Category: Consumer Columnists

The right to privacy and intimate association JANELLE Perez was hired as a police officer in the Roseville Police Department. A few months into her probationary term, Janelle and a fellow officer, Shad Begley, began a romantic relationship. Both Janelle and Shad were separated from their respective spouses but remained married. Shad’s wife, Leah, filed…

THE client is 71. Her husband died five years ago, so she lives with her unmarried son who does not have full time or steady employment. She has a large equity in her residence of about $400,000. For her age, the equity exemption for homestead is $175,000. She was a registered nurse when she was…

Bankruptcy is often a last resort for people who are in serious debt trouble. But if you’re one of many millions of people who have suffered a job loss due to the COVID-19 crisis, it might make sense if it’s your only hope of being able to survive financially during these tough times. This is…

How a sick leave policy fell short of disability discrimination law Mykyn Woods worked as a Senior Community Manager for Greystar Management Services, a property management company with offices all over the United States. Less than a year after she started working for Greystar, Woods was injured in a vehicle accident. She sustained herniated discs,…

THE client is 48. He owns an “S” corporation that has been operating for 15 years. The corporation provides a service to the public in several shopping malls. Business has been good for the last 15 years until the virus reared its ugly head. Like every other retail business, the corporation stopped doing business in…

LIKE most people, you’ve worked hard and have done your best to pay all your bills on time. But in life, at one time or another, all of us get into a situation where debt can be overwhelming. Money problems can easily overlap into other areas of our lives. Many people feel hopeless and powerless…

When reporting for work does not mean showing up ALEXIA Herrera worked as a Sales Associate at Zumiez, Inc., a retail store in Chico, California. Zumiez scheduled Herrera and other employees for work according to two scheduling policies. First, Zumiez scheduled employees for “Show-Up” shifts, requiring the employees to physically report for scheduled work at…

THE clients are a husband and wife in their mid-60s. I asked them if they have started receiving social security benefits, and sadly they told me that they migrated less than 10 years ago so have not yet contributed at least 10 years to social security. They have contributed for eight years and need two…

THE word “bankruptcy” is packed with all sorts of negative emotional triggers. It sounds bad — even dirty. It’s embarrassing. (What if people find out?!) People paint ugly pictures of what their lives will look like post-bankruptcy. But it’s not true. Bankruptcy is an opportunity to close one chapter of your life and open a…

Protecting employees from retaliation for whistleblowing SHUJUN Qiu was hired by Three Rivers Provider Network Inc. as its controller. Throughout her employment, Qui excelled at her job and her employer had no complaints about her performance. She was eventually promoted to corporate treasurer. On the fifth month of her employment, Qui was informed by another…

Downloading videos is easy when you see a download button. Unfortunately, most video sharing sites obviously don’t allow downloads, usually to protect copyrights or because there’s not a large demand to download their videos. But there are tools and tricks you can use to download videos even when there isn’t a download button. Maybe you…

THE first client is in his 40s, married with two children, ages 8 and 9. He doesn’t own a house. The absence of a house makes eligibility analysis easier. If he did own a house, the current equity in the house would come into play and dominate the entire analysis for eligibility. If the equity…

People with overwhelming debt problems during this difficult time are asking a lot of questions. Are you scared of being sued and having creditors getting judgments against you and garnishing your wages and levying your bank account? What would happen to your home or business if you fall behind on your debt obligations and are…

THE middle-aged client owned a retail business for some time. The business was located in a good location so the lease was for $10,000 a month. The company that he owned, which operated the business, signed a lease for 20 years worth $2 million. Three years ago, the client sold the business to a third…

ELIZABETH Carter worked at Dunn-Edwards, the paint store, when her medical condition prevented her from lifting more than 20 pounds. She could, however, still continue to perform most of her essential duties. Her employer thus provided modified work duty by allowing her to ask co-workers for help whenever she needed to lift anything heavier than…

Interactive process in the COVID-19 era Q: MY work required me to interact with a lot of people. I became infected with COVID-19. I was hospitalized and went on disability leave. After 8 weeks of quarantine and after being relieved of symptoms, my doctor ordered another test, which came back negative. I was then cleared…

THE client’s company filed for Chapter 7 relief as it was bankrupt. It had two warehouses and rent for one was $15,000 a month, while the other was $20,000 a month. The original business started 12 years ago when client had a partner. They imported merchandise from Asia and distributed them here in the USA….

“However, the Order goes on to say that all persons living within the County of Los Angeles should remain in their residences whenever practicable.” Q: SINCE the shelter-in-place order, I have been working from home. Now that we are re-opening, I heard from HR that we will be going back to the office soon. My…

THE client is in his 50s. Believe me, 50s is still young. He has been divorced more than 10 years ago and now lives by himself. He used to own a house but lost that house in the divorce to his ex-wife. Now he rents an apartment. He’s planning to marry again but he says…

A LOT of people in debt often already know what they need to do once they realize that bankruptcy is their only way out. But they usually delay the decision to file because they try their best to avoid it if at all possible and will only rush to act when they face an immediate…

Why employees should look at their paystubs JULIE Gunther started working as a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines in 2015. In 2017, she sued her employer in a class action, claiming that Alaska Airlines did not provide her with accurate itemized paystubs. This led her to question whether she was in fact paid properly for…