Immigration policy under the current federal administration has met with mixed results both in terms of public opinion and the courts. Under President Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has faced criticism for its draconian treatment of migrants in border detention facilities. Likewise, recent changes in policy and procedure at... Read More »
Auto, health, home, property, life. We buy insurance to protect the people and things most important to us. When you buy insurance, you are paying for more than just security and peace of mind. You have entered into a contract, and you expect to get the benefit of what you... Read More »
On October 8, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on a pair of issues from three cases that have the potential to change the landscape of federal anti-discrimination law. The cases, titled Altitude Express, Inc. v Zarda, Bostock v Clayton County, Georgia and R.G. & G.R. Harris... Read More »
Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs died on July 1, 2019, in a room at the Southlake, Texas, Hilton. Investigations have now been initiated by local authorities, Skaggs’ family, and the MLB. His death, caused by the cocktail of powerful drugs found in his system by an autopsy, has... Read More »
Raising the Standard of Living for Workers While Minding the Means of Smaller BusinessesIn 2018, California’s minimum wage increased to $11 per hour for businesses with 26 employees or more and $10.50 per hour for businesses with 25 employees or less. The minimum wage increase is part of California’s plan... Read More »
Residents of Illinois can rest a bit easier after a recent federal appellate court decision, knowing that their spouses will not benefit financially from causing their untimely deaths. In Miscevic v. Estate of M.M., the Seventh Circuit addressed whether a woman who killed her husband would still be entitled to... Read More »
At issue in the case of Carpenter v. United States is the government’s warrantless collection of cellphone records to use as evidence of an individual’s location and movements in a criminal prosecution. The individual in this case, Timothy Carpenter, was sentenced to 116 years in prison for a string of... Read More »
Federal law requires decedents to pay an estate and gift tax for property passed to individuals or trusts after a decedent’s death. The tax, however, does not kick in unless and until the total value of the estate exceeds a certain threshold dollar value, valued at the death of the... Read More »
Non-Disparagement Clauses Conflict with Public Policy in the Digital AgeIn August 2017, Illinois passed SB 1898, amending the state’s Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act to prohibit the use of non-disparagement clauses in contracts for consumer goods and services. The law “provides that a contract or proposed contract for... Read More »
A recent opinion issued by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals serves as a reminder of a particular quirk of Texas criminal law: For sexual assault offenses, married defendants are subject to more severe criminal penalties than those who are unmarried. In Estes v. Texas, the defendant, a married adult,... Read More »
A Pennsylvania law that recently went into effect provides a possible alternative for first-time Driving Under the Influence (DUI) offenders who might otherwise lose their driver’s license. The aternative? Install an ignition interlock system.Pennsylvania law provides for different penalties for DUI convictions depending on the blood-alcohol content (BAC) of the... Read More »
Statistics Show the Number of Cellphone-related Car Accidents Nationwide Continues to Rise, Despite Laws to the Contrary Last year and late to the game, Texas became the 47th state in the country to ban texting while driving. (Now, only Arizona and Montana have no ban, while Missouri prohibits text messaging... Read More »
In a case decided on May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States held that provisions of a federal law prohibiting states from authorizing sports gambling violate the “anticommandeering” doctrine of the U.S. Constitution. The case is Murphy v. NCAA, and it has huge implications for Atlantic City,... Read More »
Company Initiates Recall of Certain Products Due to Safety Concerns The United States Consumer Products Safety Commission is reporting a recall by Honeywell of certain hard hat models. This is a firm-initiated voluntary recall instituted under the CPSC's Fast Track Recall process. The products subject to the April 24 CPSC... Read More »
Millions of workers have signed on to employment agreements containing arbitration clauses. These clauses require employees to resolve any complaints against their employer through private arbitration, rather than through the courts. On May 21st, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the validity of such agreements in the... Read More »
