DeWitt Law Firm - August 2020

DeWitt Law Firm - August 2020

The

Digest

DeWittLaw.com

AUGUST 2020

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BACK-TO-SCHOOL HELMET DRIVE!

Let Us Help You Make Sure Your Child Gets to School Safely

Riding a bike to school is a great way to save on gas money and get some exercise, but no child should ever ride their bike to school without proper safety equipment — most importantly, a helmet. It’s an essential piece of gear that, sadly, not every child has access to. That’s why Helmet Heads of Florida, a community service (brought to you by “Injured on the go? JustCallMoe. com”) is having a helmet drive throughout the month of August. At Helmet Heads of Florida, we want to make sure students get to school safely on their bikes. Last year, according to Consumer Reports, 88% of young bike riders who suffered head or neck injuries weren’t wearing helmets while riding their bikes. That’s a sobering statistic, and it should not be the case that any child has to go without a bike helmet. If your child needs a bike helmet for their protection on their daily ride to school, you can visit HelmetHeadsOfFlorida.org to fill out a form and request a helmet. While helmets are subject to availability and currently limited to Central Florida residents, we do try our best to make sure that everyone who requests a helmet gets one.

Barring any significant changes resulting from the pandemic, the first day of school for students in Orange and Seminole Counties is on Aug. 10. If your child is planning on riding their bike to school without a helmet, and you aren’t for any reason able to get them one, please reach out to Helmet Heads of Florida. We’ll make it our mission to help your child get to school safely.

– Moses DeWitt

LAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO CONSUMER REPORTS, 88% OF YOUNG BIKE RIDERS WHO SUFFERED HEAD OR NECK INJURIES WEREN’T WEARING HELMETS WHILE RIDING THEIR BIKES.

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THIS MONTH ON THE

D e W itt L aw R eview

MEET THE MAN WHO STOLE THE ‘MONA LISA’ THE MOST FAMOUS ART HEIST YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF

The "DeWitt Law Review" airs every Sunday at 10 a.m. on AM 580 WDBO. It is always our goal to bring the listeners of Central Florida the latest legal news and also create a forum where they can ask legal questions anonymously from the comfort of their own homes. To listen to this month’s episodes, or any episode of the "DeWitt Law Review," you can visit our website at DeWittLaw.com where you can download the podcast from Apple Podcasts or Spotify. We receive many legal questions from our listeners each month, and we wanted to share some of the listeners’ questions in the hopes that they may benefit others who are facing similar legal issues. Q: What are the rights of the father of a child who was not married to the mother at the time the child was born, even if the father is listed on the birth certificate? A: Under Florida law, a father has no parental rights until paternity is legally established, even if he is listed on the birth certificate. Typically, paternity must be established through a paternity action filed in court. Until paternity is legally established, the father is unable to have court-ordered timesharing with the minor child. As a father, if you are not married to the woman who has your child, it may be a good idea to consult with an attorney early on to ensure you establish your legal rights as the child’s father. Q: Can a grandmother who took care of a child make a claim for support for caring for the child after the child has turned 18? A: In short, no. A caretaker may be entitled to child support while the child is a minor if child support is sought during that period. However, once the child reaches the age of majority, the grandmother would no longer be able to request support for caring for the child.

One hundred and nine years ago this month, one man — or was it three? — fled from the Louvre Museum in Paris, carrying what would quickly become the world’s most famous painting: Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” Historical accounts of the theft agree only on who was the ringleader: 30-year-old Louvre handyman Vincenzo Peruggia. He was a house painter, an immigrant, the bearer of a glorious Monopoly Man mustache, and a vehement Italian patriot. At some point on the morning of Aug. 21, 1911, Peruggia lifted the glass case he himself had constructed to house the “Mona Lisa” and smuggled the painting from the building. Some versions of the story say Peruggia was assisted by two brothers, fellow Italian handymen Vincenzo and Michele Lancelotti. NPR reports the trio spent the night preceding the theft huddled in one of the Louvre’s supply closets, lying in wait to steal the portrait. In his documentary about the theft, director Joe Medeiros claims Peruggia acted alone, driven by an obsession with the work and a dream of returning the painting to Italy. Either way, we know that Peruggia successfully spirited the painting back to his one-bedroom apartment. There it lay concealed in a false-bottomed trunk for more than two years. This period of mysterious absence (during which police grilled and dismissed Peruggia as a suspect in favor of J.P. Morgan, Pablo Picasso, and playwright Guillaume Apollinaire) is what made the “Mona Lisa” world famous. Peruggia was eventually caught attempting to sell the painting in Italy. He pleaded guilty and spent eight months in jail. After his release, he enlisted in the Italian army to fight in World War I, surviving the war only to die of a heart attack on his 44th birthday. Though Peruggia married after the war, some suspect that the true love of his life was the “Mona Lisa” herself. In a CNN article, author and art history professor Noah Charney speculates that over his two years with her, Peruggia developed romantic feelings for the portrait. Perhaps he fell victim to a kind of “reverse Stockholm syndrome,” Charney suggests, the captor falling in love with his hostage. “In this case,” he says, “the hostage was a work of art.”

Q: Do I need uninsured motorist coverage for a motorcycle?

A: It is a good idea to have uninsured motorist coverage for a motorcycle. Florida law does not require it, but uninsured motorist coverage provides insurance coverage if you are in an accident and the individual at fault is uninsured or underinsured. In Florida, bodily injury coverage is not required. If you are in an accident and the at-fault driver lacks insurance coverage, you could be liable for massive medical bills. Uninsured motorist coverage helps provide compensation in the event that the at-fault driver does not have sufficient coverage to pay for the medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages that may occur.

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HAPPY NATIONAL READ A BOOK DAY!

‘IF IT BLEEDS’ BY STEPHEN KING If you’re a Stephen King fan, there’s no other book you should be picking up right now. “If It Bleeds” is a collection of four

In honor of National Read a Book Day on Sept. 6, we wanted to share with you some of the books we found entertaining. Here are my top recommendations! ‘HATCHING TWITTER: A TRUE STORY OF MONEY, POWER, FRIENDSHIP, AND BETRAYAL’ BY NICK BILTON Author Nick Bilton tells the origin story of Twitter, a major social media company that has played a pivotal role in shaping the world’s conversations. The story follows Twitter’s four founders — Noah Glass, Biz Stone, Evan Williams, and Jack Dorsey — through

This true tale exposes the very human side of entrepreneurship and the importance of having a clear vision.

‘STAN LEE: THE MANY BEHIND MARVEL’ BY BOB

BACHELOR After seeing his fun cameos in countless

unpublished novels: “If It Bleeds,” “Mr.

Marvel movies and TV shows, one can’t help but wonder how Stan Lee became the spokesman for the entire comic book industry. This entertaining biography answers just that question. Like many artists of his generation, growing up during the Great Depression in New York, Lee faced many obstacles but he worked hard and achieved his dreams.

Harrigan’s Phone,” “Rat,” and “The Life of Chuck.” But you also get one story focusing on characters from King’s latest books, Holly Gibney and Ralph Anderson, who have since become fan favorites! If you haven’t loved his latest work, don’t let that stop you from diving into this one, as each plot brings something unique and interesting to the table. These are just some of the books we have been reading. Hope you enjoy and happy reading!

their chance interactions, budding friendships, and the inevitable fight for power as each founder has his own ideas for the company.

BREAK TAKE A

PEACH AND ARUGULA PASTA SALAD

Nothing says summer like a pasta salad filled with your favorite fresh fruits and vegetables, and this combination is the perfect way to cap off a warm summer day!

INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • •

8 oz penne or fusilli pasta

•

2 large fresh peaches, diced or sliced 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

•

1/2 tsp sea salt Pepper, to taste 2 tbsp lemon juice

•

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

• •

1 cup corn

6 cups arugula, packed

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta for approximately 9 minutes or until al dente. Drain pasta and place in a separate bowl. 2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Drizzle the dressing over the pasta and toss with the feta cheese. 3. Add peaches, red onions, tomatoes, corn, and arugula to the pasta mixture. Lightly toss to mix well. Add more olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

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Learn About the Helmet Heads of Florida's Back-to-School Helmet Drive!

1

Meet the Man Who Stole the ‘Mona Lisa’

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This Month on the DeWitt Law Review

Your National Book Day Reading List

3

Peach and Arugula Pasta Salad

3

Are Your Thrift Store Donations Being Thrown Away?

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Are Your Thrift Store Donations Being Thrown Away?

Are you thinking about donating your kids’ old clothes or that slow cooker you haven’t used in months? Though donating your unwanted items is a great thing to do, amid the pandemic, many people have not considered the future of secondhand shopping and charity-based thrift stores like Goodwill. In 2018, Goodwill funded nearly $5.3 billion in charitable services, like educational assistance, job training, and work placements. But now, Goodwill and similar organizations are facing a unique problem: They’re receiving too many donations. To prevent your items from ending up in a landfill, consider the following before you donate. Under the circumstances, this situation is understandable. Thanks to nationwide stay- at-home orders, many took advantage of their newfound spare time to spring-clean and subsequently donate unwanted items to charity. However, with the confusion about how long the COVID-19 virus can live on clothing, secondhand shoppers have

been staying home, worried about the health risks of buying used goods.

Kenya, the world’s largest buyer of unsold secondhand clothes, have stopped buying during the economic shutdown. Meanwhile, some good-intentioned Americans are leaving their goods outside thrift stores’ front doors, not realizing that without enough space to house the excess donations, many of these thrift stores will have to pay disposal fees, costing the business potential revenue and sending your items into local landfills. However, Goodwill still wants your donations! You just might have to hold on to your items for a little bit. Check to see if your local thrift stores are open for donations. Many recommend waiting until the influx slows down, but others have expanded their inventory storage and are ready to keep up. Just make sure to follow their guidelines on acceptable items because any broken or worn items only add to their costs. Happy donating!

Famously, thrift stores still keep unsold goods out of landfills. Up to 75% of Goodwill’s merchandise, for example, isn’t sold in their stores. Instead, it’s sent to discount outlets and then into global markets. However, Mexican traders, who account for 30% of business at thrift stores close to the U.S. southern border, and

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