcy can provide relief from certain kinds of debts, that relief isn’t always available to everyone. There are different types of bankruptcy filings available to individuals and each has its own requirements that need to be met first. For example, Chapter 7 bankruptcy, often referred to as “liquidation” or “straight bankruptcy” may allow you to get rid of most of your debts and start over with a clean slate, but first you must qualify for Chapter 7 by meeting certain criteria....
Reverend Joseph Matt, a Missouri priest who fathered a child with a married woman, is being sued along with the diocese. The priest was sued in an anonymous lawsuit filed by the woman’s husband. The woman’s husband wants to keep his name out of the lawsuit to protect the identity of the child. Rev. Matt admitted to having an affair with the husband’s wife for an extended period of time in 2004 and 2005....
Shouldn’t prisons try to save those who save themselves? An opioid dependent inmate at the Middleton Hall of Corrections has found himself in jail for 60 days for driving to the pharmacy on a suspended license to pick up his three day supply of methadone. Geoffrey Pesce had exhausted all other options of getting to the pharmacy and he truly feared relapsing after being clean for two years. Pesce is not trying to escape this sentence....
Disputes happen in small businesses and when they do, owners often think “lawsuit” before “mediation.” This may be in part because lawsuits are better known. They’re in the news, on television, and in books. Mediation generally isn’t. But the reason lawsuits make the news more often than mediated agreements is that lawsuits are based on conflict where one party wins and one party loses. It’s dramatic and often sensational. Mediation is probably better for business....
Crocket Keller’s gun glass is open to all: except non-Christian Muslims and those that voted for President Obama. Keller purchased some radio air time for his concealed hand gun course, held at the Keller’s Riverside Store in Texas. During one part of the advertisement, Keller specifically includes a disclaimer that says he excludes liberals and Muslims. Why? It’s because these two classes of individuals “have already proven” that they are unable to “make a knowledgeable and prudent decision as under the law....
You love your pets very much. They’re good friends. So when they are injured somehow – whether hit by a driver, mistreated by a caregiver, or neglected at the pet hotel – you want someone to pay for what did, or did not, happen. You wish to bring a lawsuit. Can you? Yes. Whether your suit will succeed of course depends on the facts and what kinds of claims you make....
