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The FDA had some strong words for the company Johnson & Johnson over its handling over consumer complaints of strange odors from their over the counter drugs such as Tylenol, Benadryl and Motrin. CNN reports that the FDA was angry over the Johnson & Johnson recall taking so long. It had been receiving complaints of an “unusual moldy, musty or mildew-like” odor since 2008. CNN quotes Deborah Autor, director of FDA’s compliance office as saying, “When something smells bad, literally and figuratively, you aggressively investigate and solve the problem....

What is witness intimidation? TV shows and movies are chock full of hard-boiled detectives who put the squeeze on a local informant to get information. But criminal witness intimidation is typically much less glamorous. Here are some key examples of what is and isn’t witness intimidation: Intimidating a witness can work in many criminals’ favor, but one of its most pernicious effects is to keep key witnesses from testifying in criminal court....

For those who haven’t yet heard of it, Venmo is a handy app that facilitates payments, not unlike PayPal. It’s especially useful for friends to pay each other for bills, like splitting a dinner check, putting in your share of the rent, and paying a buddy back for spotting you a few beers. Just find your friend, type in the amount you want to send, and voila – they’re paid....

A Boston songwriter Samuel Steele alleges rock star Jon Bon Jovi, ripped off his lyrics and is pursuing a $400 billion lawsuit. Steele claims the New Jersey rocker lifted lyrics from his 2004 Red Sox anthem, “(Man I Really) Love This Team” for his current hit and baseball playoff theme song “I Love This Town.” Attorneys for Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora shot down Steele’s copyright-infringement lawsuit claims citing that several online databases reveal nearly 100 songs that use the phrase ‘I love this’ in some form in their title....

Is fake pot safe? This is the question being asked by health officials in Wyoming. They have issued a warning to medical professionals, asking them to be on the lookout for certain symptoms. The state believes fake pot, a synthetic marijuana, may be “life-threatening.” The warning comes on the heels of an outbreak of kidney failure in the city of Casper, explains ABC News. Three people have been hospitalized and two others reported similar symptoms to hospital personnel earlier in the week....

“Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss and fiance Todd Tucker finally tied the knot on the finale of their spin-off show “Kandi’s Wedding,” but not before a contentious prenup dispute almost caused the couple to call it off. Tucker, who had previously balked at signing what he considered an unfair agreement, relented after Burruss agreed to make revisions to certain terms of the prenup, reports Radar Online. And although there was doubtlessly a little made-for-TV drama involved in this case, here are three lessons that can be learned from this prenup dust-up:...

Netflix’s latest original series, “Orange Is the New Black,” features not only an ensemble cast of incredible actors giving the audience a peek into the world of women’s prisons, it also serves as a conversation starter for legal issues facing female inmates. With the fewest amount of spoilers possible, here are five legal lessons seen in the Netflix-streamed dramedy: 1. Statutes of Limitations Are Important. The protagonist of “Orange Is the New Black,” Piper Chapman, is charged by federal indictment more than a decade after she commits the crimes that land her in prison....

There generally are not specific criminal laws regarding hitting a dog or other pet with a car and fleeing, as there are with people. But you may be cited for animal cruelty or for ignoring property damage notification obligations for failure to report hitting a pet in some states. Penalties for accidentally hitting a pet with a car depend on the breadth of state animal cruelty laws, which are based either on intentional acts or failure to act on behalf of an animal, as well as on state hit and run statutes and the definition of property....

ABC News reports that a settlement between A.G. Spanos Companies and the National Fair Housing Alliance has been reached. A.G. Spanos Companies is owned by the sons of prominent GOP sponsor Alex Spanos. The companies settled a a federal lawsuit that claimed that its housing complexes were not accessible to the disabled. Housing for the disabled, or accessibility, is a requirement of the federal Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act requires that construction companies build housing that is accessible to people with disabilities....

Beauty ain’t cheap. Botox manufacturer Allergan Inc. recently settled civil and criminal charges that will cost them over $600 million in fines, reports Medical News. The Irvine-based Allergan was under investigation from 2000 to 2005 over misbranding charges relating to the off label use of one of their most popular (and profitable) products, Botox. More specifically, company was accused of failing to fully inform users of the potential for migrane headaches, pain, spasicity, and juvenile cerebral palsy when using the product....

Tragedy struck in the early evening hours on Thursday in NYC as a local EMT, Yadira Arroyo, was murdered with her own ambulance. As if the situation could not be any sadder, the fallen EMT was a mother of five and had served the public for nearly a decade and a half. The suspect is being charged with three counts of murder, grand larceny, as well as operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs....

A further investigation into the suffocation death of Ame Deal has led Phoenix police to arrest the girl’s two cousins, aunt, and grandmother on suspicion of first-degree murder, child abuse, and kidnapping. The group is accused of long-term abuse, which culminated in an incident last month that left the 10-year-old locked in a plastic storage container overnight. She was confined after taking a popsicle from the home’s freezer. This was only after Ame was forced to perform exercises for over an hour....

An anti-abortion protester who won the right to carry signs showing graphic images of aborted fetuses is also entitled to win attorneys’ fees, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. Justices ruled that Steven Lafemine qualified as a civil rights advocate, entitling him to claim fees after winning his lawsuit against a local government, reports the Los Angeles Times. In 2005, Lefemine was protesting abortion at a busy intersection in Greenwood County, S....

According to documents recently filed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Aretha Franklin owes the government nearly $8 million, based on $6.3 million in back taxes from 2012 to 2018, plus an additional $1.5 million in penalties. This is just one of a number of liens placed on the late singer’s estate, and it’s also not the first time she has been in trouble for not paying taxes. Franklin died in August of pancreatic cancer without a will, and her estate is in probate in Oakland County, Michigan....

Life behind bars means giving up privileges, including the use of a telephone to make calls whenever you want. Though some jails and prisons (and even some state laws) give inmates specific phone-use privileges, many of those calls can legally be recorded and used against the inmate in court. Case in point: George Zimmerman, accused of second-degree murder in the killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida. Prosecutors used recorded jailhouse phone calls between Zimmerman and his wife to prove they misled the court about their finances....

Christopher Chaney will spend the next 10 years in prison after being convicted of hacking into the personal email accounts of Hollywood starlets and posting revealing photos he found on the Internet. The celebrity hacker had faced up to 60 years in prison. Chaney’s trial made national headlines. Actress Scarlett Johansson even told the court in a video statement she felt humiliated and embarrassed that nude photos of herself, meant for then-husband Ryan Reynolds, were leaked online, reports CBS News....

Citi and UBS AG, two of the world’s largest banks, have agreed to buy back billions of dollars worth of auction-rate securities sold to their customers – and to pay hundreds of million dollars in penalties – in two separate deals reached to settle charges that the financial giants made fraudulent misrepresentations in their marketing of auction-rate securities. According to Reuters, “auction-rate debt has interest rates that reset through periodic auctions, typically held every seven, 28 or 35 days....

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an alert to health care professionals and their patients who wear soft contact lenses, about a voluntary recall of Complete MoisturePlus Multi Purpose Solution manufactured by Advanced Medical Optics of Santa Ana, Ca. The recall was initiated because of reports of a rare but serious eye infection (Acanthamoeba keratitis) caused by a parasite. The FDA is advising consumers who wear soft contact lenses to stop using Complete MoisturePlus solution, discard all partially-used or unopened bottles and replace their lenses and storage container....

David Kwiatkowski has been arrested for allegedly infecting at least 30 people with hepatitis C as he traveled across the country working as a medical lab technician. Hospitals in eight states are coming up with a list of patients who may have come into contact with Kwiatkowski to discover if there are any more victims. Authorities say that Kwiatkowski is a drug addict who himself is infected with hepatitis C. It’s believed that Kwiatkowski shot himself up with the powerful painkiller fentanyl and left the used needles in the lab....

Let’s face it, a lot of people dislike cops. Alright, that’s not entirely true. There are a lot of good ones out there deserving of compliments. But when you run into bad ones, do you have the right to flip off cops? It might sound like a silly question, but in other parts of the world, it’s serious business. For instance, a woman in Dubai was recently jailed for a month and fined for flashing her middle finger at a cop....