Also known as “mulct,” a fine is a monetary penalty that a court imposes as punishment for committing a crime. In the US, Pfizer paid the largest criminal and civil fine in pharmaceutical industry. The company paid a total of $2.3 billion in fines. Quick take: what does a criminal fine mean? Willful failure to … Read more
In the US, Pfizer paid $2.3 billion in criminal and civil fines, the largest in recent pharmaceutical history. Across the ocean, TEPCO has already paid billions in fines for failing to meet nuclear powerplant safety requirements in Japan, and may end up paying much more. Class action lawsuits and individual claims against TEPCO continue to … Read more
There are two basic categories of evidence (1) direct evidence (2) circumstantial evidence. The former relies on witness perceptions and the latter on circumstantial evidence such as DNA. Depending on the laws in your country, you may break down these two categories into at least seven different types of evidence as explained below. Quick take: … Read more
Yes. But eligibility depends on state law and you may only collect unemployment benefits after you are released from prison. If you have completed your sentence or know your release date, below is what you need to know. Tip: If you are over 65, you may apply for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security … Read more
The sale of lighters in the United States is a bit of a grey area as it can fall under the umbrella of what the law may consider a ‘tobacco product’, this does not mean that it is necessarily illegal to purchase a lighter as a minor. Quick take: There is no age restriction on … Read more
Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), doctors and medical practitioners can only share your medical information/ Personal Health Information on a need-to-know basis and in a way that is secure and protects your privacy. In other words, a failed drug test is not a public record unless the test led to a … Read more
The quickest and easiest way to find out if your record has been expunged is to visit the court where your case was held and ask to see the records. You know that your record is clean if the court does not have your records or if it approves your request. The question is, who … Read more
Yes, a convicted felon can run for president in the United States of America. The U.S. Constitution does not prevent a felon from running for the office of the President. What becomes interesting is whether they are able to handle the political fallout of running from or after spending time in prison, although this has … Read more
Under state and federal law, it is legal to film anyone who does not have a “reasonable expectation of privacy.” In public spaces, you do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Quick take: Only 16 states have specific video surveillance statutes. Typically the audio recording laws are much stricter than video recording. It is … Read more
A life sentence can be misleading as it does not mean that the convicted criminal will be incarcerated for the rest of that person’s natural life. More often than not, it is a regular prison sentence that comes with the possibility of parole after a certain amount of years. State law dictates the length of … Read more