New Law Requires Small LLCs to File Beneficial Ownership Information Report: What Artists and Self-Employed Creatives Need to Know

New York, United States – Starting from January 1, 2024, a law known as the Corporate Transparency Act will have implications for solo artists, performers, writers, and creatives who have Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) or are considering forming one. The law aims to combat financial crimes, including money laundering and terrorism, by requiring businesses formed through their state’s Secretary of State to file a report called a Beneficial Ownership Information Report (BOI). The report will identify the “beneficial owners” of LLCs and other entities. The primary target of this law is small LLCs, often single-member … Read more

Salem Man Awarded Over $3 Million in Damages for False Arrest and Excessive Force by Police Officer

SALEM, Oregon – A jury has awarded more than $3 million in damages to a Salem man who was wrongly accused of car theft and subjected to excessive force by a police officer. The eight-member jury found that Salem Officer David S. Baker violated Christopher Garza’s civil rights and committed battery and false arrest. The city of Salem has been ordered to pay $2 million in punitive damages, $1 million in non-economic damages, and $150,000 in economic damages. Garza, who is of Native American and Latino descent, was working on a broken car in the … Read more

Former President Trump’s Legal Arguments Denied in Defamation Trial Following Jury’s Verdict on Rape Allegations

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers have been barred from presenting legal arguments to a jury in a defamation trial. The judge’s decision comes after a jury concluded last year that Trump did not rape a columnist in the mid-1990s but sexually abused her. U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan made the ruling ahead of the trial, which is set to determine the amount of damages Trump should pay for defamation. The jury had determined that Trump sexually abused columnist E. Jean Carroll, but did not find enough evidence to support her claim … Read more

Judge Excludes Trump’s Legal Arguments in Defamation Trial Over Rape Allegation against Columnist

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers will not be allowed to present legal arguments in the upcoming defamation trial regarding columnist E. Jean Carroll’s accusations of rape. This decision was made by Federal Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in preparation for the trial on January 16th, which aims to determine the amount of damages Trump will be liable for. It was in May of last year that a jury awarded Carroll a $5 million verdict after concluding that Trump had sexually assaulted her in a luxury department store dressing room in 1996, as … Read more