U.S. EPA Proposed Listing of PFOA and PFOS: The Effects and Costs of Forever Chemicals

On September 6, 2022, the U.S EPA’s long-awaited proposed rule to list perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perluoroocanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as CERCLA hazardous substances was published in the Federal Register (Proposed Rule).[1]  This triggers a 60-day public notice and comment period. As the first compounds ever proposed for hazardous substance listing under Section 102(a) of CERCLA, …

Same-Sex Partners – Child Custody Land Mines

The recent decision of Compher v. Whitfield from the Tennessee Court of Appeals is a prime example of how far child custody law in Tennessee has to go to catch up with today’s same-sex partner realities. In Compher, two women were in a same-sex domestic partnership. In approximately 2009/2010, the parties decided to have a child together. The …

Heard/Depp Trial: 3 Lessons Learned For Your Family Law Case

For weeks we were intrigued by the news and headlines of the court proceedings involving the defamation action by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard. We watched their lives behind closed doors as a married couple play out to audiences everywhere. However, the lessons learned from that trial are not unique to celebrity couples. …

Operators, Start Your Engines; But Beware of Sanctions

Less than a month has passed since the launch of the regulated iGaming market in Ontario, and the Ontario regulator has already handed down its first pair of penalties. On Tuesday, May 3, 2022, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced its first two monetary penalties to iGaming Operators – both stemming from alleged …

“But It’s Legal in Michigan, So It Can’t Be Used Against Me…Right?” – Marijuana Use in Custody and Parenting Time Matters

In case you live under a rock, marijuana is legal in Michigan for both medicinal and recreational use. However, a stigma remains around marijuana use and the user that continues to evolve. The long-existing public perception of the squinting stoner on the couch devouring a bag of chips remains a problematic stereotype to overcome, especially …

Three Ways to Ensure Text Messages Are Relevant in Custody Cases

You have hundreds of text messages between you and the other parent. You hand them all over to your lawyer, expecting the lawyer to be ecstatic that you can show every cancellation of parenting time, refusal to take the child to the doctor when sick, and general uncooperativeness. Yet, after pouring through them, the attorney …

Tips for Divorcing a Narcissist

Individuals displaying narcissistic personality traits may have an inflated belief in their own self-importance, often need constant admiration and reinforcement from others, do not handle criticism or rejection well, and have an overall sense of entitlement. If you live with a narcissist, you already know this, and these traits may be some of the reasons …

California Proposes Further Changes to Proposition 65 Short-Form Warnings

On December 13, 2021, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (“OEHHA”) issued another notice in its efforts to amend the short-form warning regulations under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, commonly known as Proposition 65. Beginning in 2018, companies could comply with Proposition 65 by using the short-form warning.  …