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A retiree and his daughter filed a lawsuit against two government agencies in Pittsburg in January 2020 after his cash was allegedly confiscated at the airport using civil asset forfeiture. The plaintiffs sued the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). According to the suit, the retiree kept his money at home […]
Families with children with disabilities need to take extra precautions in their estate planning. This is true regardless of whether the child with special needs is a minor or is now an adult – especially if they will one day need to collect any public benefits like Medicaid or SSI. The details will depend greatly … Continued
President Biden’s new nominee for Associate Attorney General, Vanita Gupta, is under scrutiny by Senate Republicans. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have called for her to undergo a second hearing before letting her appointment advance due to various concerns, including some surrounding civil asset forfeiture. The reason for the pause in deliberations of Ms. […]
Passing away is one of the sure things of life, but most people have done nothing to prepare for this inevitable event. How significant is the lack of preparedness? Caring.com endeavors to answer this question each year when they conduct their annual surveys, and the 2021 results have been released. Good News and Bad News … Continued
Many a well-intentioned family member has taken on the responsibility of caring for an aging parent only to realize that they’ve committed to more than they can handle on their own. And many more people will need to step into a caregiver role in the coming years. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the population … Continued
The past year has brought with it many changes, and the tumultuous realm of intellectual property law is no exception. From a pair of holdings that made copyright claims more difficult when the government is involved on either side to an anticipated reexamination of an old doctrine of patent law, the pandemic has not prevented … Continued
Probate is a legal process that is necessary when you transfer assets through the terms of a will. In New York, the Surrogate’s Court has jurisdiction over estate matters. This court also provides supervision when someone passes away without any estate planning documents at all. It should be noted that there is a simplified probate … Continued
A small New Jersey plastic surgery practice, Village Plastic Surgery (“VPS”), has become the eighteenth HIPAA covered entity to face an enforcement action under the Office for Civil Right’s HIPAA Right of Access Initiative. According to the OCR’s announcement, VPS agreed to a two-year corrective action plan and pay $30,000 to settle a potential HIPAA … Continued
Colorado recently became the latest state to consider a comprehensive consumer privacy law. On March 19, 2021, Colorado State Senators Rodriguez and Lundeen introduced SB 21-190, entitled “an Act Concerning additional protection of data relating to personal privacy”. Following California’s bold example of the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) effective since January 2020, Virginia recently … Continued
The National Collegiate Athletic Association, better known as the NCAA, filed a petition before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to cancel a trademark registration for the mark “VASECTOMY MADNESS” (U.S. Reg. No.: 6143370) in connection with “Physician services; medical services, namely, treatment services in urology for adults; medical evaluation services, namely, functional assessment program … Continued
Filling a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy petition can be complex, but the attorneys at Savage Villoch Law, PLLC are equipped to ease the burden and guide you through the process with care. As we’ve previously covered in our chapter 7 bankruptcy blog series, determining chapter 7 eligibility can be complicated in itself, as can properly balancing … Continued
Last Friday, the sheriff’s office in San Diego confiscated large amounts of marijuana and marijuana products from an allegedly illegal marijuana dispensary using asset forfeiture. In the early morning hours last Friday, the sheriff’s office searched and seized about 100 pounds of marijuana and other drug products at a store on 3000 Oro Street in El […]
This story is just in time for April Fools’ Day… but it’s no joke. It is very rare in the food industry to find a product that has been upsized rather than downsized. But Thomas’ English Muffins recently made their packages a tiny bit larger, going from 12 to 13 ounces for six muffins. *MOUSE … Continued
In January of this year, a man was subjected to a search and seizure while driving in Camden County, New Jersey. His car was seized by the authorities along with money he had in a bag inside the vehicle that amounted to $43,000. The driver is now suing the Camden County Police Department to get […]
Can an employer be held liable for sexual misconduct at a private party that takes place after an employer-sponsored holiday party? A recent Tennessee Court of Appeals case appears to say “yes” and thereby presents a new concern for employers considering employer-sponsored events. In Phelps v. State, an employee sued her employer, the State of … Continued
In 2018, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which provides for an expansive array of privacy rights and obligations, was enacted. At the time, it was reasonable to wonder whether California’s bold example would catalyze similar activity in other states. It’s clear now that it has. Virginia recently passed its own robust privacy law, the … Continued
The Illinois Supreme Court recently agreed to hear an appeal of an Appellate Court’s decision addressing whether an employee’s claim for damages under Illinois’s Biometric Information Protection Act is preempted by the exclusivity provisions of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act (“IWCA”). Back in September, the Illinois Appellate Court for the First Judicial District held that employees’ BIPA … Continued
Malibu Wine Safaris’ famous giraffe named Stanley is at the center of a civil asset forfeiture battle among other legal proceedings. Stanley gained fame for appearing in the third installment of the movie franchise, “The Hangover,” and his photos with different celebrities. Since 2015, Stanley has been owned by Ron Semler, the son of the […]
There can be some confusion when it comes to the taxes that can be levied on inheritances. You may have heard the terms “estate tax” and “inheritance tax” utilized, and they can leave you scratching your head. Are these two different taxes, or are the terms used interchangeably? Do they refer to income taxes on … Continued
Luxury car brand Ferrari produced 349 F50 cars to commemorate their 50th brand anniversary in 1996. One of these 349 cars is at the center of a dispute that prompted the U.S. government to file a petition to find out its rightful owner. According to the civil action complaint from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for […]