Amy Feldman
Amy Feldman, general counsel of The Judge Group, provides business commentaries on the law for KYW Newsradio 1060.
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Automatic Deductions
The popularity of automatic deductions from checking as a way to pay bills is skyrocketing but there are some traps you need to avoid.
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Supervisor's Comments on Subordinate's MySpace Page
A woman in Delaware filed a complaint against her supervisor because he sent a message to her myspace page. Can a supervisor be told not to visit the page of a subordinate?
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Security Deposit: Normal Wear and Tear
Legally, when can the landlord keep your security deposit or take a deduction against it and when can't he?
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Entering Into A Contract With a Minor
Is it unenforceable?
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When A Medical Plan Gets Back the Payments
An employee health plan - which is required to protect its assets so that it has the funds to pay for others in the plan - may sue to recoup money it put out if the money is later collected from another party.
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Tip Pooling
If you are a waiter for the summer or for your career, you want to know: what is tip pooling and is it legal?
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College Kids and Credit Cards
Parents are almost always responsible financially for the debts incurred by their minor children, including their college kid's credit cards.
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Do Not Call Political Solicitations
Why does my phone keep ringing with solicitations for all the political candidates? What happened to the do not call list that I signed up for?
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Pregnancy Discrimination
What are the rights of pregnant women to change jobs while pregnant?
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Post Termination Retaliation
Can a person who already got fired sue for the post-termination actions of the company? You bet.
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Protection for Little League Coaches
As spring and summer leagues are forming, if you are thinking of coaching your kid's league, what should you do to insulate yourself from liability?
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Sexual Harassment Claim Against Female Supervisor
When a top state administrator was sued for sexual harassment people were surprised to hear that the boss was a female and the subordinate a male.
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E-File Your Taxes
If you haven't filed your taxes yet, you should know that the IRS has a free electronic filing system that could allow you to file and have your refund in about 2 weeks.
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Harassment Against Teens in the Workplace
The EEOC just announced a $110,000 verdict against a Houston dry cleaners for the sexual harassment of a teenager who worked there.
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Dependent Exemption Divorced Spouses
When divorced spouses both want to claim a child for the purposes of the dependency exemption, who gets the benefit?
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Preparing for the Pink Slip
Consumer confidence is low right now, largely because of the weakness in the job market. How can you tell if your own job is in jeopardy and what should you do about it?
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Emergency Treatment for the Uninsured
If you are uninsured can you be denied treatment at the emergency room? Not if it's an emergency.
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Credit Card Debt Dies with You
For a fee, credit card companies offer to insure that if we die, our credit card balance will be expunged and won't be passed on. Is it worth it?
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ADD in the Workplace
What does a company need to do for its ADD employees?
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Pre-Employment Personality Tests
Can an employer use a personality test to determine if you should get the job?
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Foreclosure Scams
Not everyone who purports to help those in need of getting out from under foreclosures is actually there to 'help'.
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The Mayor's MySpace Trouble
Got a myspace page? If you think that your employer won't judge you on it, think again.
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Pre-approved Credit Card Offers
If you don't want those pre-approved credit card offers sitting around in your mailbox, you'll soon have a phone number to tell the solicitors where they can shove them.
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Noncompete
More and more employees are handed noncompetes and told that if they want the job, they have to sign them. Is that true? And is it enforceable?
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Right to Privacy in Your Desk
An employer has the right to rummage through the desk provided to you at work without your consent.
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Durable Power of Attorney
A power of attorney document is called "durable" if the power of your agent to make decisions survives should you become incapacitated or unable to make decisions.
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Document Shredding
Many companies don’t have any policy on where documents should be kept, how long they should be retained and when they need automatically to be shredded.
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Medical Deductions
Not all medical procedures and medicines can be deducted on your taxes. Here are the general parameters.
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The Unwitting Buyer of Stolen Goods Loses, Usually
A stolen item that is later recovered goes back to the original owner, even if the new buyer had no notice that it was stolen and paid good money for it.
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The Legal Definition of Indecency
On this Super Bowl weekend and in anticipation of another wardrobe malfunction, let's revisit the question: what is the legal definition of indecency?
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Archived Text Messages
If you think text messages go right to your phone and not through a company computer system so they are untraceable and gone once erased, think again.
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Emails: What Your Boss Learns Can Hurt You
There is no right to privacy in the e-mails that you send, read, or receive from your office computer.
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Prize Money is Taxable
As you begin to think about paying your taxes, you know you need to include your wages, but what else do you have to report?
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Babysitter Taxes
When do you have to pay taxes on your babysitter?
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Food Labels
The FDA has defined and strictly regulates the use of 11 core terms on nutritional labels so that manufacturers can't deceive the public into believing the food they're selling is healthier than it is.
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Renter's Insurance
One of the most common misperceptions of apartment dwellers is that the landlord's insurance will cover them in the event of a fire or other damage the tenant did not cause.
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Rebates on Holiday Gifts
Under the Fair Trade Act, it's false advertising if manufacturers or retailers get you to buy something by promising a rebate if they aren't going to give you one.
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Freedom of Association
What is a person's 'freedom of association' to join an after work club that his boss doesn't like?
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Refusing A Breathalyzer
Many people who are pulled over for suspicion of driving while intoxicated mistakenly believe that if they don't take a breathalyzer test, they can't be convicted.
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Prospective Waiver of Claims
Can a company with a salty environment ask employees to sign a waiver in advance stating that they know what they're in for before starting work and waive the right to sue later?
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Return Policy
With the holidays over, you really want to know: notwithstanding the moral imperative, do you have a legal right to return merchandise?
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Taxing Income from eBay Sales
Do I have to report the revenue I get from selling stuff on line? The answer is yes, and no.
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Homeowner Associations
A man in suburban Philadelphia bought a condo and was aware that he was subject to its homeowners association's rules. He didn't think much of it - but he should have.
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Lost Luggage Lawsuit
British Airways is facing a class-action suit over lost luggage but, until the case is resolved, best to pack in a carry-on anything critical to your well-being.
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Website Creates a Contract
If a website makes a promise, it can be considered a contract in the court of law.
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Last Drink Initiative
New Jersey is following the leads of many other states by trying a new tactic in its arsenal to end drunk driving: collection of last drink data.
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Suing For Your Own Illegal Conduct
When a college student died after taking a drug illegally obtained from Eckerd Drug, the family sued the pharmacy - and lost. The moral here is that adults cannot sidestep their own irresponsibility.
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(In)Appropriate Christmas Gifts
You're making your list and checking it twice. When it comes to what to give to your coworkers and subordinates for holiday gifts, make sure you check it for appropriateness.
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Preventing Identity Theft While Shopping Online
In 2005, more than 8 million people became victims of identity theft, a large percentage through cyber crime. This is what you need to know to keep your identity secure.
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Red Cross Relationship
With news of the 'former' Red Cross president stepping down over an affair, one might wonder - Is it legal for a supervisor to engage in a consensual romantic relationship with a subordinate?
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Time Off for Treatment - Or Not
After a Wisconsin woman diagnosed with breast cancer advised her supervisor of her need for treatment, she was promptly fired. What is a company's legal obligation to a sick employee?
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Religious Accomodations By An Employer
When and how are employers legally required to honor an employees religious observances.
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Sold Online But Still Your Responsibility
A trucking company that did no maintenance on a truck that was eventually sold online, was ultimately held responsible for an accident a year later. What's your risk?
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Suing Over Unwanted Text Messages
Social networking site Facebook was just hit with a lawsuit by a woman who got a new cell phone, a new number and a flood of unwanted texts.
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Time Spent 'Waiting' at Work Must Be Compensated
Legally, any time when an employee is required to be at work must be compensated.
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Filling a Prescription Online
If you do a search of online pharmacies, you'll turn up over a thousand sites willing to sell you drugs. Is it legal to buy drugs over the internet?
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Bride Scorned Should Have Paid With Credit Card
A bride in New York was so horrified by the flowers at her wedding she sued. But, her case will be all the more difficult because she didn't pay with a credit card.
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Firing Strategies
Nobody likes to be fired; but the truth is that nobody likes to do the firing either. Here are strategies to survive the event, no matter which side of the desk you're sitting on.
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Baggy Pants Regulation
The Trenton, NJ council is taking up a resolution preventing the wearing of baggy pants that expose boxer shorts. Does the gov't have a say?
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Cellphones on Airplanes
Portable electronic devices PEDs) such as cell phones and pagers is that they transmit a signal that can interfere with the navigation system of a plane (for real).
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Mandatory Retirement Ages
There are some occupations in which it is legal to implement a mandatory retirement age.
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Male Sexual Harassment
In corporate America, can a man sue for sexual harassment? What if the alleged harassment is from another male?
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Confidentiality Agreements
If you are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement it means you are legally bound to keep mum.
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IRS Help for Foreclosures
In today's economic climate, more and more people are facing foreclosure. And, here's a twist that adds insult to injury.
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Supervisor Won't Pay for Sexual Harassment
After a lurid, three week trial a New York jury found that Knicks coach Isiah Thomas sexually harassed a former team executive but HE doesn't have to pay a dime.
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Checking Email Twice a Day
Some companies are beginning to limit the number of times an employee can check email, even for business-related messages.
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Asking for a Raise
If you are considering asking for a raise, consider your timing - and your tone.
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Retiree Health Benefits
It is legal for a company to phase out health benefits as the retiree gets old enough to be entitled to Medicare.
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Lying Under Oath During Jury Duty
In particular, people HATE being called to jury duty and will do almost anything in their power to prevent it. But lying under oath could obligate you to show up in court - as the defendant.
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When 'Frivolous' Lawsuits Make Cents
Sometimes those so-called frivolous lawsuits, such as the infamous McDonald's hot coffee case, make 'cents'because they make sense.
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Drinking with Your Colleagues
Alcohol is a near constant temptation from the dinner interview to the coworkers' happy hour. Here are some guidelines for drinking with colleagues.
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Crying at the Office
Crying at the office is unacceptable in most work environments and the resulting job action will not be seen as discriminatory.
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Craigslist Discrimination
After a woman posted an ad for a college-age babysitter on Craigslist she became concerned that she might be violating federal law by discriminating based on age. Was she?
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Comp Time
Comp time is the option for an employee who works more than 40 hours one week to get time off during a slower period, rather than be paid for the overtime. But, comp time is illegal for non-exempt workers.
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Bottled Water Regulations
The 'pure' mystery of bottled water may soon be a thing of the past, as Aquafina has agreed to clarify that the product it's selling is really tap water.
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Leaving Money to Pets
Most of the 44 million dog owners in the US say they are more attached to their pet than to any human being but Fido cannot be named as the direct beneficiary in a will.
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Guns at Work
Thirty-eight states - including Pennsylvania - allow mentally competent people age 21 and over to bring concealed weapons to work. This is what employers need to know.
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Buying Jewelry
The summer is the height of wedding season. When you buy your ring, the terms used by jewelers may sound the same but mean very different things. Those terms are legally defined.
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The Repo Man
How can it be legal for a repo man - without notice - to hotwire a car and drive it away?
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Personal Document Disclosure
When should a corporation release personal information about an employee?
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Pornography on Your Computer
A woman in Illinois sued her boss for sexual harassment because he looked at pornography on his computer in his office - even though he never sent the pictures to or discussed them with her.
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Taking Milk Through Security
If you are planning on taking a baby through airline security for your summer vacation, this is what you need to know about what you can and can't carry on the plane for your child to drink.
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Vacation Fly Rights
Severe weather in June caused a spike in trip cancellations—Northwest Airlines alone cancelled over 250 flights in one weekend. What recourse do bumped passengers have?
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Street Level Satellite Pictures
Google has a new feature on its online map called Street View - pictures taken of people in public places who may think what they are doing is private but it's not. Is that legal?
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Attractive Nuisance
What are a property owner's obligations to protect those who trespass?
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Avoiding Scams for Job Seekers
There are many scams out there waiting to prey on recent graduates, or anyone looking for a job. As you begin your job search, here are some red flags to look out for.
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Illegal Stock Option Dating
The SEC announced that at least 80 companies are under investigation for illegal stock options dating. So what is illegal stock option dating and how does your company avoid an investigation?
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Bad Behavior at Work
What can be done about bad behavior at work that is disturbing but not illegal?
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Swimmers Safety at Your Pool
If you own a swimming pool and are about to open it for the season, you owe a duty to those who come onto your property to swim - whether or not you've invited them.
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Parents' Responsibility for Kids' Crimes
If your kid breaks the law when, as a parent, can you be held responsible?
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