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They say it’s never too late to start. In the case of John “Sonny” Franzese, it’s not too late to start a prison sentence for the geriatric mob boss. Federal Judge Brian Cogan was concerned that such a sentence was the equivalent of a life sentence for a man at Sonny Franzese’s age. But assistant U.S. attorney Cristina Posa found that unmoving. Extortion is acquiring property or money by force, or threat of 1) violence, 2) property damage, 3) harm to reputation, or 4) unfavorable government action....

By now you should be pretty familiar with the penalties for texting while driving. Almost every state has distracted driving laws that penalize drivers for being on their smartphones while behind the wheel. And we see these laws as necessary for keeping other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians safe. But what about those who are glued to their phones while walking, like zombies, oblivious to fellow pedestrians and cars alike? Well, Honolulu has a law for them, too....

Staking its reputation on being honest, The Honest Company was founded over 5 years ago by actress Jessica Alba, and 4 others, to profit by selling non-toxic household goods to ethical consumers. However, despite not admitting liability, The Honest Company just settled a rather large class action lawsuit that alleged the company wasn’t being honest about its products’ ingredients. The purveyor of household products is alleged to have mislabeled several of their products as being SLS-free....

Comic-Con gatherings give superhero and sci-fi fans the opportunity to dress as their favorite characters and celebrate comic book counterculture. And some of those costumed fans can be carrying impressively accurate portrayals of their characters’ favored weapons, including swords and laser cannons. But the weapons one fan carried to Phoenix Comicon yesterday got all too real. A 30-year-old man was arrested trying to enter the convention with three handguns, one shotgun, and a knife, all while clad in body armor....

Use of the electric chair in carrying out the death penalty amounts to unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment, according to a ruling issued today by the Nebraska Supreme Court. In its 6-1 decision in the appeal of Raymond Mata, Jr. – convicted of murder and kidnapping in 2000 – the court heard arguments for and against electrocution’s continued use in the state, and concluded that “electrocution will unquestionably inflict intolerable pain unnecessary to cause death in enough executions so as to present a substantial risk that any prisoner will suffer unnecessary and wanton pain in a judicial execution by electrocution....

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau just issued the finalized wording on the new arbitration rule. In short, the new rule allows consumers that have agreed to an arbitration clause in an agreement for consumer financial services to avoid being forced into arbitration when filing, or joining, a class action lawsuit. As the CFPB explains, the arbitration clauses in a consumer finance agreement, such as bank, credit card, or other provider of consumer financial services, usually served to make it a financially bad decision to file a low value arbitration claim....

California once prohibited any licensed liquor manufacturer or seller from offering any gift or free goods in connection with the sale of any alcoholic beverage, as a way to prevent bars, brewers, and distillers from enticing over consumption of their product. That extended to giving patrons a free ride home if they were too tipsy to get behind the wheel. But no longer. A new law allows alcohol manufacturers and licensed sellers to offer free or discounted rides to drinkers via ride-sharing services, cabs, or other ride providers to make sure they get home safely....

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. Former president George W. Bush. Fool-pitier Mr. T. All have fulfilled their civic obligation and reported for jury duty when called. But perhaps none are as famous as Taylor Swift. But that didn’t stop the worldwide pop star from reporting to Nashville’s criminal courthouse this week for jury duty. And as quick as Taylor Swift, criminal jurist, appeared, she was gone again, dismissed over an overlap with her own legal case....

Rocking Horse Depot has issued a voluntary recall of rocking horse toys due to a risk of strangulation. The rocking horse recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Rocking Horse Depot. Consumers are advised to stop using the rocking horses immediately. In addition, they should not be re-sold as that is a violation of the law. There are about 1,200 affected rocking horses that cause a danger due to the reins on the horse bridle which are long enough to form a loop around a child’s head and neck....

‘Making a Murderer’ subject Steven Avery had his motion for a new trial denied by a Wisconsin judge this week. The motion for a new trial was based upon new evidence, including DNA evidence and witnesses that were never provided to the defense by the state. Despite losing the motion, Avery’s attorney has not given up the fight. Apparently, the decision came as a surprise to both sides, as they had recently reached an agreement regarding testing certain pieces of new evidence, and amending the motion for a new trial based upon the anticipated test results....

Over the summer, a New Jersey woman, who happens to be deaf, filed a lawsuit against Taco Bell for discriminating against her at their drive-through window. The woman attempted to order by providing the employee at the drive-through window with a note that had her order on it, but she was refused service. On a previous occasion, she was allowed to order via note, but was told that the employee was making an exception just that one time....

Failed Times Square car bomber Faisal Shahzad said in court that the “war with Muslims just begun,” but if that’s the case, he won’t be participating from the battlefield. Judge Miriam Cedarbaum sentenced Shahzad to life in prison, noting that Shahzad failed to show remorse for his actions. Judge Cedarbaum said the sentence would hopefully serve as an “adequate deterrent to those inclined to follow the defendant and to protect the public against the crimes of this defendant....

Just because you may not be referring to the Google search engine when you ask someone to “Google” something doesn’t mean you’re unaware that there’s a particular search engine named Google. That, in essence, was the ruling of an Arizona federal court that found use of the term Google as a verb – referring to searching for information on the Internet – does not necessarily require that Google’s trademarks to the company’s name be cancelled....

So, did the popular ridesharing app ahem “Lyft” this professor’s invention? Retired Georgia Institute of Technology engineering professor Stephen Dickerson is suing the billion-dollar platform, claiming he came up with the idea of integrating cellphones, GPS technology, and automated billing back in 1999. “The core of [Lyft’s] business model is the transportation system of Prof. Dickerson’s invention,” his lawsuit alleges, “without that system, Lyft literally cannot operate.” You can see the full legal filing below....

College students may think they’re up to date on just about everything. Well news flash, taking that American Law 101 class didn’t give you innate knowledge of all the ways the law intersects with your life. Take a slice of humble pie sprinkled with these seven basic facts about criminal law that every college student should know: Snack on those facts as you try to lose the Freshman 15. Related Resources:...

It seemed as if as soon as President Donald Trump announced his executive order banning Syrian refugees and instituting “extreme vetting” for travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries, the lawsuits started flying. One of the most important was filed by the state of Washington and was successful in getting a temporary restraining order blocking federal officials from enforcing the order. Trump’s lawyers appealed the TRO, requesting a stay until the case ran its course, but that request was denied over the weekend....

A federal appeals court ruled that Amir Oveissi’s legal claims for wrongful death and the intentional infliction of emotional distress against Iran and its Ministry of Information and Security (‘MOIS,’ or ‘VEVAK’ in Farsi) must be considered under French law, allowing him to potentially hold the country and its security apparatus liable for his grandfather Gholam Oveissi’s 1984 assassination of in Paris, France. Gholam Oveissi was a four-star general and Chief of Iran’s Armed Forces under the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, before the 1979 Islamic Revolution....

After weeks of trial, 92 witnesses for the prosecution and four for the defense, and two days of deliberation, the jury has reached a verdict on the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. He is guilty, guilty, guilty. On April 15, 2013, two pressure-cooker bombs exploded in Boston where crowds of people were gathered to watch the annual Boston Marathon. Three people died, including 8-year- old Martin Richard, restaurant manager Krystle Campbell, and Chinese graduate student Lingzi Lu....

The Supreme Court has overturned California’s slaughterhouse law. The statute required humane treatment of downed livestock. This included animals that could not walk or stand. California’s law took effect in 2009. It was passed in response to undercover video aired by the Humane Society. The clip showed workers in a Los Angeles-area slaughterhouse dragging and forcing downed livestock into pens. The state law sought to regulate how slaughterhouses treated these “non-ambulatory” animals....

Bill Cosby and his former attorney, Marty Singer, are looking to go to court for the umpteenth time in recent years, petitioning SCOTUS to hear an appeal of a state court lawsuit brought by Janice Dickinson for defamation. Cosby has already lost this suit twice in state court, but he is hoping the third time’s a charm. Dickinson wrote a book about her Supermodel days entitled No Lifeguard on Duty, published in 2002....