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We’ve all seen TV shows and movies where the rat-faced guy in a crime ring is a snitch, and ends up with a reduced sentence. But reality is a bit different. One technical term for “snitching” in the legal world is accomplice testimony, and while it is real, it works a little differently than TV legal dramas would have you think, as a blog called Prosecutor’s Discretion points out. It’s not as dangerous as it appears on screen, but neither is it a get-out-of-jail-free card....

Sure, you appeared on a reality TV show or on the pages of Playboy magazine, but that doesn’t mean that any old strip club can slap your topless photo on one of their ads. That’s what over a dozen Playmates and professional models (and one Real Housewives of Miami star) are alleging in two lawsuits filed in federal court in New York. The plaintiffs are alleging that the strip clubs used their images to give the false impression they either endorsed or worked at the establishments, and they’re seeking money damages and an injunction against the clubs from using their likenesses in the future....

Approximately 248,000 lunch boxes have been recalled by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission. The Ci Sport lunch boxes come with three pieces including an insulated box, water bottle, and a freezer gel pack. California Innovations Inc. sold the products in Costco Wholesale Clubs, Leon Korol, and Cost U Less stores between May 2007 and September 2008. The products cost around $10 at the time. It came in several colors including navy/blue, red, black, and denim blue....

Dolly Parton may be closer to a “Hard Candy Christmas” after dealing with a recent injury suit over Dollywood. Tedi and Derryl Brown had a not-so-great time at the Tennessee-based, Parton-themed amusement park, especially after Tedi fell from a ride suffering broken bones and brain damage. TMZ reports that the couple is suing the park for $475,000 in damages. Is something rotten in Dollywood? The Browns claim that they were riding on the Waltzing Swinger ride at Dollywood when Tedi fell 10 feet to the concrete below....

Over the last 15 months, at least 103 patients have died after receiving heparin blood-thinning medication, according to information released Tuesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In February 2008, Baxter Healthcare Corporation recalled multi-dose and single-dose vials of heparin sodium for injection after FDA scientists identified a previously unknown contaminant in the heparin. To ensure that all is being done to provide a safe supply of heparin, FDA is urging medical device manufacturers to screen for the potentially harmful contaminant....

The settlement of a Ford Explorer class action case has been approved by a California judge, awarding “discount certificates” to vehicle owners in four states. According to Reuters, under the settlement – which applies to most new Explorers purchased or leased between 1991 and 2001 in California, Connecticut, Illinois, and Texas – Ford will issue $500 “discount certificates” for the purchase or lease of a new Explorer. $300 certificates will be issued for the purchase or lease of any other new Ford, Mercury, or Lincoln vehicle....

Professional golfer Lana Lawless has sued the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the Long Drive Association (LDA), along with sponsors of LPGA and LDA events in California over rules requiring female participants to have been female at birth. Lawless claims she was deemed ineligible for membership in the LPGA due to being a transgender woman. Lawless won the 2008 LDA Women’s Long Drive Championship, but her complaint alleges the LDA subsequently revised its entry requirements to exclude transgendered people....

Did Lady Gaga scam earthquake victims in Japan? Lady Gaga’s charity was a scam, according to a new lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by aptly named law firm, 1-800-LAW-FIRM, and was filed as a class action in the U.S. District Court in Michigan, reports E! Online. Lady Gaga had encouraged fans to buy $5 charity wristbands for relief efforts in Japan after the tragic earthquake and tsunami, according to E! Online....

States are increasingly legalizing marijuana, but weed smokers are still not getting off scot-free. A marijuana possession arrest happened every 51 seconds somewhere in the US last year, according to FBI data on American crime in 2014. These figures show law enforcement is out of touch with the public it serves, say marijuana legalization advocates. They point to the FBI’s 2014 figures for serious violent crimes – murder, rape, and assault – noting that half of these cases went unsolved....

Montana homeowner Markus Kaarma was convicted Wednesday of shooting and killing 17-year-old German exchange student Diren Dede, whom he caught in his garage. The jury didn’t buy that Kaarma had feared for his life when shooting the teen, as he had originally claimed, and found him guilty of deliberate homicide. ABC News reports that Kaarma is facing up to 100 years in prison, and sentencing is scheduled for February 11....

Florida State star quarterback Jameis Winston will not face prosecution for sexual assault, State Attorney Willie Meggs announced on Thursday. The announcement comes almost a full year after a former Florida State University student reported a sexual assault to police. Prosecutors will not press charges against Winston, or anyone else, and the case is now closed, Meggs told reporters at a press conference. “We’ve carefully examined all the evidence in this case and have concluded that no charges will be filed against anybody in this case,” Meggs told reporters....

Hans Reiser was ordered to pay his two children $60 million in the wrongful death lawsuit brought against him for killing his wife. As a result of the verdict, Hans Reiser’s proceeds from his software projects will likely all go directly to his kids, reports NBC. Reiser has already been sentenced to 15 years to life in the criminal trial for killing his wife, so he probably didn’t have much need for the money anyway....

A sheriff’s deputy took on two drunken Spring Breakers at a Florida beach brawl and, lucky for us, the whole thing was captured on shaky cellphone video (though not in Internet-approved sideways, smh). As always, police encounters like this are teachable moments. So let’s dive right into the video and break down where these two gentlemen went legally wrong: 1. Don’t Go to Spring Break. Kidding! You’re young, naive, and full of not having any responsibilities or direction in your life whatsoever....

We tend to get most of our legal information, especially in the criminal context, from television and movies, with the odd, sensationalized news story thrown in. And that’s true when it comes to criminal appeals as well: prisoners on death row can delay their execution for years on appeal; good convictions get tossed out on a technicality, bad convictions get overturned after an innocent person spends decades in prison; DNA evidence exonerates someone sentenced to die....

Uber might have just dodged the biggest bullet aimed at its disruptive, ride-sharing business model. In a massive settlement announced last night, Uber will pay up to $100 million to drivers who sued the company in an effort to be considered employees. In return, drivers agreed to remain independent contractors. While this may seem like a distinction in name only, the legal status of Uber’s workforce has an enormous numerical impact on Uber’s bottom line....

Randy Quaid and his wife were no shows again. They are wanted fugitives for failing to appear in court. The couple skipped out on a court appearance in Santa Barbara and is wanted by authorities, the Associated Press reports. The couple was arrested in September after being accused of using an invalid credit card to defraud an innkeeper at the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito of more than $10,000. The couple is accused of fraud charges, burglary, and conspiracy....

All of us have heard the phrase “too good to be true.” And most of us know to be skeptical of any claims a company makes on its potential for growth. So, when an entrepreneur tells potential investors that value in the firm will increase by 25,000 percent, that would be enough of a red flag to scare us off. But not big enough, apparently, for investors into rapper/actor T.I.’s cryptocurrency, FLiK Token....

George Zimmerman’s wife Shellie was arrested for perjury on Tuesday in connection with her husband’s bail hearing. George Zimmerman’s bail was revoked after Judge Kenneth Lester discovered that Shellie lied about the couple’s financial situation. Shellie testified that the couple had limited funds while concealing more than $100,000 Zimmerman had collected from website donations. The warrant issued on Tuesday referenced Shellie’s testimony in the hearing as the basis for her arrest....

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wed longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan on Saturday in a small surprise wedding in the couple’s Palo Alto backyard. Together for nine years, the day capped off a big week – Chan’s graduation from medical school, Zuckerberg’s birthday and the Facebook IPO. Though there’s no indication that the Zuckerberg wedding had anything to do with the IPO, its timing couldn’t have been better. At least if the pair ever decide to divorce....

For Mother’s Day, your darling angel-eyed child may bring you chocolates or flowers, or even breakfast in bed. But don’t let your parental guard down too easily, as your kid may be up to some potentially illegal activities behind your back. Just imagine: A nice little arrest warrant for Junior on the fridge, right next to his third-grade drawing of an elephant that looks more like a mouse. They grow up so quickly!...