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Salma Hayek’s dog was killed by a neighbor in the Seattle area in mid-February and the shooting was ruled justified by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, NBC News reports. Nonetheless, the county will send the case of the actress’s shot dog to prosecutors for review, said spokesman Lt. Cliff Ziesemer. Hayek’s neighbor, who is an animal lover and dog owner, has expressed deep regret over Hayek’s dog’s death. She wasn’t aware that it belonged to the actress, or even that the dog was dead....

There is a lot of misconception as to just who is a hostile witness. While a hostile witness is “hostile” to an attorney’s cause, hostile witnesses typically are witnesses the attorney has called himself. So unlike the cross examination of an opposing party witness, a hostile witness is directly examined by the attorney. You may be wondering why an attorney would call a witness hostile to his case. The answer is that oftentimes the attorney does not know what the witness will say....

After being separated for more than 18 months, “The Millers” star Will Arnett has filed for divorce from “Parks and Recreation” star Amy Poehler. The comedic duo announced their separation in September 2012, but is just now filing for divorce. In Arnett’s court filing, he’s seeking joint custody of the couple’s two sons, according to The Associated Press. Celebrity divorces are pretty common, but for those couples with children, what happens when there’s joint custody?...

Jason Russell, the filmmaker behind the viral video “Kony 2012,” is receiving medical treatment after police detained him in connection with public intoxication and indecent exposure, police said. Police detained Russell, 33, near San Diego’s Mission Bay Park about 11:30 a.m. Thursday, when concerned citizens reported a half-naked man running through traffic and screaming, KNSD-TV reports. Officers found Russell “in his underwear” and allegedly masturbating in public, a police spokeswoman said....

The holiday season has various traditional recipes and rituals attached to it, not least of which is holiday drinking. Mulled wine, spiked cider, and of course eggnog play a large role in many holiday parties. But as you may learn, these drinks do not mix well with those who plan to drive. Check out our take on these five alcoholic holiday drinks which might put you at risk for intoxicated driving:...

Two Oregon cities are coping with violence after a teenager’s bomb plot at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony was foiled. Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a 19-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia, was arrested Friday after allegedly attempting to detonate what he thought was a bomb at a tree lighting ceremony in Pioneer Square, in downtown Portland, Oregon. Two days later, a fire was apparently set at the Salman Alfarisi Islamic Center, a mosque occasionally attended by Mohamed Mohamud....

The controversial autism study done by Dr. Andrew Wakefield hasn’t just been discredited, but it is being called a “fraud” by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in a series of articles and a lengthy editorial. BMJ alleges after a lengthy investigation by a journalist that Mr. Wakefield misrepresented or altered the medical histories of the 12 patients he used in his study. The autism study in question concluded that there was a link between autism and the measles mumps vaccine known as MMR, CNN reports....

“Relax in ultimate luxury with this cozy Zero Gravity Chair,” reads the description of one such item on Bed Bath and Beyond’s website. “Constructed with a rust-resistant frame, the adjustable headrest and long frame provides a multi-positional, zero gravity sensation to keep your head and feet cradled in comfort.” The only problem, according to one customer, is that it falls apart after one year outside. Michael Stutland is suing Bed Bath and Beyond, and the chair’s manufacturer, claiming the defective design or manufacture of his zero gravity chair caused it to completely give way when he collapsed back onto the chair, resulting in “grievous injuries including paralysis and various debilitating medical issues....

When they say that these days, everyone has a cell phone, they might be right. The idea of a man imprisoned for gruesome multiple murders being able to access and use a cell phone in prison is scary. More frightening though, is the fact that use of a contraband cell phone by an inmate in a California prison is not currently a crime, reports The Los Angeles Times. Earlier this year, President Obama signed a federal law making cell phones illegal in federal prisons and making it a crime to smuggle one in....

Berlinger and his attorneys are fighting the request, on the grounds that he is protected by “journalists privilege,” or the right to refuse to divulge information obtained in a confidential relationship. 49 states and the District of Columbia offer some form of shield law protections, although they vary by state and are not absolute. There is no federal shield law. Attempting to use the shield laws when you are involved in a plaintiff’s class-action lawsuit is problematic....

The government can’t force you to decrypt your hard drive – unless they give you complete immunity, that is. In a first-of-its-kind ruling, the 11th Circuit has reversed a lower court order requiring a child pornography suspect to decrypt his hard drives. The man, known only as John Doe, claimed the order violated his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. The court agreed, finding that decryption would be akin to him testifying against himself....

A date has been set for the child support trial of former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s first grandchild first grandchild. A judge set a September court date but urged parents Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston to find a resolution outside of court before then, the Associated Press reports. Johnston, 19, has paid $4,400 so far. In addition the court is trying to determine the amount of child support based on Johnston’s adjusted gross income from the entertainment field....

When a person goes into a pharmacy to pick up their prescription, they expect that only having to pay the required insurance co-pay is actually a good deal. Otherwise, what’s the point of prescription coverage? But what if instead of a co-pay, you were being charged an “over-pay”? A recent federal lawsuit filed by a San Francisco man against Walgreens in Northern District Court of Illinois alleges that insured customers are actually being charged more for their medications than those who don’t use insurance....

Daniel Holtzclaw, a former Oklahoma City police officer, was convicted of 18 charges associated with the serial rape and sexual assault of 13 women while on duty. He was charged with over 30 criminal counts and it took the jury 45 hours of deliberations over four days to come to their verdict. Holtzclaw is half-white, half-Asian, and his victims were all black. All 13 testified at his trial, and their stories are horrifying....

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a press announcement stating that it will begin regulating smartphone health apps. With the continuing popularity of smartphones such as the Apple iPhone, Android mobile devices, and various tablets, a whole new slew of health applications have hit the market designed to keep users’ health in check. Medical applications such as calorie counters and heart monitors are easily downloadable, and many users rely on them to serve their designated functions....

The fight over the music catalog of iconic American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist, Nina Simone, may soon be over as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals gets ready to enter the fray. The legendary artist died in April 2003 at the age of 70. Her ex-husband, ex-attorney, and former studios are all claiming some rights to the music catalog. The fight in the Federal Northern District Court of California has been ongoing since as early as 2008, and 2007 in the Federal Court in New York....

Few celebrities were at such a pinnacle of popularity in 2016 as Kevin Hart. Which is no doubt why mobile app developer Stand Up Digital wanted to team up with Hart to release “Gold Ambush,” a multiplayer game featuring both Hart and his wife and children as playable characters. And few celebrity images took such a precipitous fall as Hart’s when he tearfully revealed an affair on his Instagram account in September 2017, just days before Gold Ambush’s planned release....

Administration of capital punishment should be suspended nationwide, based on unfairness and unreliable evidence in death penalty cases, according to a new report issued by the American Bar Association. The ABA examined the way the death penalty works in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. The Associated Press reports that, due to problems such as spotty DNA evidence, false confessions, and racial disparities in sentencing, “the ABA said every state with the death penalty should review its execution procedures before putting anyone else to death....

Is it legal to kill South Dakota abortion doctors? This seems like a pretty absurd question to ask. Of course, it’s not legal to kill South Dakota abortion doctors. A bill introduced into South Dakota’s legislature may arguably change this. The bill, HB 1171, would make it a justifiable homicide if a person were to kill someone while trying to protect their unborn child, or the unborn child of a family member, employer or employee....

A lotto winner in Chicago died the day after he collected his winnings. The cause of death? Cyanide. Talk about bad luck. Well, first, you need good luck to win a $1 million instant lottery, as happened to Urooj Khan, 46, of Chicago. But after making a public appearance with his wife and daughter and collecting one of those giant checks for $425,000 (his lump-sum, post-tax winnings), the lottery winner was found dead....