Lottery winner? Not so much 
POSTED: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 12:55 PM PTBY: Sean Olson
Tags: child support, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho State Lottery Commission, Lottery
It’s tough luck for one Idaho lottery winner. Cynthia Alley-Taylor struck a $10,000 winner in the Idaho Lottery’s “Merry Moolah” scratch ticket game in January. Her total payout? Zero. That’s because Alley-Taylor co-signed for the money with her husband, David Taylor, who owes more in unpaid child support from a previous relationship than the ticket [...]
More whistleblowers reporting tax fraud, but cases moving slowly
POSTED: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 12:35 PM PTBY: Sylvia Hsieh
As tax season ends, tax fraud is in the air too. Lawyers have seen an uptick in people reporting employers, financial companies or high-worth individuals for ripping off the Treasury. Under a relatively new and lesser known whistleblower law, anyone can report suspected tax fraud to the IRS, and if the government prosecutes the case [...]
Employers lose protection with 9th Circuit ruling on computer case
POSTED: Monday, April 23, 2012 at 12:08 PM PTBY: Melody Finnemore
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit recently sent a wave of uncertainty through the employment law sector with its interpretation of how broadly protections under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) should reach. Its ruling stemmed from a case in which David Nosal, a former employee of a Los Angeles-based executive [...]
Idaho midwives reach $5M deal in malpractice case at Meridian birthing center
POSTED: Monday, April 23, 2012 at 11:55 AM PTBY: The Associated Press
Two midwives have agreed to a $5 million settlement with a couple who sued them for medical malpractice after their baby suffered permanent brain damage, an attorney said April 23. Coleen Goodwin and her daughter, Jerusha Goodwin, reached the agreement to avoid a jury trial, said Eric Rossman, attorney for Adam and Victoria Nielson. The [...]
Young child can recover for emotional distress, rules Idaho Supreme Court
POSTED: Monday, April 23, 2012 at 10:48 AM PTBY: Pat Murphy
Tags: Idaho Supreme Court
An 18-month-old girl did not have to suffer physical injuries in an automobile accident in order to recover damages for emotional distress, the Idaho Supreme Court has ruled in affirming judgment. The plaintiff was involved in a car accident when a rear wheel came off his vehicle without warning. The plaintiff’s live-in girlfriend was killed [...]
Avista challenges Tax Commission over tax deficiency
POSTED: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 09:14 AM PTBY: Brad Carlson
Tags: Contracts, energy, Idaho State Tax Commission
The Spokane-based utility that serves northern Idaho is contesting a $1 million tax deficiency the Idaho State Tax Commission says it owes. The case concerns an Avista Corp. subsidiary that bought and sold electric and natural gas energy through forward contracts with utility companies and other open-market purchasers and sellers. Avista filed a complaint March 26 [...]
Idaho doctor-lawyer fights fetal pain abortion law
POSTED: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 09:16 AM PTBY: The Associated Press
The first challenge to the constitutionality of the so-called fetal pain anti-abortion laws enacted in several states has come from an unlikely place. So has the second. Rick Hearn, the lawyer in the center of this fight, represents an Idaho woman challenging her state’s abortion laws in an effort to avoid future prosecution. The same [...]
Work rule on social networking too restrictive, rules NLRB judge
POSTED: Monday, April 16, 2012 at 10:16 AM PTBY: Pat Murphy
Tags: National Labor Relations Board
An employer could not enforce a social networking rule requiring employees to get permission before commenting on work-related legal matters, a National Labor Relations Board administrative judge has ruled. The employer is a company that provides security services to various clients throughout the country, including the mass transit system for Tempe, Ariz. The company’s employee [...]
Tribes, government agree to $1 billion settlement
POSTED: Monday, April 16, 2012 at 08:56 AM PTBY: The Associated Press
The federal government will pay more than $1 billion to settle a series of lawsuits brought by American Indian tribes over mismanagement of tribal money and trust lands, under a settlement announced April 11. The agreement resolves claims brought by 41 tribes from across the country to reclaim money lost in mismanaged accounts and from [...]
Idaho tax revenue beats March projection
POSTED: Friday, April 6, 2012 at 02:25 PM PTBY: Brad Iverson-Long
Tags: Idaho, Idaho Division of Financial Management, income taxes, sales tax
Idaho’s general fund tax collections beat estimates for the month of March by $3.9 million, with the state’s personal income tax and sales tax both leading the way. March is typically the second-lowest month for tax collections. April, with its tax filing deadline, is the biggest and makes or breaks the state budget. Tax revenues [...]
