In Pennsylvania, you are required to purchase several forms of auto insurance before you can legally get behind the wheel. There are also several optional types of insurance -- including uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, or UM/UIM -- that may or may not be in your policy. UM and UIM can provide protection against those drivers who fail to purchase the auto insurance required by Pennsylvania law. Uninsured and Underinsured Drivers If an uninsured motorist caused your accident and you still need to make up for your accident-related losses even after obtaining ...

Bratz dolls took the toy-making world by storm in 2001, replacing the formerly wildly popular Barbie doll as the top-selling fashion doll by 2006. Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie Dolls, alleged that MGA, the manufacturer of Bratz dolls, stole the idea for the dolls from Mattel. Mattel sued MGA, setting off a lengthy court battle over copyright infringement allegations. In 2011, a jury found that Mattel, not MGA, stole trade secrets and awarded MGA damages. Mattel has announced plans to appeal the copyright infringement finding. Eight-Year Ordeal Mattel originally ...

A wrongful death lawsuit is a legal claim that arises when someone dies as a result of another party's negligence or wrongdoing. A wrongful death may be caused by a negligent act such as a car crash or medical malpractice, or by a deliberately harmful act such as physical assault. Individuals as well as corporations and other entities can be held liable in an Illinois wrongful death lawsuit, as can their insurance companies. The Purpose of the Wrongful Death Statute The purpose of a wrongful death lawsuit is to provide financial compensation to the people who have ...

One of the more difficult parts of being a business owner is dealing with tax issues. The tax laws in the U.S. can be complicated, and those who own or run business can easily make mistakes in payroll taxes. When the IRS believes that a business has not paid all of the payroll taxes it owes, it may pursue payment from not just the business owners, but any person whom it deems a responsible party. People should understand how the IRS determines who is a responsible party, what constitutes willful failure to pay taxes and the potential penalties a person faces for willful ...

A 71-year-old New York man is currently facing charges of possessing dangerous weapons. The weapons at issue are not dangerous semi-automatic guns. In fact, the weapons in question are not even guns, switchblade knives, or brass knuckles. Instead, according to the Huffington Post, the man received the weapons charges because a penknife and commemorative, miniature baseball bat were found within his vehicle. The man facing these weapons charges, Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, has a reputation in his community as a civil rights advocate. Many members of this community ...

Virginia drivers who are convicted of a first-time drunk driving offense now must install and use an ignition interlock system on their vehicles as a condition of receiving a restricted permit. The requirement took effect July 1, 2012. Previously, Virginia law required ignition interlock only for repeat offenders or for first-time offenders with very high blood alcohol levels, at 0.15 and above. How Ignition Interlock Works An ignition interlock system uses an analyzing device attached to the vehicle's ignition. In order to start the car, the driver must provide a ...

Parents have an obligation to support their children financially. When parents divorce, or when parents who were never married split up, one of the ways that a parent fulfills this obligation is by paying child support. In some cases, a parent's circumstances will change after the court enters a child support order and he or she will need to have the order modified. Arizona parents should be aware of what a child support modification is, when a parent may seek a modification and why a parent should use the court to modify child support. When Can a Parent Seek Modification? A ...

Divorce is a difficult thing for most people to endure and the pain of divorce can increase exponentially for those small-business owners if they end up losing part of their business in a divorce property settlement. Arizona is a "community property" state, which means that the court splits a couple's marital assets evenly in the event of a divorce. Arizona business owners can take steps to prevent the court from viewing their businesses as marital property, and also to ensure that the court treats the businesses fairly in an asset division in the event that the ...

Apple, Inc. is renowned for being the maker of wildly popular electronic devices such as the iPod, the iPad and the Macbook. The company is trying to expand its sales into China, and has opened four Apple Stores in the country. However, Apple has run into some legal issues regarding the use of the name "iPad." A Chinese company, Proview Technology, owns the trademark to the name in China and the two companies have been battling over the rights to the name since 2006. A December 2011 Chinese court decision rejected Apple's claim that Proview was infringing on Apple's ...

While there is no quick fix to improving a bad credit score, there are steps that savvy consumers can take to improve their credit scores after filing bankruptcy. The first step is to review a copy of the credit report and make sure that any debts previously paid off or discharged in the bankruptcy are correctly indicated as such on the credit report. Otherwise, the amounts will continue to show up as delinquent, keeping the credit score down. Consumers should also try to establish new credit. At first, it may not be easy to get a traditional credit card, but obtaining ...

A lawsuit filed by Kleiner Partner Ellen Pao is continuing to draw attention to discrimination allegations within technology businesses located in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley, popular for its innovations in the technology industry, is facing heat as the lawsuit fuels a debate on the presence of sexism throughout the technology industry, according to Reuters. Kleiner, a venture capital firm, is known for backing big names including Amazon.com and browser company Netscape. The firm not only denies the presence of discrimination within the company but also claims that ...

A recent drunk driving accident resulted in the death of an 18-year-old Caney Creek High School senior. The young woman was driving along the Sam Houston Parkway when another vehicle, allegedly driving at speeds over 130 mph by an intoxicated Erasmo Ramirez, collided with her pickup truck. The force of the collision caused the bed to separate from the cab of the truck and become airborne. The truck bed ultimately landed on and crushed the cab. The high school senior suffered serious injuries from the drunk driving accident and died the next morning. Mr. Ramirez was charged ...

Companies rise and fall based on the strength and reliability of their business dealings. In the past, many business owners created obligations and made promises based on a handshake. Now, deal-making is much more complicated. With every transaction, there is still an element of trust when dealing with others -- an assumption that the other party is telling the truth. Unfortunately, that assumption may be unreliable, even when the parties have a contract laying out each other's responsibilities and duties. If one party to a contract fails to hold up his or her part ...

City officials throughout Texas are in agreement: Distracted driving is dangerous. Distracted driving can include texting, eating, grooming, using a navigation system or using the Internet while operating a vehicle. City officials aren't the only ones noting how dangerous this practice can be; recent research has also supported this realization. In fact, some studies find that distracted driving can impair a driver even more than driving while intoxicated. Distracted driving is so dangerous that some states have passed legislation banning the use of hand held cellphones, ...

People convicted of driving drunk in Wisconsin, legally termed, "Operating While Intoxicated," or OWI, face certain penalties such as automatic driver's license suspension, fines and the possibility of jail time. In addition, some drivers may be required to install ignition interlock devices on their vehicles. Wisconsin OWI Laws In Wisconsin, a driver convicted of a first-time OWI with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or greater faces fines of $150-$300 and a six- to nine-month driver's license revocation. Drivers convicted of a second OWI within 10 years ...

A recent study by the National Health Research Institute found those who take medications to manage anxiety, depression or insomnia are more likely to be involved in car accidents than those who do not. Researchers noted the drugs are designed to alter how the brain functions and that it is advised those using these medications refrain from driving. Details of the Study The study, recently published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, compared over 35,000 drivers. The drivers were split into two groups. The first group was composed of drivers who had ...

New Mexico City Street Sweeper Charged With DWI New Mexico City Street Sweeper Charged With DWI Driving while intoxicated is generally associated with typical vehicles such as a car or truck. But any operation of a motor vehicle while intoxicated is against New Mexico state law, which a state employee working as city street sweeper recently found out to his detriment. The employee, Herbert Morgan, was out to clean up after an accident, but missed the debris entirely and instead crashed into a police car. He ended up backing into a police deputy's car twice but did ...

New Jersey Clinic Facing Pregnancy Discrimination Claims Two women have filed a discrimination lawsuit against their former employer, a New Jersey allergist, claiming that they were both fired on the same day in October 2011 because they were pregnant. The suit alleges that, although the doctor claimed to be downsizing due to financial difficulties at the clinic, he later hired two new employees to replace the women who were fired. The women are suing the doctor and his practice for pregnancy discrimination, which is prohibited by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, ...

Amid Call for Nationwide Ban, Cal. Cellphone Laws Reduce Traffic Deaths Distracted driving has become a prominent issue in recent years. No wonder: distracted driving causes thousands of traffic deaths and nearly half a million car accidents each year. Drivers are 23 times more likely to get into a car accident when texting while driving, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. A University of Utah study found that a driver's use of a cellphone, even if it is hands-free model, is equivalent to having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent, ...

IRS Expands Offer in Compromise Plan In 2011, the Internal Revenue Service began its "Fresh Start" initiative, a series of programs designed to help individuals and small business resolve unpaid tax debts and prevent tax liens. As part of Fresh Start, the IRS expanded its Offer in Compromise program in May 2012, with the intent of helping more people qualify. Those with tax debts should be aware of the OIC program and the changes the IRS made to it. What Is an Offer in Compromise? An offer in compromise is a proposal that a taxpayer makes to the IRS to ...

Department of Labor Reports Increase in Wage and Hour Violation Claims A recent report by the Today Show is calling attention to a growing problem: more and more employers are taking advantage of low- and mid-wage workers by avoiding payment of overtime wages. This trend is supported by an increase in lawsuits filed claiming violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). FLSA is designed to ensure workers receive proper compensation, covering a variety of labor protection rights including minimum wages and overtime pay. In many cases, overtime pay is required ...

Hospitals Get Creative in Attempts to Improve Patient Safety The faulty care provided to patients in hospitals is a leading cause of death in the U.S., trailing only heart disease and cancer, U.S. government data shows. The government estimated in 2010 that faulty medical care contributed to the death of about 15,000 Medicare patients monthly, according to The Washingtonian. To promote safety of their patients -- whether they have Medicare or not -- doctors and nurses follow certain safety measures, such as following a short checklist to eliminate wrong-site surgeries. Checklists The ...

LIMRA, the worldwide association of insurance and financial services companies, has just released a report that finds approximately 14.7 million U.S. households - one in eight - face a potential estate tax liability if the estate tax law reverts back as planned to 2001 levels at the end of this year. The LIMRA report said that Congress would likely consider three different proposals for the estate tax when it reconvenes following the November elections: • Allowing the estate tax to revert back to 2001 levels of $1 million and 55% maximum tax; • Extending the current ...

Home services company HomeSource, joins in urging homeowners to prepare for the high bushfire risks expected for this season. "The traditional bushfire season has only just started but already we have seen homes and businesses threatened by fire on the NSW Central Coast, Queensland's Darling downs and Atherton Tablelands as well as Albany in Western Australia," HomeSource Joint Managing Director, Pia Vogel, said. The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting higher-than-average temperatures for this spring and summer throughout Australia. This prediction together ...

Code Amber, the leader in Amber Alert publication and broadcasting on the Internet since 2002 announced this week the availability of their new service for missing pets, Code Amber Pets. Code Amber for Amber Alerts has been in operation for over 10 years now. To date they have delivered over 1.9 Billion Tickers to over 480,000 web sites and desktops that host the ubiquitous Code Amber Tickers and have published over 600 Amber Alerts in the US and Canada. "I founded Code Amber over 10 years ago in order to bring awareness of Amber Alert Missing Children reports ...