Category : News

For those who have had the good fortune of never dealing with any form of litigation, it is important to note that civil litigation is when an individual or business files a lawsuit regarding a civil matter (e.g., personal injury, fraud, medical malpractice and negligence) to dispute a civil case against another individual or business. While one or both parties may have valid cases, litigation of any form can be costly and time consuming. While filing for civil litigation may, at times, be your best option, it is important to note that it is not always your only option. The process from pre-trial to the judgement might cost you more than the amount being disputed.  Here we are presenting a mock case study to consider three methods that can be used to avoid civil litigation, when possible.

Did you know that the state of Florida only gives employees 300 days from the date of discrimination/ workers right violations to file a case with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)  against their employer and only 365 days to file with the Florida Commission for Human Rights? An employee must file with these organizations before filing discrimination lawsuits. Those working for small companies (under 15 employees) may also have to file under a county or city ordinance with even shorter deadlines.  In some cases, employees don’t know their rights and are perplexed about what to do when they finally realize that they are being treated differently than similarly situated co-workers and in other cases, they don’t know what would be considered an employee law/ workers’ right violation. It is important for you, as an employee, to know your rights and common employee law violations that take place in the workplace so you can know what is and is not acceptable behavior from your employer. A tough boss is one thing, an unscrupulous boss is quite another.

What is civil litigation?

Most times, we are faced with terminology that sounds complicated and downright scary—especially any term that includes the word, “litigation.” Civil litigation simply means that the plaintiff wants compensation and/or other damages from the defendant(s) and no criminal charges and penalties have been filed. The standard of proof in these cases is a lot less stringent than criminal cases. To win a civil litigation, each side presents their evidence, and whosesoever has the most convincing evidence gets a judgement in their favor.

Do you have a Federal Student Loan balance?  You could benefit by restructuring the terms of your loan!  Now is the time to review and change your loan agreement by taking advantage of the interest free and payment deferral period.

It may seem fruitless to teach small children how money works, but that could not be further from the truth.  Helping children to understand the value and purpose of money can lead to a lifetime of sound financial decision-making.  However, finance can be a bit of a tough sell to a 5-year-old.  Keeping it interesting is an essential aspect of teaching kids anything and finance is no different!