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An Illinois judge recently ruled against Dennis Hastert, allowing the victim of the former politician’s sexual abuse to proceed with his contract enforcement action. The case stems from a recently entered into oral settlement agreement between Hastert and an unnamed individual whom Hastert abused in the 1970s while the individual was a minor. In 2010, Hastert agreed to pay $3.5 million to the unnamed individual in installments over a period of time....

Many Californians are willing to pay a premium for products based on environmentally friendly claims, according to Napa District Attorney Allison Haley. “However, the ability of plastic to decompose depends greatly on the environment in which it is placed,” Haley said in a statement following the settlement. “Plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose in typical landfill conditions. Since biodegradability claims are inherently misleading, California law imposes an outright ban on the sale of plastics labeled ‘biodegradable’ (or labeled with similar language)....

No, not all college students are of legal drinking age. Yes, most college students are going to drink anyway. (They’re especially going to drink at these ten schools.) If and when they do drink, hopefully they do so responsibly and don’t end up behind the wheel of a car. Law enforcement, both on and off campus, is cracking down on alcohol offenses. College students may also face additional DUI penalties from the school....

Princeton University professor and civil rights activist Dr. Cornel West was arrested Sunday during an Occupy D.C. protest at the U.S. Supreme Court. Just prior to his arrest, West gave a speech to a group of 500 people. He then spontaneously led about 200 demonstrators to the Court’s steps. His intent was to show solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. The frequent “Real Time with Bill Maher” guest wanted to point out the “relation between corporate greed and what goes on too often in Supreme Court decisions....

Guns are dangerous as it is. The last thing gun owners need are rifles that are “susceptible to unintentional firing without a trigger pull.” Remington had allegedly produced some 7.5 million rifles with a design defect that, while intended as a safety improvement, could lead to the guns firing without the trigger being pulled. The gun manufacturer recently settled a class action lawsuit claiming the company knew about and failed to adequately address the problem, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that settlement last week....

Last week, a 41-year-old Huntington Beach man was arrested with $100K worth of meth and heroin. While he may not quite have reached Walter White status, he’s facing enhanced charges as he had 25 lbs of methamphetamine and 289 grams of heroin. Currently, he is in custody after pleading not guilty to multiple charges, awaiting his next hearing on October 28, 2016, where bail may be reconsidered. Officers arrested the suspected drug dealer after pulling him over for a traffic stop....

After nearly six years of criminal trials in two federal cases, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced that the Justice Department was requesting the court to sign a nolle prosequi order (see below) formalizing a decision not to prosecute John A. Gotti a/k/a ‘Junior Gotti’ any more on federal racketeering and murder conspiracy charges involving alleged drug trafficking and loansharking activities. The latest case was originally filed in Florida, but subsequently transferred to New York....

Guest post by Jennifer K. Halford, Esq. Rapper Lil Phat was fatally shot in front of an Atlanta hospital Thursday night. Lil Phat may have been best known for appearing on Webbie’s hit song “Independent.” The 19-year-old Trill Entertainment rapper Melvin Vernell III, who went by Lil Phat, was shot several times in the parking lot near Northside Hospital Women’s Center. It was a tragic end to a promising rap career....

A peeping photog has sued Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green, accusing the husband and wife duo of violently assaulting him on a Hawaii beach. The paparazzo, Delbert Shaw, claims that he suffered serious injuries. The lawsuit was filed on Monday morning in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to gossip site TMZ. Shaw has reportedly asked for an unspecified amount in damages, but chances are the suit will be settled before you and I ever learn how much he really wants....

For the second year in a row, teen pop star Miley Cyrus’ salvia smoking habit is sparking controversy over a substance that’s illegal in many states. Cyrus celebrated her 19th birthday last week, at a bash captured on camera. Video posted online at TheDaily.com shows the former Hannah Montana star laughing at her birthday cake – adorned with an edible image of reggae star Bob Marley – and apparently admitting to an illegal drug habit....

When it comes to healthy living, weight loss, getting in shape, and the like, we’re constantly being told to drink more water. But what if even your water isn’t good for you? A class action lawsuit filed against Nestle claims that the company engaged in deceptive marketing because their bottled water, Pure Life, is not so pure and contains microplastics, according to a recent study. Study: Nestle the Brand with Highest Contamination The bottled water study was conducted by State University of New York and Orb Media, a nonprofit journalism organization....

Jenna Jameson - sued for breach of contract. Not exactly the spiciest of lawsuits for the adult film star. The Jenna Jameson lawsuit is arising out of a contract that Jameson apparently reneged on in late March. At least we have Zombie Strippers to balance things out. The owners of Hollywood Palms Cinema and Hollywood Blvd. in Illinois are alleging that Jameson “faked it” to get out of appearing at their theater to do a promotion for her 2008 film “Zombie Strippers!...

Over the past four years, the Milly Rock has gone from street dance in Brooklyn to soccer celebration in London. And the video game Fortnite has garnered 200 million players, heights of popularity few games have ever seen. So perhaps it was to be expected that Fortnite characters would start Milly Rocking in the game. There’s a little problem, however – Fortnite’s creators, Epic Games, called the dance emote “Swipe It....

Actor Shia LaBeouf has been in and out of court a lot lately, but this time it was to get a restraining order against someone else who was allegedly behaving badly. Graciela Nahle, 31, was ordered to stay 100 yards away from the “Transformers” star, although it’s unclear if she’ll choose to obey it. According to TMZ, Nahle thinks that LaBeouf is “Albert Einstein” and wants to “blow up the world,” so her judgment might be a bit off-kilter....

After a leaving a legal trail long enough to circle the globe, the case over recitation of the pledge of allegiance in public schools has come to rest, for the moment at least, with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, CA. According to the opinion of a three judge panel, the pledge can be recited in the state’s public schools without violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution....

Think you’re safe walking around while texting or talking on your cell phone? Well hold the phone – and hold it tightly – because thieves may have you in their sights. Especially if you’re in one of America’s top 10 cities for stolen cell phones. A mobile security firm has released its top 10 list, pinpointing not just the worst cities for stolen cell phones, but also how those stolen phones add up to a huge expense for consumers, the Los Angeles Times reports....

You’re driving along on the freeway when, out of the corner of your eye, you spot a police car parked on the shoulder of the road. You hit your breaks and slow to the speed limit. You drop your cell phone on the passenger seat. As you drive by, you nervously peer into the rear view mirror to see if you’re going to be pulled over. Your worries may be legitimate....

Toyota has been hit with the largest civil fine available under federal law. The carmaker will be required to pay a record $32.425 million over its failure to inform federal authorities promptly of the problems that lead to the massive recalls for steering and acceleration issues. The fines where handed down after two Department of Transportation investigations into Toyota’s handling of the recalls. In the Toyota recalls over floor mats and sudden acceleration, the company first recalled its floor mats as early as 2007, reports ABC News....

The majority of gun owners say they bought a gun for protection (despite evidence that gun owners are more likely to shoot another member of the household in the home than an armed intruder). And most of the people that buy guns for self-defense would rather never use them. But we don’t live in a perfect world, and there are times when it becomes necessary to sue a gun to protect yourself, another person, or your property....

A hotel guest was quite literally bugged by a few things during a recent stay at Anaheim’s Disneyland Hotel in April 2018. In a lawsuit she filed in Los Angeles Superior Court this week, Dr. Ivy Eldridge claims the Disneyland Hotel failed to provide her with a bedbug-free room, and as a result, ended up with welts and bites on her face, ears, neck, arms and back. Walt Disney Co., Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Disneyland Hotel are all named defendants in the negligence lawsuit....