Earlier this week, the Washington Redskins announced they would be retiring the team name, due in no small part to societal and corporate pressures that have been mounting for decades. While various fan groups and news outlets speculate and take polls regarding what the new name should be, others are entering the fray to do something about it; namely, registering various potential names in hopes, presumably, of cashing in.  The practice is called “trademark squatting” and applies specifically to folks who register trademarks without real intention to use them.  To be legitimate, more is required than simply plopping down the $275 application fee with the United States Trademark and Patent…

As reported by Charleston’s ABC News 4, a probate judge ruled Mayor John Tecklenburg wrongfully took money from an elderly woman for whom he cares, despite his claims it was done for her benefit and that he had no idea it was improper. Tecklenburg served as the conservator, or guardian, for Johnnie Wineglass, a 92 year-old former school teacher and community volunteer, who was a close family friend and former victim of financial scams.  According to Tecklenburg, Wineglass’ finances were insufficient to sustain her medical and nursing home needs and, as a result, he was pressed to generate income for her. His solution to that problem was (1) to take…

Are you a lawyer who’s content with your current firm, without any desire to move?  Do your clients routinely praise you for rescuing them from circumstances they considered dire, if not entirely lost? Have you ever wanted to be part of a law firm that encouraged and rewarded your success? Do you want to shape your law firm’s future and build something special? If you answered YES to ALL these questions, we’ve been looking for you.  See below to find out why…   Lindley Law, PLLC is a boutique litigation firm located in Uptown Charlotte.  Lindley Law handles civil litigation matters throughout North Carolina, representing corporations, closely held businesses, and…

Effective May 4, 2020 through August 1, 2020, Notaries Public are permitted to notarize documents via video conferencing so as not to impede crucial business transactions, real estate transactions, estate planning necessities, medical documents, court documents, and most other important notarizations. In order to be valid, video notarizations must: Be conducted during a real time interaction between the principal signer and the notary; Involve audio-video technology quality that allow for clear video observation of the face of the signer and any acceptable form of identification; and The signer must indicate which county in North Carolina they are in when signing the documents, identify the documents they are singing, and allow…

Class action lawsuits against large corporations are booming in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.  This month, we examined class action suits against both United Airlines and Ticketmaster regarding their wavering ticket refund policies.  Unsurprisingly, given the chaos surrounding the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), several major U.S. banks find themselves defending a class action lawsuit filed by a group of mom-and-pop stores. On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“Cares”) Act, aimed at providing relief to individuals, businesses, and government organizations suffering amid the Coronavirus pandemic.  The CARES Act included the Paycheck Protection Program, which intended to provide American small businesses with cash-flow assistance…

Derek Hanson spent $590 on four tickets to two different Rage Against the Machine shows to be held in Oakland this month.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those and about 55,000 other events scheduled between March and the end of the year were impacted.  Previously, Live Nation and one of its divisions, Ticketmaster, had a policy for which they issued refunds to all events that had been postponed, rescheduled, or cancelled. Like many folks, Hanson wanted a refund since he could use the money and Live Nation’s own president predicted live events may not occur again until 2021.  To his surprise, however, Ticketmaster and Live Nation retroactively changed their policy…

Ayesha Curry, the 31-year-old wife of NBA superstar Steph Curry, was sued in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday by celebrity branding company Flutie Entertainment. According to the lawsuit, Curry was trying to build herself as a global brand when she signed a five-year deal with Flutie Entertainment in November 2014.  Robert A. Flutie, the founder of the Florida-based company, asserts Curry had a modest following for her social media and food blog before their business relationship began. Flutie Entertainment claims it brought “significant and unprecedented results” during their five years working together.  During that time, Curry landed a show on the Food Network, had a hosting role on ABC’s “Great…