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Michele Bowman

Michele Bowman

Lawyers.com


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Fla. Couple Wants Pot Plants Back from Sheriff

A couple who has been active in the effort to have medicinal marijuana use protected in Florida had their crop seized by the sheriff; now the cops are refusing to give it back, so the couple is suing....more

5/16/2013 - Legalization Marijuana Medical Marijuana

Texas Teacher Jailed for Missing Jury Duty

A teacher in Texas lost her job after failing to show up for jury duty and being jailed. It mattered not that she had a great excuse – because she’d already used up her one chance to reschedule....more

5/14/2013 - Judges Jury Duty

Gay Moms Get True Marriage Equality in Iowa

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled on May 3 that the state must recognize children born to lesbian couples as having two parents on their birth certificate, ensuring full parental rights for both parents and equal treatment for gay...more

5/10/2013 - Equal Protection LGBT Parental Rights Same-Sex Marriage

Bankruptcy May Become a Way Out of Student Loan Debt

While students get breaks on their loans in some ways, filing bankruptcy has never been one of them. But if a federal appellate opinion and action in Congress are any indicators, that could be changing....more

5/8/2013 - Dischargeable Debts Student Loans Undue Hardship

'Loss Prevention’ Isn’t About Saving Your Job

Things can change fast at your job, but one thing hasn’t changed much over the years: employers’ use of “loss prevention” strategies to monitor, prevent, and punish internal theft and fraud. If your employer’s loss prevention...more

5/2/2013 - Loss Prevention Workplace Investigations

Miranda Public Safety Exception Tested by Boston Bomber

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, was formally charged on Apr. 22 at his hospital bedside with federal terrorist crimes. As soon as he was captured on Apr. 19, legal experts...more

4/23/2013 - Boston Bombings Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Miranda Warnings Public Safety Exception

Legal Aliens Have Right to Carry Concealed Weapons, Courts Say

A gun rights group is fighting in court to arm legal immigrants, filing lawsuits over the Second Amendment’s application to those who are in the country legally and want to tote weapons....more

4/19/2013 - Concealed Carry Permit Concealed Weapons Immigrants Second Amendment

Cuba Allows US to Retrieve Kidnapper Parents

The parents of two children whose grandparents had just been granted custody of them have been jailed back in the United States after they kidnapped the boys and fled in a sailboat to Cuba. ...more

4/16/2013 - Child Custody Extradition Kidnapping

‘Accidental’ Americans Still Owe Income Tax

Most people who are born in the United States or who purposely become citizens here know they are U.S. citizens. But many people who’ve spent their lives abroad and are citizens of other countries may be shocked to learn that...more

4/15/2013 - Dual Citizenship Estate Tax Expatriates Generation-Skipping Transfer Gift Tax Income Taxes IRS

Indiana Anti-Immigration Law Unconstitutional, Court Says

A federal court on Mar. 28 struck down an Indiana law, inspired by Arizona’s infamous SB 1070, that reportedly allowed police to arrest immigrants without warrants. With that lawsuit, immigrant advocate groups have basically...more

4/11/2013 - Arizona Immigration Law Arrest Deferred Action Preemption SCOTUS Undocumented Immigrants Warrants

Right to Work Law Challenged in Michigan

The ACLU is trying to dismantle a “right to work” law passed in Michigan in December, saying people were locked out of the capitol while the measure was debated. ...more

4/8/2013 - ACLU First Amendment Lockouts NLRA Open Meetings Act Right to Work Union Dues Unions

Illinois Inches Closer to Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage

While a bill legalizing gay marriage awaits enough support in the Illinois House of Representatives, the Cook County clerk is not defending against a lawsuit brought against the county by gay couples who say its refusal to...more

4/5/2013 - Proposed Legislation Same-Sex Marriage

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear File-Sharing Appeal

Jammie Thomas-Rasset, the woman whom the recording industry martyred with a $222,000 damages award after several trials for stealing music online, has reached the end of her legal rope. The U.S. Supreme Court on Mar. 18...more

3/26/2013 - Appeals Copyright Damages File Sharing Illegal Digital Downloads Music Industry SCOTUS

NYC Employers Can’t Refuse to Hire the Unemployed

The New York City Council on Mar. 13 passed a law forbidding employers from discriminating against job applicants who are unemployed. It is the first law in the country to provide a private cause of action for people who are...more

3/20/2013 - Discrimination Local Ordinance Unemployment Discrimination

Foreclosure Error Robs Texas Couple of $150K in Property

A Texas couple whose personal property was mistakenly scooped up in a foreclosure happening next door have yet to get their things back and were told by police that it doesn’t count as theft. ...more

3/18/2013 - Asset Protection Contractors Foreclosure Theft Wrongful Foreclosures

Ariz. Can’t Block Immigrant Day Laborers from Work, Court Says

Yet another part of Arizona’s controversial 2010 immigration law has been blocked from enactment – this time by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which on Mar. 4 said SB 1070’s targeting of “traffic obstructions” by day...more

3/15/2013 - Arizona Immigration Law Commercial Speech Day Laborers First Amendment Immigration Reform Safety Precautions

DePuy Owes $8.3M After First Hip Replacement Trial

A jury in California on Mar. 8 ordered DePuy Orthopaedics to pay over $8.3 million to a man who says the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary knowingly made and marketed a faulty hip replacement device. ...more

3/14/2013 - DePuy Hip Replacement Design Defects Failure To Warn FDA Hip Replacement Medical Devices

Are Colorado Drivers Being ‘Pot-Profiled’ Elsewhere?

While marijuana is legal in Colorado, it’s clearly not in Nebraska, where cops are reportedly enforcing that state’s laws by profiling drivers with Colorado license plates. ...more

3/13/2013 - Marijuana Search & Seizure Traffic Stops

Don’t Let Your Employer Hijack Your LinkedIn Account

While the Phonedog case is the one everyone thinks of when employer ownership of employees’ social media accounts comes up, another case indicates that it remains a very tricky issue. ...more

3/11/2013 - Hiring & Firing LinkedIn Passwords Social Media Social Media Policy Termination

Google Accused of Sharing Users’ Private Info

After all of the trouble Google has encountered in its attempts to monetize its users’ information, you would think the company had learned its lesson. Think again – consumer groups are angry that Google has reportedly been...more

3/5/2013 - Android Data Protection FTC Google Mobile Apps Personally Identifiable Information

If You Want Palimony, Get It in Writing

A recent case in New Jersey could make it more difficult to bring palimony cases, according to lawyers involved in its appeal. In Maeker v. Ross, the state’s Appellate Division said palimony agreements must be in writing at...more

2/28/2013 - Cohabitation Agreements Lee Marvin Palimony

Texas Bank Settles Hispanic Discrimination Suit

The Department of Justice on Feb. 19 announced that Texas Champion Bank has agreed to pay $700,000 to settle allegations that it discriminated against Hispanics who applied for loans with the bank....more

2/27/2013 - Banks Discrimination Disparate Impact DOJ ECOA EEOC Loans National Origin National Origin Discrimination Settlement Unsecured Loans

Guilty Plea Means Deportation, Says Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 20 held that one of its 2010 rulings – that under the Sixth Amendment, criminal defense attorneys must warn their clients that guilty pleas can result in deportation – does not apply...more

2/26/2013 - Chaidez v United States Deportation Guilty Pleas Lawful Permanent Residents Retroactive Application SCOTUS Sixth Amendment

DocX Shutdown Part of $35M ‘Robosigning’ Fraud Settlement

The Department of Justice on Feb. 15 announced a $35 million settlement with Lender Processing Services (LPS) subsidiary DocX, stemming from the so-called “robosigning” scandal of 2010. DocX was in the business of...more

2/22/2013 - Conspiracies DocX DOJ Foreclosure Forgery Fraud Guilty Pleas Mortgage Servicers Mortgages Robo-Signing Settlement Wire Fraud

Increasingly Popular Drones Cause Privacy Concerns

Did you think flying robots were only creatures of science fiction movies? Silly you. Your neighbor can buy one from any number of dealers and online sources, and next thing you know, cameras could be flying over your...more

2/20/2013 - Cameras Department of Transportation Drones FAA Privacy Concerns

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