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A developer that didn’t keep its promise to install a traffic light at an intersection where a fatal car crash happened must pay the victims’ families $6 million. The developer, Crescent Resources, agreed to install a traffic light on Highway 49 in Charlotte, N.C., in exchange for Mecklenburg County allowing it to construct a lakeside community across the highway. Despite pressure from the state and county and growing complaints from residents, the developer didn’t install the signal. Three people were …

Lawyers.com honors those who have served our country. The MVDC (Military and Veterans Discount Centers) infographic below provides statistics on the top states that offer military discounts. It also includes information on how military personnel can obtain these benefits. Lawyers.com covers veterans’ issues including compensation from the VA, damages for chemical exposure and employment law advice for returning soldiers. We thank the men and women in uniform and hope to help them obtain their full rights under the law, and …

Can you be fired for clicking the “Like” button on a Facebook page? A group of employees in the Hampton County, Va. Sheriff’s Office will find out when the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules on whether their dismissal for “liking” the opponent of their boss during election season violates the First Amendment.   Fired after a ‘Like’ It was election season in November 2009, when Sheriff B. J. Roberts learned that some of his employees were actively supporting …

Jurors in the Jodi Arias trial were unable to reach a unanimous verdict after three days of deliberations, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial. The court must now seat a new jury to decide Arias’ punishment for first-degree murder, unless prosecutors cut a deal with her first. Arias’ retrial has already been scheduled for July 18. If a second jury is also unable to reach a unanimous verdict of either death or life in prison, the death penalty will …

The Boy Scouts of America voted today to lift its ban on openly gay members. The Scouts’ National Council, comprising of around 1,400 members, cast the hotly contested ballot at a conference in Texas today. Up until the moment the results were released this evening it was unclear whether the organization would retain or drop its discriminatory policy. Ultimately, about 60 percent of members voted to drop it. The result is that “no youth may be denied membership in the …

In most situations, your landlord is not allowed to cut off your utilities. A landlord who wants you to leave can evict you under the terms of the lease or rental agreement, but cannot cut off your utilities. In general, utilities include gas, heat, electricity, and water and sewer – anything that comes out of a pipe or outlet. Utilities often include trash collection as well. In some rental units, they include telephone, cable and high-speed Internet.   Covered by …

  In today’s Newsbreak, Lawyers.com Editorial Director Betsy Kim provides a round-up of “big” legal stories. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman plans to sue mortgage giants, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, for violating the National Mortgage Settlement. Last year, five of the country’s largest banks and 49 state attorneys general agreed to a $26 billion settlement. The banks were to provide relief to homeowners including mortgage modifications for at-risk borrowers. The banks also agreed to comply with new …

Actress-singer Ashley Tisdale recently scored a restraining order against an alleged stalker who showed up at her house. But before that he’d over-tweeted his welcome as a fan, logging thousands of messages on Tisdale’s Twitter page since November, sending her to the cops with worries about her safety.   Creepy Tweets Tisdale first reportedly grew alarmed when her handlers noticed that one fan had tweeted to her account almost 19,000 times in the last six months. Some of his tweets …

In times of strained budgets, states are trying creative ways to prepare people with mental illness to stand trial. A recent Associated Press story reviews methods that officials use to restore defendants’ capacity and help them understand what is going on during criminal proceedings, such as mock trials. With money tight, some states are resorting to treating people in prison or even out-patient programs instead of in hospitals. The U.S. Supreme Court decided in the 1960 case Dusky vs. United …

A jury has ordered the maker of the popular arthritis drug Humira to pay $2.24 million for not warning doctors about a life-threatening side effect. Delores Tietz, of Manda, N.D., was prescribed Humira for rheumatoid arthritis in October 2009 and took it for almost seven months before feeling flu-like symptoms including chest pains and fever. Her symptoms were not treated for weeks until doctors finally diagnosed her illness as histoplasmosis, a severe fungal infection that can be fatal if untreated. …