Posts

Product liability law helps to keep consumers safe from products that have design defects, manufacturing defects, or don’t provide sufficient warnings. When a company realizes that a product it provides to consumers has a defect, it usually issues a recall. The Details of the Recall Kidde has recalled certain smoke alarms because there may have been a yellow cap left on the alarm during manufacturing, which can compromise the alarm’s ability to detect smoke....

The Supreme Court today ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission violated Jack Phillips’ First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion in the way it dismissed his religious reasoning for denying service to a same-sex couple who requested a cake for their wedding. While the Court was careful not to rule that wedding vendors and other business owners have a right to refuse service to same-sex couples, it did say the state agency reviewing the case “showed elements of a clear and impermissible hostility toward the sincere religious beliefs motivating [Phillips’] objection....

Michelle Howard says that her husband, Iron Man actor Terrence Howard, abused her. She has secured a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband. Howard will be forbidden to contact his wife, and cannot go within 100 yards of her until their next court hearing on January 17, 2012. Michelle Howard says that her husband threatened to kill her. Howard says that his wife has been trying to get him to pay her money by threatening to release “private materials” (whatever that is) if he doesn’t....

Remember to hit the brakes… New reports from “black boxes” inside Toyota vehicles suggest that driver error, not the vehicle, is the cause for many Toyota crashes in unintended acceleration cases. The government recently analyzed vehicle data and found that people had their foot down on the gas, not the brake at the time of the accident. Many Toyota vehicles have Electronic data recorders, also called black boxes, that can provide details about what is happening with a vehicle at the time of a crash....

Is it gender discrimination if you hire mostly male workers to work in a warehouse? The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission seems to think so. According to the EEOC, excluding women from certain positions is a violation of Title CVII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, was being accused of violating equal opportunity rights at its London, Kentucky warehouse, a sex-discrimination lawsuit filed by the EEOC lawsuit alleged....

This morning, President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Garland is currently chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and would fill the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death last month. Most thought Sri Srinivasan, who serves on the same court as Garland, would be the President’s pick, even hours before the official announcement. So Garland’s nomination did catch some off guard....

What is the price tag on a life unlived because you were wrongfully convicted for a crime you didn’t commit? For Juan Rivera, who sued after spending 18 years in prison for a rape and murder he didn’t do, that price was $20 million. This is the largest settlement ever in U.S. history to compensate a person for a wrongful conviction. In 2012, a jury awarded a Chicago man even more, $25 million, for his wrongful conviction....

Reese Witherspoon is suing a dozen companies she says are using her name in violation of trademark law. She is not the first celebrity to claim her name as intellectual property but a court considering one of the actress’s cases is not convinced yet, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Skye Associates, who Witherspoon sued in Los Angeles Superior Court, moved judge Gerald Rosenberg to dismiss the case. In a tentative opinion issued before the hearing on the motion yesterday, the court rejected Witherspoon’s trademark claims, writing, “Plaintiff’s name is not a protectable slogan....

Remember that whole “pivot to video” a couple years ago? When media companies started laying off all their writers and editors in favor of more video content? Part of that sea change was spurred by advertisers, who surmised that video was a clever way to sneak ads by savvy internet users’ ad blockers. But you also need to know that people are actually watching the video content before you choose to advertise on it....

Buying prescription drugs over the internet can be risky, and may not save consumers money in the long run, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In a press release, the FDA states that “consumers who are trying to save money on prescription drugs don’t need to take chances by buying prescription drugs from foreign Internet sites, because low-cost generic versions are available in the United States.” The FDA also reminds consumers not to purchase medication online without a prescription, warning that “use of prescription drugs without a prescription is an intrinsically unsafe practice....

A panel of federal court judges has issued a tentative ruling that could result in the release of as many as 57,000 inmates throughout California’s prison system – about one-third of prisoners in the state – a decision aimed at reducing dangerous overcrowding and relieving unconstitutional confinement conditions. In considering inmates’ challenges to the constitutionality of overcrowded conditions in California’s prisons, the three federal court judges heard from a number of expert witnesses, and considering the statistics – such as the fact that the state’s prisons were operating at near 200 percent of design capacity as of August 2008....

A man experiencing financial distress held four firefighters hostage in suburban Atlanta in an apparent attempt to get his utilities, phone, and cable turned back on. The unidentified man reportedly called authorities claiming that he was suffering a heart attack at his Suwanee home. But when the firefighters arrived at the suburban home, they were taken hostage instead, reports CNN. Authorities were able to deal swiftly with the hostage situation. After determining that the firefighters’ lives were in danger, they created a diversion and killed the kidnapper....

Ferguson, Missouri, has been a hotbed of conflict between protesters, reporters, and law enforcement, with police seemingly arresting and allegedly abusing members of the press earlier this week. As civilians feel more and more squeezed by the authority and force of police, it’s only natural for the public to demand answers to serious legal questions. Here are five common legal questions (and some general answers) relating to the events in Ferguson:...

George Clooney was arrested outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C. this morning. The actor turned activist was participating in a protest against the country’s government. Just before the arrest, the star told attendees that “we need immediate humanitarian aid into Sudan before it becomes the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.” The Sudanese government has been accused of killing citizens and blocking supplies from starving regions. As evidenced by video of the protest, officers gave Clooney and his fellow protestors a “third and final warning” to move:...

If you’re being charged with driving under the influence, chances are you’re going to need a DUI lawyer. But, before you make a move, you’re going to have to answer the following question. Should you “hire” a public defender, or should you spend a few thousand dollars on a private lawyer? First off, you may not be entitled to a DUI public defender. Driving under the influence is most often a state crime, and each state has its own rules about who receives free counsel....

HBO has been basking in the success of its non-fiction documentaries “The Jinx” and “Going Clear.” However, an allegedly false report titled “Children of Industry” could cost HBO millions of dollars. In 2008, HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel featured a report about child labor and the manufacturing of Mitre-branded soccer balls in India. The show claimed that children were paid five cents per hour to hand-stitch Mitre’s soccer balls. Mitre Sports International claimed that the report was false, and footage was fabricated....

The number of middle-school students who engage in “sexting” may be higher than you think. What’s more, those suggestive text messages and photos could potentially lead to criminal consequences. A study conducted by the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics found that more than 1 in 5 middle schoolers reported sending sexually explicit text messages, with some of them having also sent nude or seminude photos, reports Reuters. The study found that children with emotional and behavioral problems are more at-risk for sexting, and that sexting also correlates with sexual activity....

Jennifer Lopez may be facing a $40 million dollar lawsuit after canceling a show at Cratos Premium hotel and casino in Cyprus. J.Lo withdrew from a scheduled concert after deciding it could have been construed as a political statement. She was scheduled to perform at an event that Greek Cypriots have said would further polarize the already divided country, the New York Times reports. Lopez subsequently withdrew from the gig. But the chief executive of the Turkish company which runs the hotel is now threatening to go to court to claiming $35 to $40 million in damages....

The tables have turned, and Judge Judy now finds herself being sued over fine china and silverware. The popular TV judge apparently got a good bargain. However, the previous owner (or perhaps co-owner) of the china and flatware – worth more than half a million dollars – claims Judge Judy basically stole it from her when she purchased the goods for a fraction of their value, writes TMZ. Strangely, this battle over fine china stems from a divorce dispute....

Kohl’s Department Stores, along with several sweatshirt manufacturers agreed to pay a total of $600,000 in fines over children’s sweatshirts with drawstrings. About 170,000 children’s sweatshirts have been recalled over the risk of strangulation posed by neckline drawstrings. In 2006, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that children’s upper outerwear with drawstrings at the neck would be considered as presenting a substantial risk to young children and would be deemed defective....