Preparing for flood damage is a must for anyone who lives in a flood-prone area. Post-flooding disputes can arise about what’s covered by your insurance policy and who’s going to pay for your losses. If you have advance warning of a potential flood, like with a forecasted hurricane, keeping yourself and your loved ones safe will be a top concern. But you should also take steps to prevent a potential legal disaster once flood waters recede....
Hulk Hogan’s sex tape is floating around and his best friend, radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, may be responsible for it. What makes this story even more bizarre is that the person Hogan is having relations with in the video is allegedly Heather Clem, Bubba the Love Sponge’s wife. Hogan has come out and said that he had no knowledge that he was being filmed while having sex. And the sex tape may vindicate Hogan....
Police say that a California principal molested 7 girls over the past 15 years. Robert Benson Adams, 60, was arrested and charged with six felony counts of committing lewd and lascivious acts on children under 14 and a misdemeanor charge of annoying or molesting a child under 18. Adams has run the Creative Frontiers School since 1975. Creative Frontiers School is a private school located in Citrus Heights, California for preschool children and children in grades K-6....
It seems like credit card companies will be free to scrooge us through holiday season continued credit card interest rate increases. Previously, we discussed the congressional push to move up the effective date on card reform this holiday season, but it seems like that push has now faded into a pipe dream. Congress was trying to pass a measure that would enact strict rules against a credit card rate increase during the holiday season because of fears that credit card companies would do just that before the CARD Act is fully enacted on February 22, 2010....
A new study suggests child safety recalls are ineffective. Only 10% of children’s products are returned or repaired following child safety recalls, according to a new report by Kids in Danger (KID), a Chicago-based children’s safety advocacy group. The government makes announcements but product owners either don’t hear about it or they don’t respond, according to Nancy Cowles, KID’s executive director, USA Today reports. But others contend a low recall rate doesn’t necessarily equate to an ineffective recall....
When is unlimited not unlimited? When it’s an unlimited data plan from T-mobile, according to Trent Alvarez, who is suing the wireless company for deceptive marketing. Alvarez says he bought a T-Mobile smartphone with a data plan advertised as unlimited. He agreed to a two year contract. However, Alvarez, who filed the class action suit in Yolo, California, alleges that T-Mobile caps data after between 5 and 10 gigabytes before it either cuts off service or reduces data speed....
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided it won’t hear the Duke Lacrosse players’ appeal of their federal case, which followed the investigation of their alleged rape of a stripper in 2006. According to Durham’s WTVD, the High Court declined review of three ex-players’ claims that a North Carolina law which required DNA samples from the men without probable cause was invalid. Did the Duke Lacrosse players have a claim worth hearing?...
Are there penalties for illegal downloads? Chances are, you or someone you know downloads music or movies online. But just because “everybody does it” doesn’t mean that it’s legal. Sometimes, of course, artists or promotional sites will offer free downloads. And if you purchase a song or movie before downloading it, then there’s generally no problem. Still, the Internet is running rampant with users who illegally download – commonly via peer-to-peer networks like Limewire or BitTorrent, and also from friends who will pass on the goods....
LAX shooting suspect Paul Ciancia was charged with murder Saturday, with federal prosecutors leaving open the possibility of imposing the death penalty. Ciancia, 23, remained heavily sedated in a hospital over the weekend after being shot in the head by airport police. Friday’s LAX shooting ended with one TSA agent killed and several others wounded. Prosecutors are charging Ciancia with the “murder of a federal officer and commission of violence at an international airport,” ABC News reports....
October 11 is National Coming Out Day. If you’re a closeted gay or lesbian, will today be the day you choose to come out? If you do, know that there is a social media movement encouraging individuals to come out. Started by a group of activists in California, it’s called the #CountMeOut campaign. There’s also support from celebs like Ke$ha. The goal of National Coming Out Day is to encourage greater acceptance of the LGBT community....
Ronald Tackman once escaped from custody two years ago in a not-so-legal but “legal” way: posing as an attorney, he managed to stroll straight out of the courthouse in Manhattan. Tackman is now 57. His sentence for his crimes, including a string of robberies he committed, will be 28 years, reports the New York Post. Tackman’s courthouse escape was made when an officer accidentally left him alone and uncuffed in a courthouse hallway, according to the New York Post....
Our long national nightmare has ended. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have finally agreed to a custody agreement involving the ex-couple’s six children. While news of the out-of-court settlement leaked last month, more details have surfaced after the agreement was finally filed. Here’s a look at what we know. Pitt claimed a small victory in August, after the judge in their divorce dispute ordered Jolie to allow visitation rights. Then in November, Jolie’s attorney, Samantha Bley DeJean, confirmed to “Entertainment Tonight” that a “custody arrangement was agreed to weeks ago and has been signed by both parties and the judge....
Subaru is recalling several vehicle models citing a possible fire risk. The Subaru recall is believed to affect nearly 634,000 vehicles in the United States. The company stated that the fire hazard may stem from problems with the car’s lighting system. Apparently, the vehicles’ accessory puddle light system, which lights the areas under the doors, may be defective and could lead to smoke and potentially fires, reports Reuters. A short circuit can develop when the light or connector is exposed to certain types of moisture, such as road spray with road salt in it....
The Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of a controversial abortion restriction after a lower court struck down the law. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled that North Carolina’s mandate that doctors take ultrasounds and describe the image to women prior to abortions was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court decided not to review that ruling, and did not comment on their decision. Free Speech Violations The lower court determined that the law violated doctors’ right to free speech....
Spam can get you in real trouble. No, not the food poisoning kind, the wire fraud kind. After a three year investigation headed by the FBI and involving everyone from the SEC to the U.S. Postal service resulted in a guilty plea, the self-proclaimed “godfather of spam” and his spamming lieutenants were sentenced in federal court last Monday. The godfather, Alan M. Ralsky and the godfather’s son-in-law, Scott Bradley, received 51 and 40 months respectively and were ordered to forfeit $250,000 each for conspiring to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and to violate federal CAN-SPAM legislation....
If you’ve ever had your identity stolen, don’t feel alone. About 9 million Americans suffer through fraudulent charges and other effects of identity theft each year. But there are ways you can prevent identity theft. What can consumers do to stop identity theft and safeguard their personal information? Prevent Identity Theft Tip #1: Secure your personal belongings and records. Identity thieves can’t steal much if they don’t have your personal information....
Johnson & Johnson has announced yet another Tylenol recall. This one is a voluntary consumer recall of eight-hour extended-release caplets because of a “musty or moldy odor.” About 34,000 bottles are being recalled although the company says any health risk from the caplets is “remote”. The latest Tylenol recall involves more than 34,000 bottles of Tylenol 8 Hour Extended Release, which were distributed throughout the U.S. All of the products come from lot number ADM074, which is on the bottom of the bottles....
Over 677,000 IKEA and Green Mountain Vista window blinds are being recalled nationwide, because their cords may pose a strangulation risk to young children. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that at least one infant death and one serious injury have been linked to the recalled blinds. The agency is issuing detailed information on the IKEA and Green Mountain Vista window blind recalls, as well as important tips for parents and caregivers on protecting infants and young children from injuries caused by window coverings....
“The Steve Harvey Show” has been slapped with a $42.3 million lawsuit over allegations that the program stole music owned by the We 3 Kings. The music publishing company claims that the self-titled show of comedian Steve Harvey used its unlicensed music without its permission and without paying We 3 Kings a dime, reports The Jasmine Brand. We 3 Kings isn’t just suing Steve Harvey’s show and him personally, the company has also named every single broadcast group and station responsible for airing the allegedly infringing segments....
Reality bites for former Survivor winner Richard Hatch. Hatch on Monday surrendered to U.S. marshals in Rhode Island to serve a nine-month prison sentence. This isn’t the first time Hatch ran into issues involving taxes. Richard Hatch was ordered to file amended returns after being sentenced to prison four years ago for failing to pay his taxes. Hatch served more than three years in prison for his tax dodging, but apparently didn’t learn his lesson....
