When you’ve been pulled over, is it legal for the police to search your phone? Do they actually need some sort of phone search warrant? The answer is maybe. The U.S. Constitution prohibits officers from conducting illegal searches or seizures. There are, however, some exceptions to the general rule. For example, if you consent to the search of your cell phone, then they are legally allowed to search through the contents....
As a result of the lawsuit Alanis Morissette filed last year against her business managers, GSO Business Management and Jonathan Schwartz, Schwartz is facing a few years in prison. Schwartz admitted to embezzling nearly $5 million from Alanis over roughly a four year period. Additionally, Schwartz embezzled another $2 million from other clients. Maybe Alanis should’ve kept both hands in her pockets. Last May, after Alanis filed her civil lawsuit, GSO Business Management quickly, and quietly, settled that case....
Oh no! Current TV fired Keith Olbermann! This is a tragedy for the few who know about Current TV, a joint venture between former Vice President Al Gore and entrepreneur Joel Hyatt. Olbermann became the face of the new network after leaving MSNBC almost fourteen months ago. But now he is no longer. Gore & Co. have fired Olbermann and insist that the progressive pundit violated the terms of his $50 million contract....
Louisiana rapper Lil Boosie, indicted in June 2010 on charges of smuggling illegal substances into Dixon Correctional Institute, has been indicted yet again; but this time he’s accused of conspiring to smuggle Sizzurp into the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Currently serving time on drugs and weapons charges, and awaiting trial on charges of first degree murder, Lil Boosie may face more time behind bars as a result of these new allegations....
A new online vehicle database unveiled by the federal government gives used car buyers unprecedented access to critical vehicle history, and will allow law enforcement agencies to better monitor and prevent the selling of dangerous and stolen vehicles and other types of auto fraud. Launched Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice, the new National Motor Vehicle Title Information System allows potential car buyers to get real-time access to a used vehicle’s records – including odometer data, title history, salvage and “total loss” designations, and theft reports....
An awful social media game seems to have originated across the pond and made its way over to the US. Schools across the country are beginning to warn parents about a Snapchat “game” linked to cyberbullying. Schools are asking parents to caution their children against engaging in the game. The game, called Letter X, is played on smartphones using the Snapchat app. The whole focus of the game, played by school kids, is to insult other kids by sending messages which can be photos and videos that include text or audio overlaid....
Police say former Cook county, Illinois GOP Chairman Gary Skoien admitted to having prostitutes in his children’s playroom when his wife Eni found him in the early hours of last Sunday morning. Police were on the scene because Mr. Skoien called them after Eni attacked him with her fists and an electric guitar. According to the Sun Times, Mr. Skoien’s wife Eni, 5 foot 4 inches, 110 pounds and almost twenty years his younger, spent two nights in jail before being released on a $10,000 bond....
Starbucks customers are pretty fussy when it comes to their daily fix. That much was evidenced by fans of their lattes filing a class action lawsuit claiming the coffee chain was shorting them on their steamed milk. “Starbucks lattes are uniformly underfilled pursuant to a standardized recipe,” the suit alleged. “By underfilling its lattes, thereby shortchanging its customers, Starbucks has saved countless millions of dollars in the cost of goods sold and was unjustly enriched by taking payment for more product than it delivers....
Don’t you just hate it when the cable company keeps calling you and won’t let up? Well, don’t just take it sitting down – sue them! Araceli King, of Irving, Texas, won a big victory over the Time Warner Cable Inc. last week in her lawsuit against the company over annoying and harassing robocalls. For the past few years, Time Warner Cable has been calling a wrong number. Araceli King is not a customer of the company....
The phrase ‘zero-rating’ might sounds like the worst news a business can get from customers on Yelp. Instead, recent news coming out of the Federal Communications Commission might be the best that media companies offering sponsored data programs have heard recently. Zero-rating actually refers to the practice of data carriers not counting certain data usage against their customers’ caps, allowing some companies to pay those carriers to exempt their data. While net neutrality advocates and even the former FCC Chairman aren’t fans of certain zero-rating plans, it looks like the new FCC won’t mind....
Police can search a shared home without a warrant as long as an occupant who is present consents to the search, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. In a 6-3 decision, the High Court affirmed that police don’t need the permission of all occupants in a shared residence, as long as officers have the agreement of at least one resident who is physically present, The Associated Press reports. Does this ruling in Fernandez v....
16 & Pregnant reality star Jamie McKay, featured in this week’s episode, has filed for sole custody of her 7-month-old baby daughter. McKay is alleging that her baby daddy, Ryan McElrath, 18, has legal and personal issues that are detrimental to the health and welfare of her daughter. McKay alleges that McElrath has a cocaine addiction, and has previously driven under the influence of alcohol, according to documents obtained by celebrity gossip site TMZ....
The FBI made an arrest in a recent “sextortion” case involving photos of Miss Teen USA. The man arrested, Jared James Abrahams, 19, has allegedly also hacked into other victims’ webcams and online accounts, the unsealed charges report, according to the Los Angeles Times. Cassidy Wolf, who was Miss California Teen USA before she won the Miss Teen USA pageant in August, allegedly received an anonymous email from a person who claimed he had taken nude pictures of her via the webcam on her computer....
This week, “The Good Wife” took place in New York City (where the show, usually set in Chicago, is actually filmed). NYC’s new Mayor Bill de Blasio even made a cameo as an annoying mayor! Despite the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, the episode centered on Alicia’s past and was surprisingly contemplative as it dipped its toes in the complex issue of women in the law. Here’s a legal breakdown of this week’s remarkably quiet episode, “A Few Words”:...
“The Good Wife” lives most comfortably in the intersection between the law and technology, even when Alicia is struggling with streaming movies at home. Time to get up to speed with the news cycle and a rare lawyer’s day off in “The Deep Web”: ZOMG Alicia has jury duty! Just like us, right? Only Alicia’s jury pool is full of handsome men who take her to lunch. Meantime, Diane has a client who is being accused of running Silk Road, an Internet black market where even murder can be purchased....
If you’ve driven around Southern California, chances are you’ve seen a few 1-800-GET-THIN ads. The billboards tout the ability to lose weight with the Lap-Band. But, they say little about the potential risks of the Lap-Band surgery. The FDA has now issued a letter to the marketing company and eight affiliated surgical centers. The FDA wants them to adequately address the risks associated with the Lap-Band. They say that the current ads are simply too misleading....
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that aggregate campaign contribution limits for individual donors are unconstitutional in light of the First Amendment. According to The New York Times, Wednesday’s 5-4 ruling is a “sequel” to the High Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United, which struck down limits on independent campaign spending by corporations and unions. Now, thanks to the Court’s decision in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, individuals are free to spend an unlimited aggregate amount on direct contributions to candidates, political parties, and political action committees....
Salon-goers beware: popular hair product Brazilian Blowout and cancer risks may be linked. Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Solution, popular in salons for hair smoothing treatments, contains a liquid called methylene glycol. When heated with a blow dryer or a flat iron, the liquid could create a large amount of dangerous formaldehyde vapors, CBS News reports. Formaldehyde vapors are carcinogenic. Short-term exposure to formaldehyde can cause watery eyes, burning sensation in the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, wheezing, nausea and skin irritation....
President Bush has signed the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, a package of measures intended to stimulate economic growth. The plan includes new tax rebates for 128 million American households and investment incentives for businesses. At the bill signing ceremony in the White House’s East Room, President Bush called the new law a “booster shot” for the economy, and stated: “The bill I’m signing today is large enough to have an impact – amounting to more than $152 billion this year, or about 1 percent of GDP....
Kylie and Kendall Jenner are following in the entrepreneurial footsteps of their big sisters Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney. To protect the success of their modeling careers, reality television show Keeping up with Kendall and Kylie, a clothing line for PacSun and a shoe line for Steve Madden, the two younger members of the Kardashian clan have filed to trademark their names. Can they really do that? Trademark of Names In short, you can trademark a personal name....
