Tag Archives: Aaron Morris

Reporting a Fact is Never Defamatory

It is never defamation to report a fact, even if that fact is that a person was charged with a crime they did not commit. I understand why callers sometimes don’t understand this distinction. The completely innocent caller was falsely … Continue reading

Judge Orders Man to Apologize to Ex-Wife on Facebook

Clients sometimes ask me to seek a letter of apology as part of a defamation settlement. I have managed to do so on a number of occasions, but I usually recommend a letter of retraction as opposed to a letter … Continue reading

Some Judges Just Don’t “Get” Defamation

I run into this attitude from judges occasionally. Thankfully, I’ve always been able to turn them around, but when I read about it, it still raises my hackles a little. The attitude of which I speak was most recently illustrated … Continue reading

Gloating Over $5,000 Settlement Costs Parents $234,011.87

Some callers to my office, wanting to sue for defamation because someone said terrible, false and hurtful things about them, are disappointed to learn that they cannot seek legal action because the speech falls under a privilege. By definition, “privileged” … Continue reading

How to Fight Back Against Online Defamation

Always striving not to reinvent the wheel, I keep my eyes open for articles that do a good job of explaining basic legal concepts.  In that regard, I receive many calls from prospective clients who don’t yet know the fundamentals of … Continue reading

Top Ten Ways to Blow a Job Interview

Interviewing prospective employees is an amazing process.  How long does an interview last?  Ten minutes? Thirty minutes? Maybe an hour and a half if the interview is over lunch?  And yet, even over such a short amount of time, it … Continue reading

“I Know Better Syndrome” Can Cost You Your Job

A case out of San Diego beautifully illustrates an issue that I frequently encounter with prospective clients, and provides a cautionary tale. The fact pattern is so common that I have given it a name — the “‘I Know Better’ Syndrome”, … Continue reading

Morris & Stone Gets Triple Damages and Attorney Fees for Theft

When is a breach of contract also fraud? When the party never intended to perform. When do you get triple damages and all of your attorney fees for fraud? When you hire Morris & Stone (although your results could differ). … Continue reading

The Legality of the “Tip Jar”

Back in June of 2009, I wrote about the Starbucks tipping case. Some rascally class action attorneys had won a huge payday, claiming that Starbucks was violating the sanctity of the community tip jar. You see, Labor Code section 351 … Continue reading

California Supreme Court Rejects Virtually All Non-Competition Agreements

Herein I violate the conventional wisdom that blog posts should be short, because I want a very detailed discussion of non-compete agreements available to both employees and employers.  But in case you have time only for a quick takeaway, I … Continue reading