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Read|Delete: Small Businesses Are Still Confident—and Hiring
This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevantHiring might be higher if not for the difficulty in finding skilled workers. The January survey found 26% of small business owners reported having job openings they cannot fill right now, up from 25% saying that in December. The need to find the right workers…
Recent Wendy’s Lawsuit Highlights Realities of Franchising- Part 2
A few months ago, I wrote about a recent lawsuit filed by Wendy’s against one of its largest franchisees – DavCo Investments, LLC. The article highlighted an important reality of franchising; namely, that franchisors can require their franchisees to make expensive changes at the drop of a hat. DavCo has now responded to the suit,…
Landlord Alert: Marijuana May Now Be Legal in D.C., but…….
It is now lawful for D.C. residents over the age of 21 to recreationally use and grow marijuana in their private residences, but DC landlords may still prohibit their tenants from such use and growth on their rental properties. As of Thursday, February 26, 2015, the District of Columbia joined Alaska, Colorado, and Washington, and…
Commercial Litigation Quarterly – “Uncharted Waters Ahead: Pennsylvania Products Liability Post – TINCHER.”
In November of 2014, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided a landmark case in the area of products liability: Tincher v. Omega Flex, Inc., No. 17 MAP 2013, 2014 WL 6474923 (Pa. Nov. 19, 2014). In Tincher the court overruled the long-standing rule first articulated in Azzarello v. Black Bros. Co., 391 A.2d 1020, 1022 (Pa….
Friday Factoid: Ex-Hedge Fund Analyst Receives Three Year Prison Sentence for Stealing Software Code
In January 2015, former Citadel computer engineer Yihao “Ben” Pu was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing trade secrets from Citadel, a Chicago-based hedge fund. Citadel is estimated to hold $24 billion in assets. Pu worked in Citadel’s high-frequency trading unit, which created algorithms to predict the anticipated movement of securities and software…
Feds Confuse Pool Safety Rules
Most swimming pools have a list of rules posted somewhere on the premises. We’ve all seen them. The rules contain common sense prohibitions against dangerous pool activities, such as having glass in the pool area and diving into the shallow end. And almost every set of pool rules contains a statement similar to this: “No…
The Weekly Scenario: Transferring Airline Miles at Death
Question: I have a lot of unused airline miles. Are these transferable at death? Answer: The rules governing the disposition of airline miles, hotel points, rental car benefits and other travel type programs differ among the various companies. If you look at the Delta airline website for example, it says, “Miles are not the property of…
Compensation and Compliance Matters: The Relationship between Marketing and UDAAP
Lenders must carefully ensure that all potential motivations for advice, recommendations, and referrals are provided to borrowers, as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has positioned itself to utilize Unfair Deceptive or Abusive Acts Practices claims as an enforcement tool. The CFPB entered into a consent decree last week levying a $2 million civil penalty against…
CEO Interview with Robert “B.J.” Goetz, Jr. President & CEO, Middletown Valley Bank
By Bryan J. Pelino, Esq. Some things never change. And that’s just fine with B.J. Goetz, President and CEO of Middletown Valley Bank – that is, if you’re talking about the Bank’s core values and 100-plus years as the cornerstone of local community banking in Western Maryland. Yet, just about everything else has been fair game for…
Read|Delete: Small Businesses Get Their Groove Back
The Experian/Moody’s Analytics Small Business Credit Index has positive news for small businesses. The Credit Index for the fourth quarter of 2014 was released last week. For the third consecutive quarter, the Index has gone up, reaching a post-recession high. The positive news is a reflection of a stronger job market, fewer bankruptcy filings, stronger…
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