Minneapolis Business Lawyer

Employment Agreements for Seasonal Employees

admin — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:19:30 +0000

Many businesses seek to hire extra hands through the holiday season as a way to cope with the shopping rush. Typically, these employees are hired as “Independent Contractors” to insulate the company from the cost of benefits and responsibility for tax withholding, and there are usually further clauses designed to limit an employer’s liability for harmful actions done by the seasonal employee while on the company premises.

But it is important to know that such limitations do not protect employers absolutely, and therefore it is in the corporate best interest to be careful in hiring decisions. Also, when hiring seasonal employees, it would behoove any business owner to speak with a knowledgeable business attorney about the crafting of employment agreements that are ideal for defining the contractual relationship between short-term employees and the company.

If you or someone you know is hiring seasonal employees, contact Minneapolis business attorneys, Skjold-Barthel, at 612-746-2560.

Oprah Winfrey Faces Defamation Suit

admin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:31:27 +0000

Oprah Winfrey has been named as the defendant in a defamation suit being filed in Pennsylvania by Nomvuyo Mzamane, the former headmistress of a girls’ school Winfrey opened in South Africa a few years ago. The suit concerns comments Winfrey made to the South African press following a sexual abuse scandal at the school. A former dorm matron, Tiny Virginia Makopo, has been charged with 14 counts of kissing, fondling, and sometimes hitting or kicking some of her students. When speaking to the press about these incidents, Winfrey allegedly expressed disappointment with Mzamane for failure to find and prevent this abuse.

Mzamane, who returned to Philadelphia after being let go from her position at The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, claims she has been unable to find work because of the alleged comments. She is seeking over $250,000. Winfrey denies saying anything untrue or inflammatory, and has asked that the suit be dismissed.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of defamation, contact Minneapolis defamation attorneys Skjold-Barthel at 612-746-2560.

Arthur Kent Defamation Lawsuit

admin — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:16:29 +0000

Journalist Arthur Kent of Calgary, Alberta in Canada has revealed the details of his defamation lawsuit against CanWest Publishing Inc. Kent ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate earlier this year in Alberta’s provincial elections.

According to Kent, several CanWest news periodicals published an inaccurate, biased and damaging article, but refused to print his rebuttal. The article was printed in February, and the lawsuit was filed in July. The defendants were served in September.

Defamation can have serious consequences. If you are having any issues with defamation, contact the Minneapolis business attorneys of Skjold Barthel at 612.746.2560.

Venice, IL, Settles Defamation Lawsuit

admin — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:00:23 +0000

Harold Wilson, Jr, a court security officer for Madison County, IL, has settled his lawsuit against the city of Venice. According to the claim he filed in December 2007, the city distributed documents among workers at the Madison County Sheriff’s Department stating that Wilson could possibly be in police custody in Venice. These documents were allegedly distributed on December 6, 2006. Wilson was not in police custody at that time, and he claims that the town of Venice was aware of that fact. Furthermore, he claims that the documents were distributed out of malice, rather than a simple mistake, which is the foundation of his lawsuit.

Bot parties announced on September 26 that a settlement has been reached, although further details have not been released at this time.

Defamation is a crime that can have serious repercussions for individuals and businesses. If your company has been unfairly and maliciously accused of anything, contact the Minneapolis defamation attorneys Skjold & Barthel at 612-746-2560.

Lawsuit brought against Nationstar Mortgage LLC and Centex HomeEquity

admin — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:11:51 +0000

Nationstar Mortgage LLC and Centex HomeEquity LLC are being sued by nearly two dozen home loan borrowers. The plaintiffs claim that Nationstar and Centex forced them into bad loan situations that have resulted in numerous financial hardships and destroyed credit scores.

Additionally, the claim alleges that there were numerous violations of the Truth In Lending Act as well as violations of California’s Unfair Business Practices Act, occurring over the past several years.

One individual in particular, Cindy Kelly, who worked as a branch manager in 2006 for Nationstar, was cited as “fraudulently selling unregistered securities, foreign currency, and commodities during the lending process”. Additionally, the suit claims that Kelly’s superiors failed to properly supervise her, and that she was encouraged to process load applications that were incomplete and / or contained false information.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of unfair business practices, contact the Minneapolis business lawyers at Skjold Barthel , P.A. today by calling 612.746.2560.