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AirTran Airways has been fined $60,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation over its deceptive airfare advertisements. The company allegedly violated federal rules when they advertised $59 one-way fares. The advertisements indicated that additional fees or taxes would apply. It did not include detailed information about these extra costs. Under current federal law, airlines need to clearly disclose these types of fees in their advertisement. They need to prominently display a link with an online advertisement that takes consumers to an informational page....

A drugged driving charge can result in harsh penalties. Luckily, if you’re hit with DUI charges for drugged driving, there are defenses you can raise. For example, Kerry Kennedy (daughter of Sen. Robert Kennedy), was once arrested for drugged driving in suburban New York after careening her Lexus into a tractor-trailer. As part of her defense strategy, she claimed she accidentally took a sleeping pill. Is that a valid defense? Over-the-counter and prescription medication....

A federal appeals court has upheld the 2007 Legal Arizona Workers Act, which sanctions employers and businesses that willfully hire illegal aliens. A number of civil rights organizations and Arizona business groups had challenged the law, which allows the state to revoke the business licenses of employers who are in violation. In Wednesday’s decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit turned away the challenge, holding that 1) the Arizona law did not overstep federal immigration authority, and 2) the law satisfies constitutional due process requirements because employers are allowed to present evidence to “rebut the presumption” of an employee’s illegal status – giving businesses a “meaningful opportunity to be heard before sanctions are imposed....

Consumers may have good intentions by installing solar panels on their homes, but some are reporting that solar companies and their sales representatives aren’t making good on their promises. After reports of companies making false guarantees, purposely installing undersized systems, and knowingly signing unbuildable systems, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) kicked off a consumer education campaign aimed at educating and protecting solar customers from unscrupulous sales and construction companies....

Savvy social media users know feeds can be filled with fake news, false advertisements, and other scams. And Bitcoin, the online “cryptocurrency” that promises anonymity and security to its users, is not immune to the social media scam. ZeroFOX, a cyber security company that monitors cloud-based software and social media for threats and scams, has uncovered a few new scams targeting Bitcoin users on social media, from basic malware downloads to complicated Ponzi schemes....

A recent Ninth Circuit decision requires all crisis pregnancy centers to distribute information about publicly funded contraception and abortion services. This is not welcome news for pro-life groups. California’s Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency Act went into effect on January 1st, 2016 and requires that pregnancy centers and clinics provide a notice to their patients about the available, publicly funded, prenatal, abortion and family planning services. The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, a pro-life organization, and two other groups, challenged the act’s constitutionality and sought a preliminary injunction exempting them from posting the required-by-law notifications....

The House Financial Services Committee delayed action on proposed legislation to create a centralized Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA). The legislation mirrors much of what the Obama adminisration has proposed to regulate financial products like those that led to much of our current situation. Pressure from financial industry organizations, as well as current regulators who don’t want to cede power, caused the delay. Elizabeth Esfahani, spokeswoman for the House Financial Services Committee said that the bill has been delayed because “[w]e want to give consumer groups and their allies time to engage in the same amount of lobbying as their opponents on Capitol Hill....

At first, hoverboards seemed awesome and everyone wanted one. Lots of people bought them and the wheeled balance boards seemed poised to take off (as their name indicates). Sales were very strong, fueled by trendsetting celebrities adopting them, according to the Smithsonian. At one point last year, there were thousands of boards coming into the country every day that didn’t meet safety standards. But then bad news about hoverboards emerged: the lithium ion batteries catch on fire....

Dead baby scammers Tiffany Lyon, 27, and Chasity Doll, 20, are at it again. The pair was arrested in June in Modesto, California after waving donation signs on busy streets. These fraudulent signs claimed they were raising money for a dead infant that actually never existed. That dead infant scam raised around $640. And, reports are now surfacing that the pair, who are out on bail, are back into the scamming business....

Star of “Desperate Housewives,” Eva Longoria Parker, is facing a breach of contract lawsuit over her Las Vegas restaurant Beso. Actress Eva Longoria Parker is being sued by a married couple, the restaurant’s managers, who were fired and accused of financial shenanigans, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Ronen and Mali Nachum filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Langoria Parker claiming she and other business partners used scare tactics to push them out of their jobs and share of the restaurant....

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state officials in California announced that a recent field test of cattle feces on a Salinas Valley cattle ranch showed a match for the same strain of E. coli that has caused three deaths and sickened 199 people in 25 states. According to the FDA, the investigation into the source of the recent E. coli outbreak “has narrowed to four implicated fields on four ranches”, and “the outbreak strain of E....

Hollywood studios are moving to dismiss a case that claims captioning for the hearing impaired fails the deaf by omitting song lyrics. The studios say they have creative discretion. The plaintiffs argue that the lack of lyrics deprives the deaf of a film’s full meaning and is a civil rights violation. If you are not hard of hearing and watch movies with the captioning on anyway, as some of us do, you will soon see the plaintiff’s point....

Four of the largest home builders in the U.S. have agreed to pay $4.3M in civil penalties to resolve alleged violations of storm water run-off regulations at home construction sites in 34 states, federal officials announced Wednesday. The four home builders – Centex Homes, KB Homes, Pulte Homes, and Richmond American Homes – “have agreed to implement company-wide compliance programs that go beyond regulatory requirements and put controls in place that will keep 1....

It’s May. Do You Know Where Your 1040 Is? If you rank your favorite federal government agencies in your spare time, chances are the IRS isn’t close to the top of your list (maybe it’s the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its adorable but endangered species). But now, the agency that ruins the onset of springtime for many may also be dropping the ball when it comes to making sure that consumers’ tax documents – and the sensitive financial and personal information those papers contain – don’t end up in unsecured trash bins behind IRS buildings, according to a federal audit report released today....

Justin Bieber’s deposition video is going viral. But aside from being entertaining to watch, there are some legal lessons to learn too. While depositions aren’t trials, for many average Americans, a depo can feel like an inquisition. It doesn’t have to be, however. According to the depo video obtained by TMZ, Justin Bieber acted atrociously during a recent deposition. Here’s a clip to prove it – and five lessons for how not to act in a depo, care of the Biebs:...

Khloe Kardashian is making medical decisions for her husband, Lamar Odom, while he’s in a coma. This is news because those of us who have been Keeping Up With the Kardashians – and even those who were not – all thought they were divorced. Lamar Odom was rushed to a hospital in Nevada this week, having collapsed in a brothel after spending $75,000 in a weekend at The Love Ranch. Khloe rushed to his side, where he lies in a medically-induced coma....

It wouldn’t be a Friday on FindLaw’s Celebrity Justice without a small update on at least one of our favorite scoff-law celebs. Last Friday, it was the news that actress Lindsay Lohan had failed her court ordered drug test. With a stop-over for Paris, in court on drug charges on Tuesday, again this Friday it is Lohan, back in court and as of this morning, back in jail. There is new sheriff (well, actually new judge) in town and he had our Lindsay Lohan cuffed and headed back to jail for this possible probation violation....

AEG has dropped its lawsuit against insurance company Lloyds of London to collect on its $17.5 million insurance policy for Michael Jackson’s “This is It” tour. AEG was the concert promoter behind the ill-fated “This is It” and had taken out the insurance policy to protect itself should anything happen to Jackson or derail the tour. When Jackson died just prior to the tour, AEG sought to collect on the insurance plan....

Most of us are familiar enough with the general warrant requirement. From seeing cops on TV bang on a front door yelling, “Open up, we have a warrant,” to Jay-Z advising officers, somewhat incorrectly, “Well, my glove compartment is locked, so is the trunk and the back, And I know my rights so you go’n need a warrant for that,” pop culture is rife with warrant references and “common” knowledge....

A Senate hearing on the merits of state-legalized pot was held by the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, focusing primiarly on the conflict between federal and state laws. The hearing was prompted by the Justice Department’s announcement that it would back off on prosecuting “legal” marijuana possession and use in states like Colorado and Washington, where voters have approved non-medicinal marijuana use for adults over 21. The DOJ says it’s focusing instead on areas which are illegal under both state and federal law (e....