Category Archives: Settlements

New Jersey Court Ruling: Adult Children With Power of Attorney Not Welcome in Elderly Parent’s Divorce

Signing away

With life expectancies among today’s senior citizens longer than ever, more and more adult children are finding themselves sharing the responsibility of caring for their aging and elderly parents, including taking part in their parents’ legal and financial affairs as an appointed Power of Attorney. Holding Power of Attorney can be helpful when it comes to making decisions concerning medical billing or nursing home payments. But what happens if an elderly parent decides to divorce?

A recently published opinion from New Jersey’s Ocean County Superior Court examined the novel question of whether or not a litigant in divorce proceedings could appear and testify through an attorney-in-fact designated by Power of Attorney (POA). The court declined to allow this, for multiple reasons, and presented some clear guidelines for parties and attorneys to follow if presented with similar situations in the future. The case, Marsico v. Marsico, involved an adult daughter holding POA for her elderly father who had been sued for divorce by his second wife. Read more

Blurred close-up of shimmering blue bubbles in a liquid, creating an abstract pattern with various shades of blue and white highlights.

Sparkling Water Bubbles Up Controversy

Sparkling water showdown

Elizabeth Daly, a student at the University of Virginia says she fled in terror when several undercover officers aggressively swarmed her vehicle after leaving a local supermarket. The officers thought she had illegally purchased beer which they later found out was sparkling water they had mistaken for beer. Ms. Daly was in her car with several friends when plainclothes agents surrounded the vehicle and began banging on the windows ordering her to roll the windows down. After one of the agents drew his gun and another jumped on the hood of the car, Elizabeth said she panicked and was unsure if the officers were indeed law enforcement agents. Ms. Daly panicked and fled the scene in complete fear, grazing two of the agents.
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A&E Television Sued For Camo Clothing

Lawsuit dynasty

Calling all Duck Dynasty fans! Everyone who watches the popular TV show is well aware of the famous one-liners made by Si Robertson. A most recent line that A&E decided to capitalize on, has them facing intellectual property lawsuits from a clothing company with a similar product. The most recent “Si saying” that made its way onto several apparel items is, “My favorite color is camo”. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The plaintiff is a company called Hajn, which has been selling a line of apparel that’s branded “My Favorite Color’s Camo.” The company has a registered trademark and reports gaining national visibility with its mark”.

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Pizza Chain Burned by Lawsuit Over Logo

Everybody wants a slice

Have you ever confused a slice of pizza with an exit sign on the highway? The New Jersey Turnpike Authority is coming down hard on a local pizza chain in Florida for using a logo very similar to one of their own. “Jersey Boardwalk Pizza Co.” owners Paul DiMatteo and Skip Parratt are in the process of franchising their restaurants while incorporating a green-and-yellow logo similar to that of the Garden State Parkway’s, which is a main highway in the state of New Jersey. The step-brothers are both former NJ residents and claimed they were simply paying homage to their home state, but the Turnpike Authority thinks otherwise. COO John O’Hern stands firmly behind the lawsuit, claiming the logo is trademarked and the pizza company is in violation. Read more

5-Hour Energy Takes A Crash

Dose of energy

According to the Huffington Post, three states are suing 5-Hour Energy for misleading advertising. Oregon, Washington, and Vermont are leading the charge and say more states will be filing suits in the coming weeks. All three states are seeking a permanent injunction preventing 5-Hour Energy’s misleading marketing practices, as well as restitution to the consumers who consumed the energy drink in those states.

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