In a trend that either proves how far gender equality has come or shows how prevalent school shootings have become, three teenage girls have been arrested for threatening school violence in two separate incidents in Colorado. The second incident involved a middle school girl posting “I have a gun in my backpack” to Facebook. The first incident is a bit murkier. The second incident involved a thirteen-year-old female student at Mt....
The age old saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ is unfortunately applied by scammers with alarming frequency. The same old scams keep getting repeated, likely because these time-tested tricks work. Once commonly referred to as the 809 or 473-scam, this scam, according to one source, is making a comeback, or maybe never truly vanished. The 809 or 473-scam essentially attempts to get victims to call certain international phone numbers that appear to be domestic in order to use the person’s phone carrier to pass through pay-per-minute and connection charges, similarly to the 1-900 numbers that used to advertise heavily on late night TV until the internet came along and all but ended that racket....
Three ex-producers of the newest “Godzilla” movie have sued Legendary Pictures for cutting them out of a deal to secure the movie rights. Dan Lin, Roy Lee, and Doug Davison allege that they were responsible for bringing “Godzilla” to Legendary, and that the production company orally agreed to pay them cash and a percentage of the film’s “first-dollar gross receipts,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Are these three the victims of fraud, or just bitter for missing a monster of an opportunity?...
The 12 final jurors in the Jodi Arias trial began deliberating Monday morning after hearing jury instructions Friday, reports The Huffington Post. Arias, 32, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander. If convicted, she could face the death penalty. Here’s a look at the charges jurors are considering, and the jury instructions that will be key to Arias’ fate: In order to convict her of premeditated murder, a jury must unanimously find that Arias:...
As rapper deponents go, Kanye West may have Lil Wayne beat. Transcripts obtained by TMZ from the rapper’s recent deposition show that, like Lil Wayne before him, West isn’t afraid to bring his on-stage swagger into the legal arena. Accused of beating a photographer and smashing his camera, West warns the photographer’s lawyer “I’m the smartest celebrity you’ve ever f***ing dealt with. I’m not Britney Spears.” One of those things is definitely true....
A Riverside, California man who allegedly told two teens he was giving them ‘pregnancy tests’ has been charged with molesting the girls. Thomas Patrick Hayden is accused of telling the girls it was ‘God’s will’ and making religious allusions to convince them to perform sexual acts. He was originally accused of molesting a teen in 2004 but no charges were filed, reports The Riverside Press-Enterprise. On Tuesday Hayden and his wife Sandra appeared in court....
Nicky Hilton’s Hollywood Hills house was the latest property burglarized in the area. According to KTLA.com, Hilton reported that someone broke in and stole a laptop computer and some Lalique crystal. Earlier this month, police busted five members of the Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch, a group of celeb-obsessed teen robbers allegedly responsible for robbing the homes of Paris Hilton, Megan Fox, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Ashley Tisdale, Rachel Bilson and Audrina Patridge....
In an appeal by convicted felon Gregory Ketelson, the New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled that police may remove guns in cars during a traffic stop even in the absence of reasonable suspicion. Citing officer safety, the court appears to contradict the more traditional notions of Fourth Amendment jurisprudence and a citizen’s right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. The ruling stems from an incident in 2008 when police pulled over Gregory Ketelson for driving with an expired license plate, reports the Associated Press....
It looks like the Nutella lawsuit will finally be paying off for some customers. Ferrero, the company that makes the chocolate-hazelnut spread, has settled the misleading ad lawsuit for $3 million. As part of the agreement, any customers who bought Nutella between January 1, 2008 and February 3, 2012 will be able to request a refund for up to five jars. For California customers, the purchase window is between August 1, 2009 and January 23, 2012....
The widow of professional wrestler Owen Hart is upset about a new DVD called “Hart and Soul Anthology” and has filed an intellectual property lawsuit. Owen Hart was killed in a live televised stunt in 1999. His widow, Martha Hart, is suing World Wrestling Entertainment and its former CEO, Linda McMahon, who happens to be the Republican nominee for Senate in the state of Connecticut, the Associated Press reports. As a result, she has filed an intellectual property lawsuit against Linda McMahon and her husband, Vince, the current chairman of the World Wrestling Entertainment....
In a clash between the Executive and Legislative Branches, the judicial branch sided with the President. In a 6-3 decision announced on Monday, the Supreme Court struck down a federal statute that allowed Americans born in Jerusalem to have Israel listed as their country of birth on passports. Instead, the Court said that the President has exclusive authority to recognize foreign sovereigns. The ruling appears to solidify the Executive Branch’s power over diplomacy and foreign policy, but where did it come from, and what will it mean?...
Three men stole $173,000 worth of merchandise from Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow’s pop-up shop in New York City, People reports. The temporary Goop store in Columbus Circle, opened just ahead of Christmas, reported that three men forced open a cabinet and walked off with merchandise while the store was open … But given the price of Gwyneth’s Goop, they may not have taken much. Goop is Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle publication, which also sells clothes, furniture, cookware, soaps, and pretty much anything Paltrow can think of....
What happened this week on “How To Get Away With Murder”? For starters, Annalise’s sister-in-law comes to town and starts asking some difficult questions about Sam – like where he is and why Annalise isn’t out looking for him. That’s bad enough, but this week’s client results in the biggest lawyer ethical mistake the show has made so far. That’s right: Prosecutors hiding the ball and Annalise being an accessory after the fact to Sam’s murder are nothing compared to this....
Instead of handing out money to beautiful women, Donald Trump will be receiving money from one after winning a Miss USA lawsuit. Last year, former Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin accused the group that oversees the Miss USA pageants of fixing the contests. After losing the Miss USA contest, Monnin said that the Miss Universe Organization, which oversees Miss USA, was “fraudulent, lacking in morals, inconsistent, and in many ways trashy,” reports The Huffington Post....
The issue of sexual assault on college campuses has exploded in recent years and some states have responded with strict affirmative consent laws, also known as “Yes Means Yes” laws. How do these laws work? How can they protect you from sexual assault and how can you make sure you have your partner’s full consent before engaging in sexual activity? Yes Means Yes Statutes Both California and New York have passed affirmative consent laws, which require state-funded universities to have strict “yes means yes” policies....
The recent impeachment of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has many people wondering what “impeachment” really means. In what the LA Times is calling “an expected move,” Illinois state legislators voted today 114 to 1 to impeach the embattled governor. The next step is a trial in the Illinois Senate. But, what does it all mean? Impeachment is the first step in a formalized two-step process by which elected officials are removed from office by their fellow elected officials for legal reasons related to misconduct in office....
A law student who failed Civil Procedure II has sued the Thomas Jefferson School of Law for making him retake the course before graduating. The 24-page complaint is full of biting put-downs for the private, San Diego law school. Third-year law student Jackson Millikan exalts his academic and legal accomplishments while mercilessly bashing Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL). The complaint (attached below), includes these gems: The school apparently is holding firm on its requirement that all students, including Millikan, pass Civil Procedure II before graduating....
The long arm of the law finally, finally reached out and gave actress Lindsay Lohan a little slap. On Tuesday, July 6, Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to spend another three months in rehab for missing her weekly alcohol education classes in violation of her probation. According to the Los Angeles Times Blogs, a weeping Lindsay Lohan heard the sentence from the long patient Judge Marsha Revel....
The first season of NPR’s ‘Serial’ podcast took the nation by storm last year, partly due to its innovative storytelling style – investigating what many believe was a false murder conviction – and partly due to its main subject – Adnan Syed. Syed, who was serving a life sentence for the murder of his former girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, came across during prison-phone interviews as charismatic and compelling in asserting his innocence....
A federal district court judge in Arizona has ruled that the state’s relatively new no-intent-required child molestation law is unconstitutional. The now defunct law provided that a caregiver, parent, or anyone, could be found guilty of child molestation if they touched a child’s genitals, anus, or female breasts, knowingly or intentionally. A defendant could plead as an affirmative defense that there was no sexual intent, but to avoid being convicted, a defendant had to prove the lack of sexual intent, while the state was not required to show that there was a sexual intent at all behind the touching....
