Michelin has issued a safety recall for 1.3 million of its LTX M/S tires that were produced between January 2010 to June 2012 at its Nova Scotia plant. Owners of 2010 to 2013 Ford E-Series vans or other full-size heavy duty vans, light-duty commercial trucks, large pickups, and small RVs could be affected by the tire recall. Anyone affected by the recall may be entitled to recall remedies. What’s a Voluntary Recall?...
A new law bans rental car companies with vehicle fleets of 35-cars or more from renting out a recalled vehicle before it has been repaired. Sounds like a good idea, right? And it seems a little strange that this was not on the books before. But it was not and, as is often the case, this law came to exist because people were hurt by its absence. It took effect this week, reports the Detroit News, and the woman responsible for its introduction is a mother, Cally Houck....
Ohio’s Attorney General is warning consumers about a new online puppy scam that’s leaving prospective pet owners out an average of more $1,000 per victim. In a press release, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said that more than two dozen Ohio residents had been victimized by the same type of online scam over the last two years. The scam typically involves an online ad for a desired breed of dog at a lower-than-usual price....
Playboy Playmate of the Year is a huge honor in the bunny ears circle. Attempted murder is a huge charge in any circle. Note the inconsistency here. Playboy Playmate Angela Dorian has been charged with attempted murder. Angela Dorian was Playboy’s Playmate of the year in 1968. The now 66 year-old former model was recently in a fight with her lover when she decided it would be a good idea to shoot him in the chest....
One more step has been taken in the seemingly never ending march of cases involving agents of the company formerly known as Blackwater, now re- christened Xe. Seven of the civil suits against Blackwater guards, stemming from the shooting of Iraqi civilians in Baghdad’s Nisour Square in 2007, have been settled before trial. The news of the settlements is bookended by the dismissal of the criminal case against the guards and the arrest of two more former Blackwater employees for murder, based on shootings in Kabul, Afghanistan last May....
Immigration law in the United States is extraordinarily complex, and deportation proceedings can be even more so. The law, in a roundabout way, gives nonpermanent residents a way to challenge their removal, if (among other requirements) they have “been physically present in the United States for a continuous period of not less than 10 years immediately preceding the date” they file their challenge. But how those ten years are counted was the subject of a major case in the Supreme Court, with a Brazilian immigrant living in Martha’s Vineyard battling Jeff Sessions, Attorney General of the United States over the effect of a “notice to appear” affects the timing....
The government’s anti-terrorism investigations have been run, on occasion, by post-it note. That was just one of many inappropriate, possibly illegible and probably illegal methods the FBI reportedly has been using to obtain phone records from 2003 to 2006, according to a report released today. The Department of Justice Inspector General’s report details the practices the FBI used to obtain phone records in the time period after the passage of the Patriot Act loosened the once strict requirements for gathering such information....
What is “net neutrality”? A federal court’s ruling on this high-tech issue could potentially change your Web-surfing experience. For starters, net neutrality is the idea that all content on the Internet should be treated equally. Under that theory, no service provider would be allowed to give preferential treatment to a website or company in terms of connection speed, according to CNN. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday struck down anti-blocking and anti-discrimination sections of an FCC ruling that prevented Internet service providers from giving certain websites special treatment....
What is ricin? Four members of a Georgia militia movement certainly know, according to the Justice Department. The men had allegedly planned to spread the powerful toxin up and down the Eastern Seaboard. They also planned to use guns and bombs to kill federal and state officials, including judges, FBI and IRS agents. Ricin is a natural poison found in castor beans, which are used to make castor oil. The toxin can be easily purified from a manufacturing byproduct and formed into a powder, mist or pellet....
Floyd Mayweather received a 90-day prison term for beating his ex-girlfriend. But only a few days into his sentence, the 35-year-old boxer says that prison has not been too kind to him and sought to modify his prison term with an early release from jail. So just when can you ask a judge for an early release from jail? Probably the most common reason to seek an early release from jail or modification of prison term is to cite health reasons....
This week’s episode of “The Good Wife” showed how quickly the wheels of justice can turn. But were the show’s writers correct about a defendant’s right to a speedy trial? Recap: ‘The Wheels of Justice’ In “The Wheels of Justice,” Alicia’s client Colin Sweeney (“a psychopath who’s lucky he didn’t get convicted for killing his wife,” as the judge tells Alicia) is back. This time, he’s facing a criminal charge over an alleged shooting at a private club....
‘The new me … just doesn’t care.’ No kidding, Alicia. Mrs. Florrick was not messing around this episode. Gone was the ‘Excuse me’ Alicia, cautiously trying to navigate her varying roles as mom, attorney, wife-of-a-candidate, and candidate herself. Replaced by ‘Watch it’ Alicia in charge of her firm, her family, and her life. We may end up remembering this episode as the one where Mrs. Florrick went from being a passenger to directing traffic....
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has given its 2007 “Top Safety Pick” award to the 2007 Acura MDX luxury SUV and the 2008 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable large family cars. According to the IIHS, vehicles earning the “Top Safety Pick” designation must “afford superior overall crash protection among the vehicles in their class. To qualify for “Top Safety Pick,” vehicles must earn the highest rating of good in all three Institute tests – front, side, and rear....
Most bone marrow donors can now get paid for their donation, thanks to a federal appeals court decision that advocates say will help save countless lives. The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has held that advances in medical technology now make bone marrow donations more akin to donating blood, The Los Angeles Times reports. As with other types of blood donations, bone marrow donors can now accept compensation, the court said....
There’s a new twist in TV sportscaster Erin Andrews’ lawsuit against Marriott hotels, filed after a stalker secretly filmed her through a peephole. In a court filing this week, Andrews claims the hotel chain is trying to embarrass and harass her by seeking access to her employment and medical records, reports Reuters. Andrews is not sure how these pieces of information are relevant to her claim, and is asking the Los Angeles Superior Court to quash Marriott’s subpoena....
Depending on your point of view, releasing a person’s identifying information on the internet might be one of the few ways to hold someone accountable for hateful actions or an avenue to unleashing hate upon an undeserving someone else. Trying to out white supremacists who participated in political violence? You might support it. But what about a person misidentified during those efforts? Or what about the other side using the same tactics to target opponents with harassment?...
The Check Spent a Lot of Time in the Mail in Early 2009 If the U.S. economy is on the mend, then a new report may be proof that the first months of this year were rock bottom. Consumers fell behind on credit card bills and home equity and car loans at a record pace in the first quarter of 2009. The bad news comes in the latest Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin from the American Bankers Association....
Attention nurses: have sex with your terminally ill patients and you risk losing your nursing license for two decades. Why the tough talk? Because Amber Van Brunt, 33, of Oklahoma, had a sexual relationship with a married terminally ill patient. Parrish ultimately decided to ban her from being a nurse for 20 years. Brunt is appealing the decision, calling it a “miscarriage of justice.” Chris Reiter, 43, suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease and said that Brunt seduced him....
Monsignor William Lynn was sentenced to three to six years in jail for covering up sex abuse claims at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Lynn is the first Catholic priest to be sentenced to prison for his mishandling of sex abuse claims. Lynn managed priest assignments and child sexual assault complaints at the church from 1992 to 2004. His child endangerment charges stem from his failed oversight of defrocked priest Edward Avery, who was sentenced to a possible five-year prison term for sexually assaulting an altar boy in 1999....
Police body cameras are being put forward as a possible solution to the growing problem of police brutality and misconduct in America. President Obama announced Monday that the White House would call for $75 million to be allocated over the next three years to purchase 50,000 recording devices. According to The Washington Post, after incidents like the shooting of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, “there is no longer a question” about whether police body cameras will become the new standard....
