Ninth Circuit Issues Decision Regarding First Amendment Battle – Sabrina M. Dolson, Esq.
Courthouse News Service (“CNS”) filed a lawsuit against Michael Planet, who is the clerk for Ventura Superior Court, challenging the Court’s policy regarding access to filed civil complaints. According to the policy, the Court can delay the press’s access to newly filed complaints until it enters the filings into a case management system. CNS argued […]
GPS and Your Fourth Amendment Rights – Sabrina M. Dolson, Esq.
The Supreme Court of Nevada recently issued a decision regarding whether it is a violation of the Fourth Amendment for law enforcement to locate a person for whom they have an arrest warrant by retrieving that person’s Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates from his cell phone. Meisler v. State, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 30 (Apr. […]
Ninth Circuit Rules on Constitutionality of Actions Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
On February 4, 2014, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that claims under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) confer Article III standing regardless of any actual harm resulting from the defendant’s violation(s). See, Robins v. Spokeo, Inc, 11-56843, 2014 WL 407366 (9th Cir. Feb. 4, 2014). “Article III standing” refers to the constitutional requirement […]
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Finds Debt Collector Liable Under the FDCPA for Improper Fee Arrangement
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently found a debt collector liable under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) for collecting fees based on a percentage of the principal owed, when the underlying contract only permitted collection for actual costs incurred. Bradley v. Franklin Collection Serv., Inc. No. 10-1537, 2014 WL […]
False Online Reviews Cannot Hide Behind Free Speech Protection
The Virginia Court of Appeals ruled that Yelp must turn over the names of seven anonymous reviewers who criticized a prominent Virginia carpet cleaning business. The owner of the Virginia-based Hadeed Carpet Cleaning claims that non-customer users are leaving negative reviews – an action which violates Yelp’s terms of service. To support his claims, the owner’s attorneys issued a […]
破产 (Top Considerations for Debtors Contemplating Consumer Bankruptcy)
如果您在考虑申请个人破产的话, 您将会面对许多未知的疑问与困难的选择。 在最新的破产法下, 联邦政府提高了申请个人破产的限制, 以防止滥用破产法下特有对债务人的保护和特权。与中国现行的破产法不同, 美国的破产法有将近120年的历史。在这段发展进程中, 破产法、司法机构和破产法律师总结归纳出多种不同的方案来解决各形各类的个人经济困境。 尽管个人申请破产并不是一个完美的恢复经济情况的方式, 但恰当运用加上适当的时间, 个人破产可以帮您重启一条新的人生道路。 在您走进律师楼寻求法律帮助以前, 请先考虑以下问题: (一) 您可以在三年内还清您的债务吗 (并且同时还可以维持正常性的生活) ? 如果答案是肯定的话, 恭喜您, 您的经济状况应该比较健康。 但如果答案是否定的话, 您可以开始考虑用破产来解决您的问题。 取决于您的个人情况, 条款七或条款十三类型的破产都可能适合您的需求。 (二) 您现有的收入是多少? 如果您的收入超过内华达州州法下的限制和联邦政府的特定标准, 您只可以申请条款十三类型的破产。 通过该类型的破产, 您有机会来减少您的债务,并可以在三到五年内付清您所现有的债务。 (三) 您现有的资产中有哪些不可缺少? 而有哪些您现有的资产由于附着太多拖欠的债务和征收的利息因此您无法保留? 在不同的州法和联邦法下, 您有权利保留很多不同种类的资产, 包括房产、车辆、日常用品、退休金等。 (四) 您现有的债务是什么类型的? 很多信用卡债务, 拖欠的医药费, 房屋贷款等等, 都可以通过破产来免除。 然而，有些债务像抚养费和税务则不允许通过破产来免除。 不过如果您其他的债务可以减少, 则您会有更强的经济能力来解决通过破产程序无法免除的债务。 (五) 您有面临着以下几种紧急情况吗? 家里的供水、电力、煤气等即将被切断 由于拖欠房产贷款, 您抵押的房产将被执行或拍卖 由于拖欠租金, […]
Moderate Offenders Program
The Moderate Offenders Program is an alternative sentencing program in Clark County, Nevada that provides misdemeanor DUI offenders (people arrested for a first or second DUI) the opportunity to participate in intense alcohol counseling in lieu of incarceration. Participation in the program generally lasts one year, although it can be reduced to six months or increased […]
WHAT GOES ON FACEBOOK DOES NOT STAY ON FACEBOOK: Facebook Privacy
A case decided by a Federal court in Georgia just two months ago determined that a school district’s use of a photograph taken from a student’s Facebook page was neither a violation of the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment freedom from illegal search. A Georgia school district hosted a countywide “Community Awareness Seminar” at a local […]
Unfair Debt Collection Practices
BLACK & LOBELLO FILES FEDERAL COMPLAINT AGAINST CASHCALL, INC. AND WS FUNDING, LLC FOR UNFAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES Complaint against Cashcall, Inc. and WS Funding, LLC On August 9, 2013, Black & LoBello filed a federal complaint alleging Cashcall, Inc. and WS Funding, LLC engaged in violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) […]
Workers’ Compensation Law 101
In the often complicated world of workers’ compensation law, employers’, insurers, and injured workers all have parts to play, and each may be significant in a workers’ compensation claim. Nevada employers, defined as “every person, firm, voluntary association and private corporation,…which has in service every person under a contract of hire,” may challenge either their […]