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Being charged with a crime is scary. Even the most minor crimes, including traffic violations, can cause serious life disruption. Most defendants get some comfort from retaining an experienced defense attorney, though some may feel that they need a whole team of lawyers. Generally, depending on the severity of the criminal charges, a person won’t need a team of lawyers. However, in some circumstances, an individual may need more than one type of lawyer, or may actually need a team working round the clock....

Drake and Layla Lace have agreed to bury the hatchet regarding events surrounding their one night stand in Manchester, England back in February of 2017. Settlement terms were not specifically disclosed, but apparently both sides will cease to talk about the whole matter, and try to move forward without further ado. In February of 2017, Drake and Layla had a one night stand. If you ask Drake, it was consensual. If you ask Layla, it was rape....

Reggae star Elephant Man has been charged with rape. Elephant Man, real name is O’Neil Bryan, was arrested earlier this week in Jamaica. Popular abroad, Elephant Man has had his share of U.S. successes. His 2003 song “Pon De River” was an international hit. He was also previously featured on tracks with Wyclef Jean, Twista, Lil John, and Busta Rhymes. A 31-year-old woman filed a report with the Jamaican Sexual Offenses and Child Abuse Department....

It’s easy to feel like a bad parent sometimes. But if you’re ever feeling down on your child-rearing skills, take comfort in the fact that at least your 4-year-old boy isn’t on cocaine. Unless he is, than you’re a less-than ideal parent. Police in Jacksonville responded to a complaint that prostitution and drug activity was going on in a Florida hotel room. When they arrived, they found a 4-year-old boy, along with two other men....

Consumers should not use certain jars of Earth’s Best Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley Wholesome Breakfast baby food, because of the risk of contamination with a bacterium which can cause botulism, a life-threatening illness or death, according to a warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Hain Celestial Group, manufacturer of the affected baby food, initiated a recall of the affected products on February 9, 2007, and the recall is still in effect....

The Iowa Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that a 1998 state law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman is an unconstitutional violation of equal protection guarantees. Today’s decision is the first to open the door for legal same-sex marriage in a Midwestern state. The lawsuit was filed by twelve Polk County, Iowa residents who make up six same-sex couples. In its unanimous decision, the Iowa Supreme Court declared that “[Polk] County has been unable to identify a constitutionally adequate justification for excluding plaintiffs from the institution of civil marriage,” and concluded that therefore “the Iowa marriage statute violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution....

One man’s trash may be another man’s treasure, but you should make sure you aren’t breaking any laws when you go dumpster diving. Is there anything illegal about dumpster diving, anyway? It depends. It may be legal, depending on where you live, and what laws and ordinances your city and state have passed with regards to dumpster diving. It’s possible that dumpster diving can violate trespassing laws – especially if the dumpster is on private property....

With an increasing number of states legalizing recreational and medicinal use of marijuana, those traveling between states may be curious about the legalities of traveling with marijuana. The first two states to pass laws legalizing the recreational of marijuana, Colorado and Washington, have both seen an influx of pot tourists – those coming to the state to legally purchase and use marijuana. But what happens when travelers from other states attempt to pack some pot in their luggage and return home?...

CNET News reported that the lawsuit for Heartland Payment Systems breach has been dismissed. The lawsuit, covered in Findlaw’s Common Law blog, was a class action suit over the loss of credit card information to hackers in 2008, and the company’s subsequent handling of the data breach. According to Heartland Payment Systems’ official website, the company processes more than 11 million transactions a day, is the 5th largest payment processor in the United States and is the 9th largest payment processor in the world....

On April 17, 2006, a class action complaint was filed against Bausch & Lomb, manufacturer of “ReNu with MoistureLoc” contact lens solution, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The suit was filed on behalf of all users of the contact lens solution, and is intended to provide a legal remedy for anyone who may have experienced a fungal eye infection (known as “fusarium keratitis”) as a result of “ReNu with MoistureLoc” lens solution use....

Police have a variety of tools at their disposal to catch suspected drunken drivers. But is it legal for police to draw your blood when they suspect a DUI? In general, the answer is yes. While field sobriety tests (like being told to touch your nose or walk a straight line) and alcohol breath tests may be more common, police can also force you to undergo an alcohol blood test....

Jose F. Vallejos is the latest person to seek reimbursement from the Michael Jackson estate. He is now among several of Jackson’s former collaborators, attorneys and those who sold the pop singer goods or services and now look to be reinbursed. According to the Associated Press, Vallejos is seeking $3.3 million for the city of Los Angeles from Michael Jackson’s estate to cover the cost of the King of Pop’s public memorial....

The L.A. Times reports that model-turned-stay-at-home-mom, Monika Zsibrita, has had her civil lawsuit against Chris Rock unsealed by a court. The Times summed up the decade-long background leading up to this case as follows: Yes, after more than 10 years, the Zsibrita would like to make it clear, particularly to “those in her native Hungary”, that she’s no gold digger and would like to get her side of the story out there for all to see....

A mother of three was arrested in California after she was caught driving and texting with her 1-year-old baby in her lap. Shawndeeia Bowen, 29, was pulled over recently by Torrance police after another driver saw Bowen driving on a freeway with an infant on her lap. The concerned citizen called 911 to report the dangerous act, KTLA reports. Bowen still had her cell phone in hand and her baby was crying when cops pulled her over....

Healthcare fraud does not make for great drama like, say, a bank robbery. But it does cost taxpayers millions of dollars every year, and its perpetrators are dangerous criminals of the most deceptive kind. These fraudsters are often doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals entrusted with our care, and their schemes endanger lives. But these are the people we’d be least likely to suspect of crime. Now the threat of healthcare fraud is made abundantly clear with the Office of the Inspector General’s Most Wanted Fugitives website....

The passage of a new bicycle law in Maryland has created steeper fines and harsher penalties for motorists who injure or kill cyclists. Now, the maximum penalty for criminally negligent drivers is $5,000 a manslaughter charge, and up to three years in jail. Previously, the maximum penalty was a trip to traffic court and a fine of $300. The new bicycle law (House Bill 363) comes at a time of high-profile bicycle accident cases....

The city of Portland, Oregon, filed suit against Uber in state court on Monday, ordering the ride-share company to cease operations until it complies with Portland’s laws. In a press release Monday, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) announced its lawsuit, noting that it would ask the court to verify whether Uber was subject to and in violation of Portland’s transportation rules and regulations. Commissioner Steve Novick, who oversees PBOT, announced the city is prepared to issue civil and criminal penalties against Uber and its drivers for operating without permits and inspections....

Racial profiling? Like Meek Mill, we can’t believe it. Last Thursday, the young and gettin’ it rapper, born Robert Williams, lost a lawsuit against the Philadelphia Police Department and its individual officers. Williams argued that the officers turned his dream into a nightmare on October 31, 2012. Feeling like a young king with his record riding high on the charts, Williams was headed to the airport in a Range Rover with three other African Americans when he was pulled over, cuffed, and detained for 10 hours, causing him to miss the release party for his debut album, “Dreams and Nightmares....

An Orlando man was killed in an alleged road rage shooting after he called 911 to report someone was chasing him. What would you do in a similar situation? The victim, Fred William Turner, 47, was driving on Interstate 4 on Saturday afternoon when he made the 911 call. The other car then pulled up beside him, and someone inside pulled out what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon, Turner told a dispatcher....

Sharon Stone’s former maid has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the actress, claiming the actress fired her because she was injured carrying Stone’s groceries. Angelica Castillo’s complaint is the second in a year from one of Stone’s domestic employees. In May, Stone’s ex nanny also sued accusing her of violating labor laws and making derogatory comments about her ethnicity. The latest Sharon Stone lawsuit says Castillo hurt her back and was in severe pain....