Massachusetts teen Michelle Carter has been ordered to stand trial for actively encouraging her boyfriend, via text messages and a phone call, to carry out his wish to commit suicide. Since the young man’s 2014 death, Carter has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, but is she really only guilty of being a terrible human being?
Not acknowledging or addressing potentially scary financial situations may make some couples feel better because they are keeping their love “free” and “unburdened.” But there is no escaping money ups and downs.
There are a few certainties in Disney movies – a doe-eyed princess, the death of a parent, and a plot of evil and sorcery. As a minimum of investigation reveals, however, the Mouse House is also prone to writing plots which would generate all sort of profound legal trouble for their protagonists if they ever tried such shenanigans in the real world.
Social media is a time suck in the best of scenarios. But Facebook, Twitter, and others of their ilk present special challenges after a divorce that, if not successfully avoided or navigated, can cause lasting emotional damage.
When your mom or dad dies, the emotions are overwhelming. Dealing with the legalities surrounding the end of a parent’s life may be the last thing you feel like managing, but logistical and financial decisions must be made. Amid calling family and friends, arranging a funeral, and figuring out how to say the final goodbye, there are times when you’ll need to suspend your emotions to deal with the inevitable details and demands.
While there may not be specific legal advantages to filing first for divorce—“Filing first does not change the facts of the case or a couple’s situation,” says Stephen McDonough, an attorney and mediator with Next Phase Legal in Massachusetts” —there are intangible benefits that can make all the difference in your present and future.
Your tenant isn’t paying the rent, and there are no signs that you’re going to get a rent check in the foreseeable future. Should you threaten eviction? Or is it easier and cheaper to offer your tenant the option to break the lease?
Whether you rent out a condo, house, apartment building, or other property that you own, being a landlord can provide a blessed source of extra income…or a massive pain in the neck. What can a property manager do that you can’t? Are their services really worth the percentage of profit you’re giving up just so you don’t have to work quite so hard?
Every US state, as you may or may not know, has a safe-haven law that decriminalizes the act of leaving an unharmed infant at a sanctioned location. Such places can include emergency rooms, fire stations, churches, and now—in Indiana—a baby box. Can it be that easy to unburden yourself of a child?
The first couple to visit your rental property seems to fall in love with the place. They gush profusely and apply immediately. Can it be this easy? No, of course not. If this is your first foray into life as a landlord, you’ll discover quickly that, while good and honest tenants are out there, other would-be renters are bad news and to be avoided at