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(And what does Vin Diesel have to say about arbitrations?)

By Kathi M. Sandweiss, Jaburg Wilk

As Dominic Toretto says: “Ask any racer, any real racer, it doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winning’s winning.”  “Fast and Furious” is the tenth highest-grossing film series ever, with a combined gross of over $5.8 billion (according to Wikipedia).  The franchise includes action films, short films, a television series, live shows, video games and theme park attractions.  With money and theme park attractions, there will be litigation. And with litigation there are contract disputes.  And with contract disputes
Continue Reading PUTTING THE SHINE ON SCHEIN

QUESTION:  NOW THAT BEACHES, LAKES, AND OTHER PLACES FOR WATER RECREATION ARE REOPENING, DO WE NEED SUPREME COURT GUIDANCE TO SPOT A BOAT?
ANSWER:  THE U.S. SUPREME COURT SAYS THAT “NOT EVERY FLOATING STRUCTURE IS A VESSEL.”
The United States Supreme Court plunges into important matters, such as healthcare reform, immigration, and voting rights.  The highest court in the land also dove into a case involving a maritime lien of $3,039.88 for dockage fees!
Fane Lozman lived on the water in a 60-foot by 12-foot boat, or “floating home.”  Even though the home had a second level, the empty bilge
Continue Reading Vessel to Buoy Your Spirits

QUESTION:     ARE ELECTRONIC NOTARIZATIONS LEGAL?
ANSWER:        ELECTRONIC NOTARIZATIONS ARE LEGAL IN MOST STATES.
Electronic notarizations have been legal in Arizona for years, but they still required the signer to physically appear before the notary for the electronic signature and the electronic notarization of documents.
Remote electronic notarizations originally were scheduled to become effective from and after June 30, 2020.  However, on April 8, 2020, in partnership with Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, Governor Doug Ducey issued an Executive Order allowing Arizonans to get documents notarized remotely, while ensuring secure and effective verification processes starting April 10, 2020.
This
Continue Reading Virtual Notary Services

 
ANSWER:        A DEMOTION AND REDUCTION IN PAY CAN BE A “REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION” UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT!
A deputy needs her shooting hand!
Brigid Ford was a deputy in the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.  She started as a deputy sometime around the year 2000.  In 2008 she began working as a sworn deputy sheriff locating and arresting people with outstanding warrants.  Brigid A. Ford v. Marion County Sheriff’s Office, No. 18-3217 (7th Cir. Ct. App., November 15, 2019).
In 2012, while on duty, Deputy Ford’s patrol vehicle was hit by a car that ran a red light. 
Continue Reading HOW CAN THEY CUT MY PAY WHEN I WAS INJURED ON THE JOB?

  • IT’S ALL ABOUT THE RECORD.
  • The first question I’m typically asked by a prospective appellate client is “How can we tell the appellate court about all the emails from my ex-husband (credit card receipts,  nasty texts) my lawyer refused to present, despite my pleas?”  The answer is, we can’t.  An appeal is based on the record presented to the trial court.  Any evidence that is not in the record will not be considered on appeal, and any argument or objection not properly preserved is typically waived on appeal.  While there are certain exceptions, such as constitutional or jurisdictional arguments,  the
    Continue Reading TOP TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT APPEALS

     
    ANSWER:              FACEBOOK USES FACIAL-RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY TO MATCH FACES, BUT IT MAY NOT BE LEGAL UNDER ILLINOIS STATUTE.
    Expensive privacy violation on social media?
    Some citizens of Illinois brought a class-action lawsuit against Facebook claiming somewhere around $35 billion for privacy violations!  Patel v. Facebook, Inc., 932 F.3d 1264 (9th Cir., 2019).  (The plaintiffs apparently don’t understand that “private” and “social” are antonyms.)
    The Ninth Circuit said that Facebook runs one of the biggest social media platforms in the world and has over 1 billion active users.  About seven out of ten adults in the U.S. use Facebook.  (Our
    Continue Reading   CAN FACEBOOK USE FACIAL-RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY ON MY PHOTOGRAPH TO MATCH IT WITH OTHER PICTURES?

    Q:  HOW FAR DOES THE U.S. FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT REACH?
    A: THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ENFORCES THE FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT IN “EVERY CORNER OF THE GLOBE!”
    But I work for a foreign company, I am not a U.S. citizen and I never set foot in the United States?!
    In November, 2019, Lawrence Hoskins was convicted of six counts of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, three counts of money laundering and two counts of conspiracy in a U.S. District Court in Connecticut.
    Mr. Hoskins is a citizen of the United Kingdom and was working for a French company. 
    Continue Reading Punishing Foreigners for Corrupt Practices

    Your page titles need to be compelling enough to drive traffic to your site, and your page’s headers need to be compelling enough to keep a reader interested. There are some common mistakes that can make otherwise compelling content less appealing to a web visitor. Here are the three most common mistakes related to titles and headers on law firm websites.

    The post Common Title & Header Mistakes on Law Firm Websites appeared first on LawLytics.
    Continue Reading Common Title & Header Mistakes on Law Firm Websites

    QUESTION:    CAN I MAKE OUR EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS ELECTRONIC?
    ANSWER:       YES, BUT YOU NEED TO PROVE THAT THE EMPLOYEE ACTUALLY              AGREED TO THE ELECTRONIC TRANSACTION.
    Can I sandwich an arbitration agreement in an electronic employment contract?
    Jaime Odom worked for Which Wich Superior Sandwiches as a marketing manager. She had a beef with the sandwich shops. She sued claiming that she was sexually harassed at the job, retaliated against for complaining about the harassment, and not paid her full wages. Which Wich said Jaime had to arbitrate the dispute because she had electronically
    Continue Reading HR Meets E-Sign