Yelp Lawsuits Signal Rise in Internet Defamation Cases
4/30/14
By: Matt Foree
The ubiquity of social media and internet communications has drastically increased the opportunities for defamation. The spread of defamatory statements to countless individuals is often as easy as pushing a button.
Recent defamation cases regarding user review …
A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words
4/30/14
By: Seth Kirby
In the ever evolving world of marketing through social media, companies strive for ways to drive traffic to their virtual doorsteps. The constant question running through the mind of a person tasked with internet marketing is “what …
Total Medical Malpractice Payout Amounts Up Nationwide in 2013
4/30/14
By: Michael Eshman
Diedrich Healthcare published a graphic analysis of medical malpractice payouts in 2013 based on numbers recorded by the National Practitioner Data Bank. The numbers reveal an uptick in medical malpractice payout amounts nationwide for the first time …
Cell Phone Searches: The Next Battle Regarding the Fourth Amendment
4/29/14
By: Wayne S. Melnick
On Tuesday, April 29, 2014, the United States Supreme Court heard argument focused on a question that is being closely watched by many and has the potential to affect a great portion of the United States …
H1B Visas: Do You Want the Good News or the Bad News?
4/29/14
By: Kelly Eisenlohr-Moul
I’ll lead with the bad news: while Congress stalls on immigration reform, the United States Customs and Immigration Services received 172,500 H1B petitions between April 1 and April 5, 2014!
This means that, over a five-day period, …
Marijuana Laws Leave Employers Dazed and Confused
4/22/14
By: Frank Hupfl
Although marijuana remains illegal under federal law, 21 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws permitting marijuana use for medicinal purposes. Two states, Colorado and Washington, have gone a step further, and legalized the sale …
The Flight Level Change Trap: NTSB Cites Boeing Design as Possible Cause of Asiana 214 Crash
4/16/14
By: William Ezzell
Boeing’s 777 is regarded by many as one of, if not the safest commercial airliner ever produced. Up until the tragic accident of Asiana 214 at San Francisco last year, it’s safety record was nearly spotless. On …
New Executive Order and Memorandum Regarding Pay Discrimination Enforcement for Federal Contractors
4/14/14
By: Joyce Mocek
Recently, to honor Equal Pay Day, President Obama amended Executive Order 11246 to further prevent workplace discrimination and empower workers to take control over negotiations regarding their pay. The Amendment is intended to prohibit discrimination or retaliation …
NOT IT! The Ability to Apportion Fault Just Got a Little Easier in Georgia
4/7/14
By: Katie Dod
“NOT IT!” can be a great childhood (or even adult) phrase to avoid chores or other unpleasantries of life, but it can also be a critically important concept for defendants in premises liability cases when non-party entities …
Severance Payments are Subject to FICA Taxes
4/1/14
By: Jonathan Kandel
Many companies offer terminated employees severance packages. This is true whether the employee is terminated as part of a layoff (or reduction in work force) or for other reasons. Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled …
“Just the Carfax, Ma’am.”
4/1/14
By: Michael Wolak
While Dragnet’s Joe Friday was interested only in “the facts,” more than 530 automotive dealers throughout the country are interested in the “Carfax.” As of March 2014, the number of auto retailers joining the $250 million antitrust …
More Target-Related Lawsuits
4/1/14
By: David Cole
In credit card data breaches, individual consumers are usually not directly harmed because they are issued new cards and not held responsible for fraudulent charges. Instead, it is the card issuers that are usually harmed because they …