Dimitrios Biller, Former Toyota counsel

While Mr. Biller has been on Fox, CNN and other major channels today, I think you will find our exclusive interview with him to be one of the most intriguing looks at this major news story from a legal perspective. This is an interview that pulls no punches, looks at Toyota’s culture and management and raises troubling questions about how they have managed this problem internally from a legal standpoint.

If you are a lawyer handling Toyota crash claims, a journalist covering the Toyota sudden acceleration story or just a consumer who owns a Toyota and wants to know what is going on, you owe it to yourself to watch this exclusive interview on the Toyota sudden acceleration case, the alleged cover up and what comes next for this whistleblower who will certainly be under intense scrutiny regarding his claims, evidence and allegations against one of the worlds largest and most powerful corporations.

We at Legal Broadcast Network are pleased to bring you this exclusive interview with Attorney Dimitrios Biller and hope that if you are a new viewer of our content and shows, this will give you a reason to come back more often. All of our content and shows are original, exclusive and are featuring the lawyers and experts who are at the very center of the major cases, lawsuits and decisions that shape our society. If you have a case, a story or verdict you think would be of interest to our national and international audience of lawyers, journalists and others, be sure to contact our studio and let us know.



The accident occurred at a construction site of an 8,289 sq. ft. office complex and parking garage. The worker was apparently standing on a platform about 6 feet from the ground, and about 15 feet from the bottom of the open trench. He was using a compactor to push steel filings used for retaining the wall. The vibration from the compactor he held in his hand, seems to be what caused him to lose his balance, and fall headfirst into the open trench. As that happened, the mounds of soil that were stacked at the sides began to fall into the open trench, burying and suffocating him.

It took emergency response workers more than three hours to excavate the victim from the trench. The accident occurred at about 10.30 in the morning on Wednesday, and the victim’s body was finally retrieved by about 3.30 in the afternoon. Several emergency response workers were on the scene trying to extricate the man’s body. The Urban Search and Rescue unit of the Los Angeles Fire Department was called in to help with the extrication, because of the weak and unstable nature of the soil.

According to witnesses at the scene, the soil began to pour quickly into the open trench after the man fell in. There seemed to be little that people at the scene could do to help him. Workers from the Hermosa Beach maintenance yard, which is just a few blocks away, heard the other workers cry for help when the man fell in and rushed to help him. They tried to dig the man out, but it was futile because the soil was extremely unstable.

As more details are emerging about the accident, it seems that the contractor involved in the project did not have a permit to excavate the site. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office is currently investigating the cause of death, but it seems very likely that the man died from asphyxiation, caused when the soil fell on him and suffocated him. The California branch of the Occupational Safety And Health Administration has issued an immediate work order, ceasing construction work at the project.

This latest accident illustrates the dangerous nature of the construction industry and the constant risk to its workers. This is one of the most dangerous industries in the American workplace. Every year, out of every three deaths that are reported in the workplace, one occurs in the construction industry.

Trench collapses are one of the most serious accidents on a construction site. Often, California construction accident lawyers see that these occur because trench walls have not been strengthened, or shored. The risks to construction workers in a trench can be minimized if these trench walls are shored with metal or other materials. That doesn’t seem to have happened here, with tragic results for the worker and his family.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of construction accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

The case, heard in a courthouse in Sanaa, Yemen, brought attention to then 10-year-old Ali and the culture of child brides in the country. At the time, the case caused much stress for Ali and her family, making them the center of the debate on tradition and culture in Yemen.

A whirlwind of controversy surrounded Ali’s divorce case, according to CNN, and for the reporter to even get a pre-arranged interview was quite a feat. By demanding a divorce from her 30-something husband, Ali threw her nation into somewhat of a frenzy—breaking the traditional mold of Yemen’s culture.

At age 10, Ali exuded the essence of a child in every way—from her laugh and smile to her childish mannerisms that any girl her age should possess. CNN reporters found during their interview that there was another side to the girl entirely.

In her marriage to a man more than 20 years her senior, Ali had been abused and threatened—but she was no quitter and she fought for, even demanded a divorce so she could win back her childhood that had been ripped away by an early marriage.

Ali’s divorce case caught the world’s attention, and media from several countries covered the story. In August of 2009, CNN reporters once again interviewed Ali—this time to find a more mature young woman on the other side of the table, but one who didn’t seem much happier than she had two years before.

Many supporters of Ali and her family donated money to send the girl to private school and help her family survive, but according to Ali, the money hasn’t helped anything and she even stated that she wished she had never opened up to world media.

According to the CNN report, the girl’s fame has caused even more strife in her family because family members believe they should be living on wealth that Ali’s story should bring, but they aren’t and it continues to make her life very stressful.

A recent article from the Los Angeles Times reports that Ali is now doing much better. She has since co-authored a book with French journalist Delphine Minoui, and the profits from the book are helping pay for the Ali family’s home and schooling.

The book, titled “I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced,” is available on Amazon.com. The girl’s full true story may put a new perspective on divorce in America.

Witherspoon told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday about her quest to stop violence against women around the world. She said she isn’t alone in her fight.

“I think when you have strong powerful women standing up and speaking out about these issues, not to mention how many women represent us in the Senate and the House of Representatives, you’re going to start to see a major change in these areas,” stated the actress.

The actress is in town to attend the 2010 International Women of Courage Awards along with First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Witherspoon is a representative of the Avon Foundation and is partnering with the non-profit group Vital Voices to shine a light on the difficult issues women face as a result of abuse.

According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, a 20-year-old woman driving a Toyota Celica on the westbound 210 freeway, set off a multi-vehicle collision that involved at least three other cars. Apparently, there was stopped traffic on the freeway, and the woman could not stop in time. She veered to the right and struck a white Honda, and then into a Cadillac. The Cadillac was sent rolling on top of a Mercedes. Four people had to be rushed to the hospital, and one had to be placed on advanced life support. The other victims suffered back, shoulder and neck injuries. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. There is no indication yet that alcohol or drug use were a factor in this accident

The victims here were extremely fortunate. Collisions involving multiple vehicles in heavy traffic can be extremely serious, and lead to instant fatalities or catastrophic injuries. It seems here that the driver of the Toyota Celica was either driving at excessive speeds, or at speeds that were too high for the prevalent traffic conditions. Motorists are required to take into consideration not just existing speed limits, but also existing road, traffic and weather conditions while driving. For instance, driving on a congested freeway will require dropping speeds to ensure that you’re not tailgating the car in front, and to help you bring your car to a stop in case of blocked traffic ahead.

Speeding still remains a major factor in the auto accidents that California accident lawyers come across every day. Speeding doesn’t refer simply to vehicles that are traveling at above the posted speed limits, but also cars that are traveling too fast for prevailing road, traffic and weather conditions. Motorists must slow down, not just in heavy traffic or rush-hour, but also when adverse weather increases the risk of an accident. Driving in stormy weather, heavy snowfall, heavy rains or other adverse weather conditions requires extra caution, and driving even at your normal speed limits may be too fast.

The second biggest factor in auto accidents is drunk driving. Even with all the focus on distracted driving and the number of injuries and fatalities it contributes to every year, more numbers of people are killed in alcohol-related car accidents than accidents caused by distracted driving. Every year, over 1,000 people are killed in California alone in accidents involving drunk motorists. Those numbers have been declining as law enforcement agencies have tightened their hold on intoxicated motorists, and lawmakers have become more proactive in passing laws that focus not just on educating and informing motorists, but also making sure that repeat DUI offenders are not able to drive again.

Cell phone use while driving, texting, shaving, applying makeup, snacking, reaching for a CD, changing music stations, talking to fellow passengers, staring at billboards-all of these constitute distracted driving, and contribute to thousands of accidents every year.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of auto accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

Liberty Life is a subsidiary of the well known multi-line casualty group, Liberty Mutual Group, and is one of the leaders in both taxable and non-taxable structured settlements. As a result of this expertise in both areas of structures, Liberty is in the unique position of being one of only two major life markets that allow lawyers to structure their legal fees on both taxable and non-taxable damage cases.

As you will learn in the video, Liberty Life allows for a wide range of options on their structured legal fees, among them are:

• It is the position of Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston to use a non-qualified assignment on all legal fee structures, thus they utilize an NQAR as their assignment document.
• They will write stand-alone attorney fees arising from both qualified and non-qualified settlements.  The attorney fee structure must be written into the settlement agreement.
• Payment modes permitted are the same as standard periodic payments with the exception of Joint & Survivor.
• Rated ages are not available for attorney.
• Commuted value at death is available for attorney.
• Beneficiary changes are allowed for the attorney if included in the settlement agreement.
• The payee may be the law firm and the beneficiary would be the successor of the firm.
• Required documentation includes: W-4P if withholding is requested, a W-9 if paying the law firm, and a Hold Harmless Agreement.

Also, as a point of clarification on the video please note that in the video I mention a few items that could use greater amplification, among them is that Liberty Mutual Group has been in business since 1912, rather then the “decades or hundreds of years” I casually stated. It just seems like hundreds of years, right?

Also, BARCO is not a subsidiary of Liberty Life, but a special purpose corporation based in Barbados, that Liberty Life works with or uses to facilitate non-qualified assignments, such as those used in structured legal fees.

With those points tucked away in the back of your mind, jump into today’s Speaking of Settlements and learn how Liberty Life works with lawyers all over the country to assist them in structuring their legal fees on a wide range of cases. If you want to learn more about structured legal fee cases and your options, feel free to contact the annuity expert, Mark Wahlstrom, at www.wahlstromandassociates.com



If a man or woman of the cloth cannot make their marriage work, how are others supposed to? Successful televangelist Benny Hinn now must face his followers—and his soon to be ex-wife.

Although Hinn preaches the word of God and shares his healing powers with the masses , Hinn was unable to mend his marriage of 30 years.

But Hinn is not your typical pastor. His ministry, based out of Grapevine, Texas, is one of the most financially successful in the world. He has been scrutinized by many people for his lavish lifestyle while preaching religious virtues of modesty and humility.

According to an ABC News article, Hinn’s wife Suzanne filed for divorce in the Orange County Superior Court on February 1. She cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the separation.

The couple had actually separated on January 26th, according to the divorce court papers. Since then, Hinn has been living in an apartment in Dana Point, Calif.

On Hinn’s website, his ministry released a statement saying that “Pastor Benny Hinn and his immediate family were shocked and saddened to learn of this news without any previous notice.”

It continued to say that Hinn attempted to mend his relationship with his wife, but the couple could not work out their issues, and that Suzanne served him the divorce papers without any prior notice.

But according to Susanne Hinn, she filed for divorce because their differences and problems could not be worked out any other way. They were having issues for a couple months prior to the filing.

She also said that she and her husband attempted to work out their issues. They visited with pastors and other faith healers, but they were unable to work things out.

The couple was married in 1979 and they have four children together. Hinn has not released any further statements about the divorce proceedings.

No court date has been set to determine how to split their assets.

Those statistics come via a report by insurer Allstate this week. The report says that New York City had the highest number of hit-and-run accidents involving parked vehicles. In fact, in the Big Apple, 70% of hit-and-run crashes involved vehicles that were parked. Houston was at the other end of the spectrum, with just 57% of hit-and-run accident involving parked vehicles. In the cities of Chicago and Phoenix, the rate was at 67% much like Los Angeles.

Allstate mentions that those high rates don’t necessarily mean that the culture in the cities lean towards irresponsible or negligent behavior. However, the congested nature of the cities may be conducive to an accident.

Even when you are involved in a hit-and-run accident involving a parked vehicle, you are required to leave a note on the other person’s vehicle explaining exactly what happened. Allstate has advice for victims of parked vehicle hit-and-run accidents.

• Contact your insurance company immediately.
• Take pictures of the damage to your car.
• Look around to see if you can find witnesses to whatever happened. Take down their contact information.

According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 37,000 traffic accident fatalities in 2008. Out of these, 447 fatalities involved hit-and-run accidents in which moving vehicles were involved. However, there were 91 fatalities in hit-and-run crashes involving a parked vehicle.

Just because you can’t trace the driver who struck your car while it was parked and fled the scene, doesn’t mean that you have no rights to compensation. This is where Uninsured Motorist Coverage kicks in. Motorists in California are required to maintain Uninsured Motorist Coverage, and this is part of the policy you have with your insurer. Uninsured Motorist Coverage kicks in not just during hit-and-run accidents where you can’t trace the driver, but also in accidents where there is an at-fault driver available, but he or she has no insurance.

Your Uninsured Motorist Coverage should kick in as soon as the accident occurs. Make sure you file a claim with your insurance company. The Uninsured Motorist Coverage must include your medical bills, lost wages and may be even other damages.

It’s important to understand that your Uninsured Motorist Coverage benefits are your rights because you have paid for these. When an insurer refuses to pay out benefits, or delays these, or pays you lesser than you are eligible for, it’s always best to consult with a California car accident lawyer, who specializes in Uninsured Motorist Coverage matters.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of auto accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

According to reports, Johnson worked as a part-time patient care technician and physical therapy aide at hospitals and clinics in the northwest suburbs. The names of these facilities have not been released pending a police investigation. Police are currently investigating whether or not other children may have been subjected to sexual abuse. Anyone with information related to this matter is encouraged to call (708) 865-4896.

Many sexual abuse victims are frightened of coming forward to expose predators. The Klest Law Firm has over 30 years of experience handling cases involving childhood sexual abuse. In fact, the founding partner, Joseph G. Klest, helped write the statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases in Illinois. To speak with an experienced Chicago area sexual abuse attorney, please click here.

The city of San Francisco was made for walking. It’s not just the residents who love walking here, but also the thousands of tourists who visit city every year. There are even walking tours that allow the tourists to see most of the city’s most famous landmarks with no stress at all.

Not surprisingly, pedestrian safety is a major concern here, given that so many of the city’s inhabitants prefer to bicycle or walk before driving. The San Francisco Police Department has now kicked off a pedestrian safety campaign that will include both pedestrians and motorists. The focus of the campaign will be twofold:

• Getting motorists to respect the right of way of pedestrians, and engage in safe driving practices
• Educating pedestrians about safe walking and avoiding jaywalking

The pedestrian safety campaign fittingly enough has been kicked off in Chinatown. This area of San Francisco has massive pedestrian traffic. Over the next few days, police officers will be educating both pedestrians and motorists about right-of-way and other pedestrian safety concepts. Accident lawyers in California often notice that many motorists are either completely unaware of their right-of-way duties, or choose to ignore these. Either way, it’s the pedestrian who suffers. Most of the pedestrian accidents that occur in California every year, can be traced to right-of-way violations by motorists. A motorist who fails to yield at a crosswalk places a pedestrian at great danger.

Here are some things that motorists can do to prevent accidents involving pedestrians.

• Watch out for pedestrians when you near crosswalks.
• Look for pedestrians especially carefully when you’re driving in poor weather or in the dark, when it may be difficult to spot them.
• When you see a pedestrian at a crosswalk, wait till the pedestrian has crossed before moving forward again.
• Avoid distractions behind the wheel, like cell phone use or text messaging. Such behaviors cause you to take your eyes off the road, and may cause you to miss a pedestrian.
• Avoid driving at excessive speeds. You may be unable to stop in time even when you do notice a crosswalk ahead.

Pedestrians must also play their part in their own safety.

• Avoid jaywalking.
• Cross only at designated and marked crosswalks.
• Walk only on sidewalks.
• Before crossing, look left, right and then left.
• Before you cross, wait for the car to make a complete stop.
• Make eye contact with the driver. This ensures that he can see you and understands that you are about to cross.
• Even when you cross at a designated crosswalk, look for vehicles that may be speeding, and may not be able to stop in time.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of pedestrian accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows a debtor to repay all or part of their debts over a 3 to 5 year period of time.  However, some debtors who have filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy may find themselves facing new financial difficulties at some point during the repayment period that prevents them from making agreed upon payments.  This reason alone has been major factor is scaring off some debtors from filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy.  However, while that fear is understandable, it is unnecessary since bankruptcy law states that a debtor may convert their Chapter 13 bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy at any point during their repayment plan.  Below are a few reasons why you may want to convert your Chapter 13 bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy:

1. Your financial situation has changed significantly. Maybe you suffered a job loss that prevents you from making payments to the bankruptcy trustee.  If so, converting to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy may be a simple and of course logical decision.
2. You have suffered an illness that has created medical debt that you can’t pay.  Medical debt is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy and converting to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy because of medical debt may be a smart choice.
3. Your household size has changed.  Maybe you just had a child and the increased expenses make it impossible for you to continue your Chapter 13 bankruptcy payments. If this is the case speak with your bankruptcy attorney about how this will impact your ability to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.  An increase in household size could place you below the median income for Texas.

It’s also important to note that if you decide to convert your Chapter 13 bankruptcy into a Chapter 7 bankruptcy any assets you acquired after filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy will be exempt from seizure.

Related posts:

1. Job Loss During Chapter 13 Bankruptcy? You Still Have Options
2. Delinquent Mortgage Payments And Chapter 13 Bankruptcy
3. Expecting a Child Soon and Considering Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?

Foreclosures in the Dallas-Fort Worth area rose again by 18 percent compared to last month’s foreclosure filings.  But compared to last year’s foreclosure filings in the same month, the foreclosures increased by a whopping 37 percent.  Many analysts believe that many foreclosures that were on hold at the end of 2009 are now being released causing the most recent rise in foreclosures.  Also, many homeowners facing foreclosure who signed up for the 3-month trial HAMP foreclosure prevention program are now disqualifying for the permanent modifications and succumbing to foreclosure.  But it is also noted that many of the new foreclosures continue to be driven job losses which have not abated in the past year.  Many homeowners are facing job losses and are unable to work out reasonable settlements with mortgage servicers which is causing them to fail in their fight against foreclosure.  It’s unfortunate that our legislators and those in the mortgage industry who are mostly responsible for our foreclosure crisis, fail to properly and quickly respond to the foreclosure crisis with adequate measure.  The way the mortgage modification currently works, it will not be very effective in stopping this current wave of foreclosures.  The HAMP program has failed because of a few things: 1) mortgage lenders are not required to participate, 2) most of the mortgage modifications are designed in a way that still make foreclosure inevitable for many homeowners, and 3) there are no adequate options for homeowners facing foreclosure who are unemployed.

If we want to adequately tackle the foreclosure crisis, we must create a forbearance policy for those homeowners who have lost their jobs. Since the average time a person remains unemployed during this recession is around 8 months to a year, we need a forbearance program that at least allows a homeowner to defer their mortgage payments for 12 months.  If the mortgage industry and legislators are truly committed to stopping this foreclosure crisis, they will at least consider this option.

Related posts:

1. Foreclosures Continue To Rise In Dallas-Fort Worth
2. Dallas-Fort Worth Foreclosures Increase By 34 Percent
3. HAMP Foreclosure Prevention Changes Coming Soon

First, Allstate is the originator of the non-qualified structured settlement, which in and of itself is a very unique distinction. Non-qualified refers to the fact that it is for taxable damage cases as opposed to tax free damage cases, or those covered under IRC section 104(a)(2). Several years back Allstate pioneered the development of being able to structure, or spread out, taxable damage awards over time and while they earned interest and remain one of the leaders in this major area of litigation. The Allstate International Assignments special purpose corporation, formed to handle these unique transactions, remains one of the leaders in this area nationally. 

Allstate's expertise in this area has also spilled over to the structured legal fees, where they are one of the very few life insurance companies that are willing to structure fees on both taxable and non-taxable damage cases, a fact that greatly expands the potential cases an attorney can defer and plan around. As you will see in this video, or by visiting the Allstate International Assignments web page, the underwriting restrictions are relatively modest and what you'd expect to see in these transactions, and cover a wide range of structured legal fee cases. A quick summary would include:

1. Allstate will do stand alone structured legal fees on both taxable and non-taxable cases.

2. Allstate requires a hold harmless letter and the beneficiary option selected is irrevocable under current standards, something to keep in mind.

3. Allstate will pay to the individual attorney or a partnership, but will not pay structured legal fees on referral fees for attorney's on a case.

In short, as with all structured legal attorney fees, you need to work with a trained, competent structured settlement expert that has all available markets, current underwriting requirements and is able to match up your needs and situation to the right company. However, for taxable damage cases where lawyers have here to fore not thought of structuring their fee, this program opens up some amazing options for tax deferral, retirement planning and cash flow planning for lawyers and partnerships in a wide range of cases. 

To learn more about structured legal fees or to view more of this series, go to Mark Wahlstrom's web page at www.wahlstromandassociates.com.

Hiring lawyers can sometimes be an expensive proposition, and for those who have it tough financially, hiring a lawyer is not always feasible. According to The Detroit News, local courts are reporting that the number of couples who are divorcing without lawyers is on the rise.

The courts are also reporting the downside of these lawyer-free divorces, which includes incomplete forms and lessons that judges must deliver to inexperienced court attendees. And to go along with the crowded legal offices and slow proceedings, the courts are saying that some couples seeking divorce are missing out on property and custody that could legally be theirs.

Mark Switalski, chief judge of the Macomb County Circuit Court, noted the change in the divorcing couples of today from those of the past. Today, he told The Detroit News that these days couples are fighting over splitting up home and credit card debts, while in the past the starkest challenges came over home assets.

If I’ve got a pot of $100,000 to split up, it’s different than if I’ve got a pot of $5,000 to split up, said Switalski. That factors into their ability to retain counsel.

In Macomb County, the number of couples who began divorce proceedings without a lawyer rose by 16 percent between 2007 and 2009. Lawyers and judges in other nearby counties similarly reported that they had seen similar trends, with more potential divorces representing themselves.

Switalski said that he had to stop the proceedings more frequently to explain legal issues to spouses in divorce cases. The county has even taken to scheduling those representing themselves for Monday afternoons, so that they don’t slow down and disrupt the cases of those who have hired professional legal counsel.

If it was a lawyer in front of me, said Switalski, I’d have a ton of questions and I’d get good answers.

For those representing themselves, the Oakland County courthouse recommends the law library. There is a manual describing how to conduct a divorce without a lawyer, and the library’s director told The Detroit News that the manual is the single most popular book in the library.

While couples can download some necessary forms online, often for a fee, problems can arise when those forms aren’t allowed, and a couple has to leave and return with approved forms.

Predictably, the more complex a divorce, the more likely there are to be errors if a couple is representing itself. And neutral judges can’t offer advice when spouses mistakenly or unnecessarily turn down things they can’t reverse, or miss out on payments or custody claims.

Family law practitioners have offered ideas about helping alleviate this burden. Among them would be to allow divorce lawyers to work on parts of a divorce case, rather than the entire thing, which could reduce fees.

Veoh, an online video sharing service plans to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and liquidate its business, according to the company’s founder, Dmitry Shapiro. Shapiro posted a passionate open letter blaming a legal battle with Universal Music Group for the company’s bankruptcy: 

“Two years ago, Universal Music Group (UMG), the largest music company in the world sued Veoh alleging copyright infringement. While we made every effort to convince them that we were not their enemy and had not infringed on their content, they pursued a relentless war of attrition against us in federal court,” Shapiro wrote. ”We eventually prevailed in a decisive summary judgment that has set an important precedent for the entire industry. Unfortunately, great vision, a passionate team, tens of millions of users, millions in revenues and victory in court were not enough. The distraction of the legal battles, and the challenges of the broader macro-economic climate, have led to our Chapter 7 bankruptcy.”

Veoh has already laid off its entire staff in light of the bankruptcy filing.  The lawsuit to which Shapiro referred was where Universal accused Veoh of purposely violating the company’s copyrights by encouraging it’s users to create videos using copyrighted music.  Veoh had already faced issues surrounded its inability to monetize its business and the lawsuit scared off more potential investors.  A Chapter 11 bankruptcy was unlikely because Veoh had already burned through millions in capital and was unable to make a profit.  In Chapter 7 bankruptcy it assets will be liquidated and the proceeds will be distributed to its creditors.

Related posts:

1. Massive Apartment Management Company Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
2. Penton Business Media Holding Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
3. LifeMasters Supported SelfCare Inc. Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Also remember, if you are unable to pay your taxes, you may be able to negotiate forbearance with the IRS.  Also, some taxes (depending on the age and other factors) may be dischargeable in bankruptcy.

Related posts:

1. Don’t Forget Your Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Tax Deductions
2. Uncle Sam Has Some Pleasant Surprises For Homeowners This Year
3. Texas Residents Can Now Deduct Sales Taxes On Federal Income Tax Returns

Singer and actress Chynna Phillips, a member of the musical group Wilson Phillips, made headlines with a change of heart that has gone public. Phillips she filed for divorce from her husband, actor and brother-to-the-stars Billy Baldwin. Her lawyers filed on her behalf on the same day that she got out of rehabilitation for anxiety issues.

Two days later, however, Phillips changed her mind. She had her legal team withdraw the divorce, with the hopes that she could save her 15-year marriage with Baldwin.

Phillips and Baldwin, recently the star of the TV show Dirty Sexy Money, have three children together. The couple’s manager, Lizzie Grubman, told the New York Post, Every married couple has its up and downs, but they are two people who have been together for 18 years and are deeply in love. They will work through their personal issues and they are committed to staying together.

From a heartwarming reconciliation, to a much more messy affair, it should perhaps not be a surprise that Charlie Sheen’s personal life is once again making headlines. Sheen’s wife, Brooke Mueller, has decided to file for divorce. Making the situation all the more racy are new details that Mueller may have had a bisexual affair with a mystery woman.

The unidentified woman has said that she will expose Mueller’s past, as well as revealing details about her marriage to Sheen. According to the Examiner, Mueller feared that Sheen would expose her past, and that she had not filed for divorce for that reason.

The couple is no stranger to tabloid drama. On Christmas Day last year, Sheen was arrested for assault after an alleged incident of domestic violence against Brooke. According to sources, Sheen became enraged when Mueller told him that she wanted a divorce. Now, according to sources, Mueller has reached her breaking point, and has finally filed for divorce.

Moving to the world of sports, the wife of home run king and scandal-plagued baseball player Barry Bonds has filed for divorce from her husband of 12 years. The Associated Press has reported Liz Watson’s Los Angeles divorce filing. The two have already reached a financial agreement, and in the filing Watson cited irreconcilable differences.

The couple, who were married in 1998, have an 11-year-old daughter together, and Watson is seeking joint custody. Details of the financial agreement were not released in the initial divorce filing.

Bonds has been a lightning rod in the baseball world, for his connections to people who have faced allegations of distributing steroids. Bonds has not played baseball in the major leagues since 2007, after breaking the all-time home run mark.