INGRID Avendano, Roxana Lopez, and Ana Medina are female Latina software engineers employed by Uber, a multi-billion dollar company that provides on-demand transportation and food delivery services globally. The engineers sued Uber, on behalf on themselves and all aggrieved employees in California, accusing Uber of violating California’s Equal Pay Act for failing to provide equal…
SEVERAL options exist for a US citizen to bring his/her foreign-national fiancé(e) to the United States. One popular option is to marry the fiancé(e) in the country in which he/she resides, and file an I-130 immigrant petition, with the fiancé(e) to undergo consular processing for an immigrant visa when the I-130 petition is approved. However,…
IF you lose an IRS audit, you have two choices: pay or appeal. Your decision depends on how you feel about the fairness of the auditor, amount of assessment, cost of defense, and extending or ending your misery with the IRS. • What is the role of Appeals? • Are Appeals Officers independent? • Do…
Balitang America has confirmed that one of the kids who died when a 19-year-old man opened fire using an AR-15 war weapon in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Valentine’s Day was of Filipino descent. Her name was Carmen Schentrup, a beautiful and intelligent senior high school student whose Filipina lola, Florenda…
California law on the nature of spouses’ rights and obligations with respect to management and control of community property has evolved over the last thirty years from less stringent “good faith” standards to heightened “confidential duty” and “fiduciary duty’ standards. Under current law, the duties owed between spouses in transactions between themselves are the same…
The 2020 Census is underway with only two years left to go, and for Asian Americans, the upcoming census is being seen as either an opportunity for being accurately counted, or a chance to be improperly represented. The decennial census looks to find population changes and other information of who makes up the United States,…
Dear Attorney Gurfinkel: My aunt owns a care home, and wants to petition me as a caregiver. However, I was told that employers cannot petition relatives for green cards through labor certification or PERM. Is that true? Or is it possible for relatives to petition other relatives for employment-based green card? Very truly yours, MJ…
Why do cardiac surgeons stop the heart during surgery? The conventional technique in coronary bypass surgery includes, among other elaborate procedures, arresting the heart in order for the surgeon to have a quiet (non-beating) and “bloodless” field to do the delicate stitching connection on the tiny (size of a round toothpick) arteries on the surface…
Judgment one of highest verdicts to a domestic worker on pure wage claim A live-in Filipina domestic employee has won a wage claim of $827,506 against her former employers who had her care for two of their disabled children in addition to doing housework, errands, and cooking, for what amounted to way less than minimum…
The Love of Country Global Ambassadors Program selects women and men that represent four different categories. Our mission is to inspire four specific age groups and generations which we believe will create an even bigger impact and influence in the world. We believe that you’re never too old or too young to become who might…
Among the young people known as “Dreamers,” Ever Arias belongs to a select group. Of the roughly 700,000 unauthorized immigrants who have temporary but tenuous protection from deportation, only 99 are in medical school. Fewer still have made it to their final year. Arias is one of them and, come June, will start his medical…
The Chinese government has criticized the United States after one of its warships sailed in the disputed waters of the South China Sea near Panganiban (Mischief) Reef in the Spratly Islands. Ren Guoqiang, spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Defense, said the entry of U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mustin in what he described as waters around China’s…
Those of the Christian faith will mark the end of the 40-day Lenten season with Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While the day is widely symbolized by the Easter bunny, dyed eggs, and chocolate, there is more to the holiday and the traditions associated with it. As the holiday approaches this week, here are…
(PART 3 of 3) (Remarks of Hon. Jose De Venecia, Former Speaker, Philippine House of Representatives; Founding Chairman, International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP); Co-Chairman, International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP); Chairman Emeritus, Universal Peace Federation (UPF); Special Envoy of the President to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and for Intercultural Dialogue at…
Pope Francis is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why many Catholics have found renewed faith in the Church. This simple, humble, loving and inclusive spiritual leader has not only been preaching the Gospel of Jesus through his life and example, he also connects God’s teachings to the challenges we face in our everyday life….
The 2020 Census is underway with only two years left to go, and for Asian Americans and other minority groups, the upcoming census is being seen as either an opportunity for being accurately counted, or a chance at being misrepresented. On Monday, March 26, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that the upcoming 2020 census…
California signed up an estimated 450,000 people under Medicaid expansion who may not have been eligible for coverage, according to a report by the U.S. Health and Human Services’ chief watchdog. In a Feb. 21 report, the HHS’ inspector general estimated that California spent $738.2 million on 366,078 expansion beneficiaries who were ineligible. It spent…
Secured creditor client seeks relief from buyer who filed Chapter 11 “ In any event, client does not have $100K. Client decides to have a fresh start in life with a Chapter 7 bankruptcy to wipe out the labor department award of $100K for back pay.” OH, the woes of owning and running a business come in all…
A GREEN card holder can travel outside the US and return with some limitations. If a green card holder is outside the US for an extended period of time, he may be considered to have abandoned his permanent resident status. Brief travel (such as for a vacation) normally will not affect permanent resident status. However,…
WHAT happens when your employer faces difficulties paying a significant claim for wages? Information regarding the identity of the various “employers” becomes important when employees have serious claims for unpaid wages or wrongful termination. Sometimes a smaller company may not have the financial resources to compensate employees who suffered damages. If more than one company…
IRS loves to audit Schedule C. This form is filed by taxpayers who conduct their businesses as sole proprietors (popularly referred to as “DBA” or doing business as) instead of corporations or LLCs. This includes professionals and independent contractors who receive 1099s as subcontractors (instead of W2s as employees). Sole proprietorships face a risk that’s…
IF you’re in debt and are considering bankruptcy as an option for you to get needed relief, perhaps just hearing the word “bankruptcy” makes you extremely nervous. Maybe the word conjures up images in your mind of losing everything you have and not having a financial future. Relax. It’s not what you think. Regardless of…
”This becomes a problem if you are the spouse that has the substantially higher income or the one who accumulates the majority of the assets during the marriage.” IN the absence of a premarital agreement, the general community property presumption under California family code section 760 controls which provides “ ….all property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired…
I’m one of the few who have never been to Boracay, so I won’t know what I will be missing if President Rodrigo Duterte makes good his threat to close down for one year one of the crown jewels of Philippine tourism. But I think I have a good idea of what could happen to this…
“NEVER AGAIN.” “Enough.” Can you hear them now, President Donald J. Trump and the Republicans in Congress, as over half a million students and their supporters march in Washington DC and other major cities in America and around the world on Saturday, March 24, to demand for you to do your solemn obligation to end the…
Release of report formally shuts down the House investigation into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian hackers The House committee responsible for the congressional Russia investigation has voted on Thursday, March 22 to release the Republican members’ report, which found that there was no evidence of collusion between Russia and the presidential campaign…
AS part of its “enforcement priorities,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the recent arrest of over two dozen people with DUI convictions in connection with “Operation Secure Streets.” According to ICE’s press release, 24 of the people apprehended “have been convicted of violations concerning the operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence…
ON April 10, 2017, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) released a “Know Your Rights Handouts” available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and Portuguese to inform the public about the rights of undocumented immigrants who may come into contact with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during home visits, workplace raids and public stops. …
Last February 28, 2018, my wife, Farida, and I arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport from Manila, following our two medical missions in the Philippines. While waiting at the lounge for our flight back to Las Vegas, we received a call from our friend, Lynn Santos, a nurse, who relayed to us the sad…
Sawtelle Boulevard in West Los Angeles is another haven for those with eager tastebuds and stomachs, as blocks are lined with sushi bars, ramen places, and Boba tea shops, as well as other selections from Korean to American cuisine. No matter the day of the week or time, many of the establishments often carry long…
