Articles
Are E-Bike and Electric Scooter Accidents Becoming More Dangerous in Ohio?
E-bike accidents in Ohio are becoming an increasingly important safety issue as electric bicycles and scooters grow in popularity. Electric bicycles and scooters have become a common sight on streets, bike paths and around neighborhoods throughout Ohio. They offer an inexpensive and convenient way to get around, especially for teenagers and young adults. But as the popularity of e-bikes and electric scooters has grown, so has another number: serious injuries. National research shows a significant increase in emergency-room visits involving these devices, including fractures, head injuries and injuries resulting from collisions with cars. For Ohio families, the trend raises an important question: What happens when an e-bike or scooter ride turns into a serious accident? E-Bike Injuries Are Increasing The increase is not simply anecdotal. A national study published in the American Journal of Public Health examined nearly 1.9 million estimated micromobility injuries from 2019 through 2022. During that period, the population-based injury rate involving e-bikes increased approximately 293%, while powered-scooter injury rates increased about 88%. PubMed The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has documented the same broader trend. CPSC reported that injuries involving e-bikes, e-scooters and other micromobility devices increased an estimated 21% in 2022 alone, with micromobility injuries [...]
Are Separate Bank Accounts Really Separate Property in an Ohio Divorce?
Keeping your spouse’s name off your bank account or retirement plan does not automatically keep those assets out of a divorce. Separate Bank Accounts. Still Married. What Ohio Couples Should Know. Your paycheck goes into your account. Your spouse’s paycheck goes into theirs. You divide the bills, keep separate savings, and rarely discuss retirement balances. That arrangement may work perfectly well for everyday life. But what happens if the marriage ends? At Godbey Law LLC, we regularly encounter married people who know very little about what their spouse owns. Some also assume that keeping an account in their name alone protects it from division in a divorce. That assumption can lead to an expensive surprise. A September 2025 U.S. Census Bureau report found that 23% of married householder couples with accounts at financial institutions had no joint accounts in 2023, up from 15% in 1996. Separate banking is increasingly common. It does not, however, tell you how those assets would be treated in an Ohio divorce. The name on the account does not settle ownership in a divorce. Ohio law expressly states that holding property individually or jointly does not determine whether it is marital or separate property. Generally, assets [...]
When Waiting Could Make Things Worse: Understanding Injunctions in Civil Litigation
Civil lawsuits can take time. Unfortunately, the problem at the center of a lawsuit does not always wait for the court process. A business partner may be moving company assets. A former employee may have confidential information. Someone may be preparing to sell disputed property. Money could be withdrawn from an account. Construction or demolition may be about to permanently change a property. In situations like these, winning the lawsuit months later might not fully repair the damage. That is one reason courts have the ability to issue injunctions, including temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions. These orders can sometimes stop certain conduct, require certain action, or preserve the current situation while the larger legal dispute is resolved. For individuals and businesses involved in serious civil disputes, understanding this option can be important. Just as importantly, timing can matter. What Is an Injunction? An injunction is a court order requiring someone to take, or refrain from taking, a particular action. Unlike a traditional lawsuit focused primarily on recovering money after a loss occurs, injunctive relief is often intended to prevent additional harm from happening in the first place. Courts generally consider injunctive relief when an ordinary award of money may [...]
Who Counts as Family When It Comes to Your Estate Plan?
Families come in all forms. But without the right estate plan, the law may not recognize the people you consider family in the way you expect. Family does not always fit neatly onto a family tree. For some people, family means a spouse and children. For others, it may include stepchildren, an unmarried partner, grandchildren, close friends, godchildren, siblings, aging parents, or even a longtime neighbor who has become as close as any relative. Modern families are complicated, blended and deeply personal. The problem is that the law does not necessarily know who you consider family. And that can become extremely important when someone dies or becomes unable to make decisions for themselves. If You Don't Make a Plan, the Law Makes One for You When someone dies without a valid will or other appropriate estate planning documents, state law determines how certain property is distributed. Those laws generally focus on legally recognized family relationships. They do not know that you helped raise a stepchild for 20 years. They do not know that you and your partner have shared a home and built a life together without getting married. They do not know that your best friend has been closer to you [...]
The $11.89 Million Cost of Not Showing Up: What the Shilo Sanders Case Teaches About Lawsuits, Default Judgments and Bankruptcy
What happens if you are sued and simply do not show up? A high-profile bankruptcy case involving former college football player Shilo Sanders offers a dramatic answer, and an important warning for individuals and business owners alike. Most people do not want to be involved in a lawsuit. A complaint arrives, a business dispute escalates, a former partner makes a claim, or a customer, vendor, employee or creditor threatens legal action. The temptation may be to hope the problem goes away. Usually, it does not. The ongoing bankruptcy case involving Shilo Sanders, son of football coach Deion Sanders, is an extraordinary example of how failing to actively defend a lawsuit can have consequences that last for years. Sanders was sued in Texas over an incident that occurred while he was in high school. He initially defended the lawsuit, but his attorneys withdrew in 2020 after reporting to the court that Sanders was unwilling or unable to continue funding the defense. Sanders did not have new counsel in place when the matter eventually went to trial in 2022, and he did not appear. The court proceeded without him and ultimately entered a judgment of approximately $11.89 million against him. Sanders later filed for [...]
Three States, Three Rulebooks: What Tri-State Drivers Need to Know About Stopping for School Buses in 2026
Summary: Kentucky's new bus-stopping rule took effect July 15. Ohio's is coming. Indiana's is already the strictest. Here's what Tri-State drivers and parents need to know. If you commute anywhere in the Tri-State, you cross a state line without thinking about it. Down I-71/75 into Covington. Out I-74 toward Lawrenceburg. Over the Combs-Hehl and back. Most traffic rules travel with you. The rule about stopping for a school bus does not. As of this school year, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana each answer the same question — when do I have to stop? — a little differently. And Kentucky just changed its answer. Kentucky: the rule changed on July 15 House Bill 7 took effect in the middle of July, and it altered the one situation most drivers thought they had figured out. Under the old law, if you were traveling in the opposite direction on a highway with four or more lanes, you did not have to stop for a school bus. A lot of people learned that rule and drove by it for years. That is no longer accurate. Under HB 7, drivers must stop for a school or church bus with its stop arm out and red lights [...]
