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The vast majority of accidents involving children and unintentional poisoning occur in the home and are caused by the ingestion of common consumer products, according to figures released last week by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). So, how can you make your home safer and protect your children? Each year, accidental poisonings prompt more than 2 million calls to poison control centers, result in about 80,000 children being treated in ERs, and cause about 30 child deaths, according to a CPSC Press Release timed to conincide with National Poison Prevention Week (March 15-21)....

For better or worse, the presumption of innocence rests in large part on appearances. And the appearance of a defendant in court, shackled “like a bear on a chain,” can undermine that presumption. Therefore, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that lower courts may no longer routinely of shackle all pretrial detainees in the courtroom, even if there is no jury present. Instead, courts will need to make assessments on a case-by-case basis as to whether a defendant must be shackled....

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed lawsuits against two of the nation’s largest debt settlement companies, alleging consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, and false advertising. The suits are the latest efforts in the New York AG’s ongoing probe into how these companies may be preying on consumers who are struggling financially. Cuomo’s office filed separate suits against Credit Solutions of America, Inc. of Texas and Nationwide Asset Services, Inc....

In a sweeping and strongly-worded 104-page decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered a major overhaul of the Veteran’s Affairs mental health care system. The VA court decision has come down at a time when depression and suicide among members of the armed forces have escalated. The decision was made by a 2-1 majority in the 3-judge Ninth Circuit Panel. Chief Judge Kozinski dissented. The lawsuit was initiated in 2007 by two non-profit organizations, Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth, Inc....

Ricardo Woods was found guilty of murder and felonious assault Thursday based on video of a dying man’s blinks. The victim, David Chandler, was able to blink three times to confirm that a photo of Woods was the man who shot him in the head and neck in 2010, reports the Associated Press. Chandler died two weeks after the shooting. Woods is pushing for an appeal of his conviction, arguing the court should not have allowed this evidence....

A former New York City police officer – dubbed the “cannibal cop” after his online postings about wanting to kidnap, murder, and cook women led to his arrest – was released from jail Tuesday after his conspiracy conviction was overturned. A federal judge threw out 30-year-old Gilberto Valle’s conviction, ordered him to be released on bond, and granted him a new trial. Prosecutors say they will appeal. Valle was facing a potential life sentence following his conviction last June....

Consumers should not buy or use products that are promoted as treatments or “cures” for cancer, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agency has sent citation letters to a number of companies and individuals that engage in the fraudulent marketing of these products. In a News Release issued on Tuesday, the FDA announced that it was sending Warning Letters to 23 U.S. companies and two foreign individuals involved in the sale of a variety of tablets, teas, tonics, and creams sold mainly on the Internet (See the complete list: 125 Fake Cancer ‘Cures’ Consumers Should Avoid)....

The grand jury considering the officer-involved shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, has been granted an extension, giving them at least until early January to decide how to proceed. The St. Louis County grand jury has been evaluating evidence since late August, and though they were originally slated to reach a decision in mid-October, they have been granted more time. The Washington Post reports that this is the second time the grand jury has been granted more time to decide what, if any, charges are appropriate for Officer Darren Wilson, who shot Brown multiple times....

In a not-so-surprising turn of events, Rapper Gucci Mane, born Radric Davis, was arrested again on Friday while visiting his long-time probation officer. The charges stem from a January incident during which he allegedly pushed a woman out of his moving Hummer after she refused $150 for sex. According to the police report, the artist formally known as Radric Davis picked up a woman from a local mall, inviting her to breakfast, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution....

The Detroit-based rap duo Insane Clown Posse has been sued by their former publicist and lawyer who is alleging she was sexually harassed and asked to perform illegal acts. Andrea Pellegrini, 32, claims she was wrongfully terminated after reporting the alleged abuse to higher-ups at ICP’s record label, Psychopathic Records. The alleged abuse entails dildos, vaginal devices, and illegal automatic firearms… Sexual harassment can be any form of unwelcome conduct or communication of a sexual nature or based on gender....

Kevin Spacey, the actor who lost his job as President Frank Underwood on the Netflix series, House of Cards, after allegedly sexually assaulting over a dozen young males, has now been arrested for felonious sexual assault. He has hence issued a cryptic video clip, via YouTube, and everyone is wondering if art is imitating life, or vice versa. According to the complaint, Spacey allegedly sexually assaulted an 18 year old boy after plying him with alcohol at The Club Car, a restaurant in Nantucket, Massachusetts, back in 2016....

A Georgia mom was arrested after using Craigslist to find her 9-year-old son a ride to his grandparents’ house. Sheila Sherrie Joyner, of Marietta, reached out to a stranger on the online classified site who was interested in sharing expenses while traveling to Florida. Joyner hoped the man could drop her child off in Macon, but the stranger instead called the police, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. When does bad decision-making with your child become criminal?...

Montana rapist Stacey Rambold was released from prison today after being locked up for only 30 days, the Billings Gazette reports. The ex-high school teacher admitted to raping 14-year-old Cherice Moralez in 2008 when he was her teacher. Moralez committed suicide shortly before her 17th birthday. Rambold’s lenient sentence and the sentencing judge’s comments about Moralez created a national uproar and protests. Going forward, what is likely to happen? Rambold is not actually entirely a free man, despite having completed his brief jail sentence....

Maybe it’s because they get great gas mileage. Maybe it’s because they’re easier to access. Or maybe it’s just because they look cool and thieves just want to feel the wind in their face. For whatever reason, motorcycle thefts rose in 2016, up 2 percent over 2015. And while some of the numbers from the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s latest report on motorcycle crime has some predictable numbers, like California leading the country in bike thefts, it also has some unexpected stats as well....

New York City’s ban on large soda drinks was halted by a judge Monday after industry groups sued to stop the “unfair burden on small business.” The ban was invalidated one day before the new law was to go into effect. The city is “enjoined and permanently restrained from implementing or enforcing the new regulations,” New York Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling ruled. “The loopholes in this rule effectively defeat the state purpose of the rule,” Justice Tingling wrote, stating the regulations are “fraught with arbitrary and capricious consequences....

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas … and more on that urban myth in a moment. What is not currently staying in Vegas is news that Paris Hilton has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of drug possession and received a sentence of one year on probation. The sentence was the result of a plea agreement on the charges of felony cocaine possession that Paris was arrested for at the end of August....

When protestors take to the streets, in many instances they also take over the streets by blocking traffic. But by doing so, these protestors may be inviting more than just attention to their cause, but also potential legal consequences. Over the weekend, multiple protests spurred by a grand jury’s decision not to bring criminal charges against the New York City police officer responsible for the death of Eric Garner resulted in blocked streets and freeways....

The long, tragic legal saga of Brendan Dassey continued last week, this time taking a turn for the worse. After a federal magistrate judge and a three-member panel of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled Dassey’s 2006 confession to officers was coerced, a full panel of the Seventh Circuit overturned those rulings, reinstating his murder and rape conviction. Despite conceding that Dassey’s “youth, his limited intellectual ability, some suggestions by the interrogators … and inconsistencies in Dassey’s confession,” the appeals court ruled that the trial court was not unreasonable in ruling the confession was voluntary....

Did you read the news today? Well, last week anyway … Sean Lennon, son of the Beatles frontman, was unable to get the parents of actress Marisa Tomei, who happen to be Lennon’s NYC nextdoor neighbors, to see it his way, but nevertheless they were able to work it out. For nearly two years, the famous neighbors were fighting it out in court over whether Lennon should have to remove a massive 60 foot tall tree on his property that was literally destroying the Tomei’s home with its roots....

There are certain rights afforded to those arrested for a crime. Some of the most well-known criminal rights are protection from illegal searches and seizures, Miranda rights, and the right to counsel. But, there are also various policies and procedures police officers must follow as well. What Happened? In her lawsuit, Mejia claimed that her ex-partner attacked her in her apartment and then called the police to report that she had attacked him....