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A Massachusetts appellate court has stepped in on behalf of “Mary Moe,” a 32-year-old schizophrenic and bipolar woman ordered to undergo an abortion and sterilization procedure. The woman’s parents asked Family and Probate Court Judge Christina Harms to declare her incompetent so they could force her to abort the fetus. But Judge Harms went one step further and ordered the hospital to sterilize her, too. That sterilization order was produced “out of thin air,” according to Appeals Court Judge Andrew Grainger....

A new federal agency dedicated to consumers’ financial protection – regulating everything from credit cards to home mortgages – could be a key part of the Obama Administration’s financial reform plans. Details of the administration’s financial regulation proposal should be released later this week. In a Washington Post Op-Ed piece excerpted on WhiteHouse.gov today, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and NEC Chair Larry Summers laid out the Obama administration’s intentions when it comes to financial reforms and enhanced safeguards for consumers:...

Snooki crashes car into police in Italy, Snooki loses license. Seems about right, right? But now the Italian police that she injured in a crash may have grounds to pursue their very own Snooki lawsuit against the pint-sized reality TV star. Snooki recently crashed her car into a local cop car in Florence during the filming for Jersey Shore Italy. Two police officers, a male and a female, were only slightly injured in the crash, reports the Los Angeles Times....

In a narrow decision by the United States Supreme Court on Tuesday, the Court sided against a student-loan company, saying that the company could not collect interest on an erroneous student loan discharge by the Bankruptcy Court. The student, Francisco Espinosa, had filed bankruptcy several years earlier. At that time, the Bankruptcy Court discharged the $5,000 in interest remaining on the loan, allowing Espinosa to pay back the $13,000 in loan principal....

Rollover ratings for 2006 model sport utility vehicles (SUVs) show a marked improvement over 2005, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced. The rating results also point to an unprecedented number of SUVs with electronic stability control (ESC) in 2006. Earlier research by NHTSA documented the potential life-saving benefits of ESC, reducing single vehicle crashes by 63 percent for SUVs and 30 percent for passenger cars....

Not all DUIs are created equal. Just ask Phoenix Suns player P.J. Tucker. He was arrested earlier this summer following a traffic stop and charged with “super extreme DUI.” Extreme DUIs, also known as aggravated DUIs, can result in even more severe penalties than the already serious punishments meted out for a DUI conviction, including larger fines and more jail time. What are aggravated and extreme DUIs? Aggravated / Extreme DUI A DUI is elevated to the level of aggravated or extreme DUI by the presence of one or more so-called aggravating factors....

The CPSC and McDonald’s Corporation announced on June 5 that they would recall the painted “Shrek Forever After 3D” Collectable Drinking Glasses after discovering the designs on the glasses contain cadmium. Consumers are asked to stop using the glasses immediately. The glasses under recall are the “Shrek Forever After 3D” collectible drinking glass in the 16 ounce size and with four designs: Shrek, Fiona, Puss n’ Boots, and Donkey. The glasses were available at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide from May 2010 into June 2010, for about $2....

When facing a criminal prosecution, a common fear among defendants is that prior convictions will be raised during trial. Unfortunately, in many circumstances, a defendant may not be able to prevent evidence of prior convictions from being admitted. Generally, whether a prior conviction can be used will depend largely on either a state’s rules of evidence, or the federal rules of evidence. However, state rules generally correspond to the federal rules and closely follow the same parameters....

Automaker Porsche Cars North America is being sued for wrongful death over the crash that killed “Fast and Furious” actor Paul Walker and his friend Roger Rodas. The lawsuit by Rodas’ widow comes a little more than six months after the fiery crash in Santa Clarita, California. An investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol found that the accident was caused by unsafe speed....

“Scandal” actor Columbus Short, best known as Harrison Wright on the hit ABC show, has been arrested on a felony battery charge. The 31-year-old actor allegedly punched and knocked out a guest at a restaurant in West Los Angeles on March 15, Reuters reports. Scandal! News reports don’t shed any light on why Short was charged with felony battery. Simple criminal battery is most often prosecuted as a misdemeanor; repeat offenses or the specific nature of the offense may warrant more severe treatment....

The critically acclaimed HBO show “True Detective” culled its inspiration from a variety of works, ranging from a collection of obscure art nouveau stories to low-brow pulp lit. But did the existential neo-noir draw upon a real-life case of Satanism and child sex abuse in rural Louisiana in the early 2000s? Reports are surfacing that “True Detective” eerily parallels the case of Hosanna Church in Tangipahoa Parish. (Spoiler alert: The following information gives away several plot points from the first season....

While endemic sexual violence on college campus has justifiably garnered headlines over the past few years, a series of investigative reports from the Associated Press has revealed a shocking amount of sexual assaults in public elementary and secondary schools nationwide. The AP found around 17,000 official reports of sex assaults by students in just a four-year period. And the number of actual assaults could be even higher. The AP scoured state education records and federal crime data and their tally only included the most severe forms of sexual assault: rape, sodomy, object penetration, and unwanted fondling....

Celebrity chef Cat Cora was busted for a DUI in June after she rear-ended another vehicle in Santa Barbara. No one was hurt in the accident but when police arrived they reportedly found Cora showing signs of intoxication. She admitted to having three beers earlier in the night and reportedly told the officers that she was on her way home. She also had an argument with her partner earlier in the night reported the Santa Barbara Independent....

After the 2007 death of Anna Nicole Smith, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor came under investigation for prescriptions that he wrote for the actress. Dr. Kapoor was eventually arrested in 2009 for illegally providing prescription drugs to an addict. Smith’s autopsy concluded that she died of an accidental overdose. Nine medications were found in her system after she overdosed at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino near Hollywood, Florida. In addition, Dr....

Real estate mogul Donald Trump is in hot water after New York’s attorney general sued him for $40 million over the entrepreneur’s “Trump University” promises. The suit alleges that Trump’s eponymous institution was largely a sham, serving to bilk more than 5,000 students out of tens of thousands of dollars and not delivering on its promised apprenticeships, reports The Associated Press. What legal trouble does America’s iconically coifed billionaire face from this fraud suit?...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating reports of driver’s side door fires in the 2006 and 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV. The safety agency has received 12 consumer complaints and a number of field reports about the General Motors vehicle. Investigators believe the driver’s side power window switch is responsible for the door fires, according to Reuters. There are reports of the switch melting and burning just before many of the incidents....

Law enforcement in Brevard County, Fla. have arrested a 32-year-old woman accused of having nearly 100 sexual encounters with a teen. The suspect, Alysia Flynn, is a former cop and mother, and is believed to have carried on a relationship with the 15-year-old victim for over a year. Prosecutors have charged Flynn with 42 counts of lewd and lascivious battery; 53 counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor; contributing to the delinquency of a minor; and interfering with child custody....

Who knew ashes could be so contentious? “The Godfather” Marlon Brando died in July 2004, and had his ashes distributed among family members and friends, including his now deceased son Christian Brando, who died of pneumonia in 2008. Following Christian’s death, his then-girlfriend Donna Lopez Geon kept his share of Marlon Brando’s ashes. Christian’s mom and Brando’s ex-wife, Anna Kashfi has now filed legal papers seeking to get Marlon Brando’s ashes back....

A Florida mom set up a fight between her daughter and another girl. She is now facing criminal charges. Sandra Padilla Miranda, 38, organized the duel for her 17-year-old teen daughter. She arranged the altercation with her daughter’s 14-year-old classmate. The two girls both attend a local high school. The 14-year-old teen said she was contacted by Miranda to come to her apartment complex after school. When she arrived there was a crowd....

Last week, a group called Public Citizen sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration urging them to pull the drug Savella off the market. Savella, which is marketed by Forest Laboratories Inc. and Cypress Bioscience Inc., is used to treat fibromylagia, a disease with “a wide range” of pain-related symptoms, including muscle soreness, headache, fatigue and depression. According to a report by the Associated Press, last summer European regulators rejected the drug due to lack of effectiveness data and the drug’s side effects....