Monthly Archives: June 2006
Is the Constitution Unconstitutional?
The results are clear; in November’s election the President won a comfortable majority of the popular vote and a much closer victory in the Electoral College. But one has to wonder what might have happened if a relatively small number of votes had been different… Continue reading
Internal Revenue Update
For those of you who pay income taxes (ha!) there are modest changes you should know about in the Internal Revenue Code for 2005; some are: The standard deduction for a single person or for a married person filing separately is increased to $5,000 (from… Continue reading
Latin Lovers
Sometimes judges, in their opinions, say things that are not strictly necessary to support their decisions. Because our legal system depends heavily on the reasoning contained in prior decisions (the principle known as stare decisis) loose words contained in a judicial opinion can cause problems… Continue reading
Good Faith/Bad Faith
In the context of religion, there is no such thing as good faith or bad faith – to each his own. In the world of insurance, however, a carrier has a duty to act in good faith and the concept of “bad faith” has a… Continue reading
The Importance of a Performing Home Owners’ Association: How Effective the Remedies?
Many more of us own and live in either condominiums or planned communities where all of the owners in the community have an interest in the common elements (e.g., exterior walls and roofs of the buildings, sidewalks, streets, recreational facilities, etc.). Since this type of… Continue reading
Avoid Collection Problems
Recent experience suggests that the economy is not quite as rosy as the politicians might have you believe. We seem to be witnessing a rise in collection cases across all sectors of the business world, including sales of goods and services, commercial landlord-tenant collections, mortgage… Continue reading
Planning for the Costs of Long-Term Care
It is estimated that this year nearly nine million men and women over the age of 65 will need some form of long-term care. Long-term care includes a variety of services such as medical and non-medical care to those who have a chronic illness or… Continue reading
Latin Lovers
Hypothetical: Suppose you are stopped under suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, and your blood alcohol content registers at .07. Under the law, the legal limit for drunk driving is .08. A few weeks later the legislature passes a new law lowering the… Continue reading
Creditors Ordered to Keep Hands Off IRAs
The United States Supreme Court recently held that individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) were beyond the reach of creditors. This was a unanimous decision which preserves IRA assets for all taxpayers, even those who have filed for bankruptcy. Prior to this decision, there was confusion and… Continue reading
Like Old Man River, the Barnes Dispute Jes’ Keeps Rolling Along
Just when it appeared that the saga of the Barnes’ Foundation collection of art was resolved, an appeal of Judge Stanley Ott’s decision, which permits the collection to move from Lower Merion to the Parkway in Philadelphia, was filed. Jay Raymond is a former student… Continue reading