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From New Jersey Housewife Danielle Staub settling a defamation case to reports that New York Housewife Ramona Singer punched a show producer, these ladies don’t seem to be much in the way of housewives these days. The Examiner reports that 53 year-old Singer got mad while shooting a scene for the upcoming fourth season of the hit Bravo show, and punched one of the producers. The Examiner quotes a source present when the punch took place, “She was furious and felt like the producers were ganging up on her....

FindLaw’s Blotter attempts to cover the latest in criminal news as well as provide common-sense explanations of the legal intricacies of the criminal justice system. With 2014 coming to a close, we’ve tried to reflect on the stories that have caught our readers’ attentions most – both news-based and general. With that, here are the 10 most popular posts from FindLaw’s Blotter in 2014: Is It Illegal to Open Someone Else’s Mail?...

Legally married gay couples are entitled to participate in employee benefit plans, even if the state they live in does not recognize gay marriage. Same-sex spouses can now participate in private retirement and healthcare plans overseen by the department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the Department of Labor said in a landmark memo (full-text document attached below). The terms “spouse” and “marriage” under employee-benefit rules now apply to gay married couples....

It looks like the tech giant Apple is finally responding to the many lawsuits that have been filed against it related to distracted driving injuries and deaths. However, the response wasn’t filed in court. Rather, at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (known as the WWDC), a new iPhone feature was unveiled as part of iOS 11: Do Not Disturb While Driving mode. Along with the overwhelming public adoption of smart phones, the number of distracted driving crashes has naturally increased....

The Kit Kat chocolate video game lawsuit is over. Nestle SA, the Swiss food company, has settled a lawsuit brought against it by video game maker Atrari Interactive. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued an order Wednesday dismissing the case following the parties’ resolution. The dispute arose after the chocolate-maker used the 1975 game “Breakout” to promote its Kit Kat bar in commercials and on social media without permission....

Ever wonder why the rear middle seats in older cars are often without shoulder seat belts, leaving passengers to hold on tight in the event of a crash? Isn’t the lack of shoulder restraints going to result in seat belt deaths? A little known fact is that the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, until 2007, permitted automakers to choose between lap and shoulder seat belts when outfitting rear middle seats....

Breast implants are popular these days. We’ve written about them on a number of occasions. But a new investigation by the Food and Drug Administration may give pause to those considering implants. The FDA is investigating a link between breast implants and lymphoma cancer, Fox News reports. The investigation covers both saline and silicone gel-filled breast implants. As many as 10 million women worldwide have opted for breast implant surgery. It has become quite mainstream, but a number of studies reported to the FDA are cause for concern....

When we normally think of drunk driving arrests, we get images of cars swerving on the highway, DUI checkpoints, or, worse, accidents. These are all instances out on the public’s highways and byways where we expect police to be patrolling and where the danger to other drivers can be serious. Some of us think that if you can make it home before getting pulled over, you can avoid a DUI. Or that you can’t be charged with drunk driving if you never left your own property....

Courtney Love has prevailed in an alleged Twitter libel case, as a jury has determined that she didn’t defame her former attorney on social media. Love was sued by her former attorney, Rhonda Holmes, for posting a tweet that insinuated Holmes was “bought off” when she dropped Love as a client, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The jury, however, apparently didn’t think that Holmes proved her case for alleged defamation....

The California Supreme Court has unanimously overturned the murder conviction and death sentence of Cleamon “Big Evil” Johnson, a notorious Los Angeles gang leader. He led the 89 Family Bloods in the 1980’s and early 1990’s until he was convicted of murdering two rival gang members in 1997. Big Evil appealed that conviction, arguing that the trial judge had improperly dismissed Juror No. 11 during deliberations. The Cal. Supreme Court agreed, finding that the judge abused his discretion....

There are few things in life less enjoyable than major surgery. Unless of course, it is a repeat of the same major surgery. This may be something that recipients of Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy unit ASR XL Acetabular System and DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System must face. These medical devices are used in hip replacement surgery and, due to data that shows the failure rate to be well above that which was expected, the company is recalling these products....

As if Millennials needed another reason to move to Colorado, reports are flowing in that the third highest state has just legalized texting while driving. However, before your thumbs start flying across your touchscreens while behind the wheel, like legal pot, there are a few hazy caveats drivers need to know. First off, texting while actually driving is not legal in Colorado. The new law will allow drivers to text so long as they don’t do it in a “careless and imprudent manner....

Everybody who earns a salary typically needs to pay taxes. That’s just the way it is. Yet, it seems that for some hip hop artists, paying their tax bill is something that simply slips their mind. Case in point: 24-year-old rapper Bow Wow reportedly owes the IRS around $91,105.61 for unpaid taxes from the year 2006. Reports are that the artist formerly known as “Lil’ Bow Wow” even has a lien on his property in the state of Florida....

On Christmas Eve, the National Steak and Poultry Company voluntarily recalled 248,000 lbs. of beef due to contamination with a particularly nasty strain of E. coli bacterium, E. coli O157:H7. The bacteria sickened 21 people throughout 16 states, sending 9 to the hospital and prompting the recall. Because this strain of E. coli is potentially lethal, the USDA considers this recall a class 1 or “high health risk” action. According to the Washington Post, the Dept....

Contrary to a recent rumor, R&B singer Etta James is not dead. The “news,” which has been debunked by James’ son, appeared on a size that looked suspiciously like celebrity gossip site TMZ. The hoax may have set off death rumors, but it may also be the starting point of a lawsuit. TMZ has now said that it is investigating the fake article on the website, posted on August 3rd, which claimed James was dead, reports the Los Angeles Times....

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is “urgently warning” consumers about health risks posed by potentially contaminated olives produced by Charlie Brown di Rutigliano & Figli S.r.l, of Bari, Italy. The olives may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause botulism, a potentially fatal illness. The olives were recalled by the manufacturer on March 27. The recalled olives are sold under the following brands: Borrelli, Bonta di Puglia, Cento, Corrado’s, Dal Raccolto, Flora, Roland and Vantia, and have codes that start with the letter “G” and are followed by 3 or 4 digits....

A gay divorce has been upheld in Texas, but not because of all gay Texans are entitled to a divorce. The 3rd Texas Court of Appeals in Austin ruled that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott intervened too late in a lesbian divorce. The case of a gay divorce granted by Travis County District Judge Scott Jenkins to a lesbian couple, the Dallas Voice reports. The court ruled that Texas AG Greg Abbott lacked the standing to appeal the case between Angelique Naylor and Sabina Daly because the state was not a party of record in the divorce case, according to the Washington Post....

Is it legal to use GPS windshield mounts? This is a common question for those who wish to affix the directional devices to their vehicles. After all, suction cups are often the cheapest option, and tend to be a free part of the GPS package. Luckily, the answer is yes, you can mount a GPS to your windshield. Residents of California and Minnesota used to be subject to a GPS windshield ban....

A Florida court judge ruled today that the deposition will be televised. Well actually, video taped. According to reports today from the Orlando Sentinel, Federal Magistrate Gary R. Jones denied the motion by lawyers for Court TV host Nancy Grace to stop her deposition testimony in a wrongful death suit from being taped. Ironic? That is exactly the word used by the plaintiffs’ attorney to sum up the whole episode....

Last summer, anti-abortion advocates thought they had a smoking gun when they secretly taped Planned Parenthood executives allegedly discussing the donation and sale of fetal tissue. Threats to defund Planned Parenthood were made, and a grand jury was convened to investigate whether the health services provider committed any crimes. Well, the grand jury investigation is complete, only it didn’t hand down the indictments those who made the videos probably expected. Planned Parenthood was cleared of any wrongdoing, and instead the Harris County grand jury indicted two of the people behind creating the videos....