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Question: What happens when a bank uses slight of hand to routinely turn single overdrafts into multiple overdrafts, exponentially increasing fees? Answer: A $203 million judgment for restitution. Wells Fargo had a nefarious habit of manipulating overdraft fees by using a “bookkeeping device” that would turn one instance of overdrawing into many more, up to 10. This in part allowed the bank to collect $1.8 billion in overdraft fees from 2005 to 2007....

While rare, home burglaries are inevitable, and can be emotionally traumatic. Beyond the physical damage and financial loss, a break-in can be scary, even if you’re not at home. And while you may not be able to prevent all home robberies, there are some vital first steps you can take afterwards. Call the Cops The sooner you can report the burglary, the better. The first hours and days after a break-in are crucial to solving the crime....

Parts of Alabama’s immigration law were struck down in an 11th Circuit decision published Monday. The law was intended to step-up policing of undocumented immigrants. The law included some pieces that were similar to those ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court earlier this year. Sections requiring immigrants to carry documents at all times and criminalizing transport or illegal immigrants were struck down, reports the Chicago Tribune. A rule unique to Alabama that affects children was also struck down by the court....

Ah, autumn. That time of year when leaves change, pumpkin-flavored foods proliferate, and college students become unruly. As you may have heard (and seen), Keene State College in New Hampshire was the site of injuries and arrests this weekend, when students attending various off-campus parties celebrating the annual pumpkin festival started throwing things, leading to tear gas and arrests. College sometimes feels like a whole different universe than the rest of the world, but are the laws any different?...

It was a helluva divorce week here on Celebrity Justice, with no less than three celebrity couples making headlines with news about their failed marriages. The Camille and Kelsey Grammer divorce was finalized on Thursday, as an L.A. County Superior Court judge signed the final divorce decree. For those who don’t follow the washed up actor and his Real Ex-Housewife of Beverly Hills, here’s the deal: he convinced her to sign onto the Real Housewives franchise while he dabbled on Broadway, where Us Magazine reports he met his now-fiancé, 29....

The constant barrage of drop side crib recalls noted on this blog reached a new high today, June 24, 2010, as the CPSC announced a major seven manufacturer recall of more than two million drop side cribs. All of the firms involved in the voluntary recall will provide consumers with repair kits to fix the cribs. The CPSC warns consumers not to attempt to fix any drop side cribs with “homemade remedies....

David Matusiewicz, a divorced Delaware optometrist, pleaded guilty today to federal bank fraud and kidnapping charges. Since his crime spree reads like a television drama, it should be no surprise that he was profiled on America’s Most Wanted In 2007, Matusiewicz told his ex-wife that he was taking their 3 young daughters to Disney World in Florida. Instead, he fled with them to Central America via Mexico, taking his elderly mother along for the ride in a 33-foot mobile home....

Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell got an unpleasant surprise on their honeymoon when the couple returned to their hotel room to find they’d been robbed. Wood, most famous for her roles in “Thirteen” and “Once and Again,” and Bell, who is known for his work in “Billy Elliot” and more recently in “The Adventures of Tintin,” tied the knot Oct. 30. The couple then left for their honeymoon at a secret location, but on Sunday they discovered their hotel room had been ransacked....

Let’s say that you live in New Hampshire. And let’s posit that you don’t like abortion. If both of those are the case, you might not be too pleased with New Hampshire’s law allowing reproductive health care facilities to enforce a buffer zone banning anti-abortion advocates from protesting the clinic or its patients within 25 feet of the facility. You might be so displeased with the law that you sue the state in an effort to invalidate the law....

Ford Motor Company has agreed to settle a four-state class action lawsuit over the safety of its Explorer model and the sport-utility vehicle’s decreased value due to its history of rollover accidents. The settlement affects about 1 million owners of model year 1991 to 2001 Ford Explorers in California, Connecticut, Illinois, and Texas. Those Explorer owners will be entitled to a $500 voucher that may be put toward the purchase of a new Explorer, or a $300 voucher that can be used to buy any other Ford vehicle....

Forest Labs, the New York-based makers of Levothroid and Celexa have settled criminal and civil charges stemming from illegal drug distribution and promotion for $313 million. According to Bloomberg, the drug manufacturer will pay $150 million in criminal fines, forfeit $14 million in profits, and over $149 million in a settlement over violations of the False Claims Act. The high-figured settlement comes just weeks after Allergan settled criminal and civil charges to the tune of $600 million for misbranding one of their most popular products, Botox....

Is Full Tilt Poker a Ponzi scheme? New allegations levied by federal prosecutors assert that the online poker company operated as a “global Ponzi scheme,” stealing $444 million from unsuspecting players. Already charged with a host of financial crimes, a closer look at Full Tilt’s finances suggest that player funds were partially used to finance high executive salaries. Prior to being shut down in April, Full Tilt Poker had promised users that their winnings were being kept in untouched accounts....

Last month, we wrote about Target’s $10M settlement agreement with customers after the massive 2013 data breach. This week, Target has settled another lawsuit, but its legal troubles are far from over. In a separate lawsuit from the customer class-action suit, financial institutions that issued MasterCard credit cards affected in the data breach sued Target for millions of dollars lost. The banks claimed that they suffered damages reissuing cards and reimbursing consumers for fraudulent charges....

Here’s a warning for sun-worshippers: Spray-on sunscreen can catch fire if you stand too close to a grill, as one Massachusetts man learned the hard way. “I’ve never experienced pain like that in my life,” Brett Sigworth of Stow, Mass., told ABC News. Sigworth said he applied spray-on sunscreen to his chest, back, and ears. When he walked over to his grill, the areas where he’d sprayed the sunscreen instantly caught fire....

What began as a handful of sexts to a domestic abuse client, and snowballed into many sexts to different clients, seems to have finally ended with the resignation of sexting DA Ken Kratz. USA Today reports that 50 year-old Ken Kratz has left the position he has held since 1992 in the Wisconsin District Attorney’s office, and is now seeking professional help for his problems outside of Wisconsin. USA Today quotes a written statement by Kratz: “It is with deep sadness and regret that I announce my resignation as Calumet County district attorney, effective immediately....

Welcome to FindLaw’s DUI Law series. If you have been charged with a DUI, know someone who has, or just want to know about the law and how to protect your rights during a DUI stop, please come back each week for more information. Maybe you think the cops pulled you over for no reason. Or maybe you don’t think your speech was slurred when you talked to the officer. Or maybe you’re convinced you passed those roadside sobriety tests....

The TSA’s PreCheck program is set to expand to 60 more airports this year, reports Reuters. So how can you take advantage of it? The Transportation Security Administration’s expedited screening program is already available at 40 airports, and with the upcoming expansion, it will soon operate at 100 airports in 40 states, along with Guam and Puerto Rico. TSA also plans to increase the number of PreCheck lanes at participating airports in the coming weeks....

Tyson Foods, Inc., pleaded guilty to willfully violating worker safety regulation and causing the death of an employee. The world’s largest producer of chicken, beef and pork agreed to pay $500,000 for its violation, and will also serve one year of probation. As reported by Reuters, Tyson pleaded guilty to a “willful violation of an OSHA standard resulting in the death of an employee.” Such violations are the most serious offences of Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) rules....

You can’t abuse a child if there is no child, according to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In the debate over whether using drugs during pregnancy rises to the level of child abuse, the court found that a fetus is not a child, and therefore the act cannot amount to child abuse. As such, Child Protective Services has no standing to investigate such matters, and mothers cannot be punished for it....

Sexting has been a popular buzz word in the news this year. There are many reasons why: it’s a trendy sounding word that has ‘sex’ in it. It’s a controversial subject involving modern technology and sex. It frequently involves people getting caught up in scandals. It may not be the healthiest aspect of our society, but we eat this stuff up. Fortunately, or unfortunately, a new technology patented by Apple could be used to prevent underage children from sexting....