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Despite the growing popularity of e-cigarettes and vaporizers, neither can be used on a plane. Recent regulations passed by the federal government went into effect this year officially prohibiting e-cigarette use or vaping. Additionally, because of the risk of fire posed by e-cigarette batteries, they are not allowed to be charged on planes. Prior to the regulations, each individual airline had an independent policy prohibiting it, which was backed by a federal regulation allowing airlines to enact their own policies that don’t conflict with the law....

If you bought a computer, video game console, or other electronic device between 1998 and 2002, chances are you’re eligible to get at least $10 – and maybe more – just by filling out a form. As part of a price-fixing lawsuit settlement, manufacturers of DRAM – aka Dynamic Random Access Memory, a type of memory used in most computers – have agreed to provide rebates to consumers who purchased products containing DRAM during the years in question, with no documentation required on your part....

As the holiday shopping season kicks into full swing, consumers should be aware of the growing number of online shopping scams being reported. When it comes to shopping scams, the number one rule is: If the price sounds too good to be true, many times it is. But for consumers looking for insane Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals, sometimes it can be hard to tell what’s a screaming deal and what’s a shopping scam....

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has given 34 vehicles its “Top Safety Pick” award for 2008. The “Top Safety Pick” award is given to vehicles that earn a “good” rating after front, side, and rear impact crash tests conducted by IIHS. According to an IIHS Press Release, “compared with last year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet criteria for Top Safety Pick.” Winners for 2008 include eight vehicles manufactured by Ford and its subsidiaries, and seven Honda (or Honda-subsidiary) vehicles....

During the ongoing and increasingly prolonged recession, concerns about the increasing instances and motivations for elder abuse have been on the rise. But in a story that might end up being one of classic, unadulterated greed, CNN reported today on the criminal trial of famous socialite and philanthropist Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony “Tony” Marshall, which is about to begin with jury selection scheduled for next Monday. Tony Marshall was indicted in 2007 on criminal charges that included grand larceny, possession of stolen property, forgery and conspiracy, all of which came to light after Tony’s own son, Philip Marshall, raised concerns regarding the possible elder abuse of his grandmother....

Black Friday 2013 has come and gone – but unfortunately, not without some reports of Black Friday (and pre-Black Friday) crime from coast to coast. For the vast majority of shoppers, Thanksgiving night doorbusters and Black Friday bargains may have been a retail dream come true. Unfortunately for others, it ended up being more of a nightmare. Here’s hoping your holiday shopping experience didn’t turn out as harrowing as it did for some of these people....

Here’s lookin’ at lawsuits. Burberry has sued to use Humphrey Bogart’s picture on its Facebook page, The Hollywood Reporter reports. The lawsuit was filed against Bogart LLC, the owner of the late actor’s name and image. The dispute started when the British clothing retailer posted a picture of Bogart from “Casablanca” on its Facebook timeline. Bogart is wearing a Burberry trench coat in the photo. The company claims it’s using the picture to show Burberry’s fashion history, and not to sell its products....

Cook County probation officials are making a technological upgrade for juvenile probationers, implementing 24-hour monitoring for those on house arrest. Up until now, young offenders placed on electronic home confinement faced only part-time monitoring, enforced manually by juvenile probation officers doing in-home checks. The round-the-clock monitoring of these offenders will now be handled by a private company based in Irvine, California, reports Chicago’s WMAQ-TV. Why the sudden change in monitoring juvenile offenders?...

The city of Detroit’s recent bankruptcy filing made it the the largest U.S. city in history to seek Chapter 9 protection. The filing (attached below) came in the face of $18.5 billion in debt to creditors and unions. Detroit has seemingly tapped out its tax base, with no further ability to tax its population of 700,000, which is down 60% from its peak of 1.8 million in the 1950s. The Motor City’s bankruptcy filing lays the groundwork for a historic effort to bail out a major U....

Do you want to have Jersey Shore’s “The Situation” autograph something for you? Maybe you would, especially when The Situation’s Ferrari pulls up next to you and the reality TV star has two women sitting on top of each other in the passenger seat. Apparently for some New Jersey cops, the allure of The Situation might have clouded their judgment. The Situation, or Mike Sorrentino as he is legally known, pulled up to some police officers to ask for directions in his Ferrari....

Washington state legislators have put forth a bill to extend the state’s domestic partnership benefits. The bill attempts to complete the inclusion of domestic partners everywhere Washington law addresses married people. The Seattle Times reports that state Senator Ed Murray and Representative Jamie Pedersen are among those sponsoring the legislation. Additions to existing benefits would include the right to use sick leave to care for a domestic partner, the right to wages and benefits when a domestic partner is injured or killed, unemployment and disability insurance benefits, workers’ compensation coverage, insurance related rights, adoption, child custody and child support rights, and business succession rights....

The John Travolta sex assault lawsuit just keeps getting weirder. And in its latest twist, celebrity attorney Gloria Allred’s been sued. Okorie Okorocha, the attorney behind the original suit, is suing Allred for allegedly stealing his clients. After news broke that Travolta was in New York City at the time of the alleged attack, Okorocha reportedly told John Doe No. 1 he’d need to find a new lawyer. He did – Gloria Allred....

A New York judge has dismissed the “Johnny Bananas” lawsuit brought by MTV reality star John Devenanzio. Nicknamed Johnny Bananas, he had alleged that HBO’s Entourage improperly gave his name to a fake cartoon gorilla played by Kevin Dillon’s character. He sued, further claiming that the faux gorilla, which happens to look remarkably like Dillon, has caused him “tremendous emotional distress.” He also suffered from “great mental anguish and pain.”...

In less than one week since its release in the U.S., Pokemon Go, an augmented reality game that is played on smartphones and in the real world, is changing how we live. Even if you don’t play at catching imaginary Japanese video game characters in the world, you will be dealing with players running around all over town and maybe on your property. If you’re playing, try not to commit any crimes....

People who test positive for smoking pot can legally be fired from their job, the Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled. So while recreational and medical marijuana is legal in Colorado, there is no employment protection for marijuana users. A divided court upheld the firing of a man for off-the-job medical-marijuana use. The court reasoned that, because marijuana is illegal under federal law, employees have no protection to use it....

Actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi appeared in court and entered a not guilty plea to felony charges of defrauding an innkeeper. The couple skipped previous court hearings without explanation and were wanted fugitives. According to the Associated Press, the Quaids forfeited a total of $40,000 in bail when they failed to appear for a hearing last week. Warrants were issued for the their arrest after they failed to appear for a recent court hearing at a Santa Barbara courthouse....

Even though the customer will always be right, shoplifters, fraudsters and other retail criminals will usually be prosecuted, if caught. Shoppers have been trying to game the system ever since there was a system to game. However, many of these shoppers may be committing retail fraud without realizing that they are committing the serious criminal offense of fraud, which carries serious penalties. One of the most common shopping frauds occurs when a person wears an item of clothing, then returns it....

As discussed in a prior post, Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc. was hit with a $671 million verdict by a California jury who found the company failed to properly staff its 22 nursing homes throughout the state. Now, Skilled Healthcare Group has settled with the class of plaintiffs for $50 million to avoid the largest jury verdict awarded this year. The terms of the settlement are still awaiting the judge’s final approval....

In case the public doubted Mel Gibson’s capacity for ranting and raging, it appears that doubts will now be laid to rest. Entertainment websites and hard news sites as well are carrying audio excerpts from what all report to be another nasty, vicious Mel Gibson rant, this time against former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva. An audience for the hateful rants could put a dent in Gibson’s career but it won’t put him in jail....

This week, the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled 6-5 that a class action Title VII Discrimination lawsuit against Walmart can go forward. The Walmart discrimination case was filed on behalf of several female employees for sex discrimination under the 1964 Civil rights Act. The 9th circuit left it to the lower court to resolve the question of whether Walmart is subject to punitive damages if it loses the case....