OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma L.P. and three of the company’s top executives have been ordered to pay a $634.5 million dollar fine for failing to warn the public about the high risk of addiction associated with use of the painkiller. According to the New York Times, “U.S. District Judge James Jones levied the fine on Purdue, its top lawyer and former president and former chief medical officer after a hearing that lasted about four-and-a-half hours....
Today the Postal Regulatory Commission released a report recommending U.S. Postal Service rate increases which could go into effect as early as May 2007. Some highlights from the Commission report include: An increase in the price of a first-class stamp by two cents - from 39 cents to 41cents An increase in the price of mailing postcards by two cents - from 24 cents to 26 cents The creation of a new “Forever Stamp....
When pop powerhouse Prince died last week at age 57, it came as a shock to fans. But it seems that the musician was also not expecting such an early demise, as his sister this week filed documents saying he died without a will. “The Decedent died intestate,” Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, wrote in her petition to the courts for the appointment of a special administrator to deal with Prince’s estate, according to USA Today....
Up until last week, Colorado had a law in place allowing the state to keep fees and restitution paid by criminal defendants, even after their convictions were overturned. That was until the Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing for the majority in a 7-1 decision, held “Colorado may not presume a person, adjudged guilty of no crime, nonetheless guilty enough for monetary exactions.” And these monetary exactions were not insignificant....
A smoker’s widow was awarded $23.6 billion in punitive damages from RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, but the award may not survive appeal. A Florida jury on Friday granted Cynthia Robinson the multibillion-dollar sum in punitive damages, as well as $7.3 million in compensatory damages. Reuters reports that Robinson’s husband was a chain smoker and died in 1996 of lung cancer at 36. Does this incredibly large punitive award stand a chance?...
Intent is an important element of criminal law and most crimes have an intent element, called mens rea. This refers to a defendant’s mental state. A defendant must have the requisite intent to be convicted of a crime – an act alone will usually not suffice. So if you shoot someone with no intent to kill, that is not murder. The requisite mental state, coupled with the defendant’s actions, is needed for a conviction for most crimes, and a statute that fails to articulate a defendant’s mental state may be challenged....
On the heels of one of the most massive automobile recalls ever, the world’s second largest supplier of airbags was hit with the largest civil penalty in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration history this week. The agency is fining Takata $200 million for the company’s poor handling of defective air bag inflators. It’s been a long recall saga for the airbag manufacturer, involving 44 recalls and 19 million vehicles, so let’s take a look at where it stands now....
Locking kids up in juvenile detention facilities for a chance to get rich is clearly an illegal act. To do so when you’re a juvenile court judge elevates that crime to an egregious abuse of power. So when reports came out that Mark Ciavarella, a Pennsylvania judge, was doing just that, there was no doubt that he would face jail time. The criminal proceedings against Mark Ciavarella revealed shocking details about his involvement in the “kids for cash” scheme....
Given the social history of the United States, it is not surprising that American culture glorifies criminals, not just at home, but all over the world. After all, our earliest intellectuals were proponents of civil disobedience and actually broke the law to found the country. Throughout history, there have been criminals that have captured the imaginations of the American people, reaching superstar levels of fandom. Whether it was Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone, or the ever so secretive Carlo Gambino, it is hard to deny that these individuals have been glorified and idolized....
Girl trouble has never been a phrase used to describe actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his relationship with the ladies. The Hollywood heartthrob, who was slashed in the face with a broken beer bottle back in 2005, may face his attacker Aretha Wilson at the upcoming trial. The encounter occurred at a Hollywood Hills house party hosted by film producer Rick Soloman. The 40 year-old Wilson’s slashing ultimately caused the actor to receive 17 stitches on his face and neck, according to CBC News....
In an effort to combat online fraud in the sale of consumer goods, AutoTrader.com and a fraud prevention expert have teamed to offer advice on how to avoid getting scammed. The author of many fraud protection books, Sid Kirchheimer, offered the following tips for avoiding online fraud: Research the average price for whatever you are shopping for online. Beware of scam artists who offer much lower prices as away to entice shoppers and perhaps lower their guard....
Not everyone loves Facebook’s suggestions when it comes to tagging people in photos. On top of that, those suggestions may be illegal. That’s what we learned from a recent ruling in a class action lawsuit filed against Facebook over its use of facial recognition. A federal judge in California allowed the lawsuit to proceed, ruling that Facebook may have violated an Illinois law limiting the collection of biometric information, but limited the potential class of plaintiffs at the same time....
A contact lens recall has come under scrutiny by the FDA. The government agency is asking that the CooperVision recall be more widely announced after a “stealth recall.” The recall is for the company’s Avaira Toric contact lenses. It affects around 600,000 packages. This is the company’s second recall announcement in the last few months. The company said the first time they issued the recall notification they targeted eye care professionals who sold the lenses....
What do you do when your child, at the age of 6, gets into a schoolyard fight? It depends. But, at the very least, you don’t encourage a rematch, and you certainly don’t attack the adult trying to break it up. Shareka McKinney and Darell Livingston of Lansing, Michigan did just that. And now they’re facing charges for assault and battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Two boys–6 and 7–got into a schoolyard fight at Lyons Elementary in Lansing last week....
An Oklahoma dad is behind bars after police found his toddler daughter locked in a dog cage and another locked outside his house without clothing on Monday. Tulsa police responded to a call from a neighbor who heard a child screaming outside. When they arrived, cops found a naked 4-year-old girl locked outside on a cold afternoon, the Associated Press reports. Police knocked on the door, but there was no answer....
You’d better start burying your Benjamins in the backyard – the days of C-note might be numbered. In a recent academic paper, the former head of Standard Chartered Bank argues that high-denomination currency notes contribute to tax evasion, financial crime, and terrorism, and taking them off the market could deter criminals. Wait, how can banning big bills battle law-breakers? Peter Sands left Standard Chartered last June and has since been a senior fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Business....
Chuck Knoblauch (inset), the ex-New York Yankees second baseman, was arrested by Houston police on Friday night on felony domestic violence charges accusing him of assaulting his wife Stacey by choking her, causing “redness around her neck and swelling near her eye.” The couple, who have a 5-year-old son together, are in the midst of divorce proceedings. You can read Knoblauch’s arrest report and criminal charges below. Houston Police Officer Rebecca Sosa stated that Knoblauch’s wife Stacey Victoria Stelmach told her that Knoblauch:...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning about an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (suicidality) in patients who take drugs called antiepileptics to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, migraine headaches, and other conditions. The drugs that are subject to the warning include Depakote, Topamax, and Neurontin. FDA analysis of recent studies showed patients taking antiepileptics had about twice the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, compared with patients receiving placebo....
During the first week of his presidency, President Obama ordered Gitmo shut down within the year. An advisory board was to be created, and the record of each Guantanamo detainee was to be reviewed. Eventually, he hoped, the prison would be closed, and detainees would be released or moved elsewhere. Two years later, this plan has yet to be realized, with few detainees being released. And according to the courts, they don’t have to be....
A homeless man was arrested for having a BB gun near President Obama’s passing motorcade. The man, identified as 27-year-old Joseph Stravinskas, was apparently oblivious to to the fact that the President was passing by as he took BB gun practice in the nearby woods, reports the New York Post. When confronted by Connecticut cops, Stravinskas refused to drop the weapon, leading to his arrest. President Obama was scheduled to speak at the University of Hartford and state police protected the route from the university to the airport....
