Illinois man Exulam Holman gouged out his uncle’s eyes during a fight over a TV remote, according to authorities. The grisly crime occurred on New Year’s Eve. Police responded after they received a 911 call from the injured uncle, who managed to call authorities after the attack. Officials found the victim in the basement area after they heard moaning. His eyeballs were pulled out of his sockets and his face was covered with blood....
Accused murderer George Zimmerman must return to jail within 48 hours, after a judge found he and his wife lied about their finances at a bail hearing in April. Zimmerman “can’t sit back and obtain the benefit of a lower bond based upon those material falsehoods,” Judge Kenneth Lester said in making his ruling, the Associated Press reports. Many news reports say the judge revoked Zimmerman’s bond. But technically, those reports are confusing the terms “bond” and “bail....
South Carolina governor Mark Sanford asked a judge to allow his wife Jenny Sanford to move forward with an uncontested divorce. MSNBC reports that the governor admitted that he had an affair and is guilty of the charges of adultery that are laid out in Jenny Sanford’s petition for divorce. He also stated that he will not challenge the petition for divorce by Jenny Sanford. What Is An Uncontested Divorce? While an uncontested divorce may vary from state to state, there are some common elements....
And … we’re back. M. Roman Polanski, or at least his counsel, is back in the legal headlines for another episode of his 30 years and counting battle with the justice system. This time, it is the Los Angeles prosecutors’ turn in the spotlight as late on March 30 they filed their reply to papers from Polanski’s attorneys. At issue for this moment, is whether the Los Angeles appeals court should sentence Polanski while he remains in Switzerland....
You may or may not be familiar with the “Nine Trey Gangsters.” If not, you might have heard of one of their self-avowed members, Brooklyn rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, or 69 for short. And if neither of those ring a bell, you’ve probably heard of the Bloods. Nine Trey is a prison set of the Bloods street gang, and Tekashi, nee Daniel Hernandez, allegedly became associated with them while serving a stint for marijuana trafficking on Rikers Island as a teenager....
In what sounds like it could be a made-for-t.v. drama, comic book icon Stan Lee is suing his former business manager for fraud and elder abuse. The allegations range from theft of millions of dollars, to funding a fake non-profit, to setting up a scheme to steal Lee’s blood and use it as a merchandising item. Oddly, before filing this lawsuit, Lee had threatened to sue anyone who reported that he was being taken advantage of....
Nowadays, thankfully, it seems like everyone is taking domestic violence seriously, from the expansion of definitions to include other members of the family or household, to the increase in convictions and penalties for domestic abuse. But questions remain. 1. How Long Do You Have to File a Police Report for Domestic Violence? Victims of domestic abuse can often struggle with the decision to report violence in the home. Ignorance of domestic violence laws or fear of abandonment or increased abuse keeps many victims from going to the police at all....
Ever think of threatening a politician? With the endless loop of commercials and phone calls, it’s only our sanity and knowledge that threatening a politician may be a crime that stops most of us from doing so. But every year, a few people do lose it and lash out with threats and actions against a politician or political candidate. Here are the three most likely crimes and situations involving someone who threatens a politician:...
After hearing the story of the Bellagio robbery, where a person stole $1.5 million in chips from the Bellagio in Las Vegas, we couldn’t help but wonder about the plan of the thief. How did the Bellagio bandit intend to cash the chips? What was the master plan? As it turns out, apparently Anthony Carleo didn’t have much of a plan at all. After the security footage captured him on a motorcycle helmet pointing a gun around the Bellagio, he didn’t even have the good sense to stay away....
Employees of Blackwater Worldwide, a U.S. contractor hired by the Department of State to provide personal security services in Iraq, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on manslaughter charges. They are accused of killing unarmed Iraqi civilians in Baghdad at the Nisur Square traffic circle on September 16, 2007. Read the Indictment: U.S. v. Paul Alvin Slough, et al. Read the Blackwater Indictment: U.S. v. Paul Alvin Slough, et al....
Reports are being refuted that the deaths of actress Brittany Murphy and her husband, Simon Monjack, can be linked to mold. A coroner’s office investigator in Los Angeles is dismissing online rumors that the deaths of the two from pneumonia were linked to mold in their Beverly Hills home. Brittany Murphy, 32, and Simon Monjack, 39, died only five months apart in the home they shared with the actress’ mother, Sharon Murphy....
Faith healing involves individuals praying to God to fix their actual medical ailments. Sometimes this prayer is led, or administered, by a faith healer. Surprisingly, there are whole religious sects that actually believe faith healing is possible. While this sort of thing seems alright for television, in the real world, it’s actually dangerous. People, and often children, die or face serious medical complications as a result of following the advice of faith healers....
After a decade of fighting it out in court, Warner Bros. won the latest appeal confirming that the merchandising of various works, including Gone with the Wind, Tom & Jerry, and the Wizard of Oz, by a company that made figurines, snow globes and t-shirts, violated copyright and trademark law. The case, initially filed in 2006, was appealed twice, after each time the District Court ruled in favor of Warner Bros....
You did the right thing last night – you didn’t drive drunk and you got home (or wherever) safe. But if you’re headed back out early the next morning, there’s a chance that alcohol in your system hasn’t completely worn off. And if you get pulled over, you may be asked to submit to some field sobriety tests or a breathalyzer. You haven’t been drinking since last night – but could you still get charged with a DUI today?...
Former Desperate Housewives actress Nicollette Sheridan took the stand on Thursday to defend a lawsuit she filed against show creator Mark Cherry and ABC Entertainment. She claims she was wrongfully terminated. Much of the Desperate Housewives trial will hinge on a September 2008 incident that occurred between Sheridan and Cherry. She’s accused the writer of slapping her on the side of the head after she questioned his script. Soon after she complained to ABC execs, she found her character written off the law....
Freedom of speech has its limits, and some speech can be considered criminal. Fraud, threats, and lying to the police can all land you in jail, so deciding what expression is legal and what is not can be a difficult exercise in line-drawing. So where does providing “emotional and legal support” to people who choose to end their own lives fall on that spectrum? On the criminal end, according to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which upheld the conviction of a national right-to-die group for assisting in a woman’s suicide in 2007....
There’s no doubt that the opioid crisis has hit epidemic levels. By some estimates, the powerful prescription painkillers are claiming more lives in the U.S. than car accidents. The only question is how best to respond. Local law enforcement has attempted to crack down on illegal possession and sale, but it can be tricky when the drug itself is legal with a prescription. Some jurisdictions have created specialized opiate courts and some states are suing drug manufacturers for drowning their citizens in prescription pills, but both are after-the-fact remedies....
The first person in the United States to contract Ebola has filed a lawsuit against the hospital where she was working when she contracted the disease. Nina Pham was working as a nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas last fall, when she and a coworker contracted the deadly disease. On Monday, Pham filed a suit against the hospital’s parent company, Texas Health Resources, claiming negligence, fraud, and invasion of privacy....
The largest airlines in the U.S. reported lower rates of on-time flights and higher rates of mishandled baggage and canceled flights in June 2007, compared to both May 2007 and the previous June, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The New York Times reports that airline delays have reached a 13 year high. Highlights from the DOT Press Release released on Monday: 20 carriers reported an overall on-time arrival rate of 68....
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, so let’s talk about love – legal love, that is. When it comes to love and law, there’s no better source of inspiration than celebrities. Whether it’s about prenups or paternity, celebrities seem to have a special affinity for marrying the concepts of love and the law. Here are five legal lessons on love that we’ve learned from celebrities: Ah, love. Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Facebook and Twitter (@FindLawConsumer)....
