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In a decision handed down Wednesday that is being called “groundbreaking,” U.S. District Court Judge Stanwood Duval, Jr. found in favor of four plaintiffs and awarded damages totaling $719,00.00 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The suit was brought over alleged negligence by the Corps in building and maintaining the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet canal, eerily nicknamed “Mr. Go” by New Orleans residents. In the scope of the disaster wrought by Katrina, this award may sound like a mere drop, but the result opens the channel to many more potential claims....

You know that drunk driving is unsafe and illegal. You know your friends will be drinking, so you do the safe and responsible hero move and volunteer to be the designated driver. So can you still get in trouble for doing the right thing? As good as your intentions may be, some bad behavior might still get you into trouble with the law. So here are the do’s and don’ts of designated driving:...

All those annoying telemarketing robocalls and unwanted texts may soon become a thing of the past. Hopefully. The FCC is considering new rules that will allow users to say no to spam texts and robocalls. Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) regulates telemarketing. The act requires telemarketers to identify themselves on all calls, prohibits calls before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m., and restricts calls to people who are on the National Do Not Call Registry....

St. Louis County prosecutors will begin presenting evidence to a grand jury this week in connection with the fatal officer-involved shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The grand jury will be tasked with evaluating testimony and evidence regarding the unarmed 18-year-old’s death and will consider criminal charges against those responsible. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, assistant St. Louis County prosecutors Kathi Alizadeh and Sheila Whirley have been selected to present the case to the jurors....

What’choo talkin’ ‘bout, Willis? Well it seems like Gary Coleman and his wife definitely believe in Diff’rent Strokes for different folks. RadarOnline reports that Gary Coleman and his wife recently settled a civil assault lawsuit put forth by a fan who claims that Gary Coleman and his wife assaulted him and tried to run him over with a truck. Mr. Colt Rushton claims that Mr. Coleman’s wife, Shannon Price tried to grab his phone from him in the parking lot of a bowling alley after he refused to pay for taking Gary Coleman’s picture....

Property can be an abstract notion and intellectual property is particularly difficult to value. Few of us would think to trademark the things we say or our children’s names, and if we tried, it would not work. For the rich and famous, however, it can make sense to claim ownership over some seemingly silly stuff. Celebrities have filed trademark applications for catchphrases, snippets, song lyrics, nicknames, and even given names. Some were approved....

A federal judge in Florida has issued a temporary injunction blocking the enforcement of the state’s welfare drug test law. The law mandates drug testing for those seeking state welfare. Persons who test positive are denied benefits. Plaintiff, a Navy veteran and university student, applied for aid so that he can care for his daughter. He refused to take the test, and was subsequently denied benefits. He then sued on Fourth Amendment grounds....

Watch out for get-out-of-debt schemes! One of the largest debt negotiation scams in the United States has finally landed in hot water. On Wednesday, the Attorney General of Alabama, Troy King, and the Alabama Securities Commission announced the permanent shutdown of Allegro Law, LLC and Allegro Financial Services LLC. The lawsuit was filed by King and the Securities Commission Director, Joe Borg, seven months ago. At the time, the suit halted operations and froze the assets of the company....

Katy Perry in a convent. Enough said. Well, actually, if the nuns have anything to say about it, Katy Perry won’t be able to live in the convent of her dreams. The I Kissed a Girl singer wanted to buy a former convent in the hills above Los Angeles from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, but it may already be sold to someone else. The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary used to live at the convent in question....

Whether they do it to avoid punishment for their own crimes or out of some civic duty, confidential informants know they’re entering into a dangerous enterprise. After all, snitches get stitches, as the saying goes. What a “CI,” as they’re known, does not anticipate is being outed as an informant by their own officers/handlers and being shot in their home as a result. This unfortunately happened to one CI in Richmond, California, and now the city is compensating him for his injuries....

Sara Kruzan, a California woman who killed her former pimp as a teenager, is set to be released after originally being sentenced to life in prison. Kruzan had been serving 25 years to life on a commuted sentence. But a parole board is expected to grant her freedom after serving more than 15 years behind bars, CBS News reports. Why? It’s all because of a new California law regarding juvenile life sentences....

Hip-hop mogul Marion “Suge” Knight has had another run-in with the law. He was arrested by the Los Angeles police and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The co-founder of Death Row Records, Suge Knight was stopped by California Highway Patrol officers while driving a white Cadillac Escalade, Los Angeles Times reports. The 45-year-old convicted felon was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and held on a warrant alleging he drove with a suspended license....

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued an opinion rejecting as unconstitutional two school districts’ use of diversity plans that take students’ race into account when assigning pupils to schools. Writing for the Court in the 5-4 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts concluded that “the school districts have not carried their heavy burden of showing that the interest they seek to achieve justifies the extreme means they have chosen–discriminating among individual students based on race by relying upon racial classifications in making school assignments....

When you sign a petition calling for a public vote on a controversial law, are you protected from having your name made public? No, said the United States Supreme Court in a 8-1 ruling in the case of Doe v. Reed on Thursday, June 24, 2010. Justice Thomas was the only dissenter. The case came to the court after Protect Marriage Washington organized a petition drive for a public vote to repeal the a state law which provided for equal rights in all areas of the law for homosexual couples, with the exception that the couples could not actually marry....

A French national who plays for the San Antonio Spurs is probably the last person you’d expect to get hurt in a fight between a rapper and an R&B star over another pop star, but that’s what happened last week. Now Tony Parker is suing the New York City club where the Chris Brown/Drake fight happened, blaming security for injuries he allegedly suffered. It does not appear that either Chris Brown or Drake were named in the lawsuit, according to CBS New York....

After the Newtown tragedy, the gun law debate is charged with emotions, and conflict. Tougher gun laws have divided lower courts across the country. And yet, despite all the buzz on the topic, the Supreme Court isn’t weighing in on a restrictive gun law in New York state. If the justices had decided to hear the case, they would’ve taken on a major Second Amendment question: Can states bar or strictly limit the carrying of guns in public for self defense?...

Will Amanda Knox be extradited? Speculation is running rampant, as the 26-year-old Seattle woman has once again been found guilty of murder in Italy for the stabbing death of her former roommate Meredith Kercher in 2007. Knox’s original murder conviction was overturned by an Italian appeals court, but Italy’s Supreme Court ordered a retrial, Reuters reports. Knox was sentenced to 28 and a half years in prison in Italy, but she would have to be extradited to serve her time....

Drake Bell, a former child star on Nickelodeon’s “Drake and Josh,” filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last May. The 27-year-old actor is seeking relief from debts reaching into seven figures. The young star has been struggling with an erratic income and racked up around $2.166 million in debts since the hit Nickelodeon show ended, New York Daily News reports. Bell certainly isn’t alone when it comes to former child stars in dire financial straits....

“Teen Mom” “start” Amber Portwood was arrested on charges of battery for attacking her ex-boyfriend on screen. Apparently when you give teenage pregnant girls reality shows and lots of money and attention, they act out. Who knew? Amber Portwood is now facing three counts of battery in addition to one count of neglect in Indiana, The Herald Bulletin reports. Portwood surrendered to Indiana police on domestic abuse charges, TMZ.com reports....

After wallowing in defeat, Alicia is getting back on the horse and taking up the case of an old client. Here’s what you need to know from last night’s episode, entitled “Don’t Fail”: Episode Recap (Spoiler Alert): At the end of last episode, Peter urged Alicia to write a memoir. This episode, she tries to consult with a ghost writer, but Alicia seems not quite ready to spill her secrets. Instead, Alicia jumps back into the courtroom to represent an old client, Brett Tatro....