Tax, Legal & Compliance

Foundation Awarded $234M From Apple in Patent Infringement Case
October 19, 2015 at 10:58 am

A federal jury in Madison, Wis., awarded The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s intellectual property arm more than $234 million Friday in its patent infringement lawsuit against computer- and gadget-maker Apple. The verdict on the award amount, reached after the jury deliberated for about three hours, was about $165 million less than the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation…

McTeacher's Nights: Teachers Unions Say No to School Fundraisers
October 19, 2015 at 10:39 am

Mark Noltner, who lives in suburban Chicago, heard about McTeacher's Nights when he found a flier in his daughter's backpack last year. "There was a picture of Ronald McDonald [on the flier]," he says, and it was promoting the school fundraiser at a local McDonald's. During McTeacher's Nights, teachers stand behind the counter at McDonald's,…

Daughter, Mother Who Ran Suffolk Nonprofit Charged With Fraud
October 16, 2015 at 10:07 am

A North Carolina woman and her mother have been indicted on federal charges that they defrauded more than $574,000 from a program designed to feed low-income children. Cindy Hall and her mother, Stephanie Almond, falsified documents and exaggerated the number of children being fed through their Suffolk nonprofit in order to get more federal funds,…

Minnesota Attorney General Says Charity Is Misleading Car Donors, Misdirecting Money
October 15, 2015 at 10:13 am

The “Wheels for Wishes” advertisements seemed clear about who would get the money raised from donated vehicles, stating “Donate Your Car. Benefiting Make-A-Wish Minnesota.’’ But the wishes of kids with cancer weren’t driving the arrangement, says Minnesota’s attorney general. Instead, Make-A-Wish charities in Minnesota and nationally received about 20 percent of the revenue from donated cars,…

Man Who Promised Virginia Tech $30M Donation Sentenced to Prison
October 15, 2015 at 9:45 am

A man who promised Virginia Tech a $30 million donation has been sentenced to prison for wire fraud and money laundering. The Washington Post reports that Phillip Barnard was sentenced to five years and three months in prison Tuesday in federal court. Barnard pleaded guilty earlier this year. Prosecutors said Barnard never had any legitimate…

If Philadelphia Newspapers Wanted to Convert to Nonprofits, What Would Stand in Their Way?
October 12, 2015 at 10:25 am

If newspapers are having trouble turning a profit without deep annual cuts, how about becoming a nonprofit? That question’s been asked a lot over the last decade of print decline—even though it glides past the fact that nonprofits need revenue and a business model just as much as for-profits do. The latest possibility to be…

UN Rejects $15 Million Offer From Foundation Under Scrutiny
October 12, 2015 at 10:18 am

A U.N. office said it is rejecting the remainder of a $15 million offer from a foundation now under scrutiny after its leader, vetted and approved by the office earlier this year, was arrested and accused in an alleged bribery scheme. The director of the U.N. Office for South-South Cooperation told The Association Press in an…

Nonprofit Board Members Benefited From Improper Spending
October 9, 2015 at 9:55 am

A court-sanctioned investigation has found state Sen. Jeff Hayden, DFL-Minneapolis, and his wife Theresa received at least $3,486 in improper reimbursements from a now-defunct nonprofit organization. A report filed in Ramsey County District Court Thursday alleges Community Action of Minneapolis paid for plane tickets, hotel stays, travel expenses and spa services for the Haydens. With…

Judge Rejects Renaming College After Billionaire's Wife's Donation
October 8, 2015 at 10:59 am

A New York judge denied a college's petition to add the wife of a Wall Street billionaire to its name, citing the will of the founding donor. Paul Smith's College President Cathy Dove announced the ruling on the Adirondack college's website Wednesday. The college's board of trustees voted over the summer to rename the college…

The Americans With Disabilities Act: What Your Nonprofit Needs to Know
October 7, 2015 at 9:34 am

July 26, 2015 marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of a landmark law for people with disabilities: the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA is divided into five titles. Title I deals with employment discrimination against people with disabilities. This includes employment discrimination by nonprofit employers. As a nonprofit employer, what questions should you consider when it comes to making hiring, firing and other employment decisions...