Merrimack Valley Legal Blog

As we recently discussed, internet sex activity might not always be as innocent as it seems. You have to think about how your activities are aligning with the laws. For example, there are strict laws against child pornography in this country, which means that viewing content that purports to fall under this category should be avoided. We know this is easier said than done, so there are some instances in which a defendant might face criminal charges for actions that they didn't think were illegal.

One thing that you should remember anytime you are online is that you do have some semblance of anonymity, at least on the surface. It is usually possible to view websites using an incognito option; however, there are still records that can be pulled that can show law enforcement what you were viewing.

Can medical marijuana get you fired? This has been a question on the minds of almost all those who use prescription cannabis. If medical marijuana is legal in a state, most employees feel that they should have no problem consuming it, the same as they would prescription pills. Unfortunately, since marijuana levels can be difficult to detect in your system and the drug sticks around on urine tests for a longer length of time, it can be difficult to ascertain if an employee is under the influence of the medication while he or she is engaged in work activities. To add to the conundrum, medical marijuana is not legal under federal law, making court cases a little trickier than they may originally seem. 

Employers can handle their employment practices in pretty much any manner they choose as long as they are within the confines of the law. One area that they must comply with strict regulations on is retaliation. No employer is legally able to allow retaliation in their company.

Retaliation refers to any negative employment action that is based on a protected activity. There are many activities that can't lead to any form of retaliation. The key point for all employees to remember is that it isn't going to be easy to prove that you were retaliated against.

No matter the kind of business deal you want to make, you should create a contract between the involved parties. Among other things, you will want to establish the length of the contract, define any financial obligations and include terms of recourse if someone breaches that contract.

In many situations, contracts seem clear-cut. However, a dispute can arise when one party feels another did not fulfill their contractual obligations. Such is the case with the ongoing breach of contract dispute between Michael Jackson’s estate and HBO.