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Category Archives: Miscellaneous

How Independent Contractors Can Secure and Protect Copyright Interests in Works Made for Hire

Author By Todd McMurtryPosted on

In general, the creator of a work — whether it is musical, verbal, visual, digital or another form — is entitled to the copyright. However, federal law makes exceptions for “works made for hire.” These are works created by employees during the course of their employment or by independent contractors. In those cases, the employer or the person or company commissioning the work may be the copyright owner. However, independent contractors may retain their ownership if certain conditions are met.

While an employer automatically owns the copyright of work created by an employee, an independent contractor generally retains ownership unless their work falls into one of nine categories that the Copyright Act considers made for hire: a contribution to a collective work, a part of a motion picture or audiovisual work, a translation, a supplementary work, a compilation, an instructional text, an atlas, a test or answer material for a test.

If the agreement or contract commissioning the work is silent on copyright of works not within those nine categories, the independent contractor generally retains ownership. But some agreements contain ambiguous language that could suggest the parties’ intent to consider the works made for hire. If this intent is unclear from the agreement or the surrounding circumstances, a court deciding a dispute over copyright ownership or infringement will consider a number of factors, including:

  • Who controlled the means by which the work was created
  • Which party provided the tools necessary to produce the work
  • Where the work was performed (i.e., at the hiring party’s workplace or the creator’s premises)
  • Whether the hiring party withheld taxes or provided employee benefits
  • Which party controlled the hours worked by the work’s creator
  • Whether the creator of the work was paid hourly or per project

The more that these factors suggest a relationship closer to employment than to independent contracting, the more likely that made-for-hire status will be found.

For these reasons, it is imperative that independent contractors thoroughly review any agreement or other commissioning document before signing it and commencing work. A contract or rider may contain a provision by which the contractor acknowledges the hiring party to be the copyright owner or agrees to assign the copyright ownership to the hiring party. Rather than give up the rights to the work entirely, an independent contractor may be able to negotiate an agreement in which they grant a license to the commissioner for limited use of the work. This arrangement allows the creator of the work to retain the valuable ownership rights, which can be licensed in the future to other parties in exchange for royalties.

About Finney Law Firm, LLC

Founded in 2014, FLF has grown to 15 attorneys located in offices in Eastgate and downtown Cincinnati with five major practice areas: Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Employment Law, Commercial Litigation and Public Interest and Constitutional Litigation.  FLF has the unique claim to three 9-0 victories at the United States Supreme Court for its public interest practice along with breakthrough class action work.

FLF also has an affiliated title insurance company, Ivy Pointe Title, LLC, that closes and insures nearly a thousand commercial and residential real estate transactions annually.

For more information about Finney Law Firm, visit finneylawfirm.com.

Media Contact: Mickey McClanahan; mickey@finneylawfirm.isoc.net; 513.797.2850.

 

Finney Law Firm sues Ohio Department of Education over simply bizarre speech restrictions regarding Critical Race Theory

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the Ohio Department of Education’s adoption of Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project’s for implementation throughout Ohio’s school systems, we should all agree that an open and robust debate about that policy before public bodies is appropriate and required under the U.S. Constitution. But that’s not how the Ohio Board of Education sees things.

Once they hastily adopted the new policies, they then formally forbade speakers before them from criticizing their decision. The ODE allows public comment on all other topics, but specifically not these two.

So, last week, the Finney Law Firm filed suit against ODE challenging these restrictions on speech during the public comment section of Board meetings. Read that suit here.

The Board did not just quietly and unconstitutionally squelch in a public forum,  but they explained why they were privileged — indeed compelled — to trample on the Constitution in this instance:

  • “[O]ur board president has instituted a policy that prevents people from speaking to our group in reference to any of these issues about critical race theory, etc.…  I’m not sure why we have a filter on what we’re allowed to hear here, but we do.”
  • “I was really glad when [LAURA KOHLER] said we weren’t going to have those speeches anymore”
  • “I would just prefer that we not have a conversation about critical race theory, or 1619….”
  • “I don’t want to sit here again and listen to two months of people – they have their opinions….  This is not what I’m here for”
  • “I’m using race and I don’t feel ashamed about that”
  • That if such public comments or testimony were allowed then the meeting of the OHIO STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION “would not longer be a safe space for me”

I suppose if you are that delicate and thin-skinned, perhaps you should not sign up for the rough and tumble of public office. Just a thought.

Media coverage of this is below:

For inquiries on this story, contact Curt Hartman (513.379.2923) or Chris Finney (513.943.6655).

Does the President Have the Legal Authority to Cancel Student Loans by Executive Order?

Author By Todd McMurtryPosted on

One of the biggest issues faced by the Biden Administration is the nation’s student loan crisis. Congressional leaders and various organizations are calling on President Biden to cancel up to $50,000 in student loans per borrower by executive order. Biden supports the idea in principle but questions whether he has the legal authority to take executive action. Generally, Congress has authority pertaining to the approval of federal spending, the category under which student loans fall.

However, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Elizabeth Warren and other senators have introduced a resolution outlining a way that the president could use his authority under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to cancel student loan debt and to ensure federal student loan borrowers do not incur tax liability as a result. A section of the act gives the Secretary of Education the power “to modify, compromise, waive, or release any right, title, claim, lien, or demand, however acquired, including any equity or any right of redemption.” The resolution seeks the sense of Congress that through the Secretary of Education, student loans can be cancelled by execution action.

Calls for federal student debt cancellation have also been lodged by more than 325 undersigned community, civil rights, climate, health, consumer, labor and student advocacy organizations.

With Congress embroiled in debate over the pending COVID-19 stimulus package, it is unlikely that legislative action on student debt will be taken soon. In the meantime, an automatic forbearance has been applied to federal student loans due to the pandemic. Debtors also may have other options for easing their financial burdens. These may include:

  • Refinancing — By combining federal or private student loans into a single loan, you may be able to lower your interest rate, which can help you pay off the debt faster.
  • Income-driven repayment plans — If your monthly payments are higher than you can afford, you can negotiate with the lender about entering into a repayment plan that suits your income level. Depending on your financial circumstances, you may be able to enroll in a plan that drastically lowers your monthly payments.
  • Forgiveness — You may be eligible for forgiveness, cancellation, or discharge of your student loans based on certain reasons, such as if you are totally and permanently disabled, are employed by a government or not-for-profit organization or have a history of working as a full-time teacher in a low-income elementary school, secondary school or educational service agency. A student loan may be discharged in bankruptcy if you can prove economic hardship.

About Finney Law Firm, LLC

Founded in 2014, FLF has grown to 15 attorneys located in offices in Eastgate and downtown Cincinnati with five major practice areas: Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Employment Law, Commercial Litigation and Public Interest and Constitutional Litigation.  FLF has the unique claim to three 9-0 victories at the United States Supreme Court for its public interest practice along with breakthrough class action work.

FLF also has an affiliated title insurance company, Ivy Pointe Title, LLC, that closes and insures nearly a thousand commercial and residential real estate transactions annually.

For more information about Finney Law Firm, visit finneylawfirm.com.

Media Contact: Mickey McClanahan; mickey@finneylawfirm.isoc.net; 513.797.2850.

 

How to Determine the Strength of Your Company’s Claim for Defamation

Author By Holly J. KlostermanPosted on

Defamation is a common law tort that can be directed at a person, business, a business owner or employees of a company. The defamatory statement can be written (libel) or spoken (slander). In order to be considered defamation, it must be a false statement of fact, not an opinion, about the business entity or one of its officers or employees. The statement has to be made publicly, as in a newspaper or on the internet, or be spoken to a third party.

The business that has been defamed must prove that it has suffered actual damages — such as lost revenue, diminished ability to hire new employees or decreased business volume — as a result of the false statement.

An investigation to determine the potential impact of a defamatory statement may be necessary. It would include determining the print and online circulation of a newspaper that published the defamatory statement. For a defamatory statement on the internet, a diligent investigator might examine the web traffic for the website that published the statement in question. That examination can count how many “views” were made of the statement and the number “clicks” on the piece containing the statement, thereby showing to what extent the defamatory statement may have spread. If the statement was made on Facebook, Twitter or other social media, the poster’s number of followers is also an indicator of the statement’s reach.

If the defamatory statement was first spoken, the third parties who heard the statement should be located and identified. If the statement was repeated, or otherwise memorialized, the letters, emails, tweets or other communications containing the statement should be tracked down.

Certainly, one of the key components of any business is its reputation in its industry or, for a small business, its community. Once the defamatory nature of the statement is confirmed, the business law attorney representing the company can issue a cease-and-desist letter to the person or entity that made the statement. The attorney can also demand that the person or entity that made the statement issue a retraction. A properly worded retraction might go a long way towards restoring the good reputation of the damaged business and stemming any losses the business is incurring because of the defamatory statement.

About Finney Law Firm, LLC

Founded in 2014, FLF has grown to 15 attorneys located in offices in Eastgate and downtown Cincinnati with five major practice areas: Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Employment Law, Commercial Litigation and Public Interest and Constitutional Litigation.  FLF has the unique claim to three 9-0 victories at the United States Supreme Court for its public interest practice along with breakthrough class action work.

FLF also has an affiliated title insurance company, Ivy Pointe Title, LLC, that closes and insures nearly a thousand commercial and residential real estate transactions annually.

For more information about Finney Law Firm, visit finneylawfirm.com.

Media Contact: Mickey McClanahan; mickey@finneylawfirm.isoc.net; 513.797.2850.

 

How to Serve Legal Process Upon a Foreign Individual or Entity

Author By Sean GarzaPosted on

Correct service of process is a basic and vital part of initiating a lawsuit. In American jurisprudence, courts need to know that defendants have received actual notice of the existence of lawsuits filed against them. Service of process on a foreign person or entity can be complicated but must be completed properly or the plaintiff risks having the suit dismissed.

The United States is a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents. The purpose of the Hague Convention is to formalize serving lawsuit papers and other documents in a timely and simple manner to ensure that foreign persons or entities sued in another country receive actual notice of legal actions against them.

Under the Hague Convention, signatories designate a “central authority” to accept documents to be served on persons or entities in that country who are named as defendants. The central authority then effects service on those parties according to local law and provides proof of service to the plaintiffs.

It is important for plaintiffs and their business lawyers who are suing foreign persons or entities in the United States to be aware of the service-of-process laws in the country where the named defendants are situated. Under Alternative A of the Hague Convention, parties may directly serve documents by mail on other parties to the suit if permitted by the country where the defendant lives. If a country does not permit direct service by mail, the serving party must serve legal documents through the central authority. In some countries, the central authority requires that the legal documents to be served are in that country’s official language.

If the country in which a defendant resides is not party to the Hague Convention, Kentucky law permits service of process through registered mail.

Another way to effect service of process on a foreign entity is to serve that entity’s registered agent in the United States. If there is no registered agent, the foreign entity’s subsidiary may be served if it is an actual or apparent agent of the corporate parent and the corporate parent exercises dominion or control over the subsidiary.

About Finney Law Firm, LLC

Founded in 2014, FLF has grown to 15 attorneys located in offices in Eastgate and downtown Cincinnati with five major practice areas: Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Employment Law, Commercial Litigation and Public Interest and Constitutional Litigation.  FLF has the unique claim to three 9-0 victories at the United States Supreme Court for its public interest practice along with breakthrough class action work.

FLF also has an affiliated title insurance company, Ivy Pointe Title, LLC, that closes and insures nearly a thousand commercial and residential real estate transactions annually.

For more information about Finney Law Firm, visit finneylawfirm.com.

Media Contact: Mickey McClanahan; mickey@finneylawfirm.isoc.net; 513.797.2850.

 

All the info you need to know on property tax valuation issues in Ohio

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on

Tax bills in Hamilton County will be mailed on January 7 and are due February 1. Nonetheless, the County Auditor has sent out notices to homeowners in December as to the new valuation of properties that will appear on the January tax bills. Since the January 2021 tax bills represent the start of a new tax triennial, every property owner in Hamilton, Butler and Clermont Counties will get new valuations in those upcoming tax bills. As a result, our phones are starting to ring about help with property tax valuation reductions.

If you are thinking about challenging your property’s tax valuation, below are linked two blog entries with lots of information on the wisdom of taking such a path, and the detailed procedures for doing so. One of them has an instructional video on tax valuation reduction in Ohio.

Ohio and Kentucky property tax valuation challenges vexing in 2021

’tis the season for property tax valuation reduction (with How To video)

Contact Chris Finney (513-.943.6655) or Casey Taylor (513.943.5673) for information on how we can help get your property taxes reduced.

 

 

 

Kentucky Supreme Court Upholds Governor’s Power to Order COVID-19 Lockdowns but Legislators Balk

Author By Holly J. KlostermanPosted on

On November 12, 2020, the Kentucky Supreme Court rendered a unanimous decision that upheld executive orders and regulations issued by Governor Andy Beshear in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, finding them a legitimate use of the governor’s executive authority that did not violate the Kentucky Constitution. However, the decision has prompted a legislative backlash that may lead to an attempted curtailment of the governor’s emergency powers.

Beshear, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency in Kentucky on March 6 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, he issued multiple executive orders directed at various businesses, schools and other facilities throughout the state. These orders restricted hours of operations, who could and could not be admitted to places of business and how many customers could be admitted or served.

Several businesses — including a restaurant, a day care center and an automotive racetrack — sued the governor, seeking injunctions against the restrictions under state administrative law. The Kentucky Attorney General intervened in the suit on the side of the businesses. In July, the Supreme Court ordered the executive orders and regulations to be stayed until the court heard the cases on the merits.

In its 103-page opinion, the court stated:

  • The governor properly declared an emergency and validly invoked the emergency powers granted to him under Kentucky Revised Statute Chapter 39A.
  • Chapter 39A does not violate the separation of powers provisions of the Kentucky Constitution.
  • The governor was not required to address the COVID-19 emergency solely through the emergency regulations adopted under Chapter 13A.
  • The executive orders and regulations issued by the governor did not violate the Kentucky Constitution’s provisions protecting the property rights of state residents.

Republicans were not happy. Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer went on Twitter, calling the Democratic governor’s orders “arbitrary & capricious.” He further tweeted that the governor’s actions “have destroyed jobs, harmed economic recovery & increased mental illness.” Republican Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said that when “the General Assembly returns in January, I hope they move quickly to restore the balance of our constitutional order back to the people, where it rightly belongs.”

Will the majority Republican legislature amend Chapter 39A when the legislature reconvenes? Certainly, some Kentuckians feel that Governor’s executive orders are excessive and heavy-handed. However, as of the end of November, 2020, there were over 164,000 coronavirus cases and over 1,900 COVID-related deaths in Kentucky. Hopefully, politicians from both sides will make decisions that benefit the public health and welfare of all Kentuckians.

About Finney Law Firm, LLC

Founded in 2014, FLF has grown to 15 attorneys located in offices in Eastgate and downtown Cincinnati with five major practice areas: Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Employment Law, Commercial Litigation and Public Interest and Constitutional Litigation.  FLF has the unique claim to three 9-0 victories at the United States Supreme Court for its public interest practice along with breakthrough class action work.

FLF also has an affiliated title insurance company, Ivy Pointe Title, LLC, that closes and insures nearly a thousand commercial and residential real estate transactions annually.

For more information about Finney Law Firm, visit finneylawfirm.com.

Media Contact: Mickey McClanahan; mickey@finneylawfirm.isoc.net; 513.797.2850.

 

Finney Law Firm Property Tax Valuation

Tips on real estate title and debt in divorce proceedings

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on

Over my years of practice, I have seen countless (and needless) debt and real estate title problems arising from divorce proceedings, some arising many years after the divorce decree goes on. In this blog entry, I address several of these.

For anyone going through a divorce, or who has already been through a divorce, I’d recommend “checking all the boxes” in this blog entry to avoid costly problems arising from a divorce. (Just because your divorce was years ago does not mean some of these problems won’t still raise their ugly head.)

  • First, on Day #1, cancel all joint credit cards and terminate all joint lines of credit. Time and time again, I have seen one spouse run up credit card charges on joint accounts, and run up lines of credit — maybe secured by a lien on the house — to the max either as the divorce is proceeding or after the divorce. Worse, they have spent it on jewelry, trips, cars, flowers and candy for the new girlfriend (classy!). On Day #1, and I mean Day #1, stop the soon-to-be ex-spouse’s access to joint credit.  Otherwise, when they go bankrupt or insolvent, you may be left holding the bag.
  • Terminate all accounts on which you are liable: The one that is most common is a cell phone account. But it might be a utility service (water, sewer, gas, electric), a joint account at a retailer, a business line of credit, etc. Close those accounts or take your name off of them. Do it in writing. Do it promptly as the divorce proceeds.
  • A common resolution of the division of the home (or other property) jointly owned by the divorcing husband and wife is that the divorce court orders one spouse to convey their 1/2 interest in such house or property to the other party. And associated with that that, the grantee then is ordered to refinance the mortgage on the house so that the grantor is released from the debt associated with the the-existing joint mortgage. That is fine as far as it goes, but countless times I have seen one or the other spouse not follow through on that. Here are some problems I have seen with this:
    • The ex-spouse who is supposed to grant the real property delays interminably and fails to do so. The grantee ex-spouse ignores the failure, sometimes for years. This is a huge mistake. Get that deed.
    • The grantee ex-spouse gets a deed, but tucks it into her dresser drawer and forgets about it. You have to record that deed immediately, otherwise intervening liens and bankruptcy of the grantor ex-spouse filings take priority! In the case I recall, the grantor spouse filed bankruptcy years later, and that 1/2 interest in the house went to the ex-spouse’s creditors rather than to the grantee. The problem was not fixable.
    • The grantee ex-wife was the signer on a line of credit for the grantor ex-husband’s business. That line of credit was secured with a lien on their marital residence that was ordered by the Court to be granted to the ex-wife. The ex-husband did in fact give the deed to the ex-wife, but ex-wife did not refinance the house as the divorce decree required (which would have almost certainly revealed the second mortgage securing the line of credit that she forgot). Thus, the second mortgage securing the line of credit was never released.  Thirteen years later, the ex-husband hit hard times financially, and ran up the line of credit — that was still secured with a mortgage against the ex-wife’s house. Ex-wife’s property is then subject to a six-figure second mortgage for the ex-husband’s post-decree debt, rather than free of that debt as it should have been. So, cancel all secured lines of credit immediately, and get a title exam on the granted house to assure title you are getting is clear.

These things are not automatically addressed by either a divorce filing or by the decree in a divorce. They have to be carefully implemented to conclusion. Everything bad that can go wrong in these steps does go wrong, time and time again. And while said ex-spouse may be on the hook for the breach of the divorce decree, that does not change the reality that the third party creditor has a right to get paid. And if the ex-spouse is flat busted, there will be no recovery from him or her. This is commonly the case.

At present Finney Law Firm does not handle most domestic matters.  But, these are some tips to form a discussion with your divorce attorney to assure all “I’s” are dotted and all “T’s” are crossed in divorce proceedings.

Please share this with a friend going through a divorce. It may save them headaches and a lot of money.

 

 

 

 

 

Ohio and Kentucky property tax valuation challenges vexing in 2021

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on

To appeal your taxes or not appeal your real property taxes, that is the question.

For some property investors, 2020 has been a difficult year: Many retail properties, hotels and office buildings have suffered from high vacancies, high rental defaults, and slow-to-no calls from new tenants. For these categories of income-producing properties, the enormous challenges presented by COVID-19 seem to have caused a significant reduction in property values.

Thus, it makes perfect sense to challenge those values in 2021, right?

Well, not so fast. Here are some considerations:

State of Ohio

  • Tax valuation challenges filed in Ohio in 2021 are for tax year 2020, and the “tax lien date,” the target date for valuation decisions is January 1, 2020.
  • That is, of course, months before the deleterious effects of COVID-19 impacted the USA real estate market.
  • Therefore, an Ohio property owner is likely to lose a valuation challenge brought in 2021 based primarily or solely upon a downturn starting in March of April of 2020.
  • Even worse, a property owner is entitled to bring tax valuation challenges only once in a “triennial,” the 3-year cycle which Ohio uses for Board of Revision cases.
  • Hamilton County, Clermont County, Butler County, Franklin County (Columbus) and Montgomery County (Dayton) all start new triennial cycles in tax year 2020. This means that if a property owner brings and loses a tax valuation challenge brought in calendar year 2021 in those counties, the valuation by law must stay in place through tax year 2022 (first challenged again in 2023).
  • On the other hand, if a property owner waits until first quarter of 2022 to file a challenge (for tax year 2021) in those counties, he will have a much stronger basis for valuation reduction (valuation target date is then January 1, 2021).
  • On the other hand, Warren County, Lucas County (Toledo), Stark County (Canton) and Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) (among others) are in their last year of the triennial in 2020, meaning a property owner can bring a complaint in 2021 (win or lose) and then turn around and bring a fresh challenge in 2022.

So, an Ohio property owner should carefully consider whether to bring a 2021 challenge. It could bring great rewards or lock in an articificllay high value for three years, potentially unnecessarily.

State of Kentucky

Kentucky is an entirely different matter. Challenges of value — which are started by PVA meetings the first two weeks of May — in 2021 are for tax year 2021. Thus, the full impact of COVID-19 on property values are at issue in challenges in 2021. It is much more straightforward.

Conclusion

For assistance with an Ohio or Kentucky property tax valuation matter, contact Casey Jones (513.943.5673) or Chris Finney (513.943-6655).

 

 

 

Hamilton County, Ohio jury trials indefinitely suspended

Author By Christopher P. FinneyPosted on

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has spurred a second suspension of jury trials in Hamilton County, this one “until further notice.”

This applies to to both civil and criminal jury trials. As far as other proceedings (from conferences with the Judge to non-jury trials), it is “hit or miss” and each case and each Judge may have a different schedule. However, our experience is that things are proceeding, if slower than normal.

Read more on WLWT.Com here.

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