Law and Daily Life

The first wrongful death lawsuits against social media companies are emerging, and federal and state lawmakers are considering further steps to require social media platforms to better safeguard children.

When Kourtney Kardashian married Travis Barker at a Santa Barbara courthouse in May 2022, it was for real. In a secret ceremony, Kardashian, a star in the popular reality TV show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," wed Barker, best known as the drummer for Blink-182. But weren't they just married in Italy last weekend? And wasn't there another wedding in Las Vegas last month?

It was two years ago that a bystander recorded George Floyd's murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. The incident sparked national outrage and led to mass protests across the country. Since then, more people than ever before take out their phones when they see an arrest or interaction with police that looks like it could escalate. One such individual is YouTuber Albert Jerome Bustillos — also known as "Stray Dog the Exposer," who labels himself a citizen journalist and often records police interactions with the public. Bustillos ended up in handcuffs in 2019, however, when he recorded Carlsbad, New Mexico, police officers who were attempting to calm down a woman who was mentally distressed on a public street.

Who wants to leave their money to someone who can't handle it? If any beneficiaries in your estate plan are minors or have physical or intellectual disabilities, you may want to set up a testamentary trust. One of the more complicated areas of estate planning involves trusts. However, they are an effective estate planning tool if used properly. Consider including a testamentary trust in your will if you have any concerns about your beneficiaries being unable to manage an inheritance.

If you have credit cards, there's a good chance that sooner or later you could be a victim of credit card fraud. According to the Federal Trade Commission, credit card fraud has been the most common form of identity theft since 2017 and it is getting worse. The FTC says that the number of reported thefts increased by 15% from the fourth quarter of last year to the first quarter of 2022. In November 2021, Security.org reported that 127 million American adults, nearly half the total in the U.S., have had a fraudulent charge at least once on their credit cards.

The public outcry about the leaked U.S. Supreme Court abortion opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization is unsurprising. Never before has a draft opinion from the Supreme Court leaked to the public. And, to say the least, reproductive rights are a controversial issue. The draft opinion suggests that a majority of the Court believes that the cases that recognize a right to an abortion, Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, are "egregiously" wrong and should be overruled. If this happens, the abortion debate would return to the states.