Like it or not, water utilities are destined to experience water main breaks. Given the age of the nation's water infrastructure systems, expansion of construction activities and other issues, it is inevitable that water main breaks will occur. Whatever their causes,...
PLDO Law Blog
Month: April 2014
Texting in the Workplace: Why Employers Must Tread Cautiously
By now, most employers have systems in place to organize and maintain emails that their employees send and receive. These systems are critical for business reasons and compliance purposes. However, many employers are ignoring or turning a blind eye to a growing means...
RISC DECISION WILL CREATE MAJOR CONCERNS FOR SOME COMMERCIAL LENDERS
The laws of virtually every state prohibit lenders from charging interest on loans in excess of the "usury rate" - the maximum interest rate permitted under the laws of the state. However, usury statutes vary greatly from state to state. Not only do the maximum...
ONE RISK YOU SHOULDN’T TAKE IS NOT HAVING THE RIGHT LIFE INSURANCE
If you never return from your sailing trip around the globe or reemerge from the deep ocean depths on the submarine destined for the Titanic, will your family receive the death benefit proceeds from your life insurance policy? That answer, as well as the answer to...
HOW TO BUY ULTRA-DANGEROUS ASSETS
It’s never a good idea to buy an asset, like a boat or plane, in your own name or to have multiple parties on the title. First of all, when your name is on the title, you are personally liable for any damage that the asset may cause. For example, you and Joe own a...
SO, YOU WANT TO WRESTLE AN ALLIGATOR?
Before base jumping into the miasma of risk, the first thing you should do is make sure your estate plan, in its current iteration, meets your needs and has adapted to any challenging or changing family situation. A well-rounded estate plan is literally more of a life...
HOW LIFE INSURANCE PROCEEDS COULD AFFECT A COMPANY’S VALUATION FOR ESTATE TAX PURPOSES
A recent case brought to light the impact that a stock-purchase agreement and life insurance proceeds may – or may not - have on the valuation of a closely held company for estate tax purposes. In this case that caused a split between the 8th and 11th Circuits, the...
HASTE MAKES WASTE . . . CASH THE CHECK.
One never knows what corner the grim reaper lies behind. A final illness can often accelerate quickly and deprive a donor of adequate time to complete gifts for tax purposes that he intended to make. In a recent federal court case, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals...