Legal Rights

Question: About a year ago I found out that a casual friend had been laid off and become homeless. I let him move into my apartment's spare bedroom free of charge. Now I want my privacy back. I have asked him to leave, but he doesn't appear to be making any effort to do so. A real estate agent says my friend is a trespasser, since we have no rental agreement or landlord-tenant relationship. She says I can call the police to have him removed or I can change the locks on a day when he is away.

In an action hailed by gay rights activists as a turning point in a solidly conservative state, a bill that would allow same-sex couples most of the legal rights of heterosexual couples cleared a Wyoming subcommittee by a 7-2 vote and is headed to consideration in the full House. The sponsor of the bill, State Rep. Cathy Connolly of Laramie, is the first openly gay representative in Wyoming. She is one of only eight Democrats in the 60-member House. "We passed the first step, but it's a big step," Connolly said in an interview.

Teen birth rates have fallen in the United States but there are still about 39 births per 1,000 teens. This often-ignored group of pregnant teens and young parents now has a guidebook and website to help them understand their legal rights as they navigate the challenging road of schooling, employment and parenting. The book , "California Pregnant and Parenting Youth Guide," was written by the National Partnership for Women & Families to inform teens in an easy and unbiased manner.

NEW DELHI - Protracted shouting by lawyers insisting that suspects in a high-profile gang rape case don't deserve legal representation marked the first court appearance Monday of five defendants and raised concerns among legal and human-rights campaigners that inflamed passions could trump the men's legal rights. Apparently convinced of the defendants' guilt based on media coverage of the case, members of a bar association representing lawyers in New Delhi's Saket District Court announced last week that none of its members would represent the defendants.

As the city of Los Angeles begins the rebuilding process after the violence of last week, it might be useful to review some of the basic legal rights and obligations that may help people directly affected. During the several days of rioting and destruction, property was destroyed and stolen, employees lost jobs or sources of income, homes and apartments were made uninhabitable and businesses were shut down.

America's children stand in jeopardy because their legal rights are frequently abused or ignored, a special American Bar Assn. panel concluded Tuesday as it recommended government and private sector action to rescue them. With Atty. Gen. Janet Reno lending her support, the ABA panel, headed by former federal Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr.

Karen Ackerson, who defended Henry K. Watson in last year's Reginald O. Denny beating case, and eight other attorneys will address legal rights at a Saturday seminar at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, 3045 S. Crenshaw Blvd. The lawyers will address such issues as personal injury, contracts, renters' rights, entertainment law and criminal law at the free two-hour seminar, which will begin at 11 a.m.

The state will provide equal rights for same-sex couples in committed relationships known as civil unions under legislation signed into law in Trenton by Gov. Jon Corzine. Corzine said the state had an obligation to give such partnerships the same legal rights as married couples. "We must recognize that many gay and lesbian couples in New Jersey are in committed relationships, and deserve the same benefits and rights as every other family in the state," Corzine said.

What are your legal rights as a home buyer? The laws that govern real estate sales have changed dramatically in the last five years. At the Los Angeles Times Home Buyers Fairs you can hear from legal experts who will explain the latest developments in California real estate law. Learn about the new disclosure laws and your legal obligation--if any--to your real estate agent.

The Danish Parliament passed a law on Friday allowing homosexual couples to marry, granting them all the rights of heterosexual families except for adoption and recognition by the state Lutheran Church. The bill was approved by a vote of 71 to 47, with five abstentions and 56 legislators absent in the 179-seat Parliament. The law drew criticism from Christian groups who called it "contrary to nature." The legislation, which takes effect Aug. 1, gives homosexual marriage the status of a "registered partnership" with full inheritance rights and requiring official divorce proceedings for dissolution.

Handshakes and helmet stickers go out to the two schools known as USC in this week's top 10 — we could not be more thrilled for the players and their families. The USC at No. 3 lost the legal right to be called USC, so it will heretofore be referred to as South Carolina, "Southern Car" or "Spurrierville. " The USC at No. 9 in the latest USA Today coaches' poll has been known for years as the University of Southern California. Both Southern Car and USC displayed the kind of extended-weekend grit that earns you resilience red ribbons from our blue-ribbon platitude panel.

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal jury handed Oracle Corp. a major setback in its high-stakes copyright infringement case against Google Inc. by failing to agree on a key issue in the case. The 12-member panel concluded that Google lifted technology from Oracle's Java programming language to build its popular Android mobile software that powers more than 300 million devices, but could not reach a unanimous decision on whether Google had the legal right to do so under "fair use. " The impasse after five days of deliberation means that Oracle is unlikely to wring hundreds of millions of dollars from the search giant on copyright infringement claims.

Teen birth rates have fallen in the United States but there are still about 39 births per 1,000 teens. This often-ignored group of pregnant teens and young parents now has a guidebook and website to help them understand their legal rights as they navigate the challenging road of schooling, employment and parenting. The book , "California Pregnant and Parenting Youth Guide," was written by the National Partnership for Women & Families to inform teens in an easy and unbiased manner.

There was an uproar when it was revealed that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called Christmas Day bomber, was read his Miranda rights. The hysterical reaction obscured a real dilemma for law enforcement: how to obtain what could be vital information about terrorist plots without denying suspects their legal rights. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and the FBI have produced guidelines that adroitly balance the two interests. Issued Oct. 21 but made public only recently, the guidelines will not please those conservatives who insist that suspected terrorists shouldn't be Mirandized at all. But they strike us as reasonable and, equally important, useful in heading off efforts in Congress to weaken Miranda.

The Earls, all 11 of them, had been evicted from their Simi Valley home. Attorney Michael T. Pines pleaded with a Ventura County Superior Court judge to let the family back in. Jim and Danielle Earl had fallen behind on their mortgage payments after a business reversal. But the six-bedroom house that they shared with their brood had already been sold to an investment company, Judge Barbara A. Lane pointed out. The eviction would stand. Incensed, Pines vowed to hire a locksmith and enter the vacant house illegally.

The legal status of same-sex marriage headed back toward the California Supreme Court on Tuesday for a ruling that could potentially resolve the future of voter-passed Proposition 8. The state's highest court, which has considered the issue twice in the last three years, was drawn back into the fray by a panel of federal appeals court judges. The panel asked for guidance on the seemingly technical, but perhaps decisive, issue of who has the legal right to defend the ballot initiative on appeal, what is known in court as "standing.

If you're one of the millions of Americans who have refinanced or taken out a new home mortgage recently, do you know your federal legal rights vis-a-vis your lender? Are you aware that if you complain to your mortgage company in any manner except that prescribed by federal law, you could miss out on some important federal consumer protections?

King Coach Pat Quinn was acting within his legal rights when he signed a contract with the Vancouver Canucks while still under contract to the Kings, Quinn's attorney told The Times Sunday. Furthermore, attorney Morris Chucas said, the Kings were aware of Quinn's right to do so, since it was provided for in his contract, and even discussed when Quinn signed with the Kings 2 1/2 years ago.

Question: About a year ago I found out that a casual friend had been laid off and become homeless. I let him move into my apartment's spare bedroom free of charge. Now I want my privacy back. I have asked him to leave, but he doesn't appear to be making any effort to do so. A real estate agent says my friend is a trespasser, since we have no rental agreement or landlord-tenant relationship. She says I can call the police to have him removed or I can change the locks on a day when he is away.

A California appeals court sided Tuesday with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a fight with state lawmakers over his line-item veto authority. Last summer, Schwarzenegger cut about $500 million from a state spending plan passed by the Legislature, saying it was not balanced. Advocacy groups, supported by legislative leaders, filed a lawsuit arguing that the governor had overstepped his legal rights. Legislative leaders told the court Schwarzenegger did not have the right to use his line-item veto because the legislation they passed cut an existing budget.