ABOUT two months before the start of the 2019 World Cup in France where it was scheduled to defend its title as World Cup Champions, the US Women Soccer Team sued its employer, the United States Soccer Federation, Inc. (“Federation”), for equal pay. Back in 2019, this column wrote about how and why the lawsuit…
OVER the last 35 years, many clients have always asked me “Attorney, should I file for bankruptcy?” This question is asked after they have told me what their problem is. The problem is always financial: having a hard time paying credit cards; behind on mortgage payments and there is a threat of foreclosure from the…
IN 2010, Facebook instituted an update to its site called “Open Graph,” which introduced Facebook users to a “Like” button that they could click to show to their networks their interests and activities anywhere in the internet. When users updated to Open Graph, this allowed Facebook to gather data about their online activities, including what sites…
MANY people are of the perception that simply downloading a prenuptial agreement from the internet and signing it with their fiance offers them a bullet proof protection from a divorce. What many people do not know is that certain statutory requirements must be met in order for the prenuptial agreement to be valid and to…
IF you are in debt and are seriously considering bankruptcy as an option, I am sure a lot of thoughts are going through your mind. I just want to get out of debt and start over but how quickly can I recover from bankruptcy? What are the different types of bankruptcy available? How do I…
DENISE Bertone worked as a coroner investigator for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner (DMEC). For most of her 25-year tenure, she was the expert pediatric coroner investigator for most child deaths. In 2013, a disabled child was found nearly drowned in a washing machine and was comatose. The child was taken to…
MANY parents who may have problems refinancing their house due to low income in retirement or due to low credit score sometimes resort to the idea of having their married child serve as a co-borrower to refinance their house As part of the refinancing process, the parents usually adds their adult children to the deed…
THIS is what I call a borderline Chapter 7 case with asset. Therefore, it is the better part of caution not to file Chapter 7 because the asset may be lost in Chapter 7, while Chapter 13 is safe enough because the Chapter 13 trustee, unlike the Chapter 7 trustee does not have the power…
IF you’ve ever had to file bankruptcy in the past for whatever reason, you probably told yourself that hopefully, you never have to do it again ever. But sometimes you never know where life takes you and if you ever find yourself in a financial bind where bankruptcy becomes necessary again, fear not. It is…
Q: I recently resigned from work because I was tired of being shorted on overtime pay, not being given breaks half the time, being made to work before and after my shift with no pay, and not being reimbursed for using my personal vehicle and cellphone for work. Unfortunately, before being hired, we had to…
Initial costs $425: $75 for the Articles of Organization $200 for the State Business License $150 for the Initial List of Managers or Managing Members. Annual costs $350: $200 Renew business license $150 Annual list of managers & members. Other costs: City business license – depends on what City. Registered agent $0 to $125 per…
MANY self-employed individuals have relied on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other federal pandemic loans to rescue their businesses from going under. If you notice, many restaurants that we go to pre-pandemic have shuttered up permanently despite using up PPP and other loans. Sure the PPP loans helped a lot to keep employees employed,…
Q: COVID continues to be problem for many and is hitting close to home with these new variants that are highly contagious (I know relatives and friends who are getting very sick!). I work for a company that gives 40 hours (5 days) of paid sick leave. If I ever need to take leave due…
MANY parents who may have problems refinancing their house due to low income in retirement or due to low credit score sometimes resort to the idea of having their married child serve as a co-borrower to refinance their house As part of the refinancing process, the parents usually adds their adult children to the deed…
Are you seriously in debt and don’t know what to do? Individuals who have accumulated excessive debt are often left to ponder whether bankruptcy is their only realistic way to get out of debt. However, they hesitate to do so because of all the negative things they’ve heard about bankruptcy. Sometimes, these people feel that…
Nevada does not have corporate or personal income tax. It’s for this reason that businesses leave their states of residency to set up shop in Nevada. Individuals also flock to Nevada to escape taxation of their retirement income, even if Social Security, IRA, and 401(k) were earned while residents of their prior states of domicile….
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency has become popular lately as a new store of value. It is decentralized and not subject to regulation in any jurisdiction. It can be stored in a digital wallet or hard drive. Due to its lack of regulation, it is easy for one to assume that it is not necessary to…
WE previously wrote in this column about the case against Riot Games, Inc., a multi-billion dollar video game developer, with headquarters in Los Angeles, operating in 24 offices around the world and employing about 2,500 workers, 80% of them male. The facts of the case are as follows: Riot Games’ employees, Jessica Negron, Gina Cruz…
CHAPTER 13 is a reorganization of your financial affairs where you pay a portion of your debts over 36 months or 60 months depending on where your household income is. If it’s over the state median for the same size family as yours following current government statistics, then it’s 60 months. If not, it’s 36…
TOUGH financial times caused by the pandemic are pushing strapped consumers over the edge. Delinquencies and balances on delinquent credit cards are on the rise again. Faced with layoffs and difficult economic times, a lot of people are resorting to use of their credit cards to pay for basic living expenses such as food and…
MANY people are of the perception that simply downloading a prenuptial agreement from the internet and signing it with their fiance offers them a bullet proof protection from a divorce. What many people do not know is that certain statutory requirements must be met in order for the prenuptial agreement to be valid and to…
When you set up your own business, you have a choice of operating as a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation or LLC. How do you select which entity is most beneficial for you? Choosing the wrong form could cause unnecessary taxes, increased liability, and unnecessary exposure to lawsuits. What you should not do is listen to…
MANY people are of the perception that simply downloading a prenuptial agreement from the internet and signing it with their fiance offers them a bullet proof protection from a divorce. What many people do not know is that certain statutory requirements must be met in order for the prenuptial agreement to be valid and to…
Sevag Chalian worked as a pharmacist for CVS Pharmacy Inc. Chalian and other pharmacists are required by CVS to complete “mandatory training modules.” The employees were instructed to complete their training modules at home and CVS provided them remote access. The California Board of Pharmacy did not require these training for licensing purposes. Only CVS…
IS there such a thing as “good” debt? Sure there is. Debt can get you a higher education and get you a profession. By higher education, I mean college and graduate school, including the professions. Let’s say you’re about to graduate from high school and you want to become a medical doctor, a physician. You…
AS a bankruptcy attorney, I am often asked: “How will filing bankruptcy change my life?” I think people ask this question because of the negative things that they may have heard about bankruptcy from their friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. They think that a bankruptcy means that they will be forever looked upon as outcasts…
The COVID-19 Pandemic is a scary reality which affects everyone globally and has shut down the global economy. Individuals over 65 are more at risk of having serious complications with this virus. Although we cannot completely control how we would respond to such virus, we can prepare our finances and estate incase the worst happens….
THE COVID-19 Pandemic is a scary reality which affects everyone globally and has shut down the global economy. Individuals over 65 are more at risk of having serious complications with this virus. Although we cannot completely control how we would respond to such virus, we can prepare our finances and estate incase the worst happens….
WHAT’S in store for us for 2022? I was just thinking that this is the year we beat the pandemic permanently and the coronavirus decides to mutate into something that’s mild and not fatal which omicron appears to be based on all current data. But omicron is 10 times more contagious than the original coronavirus…
Minimum Wage Increases Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the California state minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees. For employers with 25 or fewer employees, the minimum wage will increase to $14 per hour. Some local cities and counties may have higher minimum wage requirements. For exempt employees,…
