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Workers’ COMPanion
LAW OFFICE MONAST
SEPTEMBER 2022
www.monastlaw.com | 614-334-4649 | 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. Bldg 2, Suite 2117, Upper Arlington, OH 43220-2913
TAKING A LOOK BACK AT MY HERITAGE HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Each of us has a unique story about how we got where we are. That story rarely starts with us, but instead begins with our distant ancestors. Often, what they did for work determined their last name. When they moved to America and where they came from plays a role in our upbringing and possibly even where we live today. Our heritage is interesting to look back on and can sometimes explain some questions we have about ourselves. I am familiar with my mother’s lineage as her parents emigrated from Holland and settled down in Iowa. At that time, and still to this day, Iowa has a large Dutch population. The Dutch communities like to say, “If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much!” My mom came from a family of 12 kids who were born over 24 years, the last when my grandmother was 52! They lived on a farm and everyone in the family contributed. My mother’s father, Gerrit, was widely known. People would travel from across the state to see his fields because they were plowed so straight. He became one of the first people to utilize irrigation techniques in Iowa, and people in his community respected him. Whenever he went into town, his wife Sarah knew he wouldn’t be back until late because he had to speak with everyone who crossed his path. Unfortunately, Gerrit passed away when I was still young, so I didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with him, but named one of my sons after him (with somewhat less Dutch spelling). I always enjoyed traveling to the farm in Iowa and visiting my relatives when I was younger. I didn’t have much experience being on a farm and it showed! One time, when we prepared to visit church, I jumped over the fence to see what the pigs were up to, but I landed in waste — and I sank to my ankles. I started crying, so my aunt had to get me out and clean me off with the water pump. I often get the question of where the name “Monast” came from on my dad’s side. To be honest, we’re not entirely sure. According to family legend, one of my relatives had belonged to a monastery before getting kicked out. He didn’t know what to call himself and finally decided on a new name: Monast. There’s no telling if there’s any truth to this story, though. The name is relatively uncommon in Ohio, but it has Belgian origins and plenty of French Canadians share the name.
My dad’s dad came from a family of 21 kids, and his dad came from a family of 19 kids. Much like my mom’s side, my father’s family also lived and farmed in Iowa. Eventually, they stopped farming, and by the time my dad was born, my grandfather owned a car dealership in Oskaloosa. My dad and mom met at that dealership when she came in during the slow season. The outside heat felt scorching, and she informed the staff they weren’t selling cars because the one in the showroom was red — and nobody would want to buy a red car during that intense heat. It’s a lot of fun looking into your lineage. I had a sister-in-law really into genealogy, and one of my sons is also becoming interested in it. We may have more answers about our heritage before long. If you’ve ever been curious about where your family came from, I recommend doing some research. You never know what you’ll find!
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WANT TO PAINT YOUR KITCHEN CABINETS?
READ THIS CRASH COURSE FIRST
Have you stepped into your kitchen in the last few weeks and thought it could use more color? If so, you’re not alone. Colorfully painted kitchen cabinets are a hot trend right now in home decor, to the point that HGTV released a step-by-step guide to the painting process this winter! However, just because you want to paint your kitchen cabinets doesn’t mean you should — at least not before reading the argument for each side and getting painting tips from the pros. 2 Reasons to Paint Your Cabinets — And 2 Reasons Not To The Pros: • You could increase your home’s value. Painted cabinets are hot, so buyers may be willing to pay a premium for them (unless they hate your color choice). Plus, light- colored cabinets may make your kitchen seem bigger.
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If you hate your cabinets, you’ll save money. Painting cabinets yourself is time-consuming, but it’s much cheaper than springing for brand-new wood.
The Cons: •
It’s a pain in the butt. Painting your cabinets yourself means disassembling them, making your kitchen unusable for days, and doing hours of manual labor. You can avoid some of this hassle by hiring a professional, but the price of the job will increase. Your mistakes might haunt you. Maybe you’ll regret your color choice, maybe your paint job will be uneven, or maybe that primer spill just won’t come out of your grout. These are risks you’ll need to take if you choose to paint.
your cabinets before you sand them. In fact, it’s a vital step to remove grease that could ruin your paint job. Label every panel and draw a cabinet map. Trust us — numbering all of your drawers and doors makes reassembly easy. If you don’t do this, you’ll end up crying on the kitchen floor in the middle of a cabinet puzzle. Get scientific about your finishes. According to Remodelista, you should “forget matte and eggshell finishes and opt for semi-gloss, gloss, or satin instead — hardy finishes that are easy to clean.”
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Painting Tips and Tricks 1.
Deep-clean before you paint. According to HGTV, it’s NOT a waste of effort to clean
CLIENT SPOTLIGHT: PAUL DYER
and a daughter, his injuries affected his ability to play with his children and be the “wrestling- on-the-floor-with-your-kids” kind of dad he had been. Following years of failed treatment, Paul still has pain every day — he feels he’s failed his family by being injured. While the accident wasn’t his fault, his injuries left him depressed and worried about his family, the future and bills. Many of you reading this, having also had severe injuries, can relate to those feelings of worthlessness and “life wasn’t supposed to be this way.” Paul went through years of therapy, injections, counseling, and rehab. Still, he never got to where he could return to work. Granted Social Security disability, which is difficult when you’re still in your 40s, Paul filed for permanent total disability under his claim. An
industrial commission specialist agreed with permanent total disability. After we ran the numbers, we suggested Paul might settle his claim and he agreed. While he will live with the residuals of injury and the pain will never resolve, Paul relaxes with reading, walking, and listening to music. Plus, his children are now grown and have kiddos of their own: Paul has five grandchildren he gets to enjoy, encouraging them to fall in love with his Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees (Wilma agrees with him 100% on this!). We are grateful for our long-time clients. Paul’s been through a lot and we’re glad to have been there with him, earning his trust and helping him along the way!
Our buddy, Paul Dyer, has been with us for nearly 17 years. He was a truck driver for the now-defunct AT Xpress when a city trash truck hit black ice and T-boned him. His truck flipped and was totaled. Paul was 32 when he got hurt and was referred to us by his uncle, Benny (who was featured in our November 2018 newsletter). A Mifflin High School graduate, born and raised in Columbus, Paul’s injuries were severe: he herniated discs at several levels in both his neck and low back. As a dad of two young sons
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Client photo
AN AVENGER STEPS UP IN THE REAL WORLD PAUL RUDD AND A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT HELP SOMEONE FEEL SPECIAL
School can be an incredibly difficult time for some kids. Learning new subjects is not always easy, and most kids must deal with extra societal pressure just to fit in. Let’s face it, making friends is hard, and lots of kids struggle to find a friend group that accepts them when they’re young. A sixth grader in Colorado faced this exact dilemma; nobody at his school except for two teachers signed his yearbook this past school year. Luckily, a group of high school students came to the rescue. After Brody Riddler could not get any of his classmates to sign his yearbook, he signed it himself with the words, “Hope you make some more friends.” When he returned home and his mother saw his yearbook, she felt heartbroken. She posted a picture of the autograph to a Facebook group for parents at the school, and many sent love and encouraging words to Brody. Juniors at the local high school learned of the situation and developed a plan. They gathered up a large group of friends and headed to
Brody’s school. They were directed to him and informed him they really wanted to sign his yearbook. His yearbook ended up getting over 100 signatures, but it didn’t stop there. After the story went viral, Paul Rudd (who plays Ant-Man) contacted Brody’s mom and explained that he wanted to do a video call with Brody. In addition to the video call, Rudd also sent a replica of the Ant-Man helmet he wore in “Ant-Man” and other Avengers’ movies. He even signed it with the words, “To my good friend Brody for when he takes over the world!” Rudd also sent a personalized note that said, “It’s important to remember even when life gets tough that things get better. There are so many people who love you and think you are the coolest kid there is — me being one of them!” Brody now has a newfound excitement about returning to school for the new year and has high hopes he will make plenty of new friends.
SUDOKU
MUNCHIES WITH MOLLY
GRAPE, GOAT CHEESE, AND HONEY STUFFED SWEET POTATOES Inspired by HowSweetEats.com
INGREDIENTS •
4 sweet potatoes
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4 oz goat cheese, divided
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2 cups seedless red grapes
2 tbsp honey, plus additional for drizzling
1 tsp grapeseed oil
Pinch of cinnamon Pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt, plus a pinch 1/4 tsp pepper, plus a pinch
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. With a fork, poke holes in potatoes. Tightly wrap each in aluminum foil. 3. On a baking sheet, place potatoes and roast for 45–60 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Remove and unwrap foil. 4. With a knife, slit each potato down the middle. 5. Increase oven to 450 F. 6. On a nonstick baking sheet, drizzle the grapes with grapeseed oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast for 20–25 minutes. 7. Using a spoon, remove sweet potato flesh while keeping shape intact. 8. In a large bowl, mash sweet potato flesh with 3 oz goat cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and honey. 9. Scoop filling back into potatoes. Top with remaining goat cheese, grapes, and drizzled honey.
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Phone: 614-334-4649 www.monastlaw.com 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. Bldg 2, Suite 2117 Upper Arlington, OH 43220-2913
LAW OFFICE MONAST
Monday–Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Exploring My Dutch Lineage
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The Pros and Cons of Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets
Client Story
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The Compassion of Ant-Man
Grape, Goat Cheese, and Honey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
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Why Did 50 Cent Sue Taco Bell?
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BUN LEADS TO LEGAL ACTION
THE STORY OF 50 CENT VS. TACO BELL
In 2008, rapper 50 Cent filed an unlikely lawsuit against the fast-food chain Taco Bell. Was it an endorsement deal gone wrong? Quite the opposite. According to the rapper, the company had implied an endorsement deal in the media when there was none. Taco Bell, known for their quirky and humorous ads, had released a print ad formatted as a faux “letter” to 50 Cent, requesting that 50 Cent change his name to 79, 89, or 99 Cent as a part of their latest promotion. The letter reached the national press and even television … except for 50 Cent’s actual mailbox. In fact, 50 Cent had no idea Taco Bell used his name. By releasing the letter, 50 Cent became the face of Taco Bell’s whole campaign, too. The letter was part of a larger hip hop-themed campaign, and customers could go to the Taco Bell website and participate in a “Rap Name Creator” to discover
their rap name. They also had a “Why Pay Mo’ Rhyme Generator” that played hip hop music and a montage of “hip hop-themed scenes,” according to the rapper’s lawyer, Peter D. Raymond. As soon as 50 Cent found out about the letter on the news, he wasn’t happy. On July 23, 2008, 50 Cent — whose real name is Curtis Jackson — filed a federal lawsuit saying they featured the rapper in an ad campaign without his permission and
his name to either 79, 89 or 99 Cent for one day by rapping his order at a Taco Bell, and we would have been very pleased to make the $10,000 donation to the charity of his choice.”
In the end, both sides settled, keeping the terms of the
settlement confidential and paying their own legal fees. So, it’s possible that 50 Cent was paid after all, but we’ll never know the exact terms of their legal agreement, except “both sides are satisfied,” according to Raymond. Since then, more companies have been careful about using celebrity names in their marketing without permission. It pays to think inside the bun, after all.
profited directly from his celebrity status without paying him a multimillion-dollar fee. Raymond said his client sought $4 million in damages. In response, Taco Bell Corp. spokesman Rob Poetsch issued a statement saying: “We made a good faith, charitable offer to 50 Cent to change
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