A majority of civil cases result in settlements, which usually occurs before they go to trial. But, there are times when a settlement can occur after the trial has started. That’s what happened in the lawsuit between Uber and Waymo. Days after the jury trial began in federal court, the two companies announced that they had reached a $245 million settlement. What Does the Settlement Mean? Waymo was originally seeking much more than that – $1....
As a result of the 2013 holiday shopping season data breach at Target stores across the country, the retailer has agreed to pay $18.5 million to end a multistate enforcement action. This settlement is reported to be the largest ever in a multistate consumer data-breach enforcement action. The multimillion dollar settlement will get stretched relatively thin though as it is set to be divided by 47 different states. California, which will receive almost $1....
Ohio teen Tyler Pagenstecher was sentenced to between six months and three years in a juvenile prison after he was found to be a drug “czar” in his Cincinnati neighborhood. Pagenstecher, who just turned 18, was immediately taken into custody and will be turned over to Ohio’s Department of Youth Services. That agency will ultimately decide how long the teen drug czar has to stay in prison, reports CBS. Pagenstecher was portrayed as a decent kid who just happened to have taken the wrong path by the court....
In a series of executive orders issued this morning by the White House, President Trump is targeting criminals both at home and internationally. Each of the three orders has a different focus. One executive order focuses on the safety of law enforcement officials across the country, one focuses on the public’s general safety from crime, and the last focuses on fighting transnational criminal organizations. This last executive order of the three passed today simply instructs federal agencies to strengthen the enforcement of federal law....
You’ve experienced it at some point: The television show you are watching goes to commercial, and then all of a sudden an extremely loud advertisement about soap or a minivan is blaring on your TV. Advertisers do this on purpose to get your attention. And the tactic certainly works, as you usually turn to your TV – if only to turn the volume down. But the days of annoyingly loud TV commercials may be a thing of the past, as the CALM Act is now in effect, reports the Associated Press....
There have been multiple reports recently of U.S. authorities arresting and charging people who’ve tried to support ISIS, also known as the Islamic State. Just this month, six Minnesota men were apprehended trying to travel to Syria and join the terrorist group. So what, exactly are these would-be terrorists charged with? And what are possible penalties for trying to join ISIS? Un-Patriotic Acts Section 2339B, title 18 of the United States Code is part of the USA Patriot Act of 2001....
Firearm enthusiasts who may also be parents or grandparents should be aware that the laws regulating the ownership, possession, and use of guns by kids are often different from the laws for adults. These rules are also facing increased scrutiny following a fatal accident at an Arizona gun range in which a nine-year-old girl shot an instructor in the head when she lost control of a fully automatic Uzi submachine gun, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal....
From FICO to Facebook, some lending institutions are turning to social media to assess your credit score. If you have a tough time accessing credit or don’t have a credit score, you should take into account that a number of lending companies are using your online activity as an indicator of your creditworthiness. But the practice is raising legal concerns. Social Data Lenddo is a Hong Kong-based micro-lender on the forefront of factoring in social media data into its lending decisions, reports CNN Money....
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, along with Health Canada, recently announced a product recall of propane gas grills and natural gas grills sold at Lowe’s. The recall includes the Perfect Flame SLG Series Gas Grills imported by LG Sourcing, Inc. and made in China. There are about 663 units in the US and about 1,700 in Canada. The danger posed by these grills goes well beyond the overcooked hamburger. Lowe’s has received about 40 reports of fires from the burners deteriorating and about 23 reports of the lids of some models catching fire....
It’s a big win for liars: You are now constitutionally allowed to lie about receiving a military medal. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal Stolen Valor Act that had made it a crime to lie about receiving military medals. The Court held that First Amendment free speech rights trumped integrity and honor when it came to such awards. One year after the law passed, a California man, Xavier Alvarez, was elected to a local water board and introduced himself at a board meeting as a retired Marine who had received the Medal of Honor....
This has been a big year for landmark decisions and settlements, and FindLaw’s Decided was there to cover all of 2014’s big legal moments. There were Supreme Court decisions and denials, companies settling over less than honest business practices, and even a reminder on how social media can screw up a perfectly good legal agreement. Here’s to 2014, and here’s the Top 10 cases you loved most from this year:...
Looking to avoid a speeding ticket? Aren’t we all. Speeding is one of the most common (and easiest) traffic violations to commit. Before you rev up for that summer road trip, though, consider these seven ways to (potentially) avoid getting pulled over: Watch for speed cameras. Instead of a real-life police officer pulling you over, there may be cameras that record your speed, snapping a picture of your license plate and then mailing you your ticket....
A proposed settlement is set to block key parts of Alabama’s controversial immigration law. If approved, it would end a legal challenge over the law. Civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued Alabama over HB 56, one of the toughest anti-illegal immigration laws in the country. They’re seeing this deal as a “significant victory,” CNN reports. The proposed settlement, filed in federal court last week, would preclude the enforcement of several portions of HB 56....
A federal jury in Tyler, Texas, returned a verdict in a patent infringement case against Apple for $625 million, but the company isn’t about to just give up. Instead Apple has filed an emergency motion asking the judge to stay the verdict due to outstanding issues with the patents Apple was found to have willfully infringed upon. Apple was sued by David Gelernter, a Yale computer science professor and owner of Mirror Worlds, for infringing three patents used for computers, iPods and iPhones....
Perhaps it’s the salacious nature of the crime that gets arrests on the news. Or perhaps police are more conscious of illegal sex trafficking of women and children, and are trying to put an end to it. Either way, reports of large-scale prostitution busts have been sweeping headlines from Texas to Virginia. Two recent sting operations in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina netted a total of 21 arrests. Here’s a look at police crackdowns nationwide....
To stay fabulous and fit, Oprah hired a husband and wife team of trainers. Dina Castillo and Frank Nunez were asked create a customized fitness program for Oprah and her employees. They were even invited to participate in an Oprah Radio XM program hosted by Winfrey’s former personal trainer Bob Green. The couple claims they helped the talk show queen feel the burn, but her company refused to pay them for the months of training work they had done....
CBS just can’t get a break. First Charlie Sheen, and now Bret Michaels. The Rock of Love star and Poison front man is suing the network, along with the Broadway-centered Tony Awards for unspecified damages. The reason? Well, the suit claims that Bret Michaels’ Tony Awards performance caused the subarachnoid hemorrhage that almost killed him. Admittedly, the idea of a Bret Michaels’ Tony Awards performance is a bit of an oxymoron, but it actually happened in June of 2009....
Courtney Love has settled her Twitter defamation case. She was sued over allegations of defamation after she railed on Twitter about a businesswoman named Dawn Simorangkir and her small business. But it appears as though Love’s attorneys convinced the rocker to avoid trial and pay up. Apparently the price was right to get out for Love, who settled for $430,000. The first payment of cash is due today, with the rest of the payments spread out until 2014, the Hollywood Reporter reports....
An Illinois toddler died in a hot car last week, as his 32-year-old father was apparently passed out from drinking. Police say 23-month-old Nathan Hubert wasn’t found until his mother returned form work and saw her son in the car, some two hours after his father Wayne had placed him in the vehicle that was parked outside their home. Nathan’s body temperature was 104.7 degrees. Wayne M. Hubert is now facing charges that could land him behind bars....
Helmer Toro, co-founder of the H&H Bagels empire, was indicted by a grand jury in New York City today on felony charges accusing him of stealing withholding taxes from his employee’s paychecks, and manipulating his company’s New York State unemployment insurance tax payments at an illegal, lower rate. If convicted, the 59-year-old dough boy could be sentenced to 15 years in state prison after a 37-year career in the bagel business....
