“Blackfish,” a documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is now being shown on CNN, is making a big splash in the public and is landing SeaWorld in hot water. The film traces a 39-year history of killer whales in captivity leading up to the 2010 killing of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau by the 12,000-pound orca, Tilikum, a whale previously associated with the death of two other people....
Looks like things are heating up outside the hot tub for Katherine Heigl. Cops were called to Heigl’s house in a hot tub dispute between Heigl and her neighbors. TMZ reports that the actress and her husband, musician Josh Kelly, were enjoying some quality time in their outdoor hot tub when a neighbor began “yelling profanities” at the couple for being too loud. The celebrity couple’s security guard called authorities and the noise issue died with the hot tub bubbles....
A New York grand jury declined to indict police officer Aaron Hess after a fatal shooting left Danroy “D.J.” Henry Jr., 20, dead last October. The Danroy Henry shooting occurred outside a Thornwood bar on October 17, 2010. Henry was a football player at Pace University. The U.S. Justice Department has announced that it will examine the case. The Danroy Henry shooting happened in Westchester County, N.Y. after police responded to a disturbance outside a bar....
Data stored on personal cell phones is not protected by the Stored Communications Act (SCA), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled. As mobile technology changes rapidly, legal questions remain about the extent of digital privacy protection. The Fifth Circuit determined that the act does not protect information stored on personal devices such as cell phones, laptops and personal computers. The lawsuit was brought by a former police dispatcher who was dismissed after photos and text messages on her cell phone revealed that she was violating police department rules....
A former member of Philadelphia’s finest has filed a $750,000 lawsuit against rapper Meek Mill, claiming his smack-talk in the media has rendered the ex-cop’s “performance” with his fiancée somewhat less than fine. The conflict stems from a 2012 incident in which Philadelphia police stopped and detained the rapper for 10 hours while they searched the car he was riding in for drugs. Mill subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Philadelphia PD, which he lost earlier this year....
Remember when it was a faulty taillight would cause fugitive criminals to be found and caught? The faulty taillight of the digital age is the Facebook status update. Just like the traffic stop, something minor you would never think twice about can cause your downfall. In this case, a parole jumper who braved the Montana winters just to evade capture was brought in by a Facebook post on his Wall....
“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” fans can breathe easy knowing that the reality-TV starlet and her family are in good spirits after a car crash. But now it seems Sugar Bear could be the one responsible for the traffic boo-boo – not the other driver, as first reported. Police in Milledgeville, Georgia, have concluded that Sugar Bear, the family’s patriarch, made an unsafe left turn when the family’s SUV collided with a pickup truck on January 6, reports TMZ....
What’s up for Jersey Shore star DJ Pauly D? A lawsuit. Pauly D is being sued by DJ Paulie, a less prominent DJ. DJ Paulie is suing Pauly D for ruining his business and his reputation. Apparently, he’s also gotten death threats from jealous boyfriends, probably meant for Pauly D. Say what? A cast member of Jersey Shore is ruining your reputation? Say it isn’t so! In other words, he’s used the moniker DJ Paulie for a very long time....
Despite claims otherwise, Joran van der Sloot’s extradition to the U.S. is not yet set in stone. Though a Peruvian judge approved his “provisional detention” last month, the convicted murderer has indicated that he intends to fight his extradition. In court on Tuesday, van der Sloot told a judge that he would rather serve out the remainder of his 28-year murder sentence in Peru than be sent to the U.S. Rumor has it his jailed lifestyle is significantly more cushy than it would be in a federal prison....
Justin Bieber couldn’t keep himself out of trouble for long this year, as he was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of a DUI in Miami Beach. Police Detective Vivian Hernandez told the New York Daily News that the DUI charge was for “a combination of alcohol and narcotics.” Although it seems the “Boyfriend” singer isn’t giving Beliebers much to “belieb” in anymore, these five legal lessons from Bieber’s DUI arrest might help:...
Kim Kardashian was hit with a ‘flour bomb” Thursday night – the latest in a series of benign celebrity “bombings” that can technically be considered assault and battery. Kardashian showed up at the West Hollywood launch party for her new perfume and was walking down the red carpet when a protester threw a bag of flour at her, the Los Angeles Times reports. Kardashian, covered in white powder, was quickly ushered to safety....
St. Jude Medical filed a lawsuit last month against the investment firm and research agency that issued a report in August claiming their cardiac implants were vulnerable to hacking. St. Jude filed suit against Muddy Waters (an investment firm) and MedSec (a security consultant) after it was discovered that Muddy Waters was shorting St. Jude stock, and that they have a deal with MedSec to split the profits made by shorting....
Dude, where’s your car? If you’re behind on your payments, you may find your car has been repossessed – sometimes, without your knowledge or consent. What are the legal steps necessary to repossess a car? Laws differ in each state, but here are some general principles. Seizing the car In general, a creditor can seize a vehicle as soon as a lessee “defaults” on a payment, according to the Federal Trade Commission....
Two years in state prison. That was the sentence handed down to actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s attacker, Aretha Wilson, following her trial earlier this week. Wilson was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon after she attacked the star at a Hollywood party with a piece of glass, an encounter that required surgery on his famous face and neck to repair the damage. The 40-year-old Wilson was extradited from Canada back to the United States to stand trial before a Los Angeles judge....
Is this the first lawsuit brought about by whining? A suit has been filed in San Francisco superior court over Happy Meals. After laws passed by Santa Clara County and San Francisco, California, placing limits on fast food meals marketed to children, a private citizen has taken matters into her own hands. Sacramento mother Monet Parham, represented by Center for Science in the Public Interest, has sued McDonald’s for false advertising and unfair competition, claiming the restaurant chains’ practice of giving away toys with Happy Meals is deceptive to children....
It’s hard to make a mark on this crowded, busy world, and artists struggle to get noticed. But when your art is leaving marks on protected national park land, you will get attention. You just better be willing to pay a price. This week, Casey Nocket, 23, pled guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of defacing national park property in a federal court in Fresno, California. She used acrylics and markers to draw on protected rock formations and will do 200 community service hours and spend two years on probation, with restitution to be determined at a later hearing....
Much to the chagrin of privacy advocates, the NSA and FBI have been secretly surveilling U.S. Internet services and mining personal user data. Separately, the NSA has also been collecting phone records for an undisclosed period of time. Using highly sophisticated software code-named PRISM, these government agencies have tapped directly into the servers of companies like Yahoo, Google, and Facebook to collect data domestically without a warrant, reports The Washington Post....
Old Spice has done much to spice up its brand and reach a new generation with flashy advertising. But one youth who used the deodorant experienced rashes and burning under his arms, and his mother’s complaints on the company’s website are cited by lawyers in a suit filed this week in the US District Court in Cincinnati, Ohio. The palintiffs say Old Spice is inadequately labeled. There is no word yet from Old Spice but this is not the first time that the Procter and Gamble brand has heard complaints from consumers who feel deceived....
A student at University of California Merced yesterday stabbed four people on campus with a hunting knife, the Los Angeles Times reports. A construction worker heard a fight in a nearby classroom and went to stop it, only to find that a student had already been stabbed and that he would be next. The construction worker, Byron Price, chased the assailant out of the building. Reportedly the student tried stabbing people as he ran, and managed to hurt two more before he was stopped....
This week, the Supreme Court issued a decision that could have far reaching implications for the relationship between local governments and businesses, like banks and lenders, involved in real estate. In short, SCOTUS ruled that cities and local governments, under certain conditions, are “aggrieved individuals” that can bring claims for damages pursuant to the Fair Housing Act. However, those damages need to be rather certain. The case involved the city of Miami’s charge of racially discriminatory predatory lending against Bank of America and Wells Fargo....
