Has the SOPA/PIPA protest and blackout killed the bills? The anti-SOPA/PIPA movement has enlisted the support of millions of Internet users, who have signed petitions and contacted legislators with objections to the bills. Will petitions and demands ... [Read more...]
Estate Litigation and Probate
In recent years, legal battles surrounding the estates of celebrities and wealthy executives have appeared in the news. Feuding between family members, business partners, and those laying claim to certain intellectual property rights are only some of ... [Read more...]
SOPA and PIPA – A Chill Blowing Through Cyberspace?
Could SOPA Mean Chinese-Style Control of the Net? On Wednesday, January 18, 2012, Wikipedia and other websites shutdown in order to protest proposed legislation that would purportedly reduce online piracy by making it easier to shutdown websites ... [Read more...]
Hospitality Industry Workers and Gratuity Violations in New York
We recently had an opportunity to speak with Jeffrey Brown, a partner with the New York employment law firm of Leeds, Morelli & Brown, PC. Our conversation centered on New York labor law regarding tips and gratuities in the hospitality industry and ... [Read more...]
Cramdowns in Bankruptcy Proceedings
There are various techniques that can be used to modify mortgages. Homeowners can apply to their banks for mortgage modifications. If the homeowner files bankruptcy, he or she can take action to force a bank to write off portions of the principal of ... [Read more...]
Choosing Valuation Dates for Assets in Divorce Cases in New York
New York Domestic Relations Law §236 part b under subd. 4 paragraph B states “as soon as practical, as soon as a matrimonial action has been commenced, the court shall set the date or dates the parties shall use for the valuation of each asset. The ... [Read more...]
Happy New Year from Get Legal
2009 has been a great year for GETLEGAL.COM. We received a Webby Award for Best Legal Website, as well as a WMA Standard of Excellence Award. We saw our traffic increase by 35{ab61c9a002da45df1325581ebc478d604b0d9b5cf9c5c3305389fe443e3c19bc}, and we ... [Read more...]
BP Liable for Cleanup, Fines and Economic Damages, but Probably Not Punitive Damages
This past Saturday, BP announced that operation "Top Kill" failed to plug the leak in its "Deepwater Horizon" Gulf of Mexico oil well. Some administration officials are exploring whether BP should be held criminally liable for alleged ... [Read more...]
COMMENTARY: Public-Employee Speech and the Garcetti Effect
Without a doubt one of the most impactful decisions in recent memory from the United States Supreme Court was its 2006 public-employee, free-speech decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos (2006). In this decision, the Court dramatically reduced the ... [Read more...]
Can a Creditor Pursue a Bankrupt Person’s Co-Signer After A Bankruptcy Discharge?
Many people have loans or debts that a friend or relative has guaranteed or co-signed. In these situations, debtors considering bankruptcy are often concerned whether a discharge of indebtedness will also absolve co-signors of their responsibility ... [Read more...]