Legal Updates

Legal News Headlines by Lawyers.com

1. 11.18.2008

   About that divorce; Economy seems to be affecting decisions and settlements

   Bonnie Rabin is fond of saying divorce lawyers are a bit like liquor stores: They're busiest in the really good times, and the really bad. These, of course, would not be the really good. "Money is THE great source of stress in relationships," says Rabin, one of five partners in a Manhattan matrimonial firm, who speaks with the quiet authority of someone who has spent two decades speaking to troubled spouses. "You think it might be sex, or the kids. But no, it really comes down to money." And so it stands to reason that in the shrinking economy - "Virtually every day, I hear from a client who's lost their job," Rabin says - troubled relationships become more troubled. And once seemingly solid unions begin to fray.
2. 11.19.2008

   Cardholders seeing credit limits lowered; Issuers of plastic are clamping down to cut potential losses. Paying bills on time doesn't mean you're immune.

   Cecil Bello has stumbled into a new corner of the credit squeeze. The 32-year-old management consultant has had the limits reduced on three of her credit cards. In September, U.S. Bancorp notified the Fairfax, Va., resident that she no longer had a $14,500 limit on a card that had a balance of about $5,000. Her new limit left her just $500 from being maxed out, she said. Then came an Oct. 26 letter from American Express Co. that said she now had a limit of $14,000, down from $22,000. That letter said her "total debt is too high relative to your payment history with us and other creditors."
3. 11.19.2008

   United wins pilots lawsuit

   United Airlines Tuesday won a major court battle against its pilots union that could ensure a smoother holiday travel season for its passengers. United has been plagued by flight delays and cancellations for months. But in a strongly worded order made public Tuesday, a federal judge held United's Air Line Pilots Association responsible for some of them. The decision came in a lawsuit United filed against the union in July.