News & Blog

Lawsuits Against Hotel Chains Target Hated Resort Fees

Have you ever been lured by a hotel’s advertised price online and booked it, only to be surprised by a hefty “resort fee” at check-in or worse, at check-out? What about a “resort fee” for a pool that was closed in the winter or for spotty wi-fi? Often consumers are “exhausted” at the end of the online searching and booking process and more readily give...
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Fact or Fiction: Under Federal Law Workers Are Protected When They Discuss their Wages

This is true! Does your employer require or dissuade you and your co-workers from discussing your wages? In 2010, nearly half of all workers nationally reported that they were either contractually forbidden or strongly discouraged from discussing their pay with their colleagues, according to results from a 2010 Institute for Women’s Policy Research/Rockefeller Survey of Economic Security. Many argue that pay secrecy policies serve to...
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Why is Johnny Depp Suing Ex-Wife Amber Heard in Virginia Where Neither of Them Live or Work?

Why Johnny Depp Filed Suit in Virginia In addition to their divorce, the two actors are at each other’s throats in a defamation suit filed by Johnny Depp against Amber Heard. But Depp filed the suit in Virginia, where neither of the actors live or work. In the lawsuit, Depp is named as “John C. Depp, II.” In the defamation suit Depp vehemently denied claims...
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Why is Alabama Indicting a Pregnant Woman Shot in the Stomach with Manslaughter?

In 2018 27-year old Marshae Jones was five months pregnant when she got into an argument with Ebony Jemison outside a store in Birmingham, Alabama. The argument escalated and the pregnant Jones was shot in the stomach. Jones was rushed to the hospital but the shooting caused a miscarriage that ended her pregnancy. Police initially charged the shooter with manslaughter, but the grand jury found...
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Fact or Fiction: California Extends Medi-Cal to Undocumented Adult Immigrants

This is fact! On January 1, 2020, California will become the first state in the nation to allow low-income undocumented adults aged 19-26 to sign up for state-funded health coverage. Currently, only a handful of cities or counties in the United States offer health care coverage for undocumented immigrants. These include Los Angeles County‘s My Health LA program, and San Francisco‘s Healthy San Francisco. Since  2016 California children and teens qualified...
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Fact or Fiction: Labeling a Veggie Burger as “Meat” Is Illegal in Some States

This is a fact in several states! In 2018 Missouri passed a law that prohibits many products — including plant-based and lab-grown “meat” — from being labeled and marketed as “meat.” Violating the law could lead to criminal penalties of up to one year in prison and fines of up to $1,000. Plant-based “meats” include familiar products like veggie burgers, vegetarian hot dogs, and tofu......
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UC Berkeley Law Student Djenab Conde Wins $3,000 Scholarship

We are honored to announce the 2018 winner of the Reeves Law Group scholarship: Djenab Conde. Djenab is a student of UC Berkeley, School of Law. She is a 2019 J.D. Candidate. Djenab’s compelling essay made an impact on the judges. As a child of immigrant parents and a mixed family, Djenab was born in Beijing, China and grew up in China, Guinea, Mali, Côte......
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Is the “Warrior Gene” A Defense to Murder?

The first gene to be linked to antisocial behavior was identified in 1993 in a large Dutch family that was notorious for violence.  Fifteen years of painstaking research revealed that they all lacked the same gene. This gene produces an enzyme called MAOA, which regulates the levels of neurotransmitters involved in impulse control. If you lack the MAOA gene or have the low-activity variant you are......
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Fact or Fiction: Prosecutors Can Indict the DNA Profiles of Unidentified Suspects

This is a fact! In order to avoid the statute of limitations prosecutors have brought indictments against anonymous DNA profiles! Recently prosecutors in Wisconsin filed a felony charge against the DNA profile of an unidentified man believed to have sent a threatening letter to a judge. The DNA was obtained from a 9-cent stamp (these were last sold in 1975!) used to send  the threatening......
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Fact or Fiction: Artists and authors can reclaim licenses to their work after 35 years

This is fact! Even if an artist or author signed agreements that transferred all rights to their music label or publisher, a federal law allows the artist to reclaim the copyright after a certain number of years. See 17 U.S.C. § 203. The Copyright Act of 1976 allows recording artists and songwriters the right to claw back rights to copyrighted work 35 years after creation? This so-called “termination......
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