With the economy in a slump, holiday shoppers will be turning to layaway plansin record numbers this year. They’re being offered at big retailers, like Walmart, Best Buy and Toys R Us. Though layaway sounds like a great idea in theory, it might not be the best option. Let us explain: Layaway is an installment purchase plan. The buyer pays a percentage of the purchase price as a down payment, and then makes weekly deposits....
Sniffing glue, paint, gas, or other household products, may seem harmless, but the dangers are very real. In addition to the dangers to one’s health, in most states, using household products to get intoxicated is actually illegal. Although inhalants typically do not fall under the federal controlled substances act, most states have laws specifically banning their use. Not only are inhalants like glue, spray paint, and even canned air, linked to harmful respiratory problems, their use can be fatal, as a result of Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome, or a chemically induced heart arrhythmia....
Are police legally allowed to search closed containers in your car? This question arises from time to time in our FindLaw Answers Criminal Law forum, usually in cases where police conduct a traffic stop and then find small amounts of drugs inside a closed container in the driver’s car. But a closed container search may not always be legal. Depending on the circumstances of the search, what’s found may not always be admissible in court....
Psychologists have found Casey Anthony competent to stand trial. Casey Anthony’s mental competency had come into question after her defense filed a motion for an evaluation. Three court psychologists evaluated Anthony over the weekend, and all three found her competent. The presiding judge in the case made this announcement before the jury was seated. If she had been found mentally incompetent, the trial would have been delayed. A determination of mental competency is different than a determination of insanity....
For more than 30 years, Casey Kasem was the voice of American pop music as host of “America’s Top 40” and “Casey’s Countdown.” But after years of failing health and an ongoing dispute between his children and current wife Jean, The Associated Press reports that a Los Angeles judge has named Kasem’s daughter Kerri as his temporary conservator, giving her limited control over his finances and healthcare decisions. There’s just one problem: No one can find him....
Cord blood DNA testing will soon be required by law in some cases in Mississippi. Beginning July 1, doctors and midwives in the state will need to collect umbilical cord blood samples from the babies born to some girls who are under 16. This controversial campaign, the first of its kind, is aimed at discouraging older men from engaging in sex with young girls. It seeks to identify suspected statutory rapists through the use of a DNA database....
A ruling by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission allows employers to reduce health benefits for employees over the age of 65 who are receiving (or are qualified to receive) Medicare benefits. The EEOC states that the rule was necessary in light of a 2000 federal appeals court decision which declared that if an employer provides retiree health benefits, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act requires that the health insurance benefits received by Medicare-eligible retirees be the same – or cost the same – as the health insurance benefits received by younger retirees....
Watch out for flamethrower bearing BBQers this summer. Elon Musk, the attention-grabbing entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX, has fired up Twitter and legions of his loyal followers with a brand-spanking new toy – a commercially available flamethrower. Musk’s flamethrower has already become a hit. Pre-sales have quickly sold out online. There’s no word about future flamethrowers hitting the market, so this might be a gag gift or the start of a new trend....
FindLaw announces the launch of its new Special Edition 2009 Tax Center, providing you with up-to-date information and resources for filing your 2009 income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and with your state tax agency. Every new year brings new tips for getting your tax returns together in time for the April 15 deadline, and new changes to the hundreds of pages of the Internal Revenue Code – the law that spells out what you can and cannot do in filing your federal income tax return....
Oscar winner Sandra Bullock has settled a lawsuit with a watch maker over a product advertised as the “Bullock watch.” Company ToyWatch USA was sued two years ago by the actress after it began promoting a diamond-encrusted watch as “the Sandra Bullock watch.” The white-banded timepiece was described by ToyWatch USA as identical to the one Bullock wore in her Oscar-winning role in “The Blind Side.” The terms of the “Bullock watch” settlement were not revealed, but what was Bullock’s beef with this watch?...
New allegations against Harvey Weinstein claim the disgraced movie mogul forced a then-16-year-old Polish model to touch his penis days after they’d met at a modeling agency, and later subjected her to years of harassment and emotional abuse, allegedly blocking her from a successful acting career as payback for refusing his advances. The claims, made in a civil lawsuit filed by the victim identified only as “Jane Doe”, fall in line with other accusers, who have accused Weinstein of leveraging his power in the movie industry to extort sex from women and derail careers of those that resisted....
Hyundai has issued a safety recall over a flaw in the power steering systems of more than 200,000 vehicles. The recall affects Hyundai Elantra sedans from model years 2008 to 2010, along with Elantra touring hatchbacks from model years 2009 to 2010. What do consumers need to know about this recall? Faulty Power Steering Controls The power steering system at issue in the recall makes it easier to move the steering wheel....
More than $266 million in federal tax refund checks and economic stimulus payouts have not been delivered to taxpayers because of mailing address errors, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced last week. The agency has issued a Press Release outlining the steps taxpayers can take to fix the problem and ensure they get their money. The IRS reports that 279,000 economic stimulus checks have not reached their rightful recipients, and instructs all taxpayers due a stimulus check to update their addresses with the IRS by Nov....
Lady Gaga getting sued by her former boyfriend and collaborator for $30 million sheds new light on the Grammy award winner’s hit single “Bad Romance.” Producer and songwriter Rob Fusari has filed a $30 million lawsuit against Lady Gaga and claims he was instrumental in the singer’s success, MTV news reports. The suit claims a breach of agreement and breach of fiduciary duty. According to Fusari’s attorney he is asking for damages of at least $5 million....
Laundry pods, brightly-colored packets of detergent supposed to make washing clothes easier, can pose a significant poisoning risk to children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there were around 32,000 calls to poison help lines in 2015 for children ingesting candy-resembling laundry pods. But it turns out those packets can be dangerous for adults, too – especially those with dementia. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports two children and six adults have died from ingesting laundry pods in the past five years, data that may not have been released but for a Freedom of Information Act request from Consumer Reports....
CBS News reports that the New Jersey Senate passed a new calorie law. The calorie law would require chain restaurants in New Jersey to post the number of calories in a product right on the menu. The calorie food count measure requires all restaurants with at least 20 locations nationwide to comply with the new law. The bill would not apply to salad bars or buffets. The penalties for non-compliance range from $50-$100 for a first time offense and then increase to $250-$500 for future offenses....
A new study in the British Medical Journal has found a link to higher rates of esophageal cancer and the use of drugs to prevent bone density loss, when taken for more than five years. The study covers a class of osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates, which are used to offset bone weakness. The drugs include Merck & Co’s Fosamax, Roche’s Boniva, Novartis’s Reclast and Warner Chilcott’s Actonel. Reuters reports that the study looked at data from the UK General Practice Research database on men and women over 40 who had either esophageal cancer, stomach cancer or colorectal cancer diagnosed between 1995 and 2005....
The dark movie that was the story of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen’s death is coming to an end. Simple as that. Sad as that. Although police are now convinced that Smith acted alone in what they believe was a robbery, questions remain, reports The Los Angeles Times. The preliminary ballistics tests from Smith’s gun do indicate it was the same weapon used to fire several bullets into Chasen’s head and chest as she drove home from a movie premiere party on November 16....
Certain jars of Peter Pan brand and Great Value brand peanut butter may be contaminated with Salmonella, according to a warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ConAgra Foods has recalled all Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value peanut butter beginning with product code 2111 (the product code is located on the lid of the jar). 288 reports of foodborne illness in 39 states have been linked to the consumption of varying types of Peter Pan peanut butter, based on studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health agencies....
A federal appeals court has declined to stay a lower court ruling requiring groups that finance election ads to reveal their secret donors. A U.S. Court of Appeals panel voted 2-1 that political advocacy groups failed to provide sufficient evidence to grant the stay, the Los Angeles Times reports. The groups argued contributors needed to have their identities kept secret in order to protect them from retribution due to their political views....
