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George Zimmerman’s judge must step aside because of bias, a Florida appellate court ruled Wednesday. The ruling means a new judge will soon preside over Zimmerman’s second-degree murder case in the killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, according to a website set up by Zimmerman’s defense team. Zimmerman’s lawyer Mark O’Mara filed a motion in July to disqualify Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. But Lester denied the motion, finding it “legally insufficient....

When does parental discipline cross the line and become child abuse? Jessica Beagley, dubbed the ‘Hot Sauce Mom,’ is about to find out. Fed up and frustrated with her son’s misbehavior, the Anchorage mother of six turned to slightly unconventional methods of punishment: cold showers and hot sauce. Yes, hot sauce. Replacing the soap of days yore, some parents have begun placing drops of hot sauce on their children’s tongues as punishment....

Maybe portraying a villain brings out the volatile and violent side of any man. “The Amazing Spider-Man” actor Rhys Ifans was arrested over the weekend at Comic-Con in San Diego. The Comic-Con arrest followed an incident involving Ifans, a member of his entourage, and a security guard at the San Diego event. Ifans plays the role of The Lizard, a supervillain in the upcoming “Spider-Man” movie. A member of his entourage was denied access to a presentation, and Ifans became upset....

A mother callously left a healthy but unwanted baby to die. Sadly, this isn’t a rare occurrence. Indiana mother Alicia Keir was 20-years-old when she boarded a Carnival cruise to the Caribbean. Unbeknownst to her friends. Keir was pregnant and gave birth in her cabin. Instead of getting medical help and care for the child, Keir wrapped the baby in a towel and left the baby under her bed to die, reports the New York Daily News....

An Army benefits website scam is making the rounds, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. If you’ve seen the misppelled Web address USMilitaryBenifit.org, ignore it – it’s not an official U.S. Army website, the military warns. The bogus website claims to provide information about benefits, but it’s actually not endorsed by the Army. Soldiers, Army civilians, retirees, and even relatives of service members should take heed to avoid the website and ignore any information on it....

A decade of record making financial scandals and suits added one more headline just before its close on December 30, 2009. Broadcom, maker of semiconductors for wireless headsets agreed to settle its suit with shareholders for $160.5 million. Under the terms of the settlement, all charges against officers and directors of the company will be dismissed and the company admits to no wrongdoing. This settlement is second only in size to that paid by United Health Group in 2008, for $895 million over its own investor allegations of backdating stock options....

Asset Acceptance, one of the country’s largest debt collection companies, has agreed to pay the Federal Trade Commission $2.5 million in civil fines. The FTC had accused the company of deceiving debtors and failing to inform them of their rights under a debt’s statute of limitations. The company is known for buying “charged-off” debt, explains MSNBC. For just pennies, it acquires the right to collect old debts that creditors no longer want to pursue....

Jennifer Freeman, star of the television show “My Wife and Kids” is also starring in her own domestic drama with her husband, NBA player Earl Watson. The 24 year-old Freeman did not like the sound of a text message her husband of one year received and instead of hitting the delete button, she hit something else in her reach – her husband. Freeman hit Watson twice in the face before biting him hard enough to draw blood from his chest....

The 3rd Circuit has given the green light for DNA collection upon arrest for criminal suspects. The 3rd Circuit’s DNA decision came down to a closely divided court, with an 8-6 majority. The case that went up for appeal to the 3rd Circuit concerned a man, Ruben Mitchell, who was indicted with a count of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Upon arrest, law enforcement officials wanted to collect a DNA sample from him....

The disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz in 1979 may be solved, as a New Jersey man has allegedly confessed to Patz’s murder. Pedro Hernandez, 51, reportedly told relatives he had “done a bad thing and killed a child,” The New York Times reports. On the 33rd anniversary of the boy’s disappearance, prosecutors on Friday charged Hernandez with 2nd-degree murder. One of Hernandez’s family members called police with that tip a few weeks ago, though Hernandez apparently had been making the claims for decades, New York City’s police commissioner said....

At last someone involved with the BP oil spill has some good news. The Food and Drug Administration has been examining chemical oil dispersants used in the Gulf of Mexico and they do not believe them to be a health concern. They report that the dispersants which have been sprayed in the wake of the BP oil spill do not threaten the safety of the seafood in the area. According to the FDA the dispersants are not as dangerous as the oil itself....

Although Planned Parenthood is no stranger to controversy, their 30 health centers in the Texas are likely breathing a collective sigh of relief this week, as are the individuals they serve. A federal judge put a temporary halt to the Medicaid funding termination notice issued to Texas Planned Parenthood, because the state claimed that the organization was unqualified. Ruling on the Preliminary Injunction In the ruling on the preliminary injunction, the federal court explained that the state did not present any actual evidence to support their contention that Planned Parenthood is unqualified to perform the services they offer....

A Florida man has been sentenced to 180 days in jail for failing to give police a working passcode to his iPhone. A judge had issued a warrant to search the phone as part of a child abuse investigation, and when the passcode provided by the man didn’t work, the judge held him in contempt. The case highlights privacy interests and search and seizure rules in the age of mobile device storage and access to digital files and data, and why defendants might be better off forgetting their passwords than refusing to give them over....

Don’t expect Newt Gingrich to continue using “Eye of the Tiger” as his campaign song of choice. Gingrich has just been sued by the co-author of the famous tune, Rude Music Inc. Rude Music Inc. is owned by Frank Sullivan. Sullivan co-wrote the famous Rocky III theme. The song ended up topping the charts when it was released in 1982. It also garnered a Grammy Award and an Academy Award....

Jerry Seinfeld may be living the Jay Leno dream of collecting cars with his comedic wealth, but unlike Leno, Seinfeld seems to have landed in some hot water after selling one of the pricier Porsches in his collection. Jerry was recently sued because a car he sold at a big auto auction, believing it to be an authentic limited edition 1958 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS/GT Carrera, turned out to be, allegedly, a reproduction....

A U.S. Department of Justice report says that Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio violated civil rights. They say that Sheriff Arpaio and his staff failed to protect Latinos and discriminated against individuals from the Hispanic community. The report was the result of a three-year investigation into Arpaio’s office. In the past, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office received national attention and raised concerns when it conducted immigration raids against the Latino community....

Kat Von D is being sued by State Farm Insurance to recover money it paid out for a fire that burned down the “LA Ink” star’s home in 2010. The lawsuit seeks $909,199. Von D (real name Katherine von Drachenberg) lost most of her belongings when her Hollywood Hills home went ablaze, E! Online reports. Her pet cat, Valentine, also died in the fire. She later tweeted regarding the incident, “In order to gain everything, you must lose everything…R....

Consumers in California have filed a lawsuit claiming that the distributors of Kona Brewing Company beers intentionally misled them to believe the beer “originates from Hawaii,” when in fact Kona beers available in the continental United States are brewed in Oregon, Washington, Tennessee, or New Hampshire. The lawsuit claims consumers paid more for the beer based on their belief that the beer was brewed in Hawaii. The dispute is just the latest in a string of craft beer lawsuits....

The former Mrs. Bergen County, Soneca Guadara, is facing criminal charges as a result of an alcohol fueled party involving 10 minors, where she may not have even been present. When one minor was discovered drunk and passed out off the property in the neighborhood, police were called. Officers discovered nine additional juveniles at Guadara’s home where alcohol was being served, and described the situation as the “standard kids getting together having alcohol party....

Considering a kitchen remodel? Want to build an addition onto your home? Want to know how to avoid getting ripped-off by your home contractor? FindLaw recently broke down this exact subject in its Tips for Better Remodeling or Landscaping Projects. Any homeowners looking to hire a contractor would be wise to read these tips. Here are five steps to help you avoid getting ripped-off: (1) Know what the potential scams are....