You have all seen those very convincing ads while watching late night television. You know, the ones that tempt you to mail in gold that has been lying around the house in order to get some quick cash? Well it turns out that this may not exactly be the golden ticket many Americans hoped it would be. Parade reports that the Federal Trade Commission is looking into consumer complaints against mail in gold companies....
Charlie Sheen. The actor has been in the news for a slew of legal issues, and this week is no exception. The latest headline to hit the Hollywood star: Charlie Sheen’s Porn Star Date to File Civil Suit. Yes, the woman (real name: Capri Anderson) behind his hotel rampage last weekend in New York is now said to be taking legal action against the actor. Charlie Sheen originally claimed his hotel antics were the result of an allergic reaction to some medication he was taking at the time....
Two words that probably don’t get put together often in any word association game are “Scout” and “criminal”. Fortunately for Brian Lenz, an Eagle Scout accused of aggravated assault stemming from a deadly trick-gone-wrong, it’s going to stay that way for him. The AP reported today that Lenz “appeared in court Thursday to plead not guilty to aggravated assault and was admitted into a pretrial intervention program that will enable him to avoid jail time or even a criminal record....
And scene. The rather creative legal battle between Eric Dane and wife Rebecca Gayheart and Gawker over the couple’s sex tape, co-starring celebrity rehab star Kari Ann Peniche, has settled in favor of the McSteamy couple. Gawker, who posted the provocative video for almost a year, will take down the suggestive footage and pay the couple damages in the low six figures, according to E! Online. In return, Dane and Gayheart will drop the $1 million lawsuit they had against the popular internet site....
Guess which Harry Potter actor was caught with a bomb? If you guessed the guy who plays Vincert Crabbe: “Jamie Waylett,” you’d be right. Though, most Potter fans likely won’t recognize Waylett’s real name. The 22-year-old actor played Vincent Crabbe, the bully sidekick to Draco Malfoy. Perhaps Waylett is just trying to live up to his character’s reputation. He was arrested and charged this week for possessing a homemade petrol bomb....
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the production, sale, and advertising of tobacco products, including cigarettes. The House gave its approval to the FDA’s oversight of tobacco by a 298-112 vote. Reuters reports that the bill “would give the FDA a range of authorities over the multibillion-dollar tobacco industry,” including the power to “restrict advertising to children, require larger package warnings and force companies to lower – but not eliminate – nicotine content....
As founder of Playboy Magazine, Hue Hefner has been afforded a lavish lifestyle, with a fancy mansion and girlfriends at his side. But a class action lawsuit filed by a Playboy shareholder may force Hefner to give up the good life. According to Courthouse News Service, a shareholder alleges that Hefner sabotaged two potential deals in the last six months to sell the company at a decent price, while refusing to give up his extravagant lifestyle....
Following James Gandolfini’s death in June, his multi-million dollar estate has been left in large part to his teenage son and infant daughter. The celebrated “Sopranos” actor left an estate of approximately $70 million, the lion’s share of which is set aside for his son Michael, reports The Associated Press. With a combination of wills and trusts, Gandolfini has ensured that his estate will be properly divided. Gandolfini’s son Michael, who found his collapsed father’s body in their Rome hotel room, will receive most of his father’s money once he reaches 21, reports The New York Post....
LaCroix’s parent company, National Beverage, is being sued for false advertising. LaCroix carbonated beverages claim to be “all natural,” but plaintiff Lenora Rice contends the beverage contains linalool, which is a cockroach insecticide, as well as a host of other artificial ingredients. Rice further contends that National Beverage knew about these artificial ingredients, and continued to intentionally market the product as “innocent,” “naturally essenced,” and “always 100% natural.” At the crux of this lawsuit are the compounds limonene, linalool propionate, and linalool....
Nothing says “I Love USA” like a charm from China made of 80% lead. A study performed this summer by an analytical chemist found that some “Patriot Pride” jewelry charms shaped to read “I Love USA” and purchased last May in Ohio have 2870 times the current limit on lead in children’s products. After many high profile recalls in 2007 and 2008, Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. It set new rules for the amount of allowable lead in children’s products....
Three Oklahoma teens are under arrest in connection with the shooting death of an Australian college student. Police say they decided to kill him “for the fun of it.” The victim, 22-year-old Christopher Lane, was jogging in Duncan, Oklahoma, on Friday afternoon when the three boys followed him in a car. Allegedly out of boredom, they decided Lane would be their “target” and fatally shot him in the back, reports Reuters....
Remember last year when Apple was sued for allowing children to make in-app purchases? Well, now Facebook is at the center of a very similar suit. Arizona mom Glynnis Bohannon sued the social network after it refused to refund the hundreds of dollars her son spent on virtual currency for the game Ninja Saga. She’s seeking class action status and wants the court to ban the site from selling Facebook Credits to minors....
Questions of excessive force are being raised in the police-related death of 15-year-old Jaime Gonzalez, Jr. Police were called to Cummings Middle School in Brownsville, Tex. on Wednesday after the 8th-grader displayed a gun. Officers found the teen pointing what appeared to be a semiautomatic weapon. When he did not comply with multiple requests to drop the gun, they shot. It was only later they determined that Gonzalez was armed only with a pellet gun....
Yesterday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a wave of recalls resulting from strangulation deaths of children caught in the cords of multiple makes of window blinds. The basic risk common to these recalls is that the blinds’ cords, or beaded chains, particularly if freestanding, pose a danger to children who can get caught in them and be strangled. In particular, freestanding beaded cords from roller style and vertical blinds, along with cords attached to “Roman style” shades have been targeted as a strangulation risk....
The Supreme Court has turned down a request by the Log Cabin Republicans to suspend enforcement of “don’t ask don’t tell” while the fate of the law is being decided by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The group filed an emergency request with the Court hoping to overturn the ruling of the 9th Circuit allowing the military to continue to enforce the law while the merits are being heard by that court....
In an emotional ruling for Californians on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by Proposition 8 proponents for lack of standing, clearing the way for gay marriages to resume in California. In an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court in Hollingsworth v. Perry held that the concerned activists who stepped in to defend Prop 8 when state officials declined to do so did not have legal authority to bring the case, reports The Huffington Post....
Rapper Crunchy Black of Three 6 Mafia has a warrant out for his arrest after missing his court date for felony drug and domestic violence charges. Crunchy Black was arrested last March, TMZ reports, after guests at a Minnesota hotel reported hearing screams and thuds coming from his hotel room. A hotel employee who came to check on the room told police that Crunchy Black’s fiancee had locked herself in a bathroom and said she would only come out if Crunchy Black would “stop beating her....
When a person is sentenced to probation, or is paroled from prison, many of their individual rights will be restricted until the court appointed supervision gets completed. Among the most serious deprivation of rights includes a parolee’s or probationer’s inability to freely travel around the world, or even just the country. Generally, a released convict who plans on travelling to another state for less than a few weeks will only need to get permission from their supervising officer, or the court....
So you skipped a criminal court hearing. You may be hoping to read that it’s no big deal, but this isn’t something trivial. Real talk: It won’t change the facts in your case, but it will change how the justice system treats you. Judges are given a large amount of discretion regarding bail and sentencing, even for very minor offenses, and missing a criminal hearing date may get you a raw deal....
Last month we covered the story of 10 year-old Zahra Baker who went missing in Hickory, North Carolina. There has been a break in the case, although it doesn’t sound like good news. ABC is reporting that investigators have found human remains in an area that they had previously checked. The investigators found the remains along the Dudley Shoals Road in Caldwell County as well as the banks and waters of Gunpowder Creek....
