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A delayed General Motors recall that led to at least 13 deaths was caused by “a pattern of incompetence and neglect” throughout the company, an internal report released Thursday said. GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra announced that 15 employees – many of them senior legal and engineering executives – have been dismissed and five more have been disciplined after the probe by former federal prosecutor Anton Valukas. Valukas’ report, described by Barra as “brutally tough and deeply troubling,” is attached below....

Police are looking for actor Jeremy London over allegations he assaulted his girlfriend in Pam Beach, California last Friday. London formerly starred in family-friendly shows like 7th Heaven and Party of Five. He also starred in somewhat less family-friendly shows like Celebrity Rehab where he spent time dealing with his drug addiction. Police say that London injured his girlfriend after an argument over child custody issues turned violent. She is said to have suffered minor injuries....

The New York Daily News reports that Liskula Cohen brought a lawsuit against Google seeking to discover the identity of a blogger who called her a “skank” and an “old hag”. With gory details of the blog entitled “Skanks in NYC”, the New York Post laid out the online broadside levelled at Cohen, “I would have to say the first-place award for ‘Skankiest in NYC’ would have to go to Liskula Gentile Cohen,” “Anonymous” wrote in one posting, and it just got worse from there....

An 87-year-old Denver man busted for growing more than 400 pot plants in his backyard insists he did so legally. But so far, prosecutors aren’t buying it. Edward Bogunovich faces felony charges of marijuana cultivation, possession, and possession with intent to distribute, Denver’s KUSA-TV reports. Though police allegedly counted 414 marijuana plants in Bogunovich’s backyard, they only seized 183 plants. So why leave him with 231 pot plants of his own?...

Two New Mexico State Police officers are being investigated over a minivan shooting that happened last month. One of the officers opened fire on the minivan carrying a mother and her five children. From engaging in a high speed chase to shooting at a van full of kids, both the mother and the officer are likely to face adult time-outs. What was meant to be a routine traffic stop quickly spiraled out of control when a high-speed chase ensued outside of Santa Fe....

Three rabbis allegedly conspired to kidnap and torture Orthodox Jewish men in an attempt to coerce them to divorce their wives. It may sound like something out of a Michael Chabon novel, but according to New York’s WCBS-TV, the rabbis and seven other suspects were charged with conspiracy to kidnap in federal court on Thursday after FBI raids in New York and New Jersey. Why would these rabbis allegedly resort to kidnapping and torture?...

Beginning on January 1, Californians who type or read text messages while driving will face a traffic ticket and fine, under a law signed Wednesday by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. California State Bill 28 “specifically bans the use of an electronic wireless communications device to write, send, or read a text-based communication while driving a motor vehicle.” Drivers who violate the law will face a “base fine of $20 for a first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense,” according to a Press Release from the Office of the California Governor....

Catching a rapist? There’s an app for that. While many people have privacy concerns about iPhones and their location-based applications, an iPhone app actually led police to an alleged rapist and as a result, he was apprehended. NYPD officers caught the suspect by tracking the iPhone he allegedly stole from his victim, reports New York’s WNBC-TV. The GPS-enabled “Find My iPhone” app led police straight to the alleged assailant. He is now in custody as they investigate....

In a major music download lawsuit, Capitol Records has won a ruling against ReDigi Inc. claiming ReDigi violated the company’s digital music copyrights. A federal judge in New York found that ReDigi was not allowed to let users buy and sell “used” digital music files on its website, reports Reuters. These songs had originally been purchased through Apple’s iTunes. The lawsuit is significant, as several companies have been making headway in creating a marketplace for used and unwanted digital works like music and ebooks....

A judge tossed out a $6 million breach of contract lawsuit by Robin Williams. The lawsuit against Gold Circle Films for a film that was never made was dismissed. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the case stems back to 2008, when Williams and Gold Circle were on the verge of to signing a contract for a film project when it was shelved. Actor Robin Williams was hired to star in the action-comedy....

We all thought that the Taco Bell beef lawsuit had come to an end when Alabama’s Beasley Allen law firm voluntarily dropped the class action suit against the company early last week. But as it turns out, the firm’s dismissal was little more than an underhanded jab at the fast food chain. And now Taco Bell wants an apology. The Taco Bell beef lawsuit originally filed by Beasley Allen alleged that the company falsely advertised its taco meat as beef, when in fact it barely met federal “beef” naming standards....

Ah, babies. They’re so adorable that not even A-list celebrities can resist their cherub-like faces. Maybe that’s why celebrity custody battles can get so heated. There’s usually name-calling, insults, and high-powered attorneys involved. Oh, and don’t forget an illicit affair. Some of the nastiest celebrity custody battles have involved many of our favorite veteran actors, famous directors, and reality stars. Below is a list of what we consider the 7 ugliest custody battles:...

Cocaine is a helluva drug. The buzz after you snort cremated remains? Not so much. Two Florida teen burglars somehow wound up snorting the cremated remains of a man and two dogs, believing them to be cocaine. The fact that the powder was inside of an urn was somehow not a tipoff. The ashes were stolen along with an urn and jewelry, Reuters reports. Police later tracked down five teens who were connected to a second burglary at a nearby home....

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has settled two cases resulting from “Operation Tele-PHONEY,” last year’s FTC crackdown on telemarketing scams. These scams illustrate three things to keep in mind on the phone: 1) know (or find out)who is on the other end; 2) be extremely careful with bank account information; and 3) know and confirm the terms of any purchase you make. The two cases respectively involved overpriced magazine subscriptions and bogus medical discount plans....

Could Tuesday be the day? The day when all of the disgruntled AT&T customers can finally ditch the pathetic AT&T network and get a Verizon iPhone? It looks that way. Verizon has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday that has the tech world buzzing. The Wall Street Journal reports that an unnamed source confirmed that the press conference is about the Verizon iPhone. As if that wasn’t enough, All Things Digital claims to have a source that said that that Steve Jobs will make an appearance at the press conference....

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and thousands of the company’s workers have reached an agreement to settle 63 class action lawsuits over the retail giant’s employment wage and hour practices. According to a Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Press Release issued Tuesday, the company will pay at least $352 million (and up to $640 million) to thousands of its current and former employees nationwide, and will “continue to use various electronic systems and other measures designed to maintain compliance with its wage and hour policies and applicable law....

Civil forfeiture is a strange legal concept, allowing law enforcement to seize large amounts of money and even homes from persons who haven’t even been charged with a crime. Comedian John Oliver recently took on the topic of civil forfeiture on his HBO show “Last Week Tonight,” revealing many of the shady police practices and procedural gaps that make the asset-seizure process seem so wrong. But what is civil forfeiture, and is it even legal?...

U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff clearly wasn’t thrilled at the Bank of America settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, calling it “half-baked justice, at best.” Nevertheless, Judge Rakoff reluctantly approved the settlement of $150 million between Bank of America and the SEC, after a lengthy battle by BofA to fight the civil charges of misleading shareholders during Bank of America’s acquisition of Merrill Lynch. But why doesn’t Judge Rakoff like this settlement?...

Harper Lee, reclusive author the classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” has sued her hometown museum claiming improper use of her name and the novel’s title. The author is seeking damages and an injunction against the Monroe County Heritage Museum in Monroeville, Ala., which uses the website ToKillaMockingBird.com. Nelle Harper Lee, 87, won the Pulitzer Prize for her only book, which continues to sell around one million copies a year. It was made into a movie of the same name in 1962, and the lead role of Atticus Finch earned Gregory Peck a “Best Actor” Oscar....

Former “All That” star and current headline-grabber Amanda Bynes was hospitalized on a 5150 hold Monday after she allegedly set fire to an elderly woman’s driveway. Law enforcement responded to reports of a fire outside a home in Thousand Oaks, California, and allegedly found Bynes standing near the urban campfire while holding a “little red gas tank,” reports TMZ. What is a 5150 hold, and what are Bynes’ chances of going to jail over her alleged firestarting?...