Jon Gosselin had a lot to say about the TLC network. He ranted for about four minutes about how the network took advantage of him when he signed an exclusivity clause in his contract and how TLC stole money owed to his children. The Gosselin tape sounds like yet more juicy gossip to add to the TV reality star’s rumor mill. It also brings up the often asked question: when may you record conversations?...
We can all learn from other people’s mistakes. And it turns out back alley courtroom dealings don’t just happen in movies. Deonarine Persaud, 53, was recently arrested on felony bribery charges and for juror misconduct in New York. Persaud was serving as a juror in a civil case. The plaintiff in the case, Bridget Wigand, had brought a medical malpractice suit against her physician. The case was later declared a mistrial, reports CBS-2....
A mall slasher in Virginia has pleaded guilty to a series of attacks on women. He could face years behind bars. Former day laborer Johnny Guillen Pimentel, 42, had been suspected of nine slashings at Fairfax County malls in 2011. Guillen Pimentel, who is from Peru, would apparently sneak up on women and slash their backsides with a box cutter or a razor blade. Guillen Pimental has admitted to four slashings – two counts each of malicious wounding and unlawful wounding....
People filing lawsuits over the safety of federally-approved medical devices will face stricter legal hurdles, after a decision handed down today by the U.S. Supreme Court. In an 8-1 decision, the Court held that the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 bars most state law claims challenging the safety or effectiveness of a medical device that received market approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The case was an appeal of dismissal of a suit filed after a Medtronic catheter in a patient’s coronary artery ruptured during heart surgery....
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered Foreign Tire Sales, Inc., a small tire import company in Union, New Jersey, to recall up to 450,000 tires, due to the risk that tread on the tires could separate. The tires were distributed to a number of U.S. distributors after being purchased from a Chinese manufacturer, Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. According to the Associated Press, “an unknown number of the tires [Foreign Tire Sales, Inc....
When you first think about it, simply putting a price on an item in a store might not seem like “speech.” But when it comes to credit card surcharges (where retailers pass swipe fees charged by credit card companies to consumers), the issue becomes a little more murky. And the Supreme Court is trying to clear it up. After retailers sued over a New York law that makes credit card surcharges illegal, the Court ruled that the law “regulates speech,” and therefore the statute might violate merchants’ First Amendment rights....
Sandra Bullock has adopted a second child. She spoke to People about her daughter, Laila, who had been in foster care in Louisiana, and her son Louis, 5, who was adopted in 2010. “I can tell you absolutely, the exact right children came to me at the exact right time,” Bullock said. “My family is blended and diverse, nutty, and loving and understanding. That’s a family.” Shining a Light on Foster Kids Bullock spoke about her adoption because she wants to draw attention to the hundreds of thousands of children in foster care in the US....
You know you’re not at your best when you’re not well-rested. But being a little off your game when you’re behind the wheel can be especially dangerous. A new study found that missing just one or two hours of sleep could double your risk of a car accident, and that getting fewer than four hours of sleep can make you over ten times more likely to crash. And even if you didn’t intend to fall asleep behind the wheel, if you do get into an accident, you could be facing serious criminal charges....
Which is the most peaceful state in America? Look no further than the Pine Tree State, which takes the title – but not by force, of course – for the 11th straight year. Maine remains America’s most peaceful state, with New England neighbors Vermont and New Hampshire close behind, according to the 2012 U.S. Peace Index. The Index also shows the nation, as a whole, is more peaceful than at any time in the last 20 years, according to the nonpartisan Institute for Economics and Peace, which produces the annual report....
As discussed in a prior post on this blog, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin testified last week in the trial against David Kernell for hacking into her private email during the 2008 presidential campaign. Last Friday, the jury returned with their verdict. Kernell, the son of a Democratic state representative in Tennessee, was found guilty on two of the four charges against him. Kernell was acquitted of the charge of wire fraud, however, the jury remained deadlocked on the charge of identity theft....
“I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. It is an herb and a flower.” – Willie Nelson. Country music legend Willie Nelson has been an advocate for the legalization of marijuana long before he began getting arrested for possession of the drug. His latest arrest, at the ripe old age of 77, was originally supposed to land the country music legend in a Texas jail....
A settlement and some relief for a few of the many homeowners with homes made with Chinese drywall was announced on October 15. Three hundred homes in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi will be repaired under the settlement reached with drywall manufacturer Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin (KPT) and several other companies. Knauf Plasterboard is said to be responsible for about one-fifth of the tainted drywall in the country. According to a report by The Miami Herald, the settlement will cover costs for the homeowners that include a re-build of the interior of their homes, relocation costs and attorneys fees....
A drug court program in Pennsylvania has brought on an uproar of criticism after a committee approved hundred of dollars to be used for an abortion. Blair County’s Adult Drug Court is a sentencing program “used to help drug dealers and addicts kick their habits” but this particular use of funds was met with fierce resistance. In its story, the AP summarized the woman’s history and a drug counselor’s decision as follows:...
Can you be arrested for not taking medication? If you answered in the negative, you’d be wrong. California health officials have petitioned for the arrest and prosecution of Armando Rodriguez, a Stockton drug user who has an active case of pulmonary tuberculosis. After refusing to take his medication on multiple occasions, he was arrested. He’s since been charged with refusing to comply with a tuberculosis order. Though many people live with tuberculosis, the Associated Press reports that the disease becomes active when a person’s immune system is compromised....
From Capitol Hill comes this progress report on passage of credit card reform legislation that some are calling a “Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights”: the U.S. Senate has voted to reject a measure that would put a 15 percent cap on interest rates that banks can charge cardholders. But the bill is moving forward, and passage could come some time this week. The 15 percent interest rate ceiling was proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, who argued that such a cap was necessary to give consumers relief from (sometimes arbitrary) card rate increases that can reach 25 to 30 percent, Bloomberg....
Pediatricians are now warning about the dangers of mixing energy drinks and kids. Energy drinks and kids’ health is now a growing concern, especially as drinks such as Gatorade, Monster, and others are now replacing sodas at many schools, according to Time. The concerned pediatricians have put together a report in the journal Pediatrics, advising teens and kids not to drink too many sports drinks and energy drinks. For many parents, a sports drink such as Gatorade might seem a lot healthier than a high-sugar soda....
An ex employee has filed a $1 million sexual harassment lawsuit against action film star Steven Seagal. Kayden Nguyen, 23, is suing the Steven Seagal for sexual harassment and human trafficking and claims she was treated as a “sex toy,” CBS News reports. Court documents show that Nguyen, a former model was hired earlier this year to work as an executive assistant at Segal’s production company. While on the job Nguyen claims she learned that she actually was signed up to be on staff as sexual servant....
Fisher-Price on Tuesday announced that it is recalling a popular combination high chair/toddler booster seat, because a defect involving the booster seat’s release mechanism can pose a fall hazard for infants and toddlers. The recall includes about 24,000 Fisher-Price “3-in-1 High Chair to Booster” chairs that were sold exclusively at Target stores nationwide, from December 2008 through March 2009, for around $100. The affected product number (P5369) can be found on the side of the high chair seat, on a seat pad label, and on the packaging....
The travel ban aside, none of President Trump’s executive orders have garnered as much legal attention as his proposal to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities and states. A federal judge blocked the order in April 2017. California (along with other states) sued Attorney General Jefferson Sessions over it. Chicago (along with other cities) sued Sessions over it. That federal judge blocked it again. The Seventh Circuit blocked it. The Ninth Circuit affirmed that federal judge’s block....
Have you ever wanted to place a sports bet but found the process inconvenient? Sure, you could always place your bet online with an offshore operator, but not everyone wants to do that. For one, some aren’t comfortable trusting their money with an overseas gambling operation. Also, the legality of such operations remain murky at best. Now residents of Nevada will be the first to have an easy and legal option beyond the sportsbooks: a gambling mobile app....
