The jury in the lawsuit over Pharrell and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” found the song stole elements from Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” Now the duo owe Gaye’s children $7.3 million in combined damages and a share of profits from the newer song. The jury award is the largest in a copyright infringement case, and critics wonder if it might have a chilling effect on the way new music is created....
By Maryam Ansari, Esq. We’ve reported on how author Greg Mortenson was found to be abusing his charity’s funds. Now, the “Three Cups of Tea” author is being sued for allegedly fabricating the stories in his book, reports The Atlantic Wire. Mortenson will be appearing today in a federal court in Great Falls, Montana. The lawsuit is brought by four plaintiffs who also bring suit against co-author Oliver Relin, Penguin Group publishers, the Central Asia Institute and MC Consulting, a consulting group owned by Mortenson, according to The Associated Press....
Talk about an elephant in the room! Um, I mean a baby elephant. After we wrote about unauthorized Michelle Obama ads by PETA in Celebrity Justice, the animal rights group responded to the hype by taking down the offending ads. However, they did not go without some fighting words about a baby elephant that goes by the name baby Barack. A baby elephant? That’s right. MSNBC reports that a letter by PETA alleges that the use of the Obama name for a baby elephant in the Ringling Bros....
For the most part, the criminal justice system doesn’t just punish criminal acts – a defendant must also have the intent to commit a crime to be found guilty. In legalese, this is known as mens rea, Latin for a guilty mind. There are a couple exceptions to the rule, and different crimes can have different intent requirements. Here is how mens rea comes into play with criminal prosecutions: Generally, we don’t to send people to jail for mistakes....
Things are certainly ruff for Jennifer Lopez and her crooner hubby Marc Anthony. They are getting sued by a flight attendant who claims she was injured by their pet pooch. Talk about a dog gone wild! The flight attendant, Ms. Lisa Wilson, filed the lawsuit in Brooklyn Federal Court. According to The New York Daily News, while Ms. Wilson was carrying sharp utensils to the famous couple for their meal, the German Shepherd growled at her and then he lunged at her....
The FDA is taking a noticeably harder line under the Obama Administration and letters are going out to companies the agency says are making false or unsubstantiated claims about their products. Now, one more letter has hit a three companies, right in the mouth. Johnson & Johnson, along with Walgreen Co. and CVS have all received FDA warning letters telling them to stop claiming their mouthwash products remove plaque and fight gum disease....
The transition from life in prison to life outside can often be jarring, at best. If you’re not lucky enough to have a ride home and a supportive network, that adjustment can be even worse. Finding a job can be the hardest part about transitioning back into society. Despite all the programs and incentives available to make it easier ex-cons easier, some of the old hurdles – fear, prejudice, etc. – still exist....
Stop putting words in my mouth! Is it legal to quote someone for something that they never said? Kendall Jenner wants to know. The reality-TV star is upset that Us Weekly quoted her as saying about her father Bruce Jenner: “He’s a wonderful man. And just because he’s changing shoes now, so to speak, doesn’t make him less wonderful. I will always love my dad, whether he’s a man or a woman....
A couple of University of Colorado students are in serious trouble after allegedly feeding pot brownies to unsuspecting classmates and their professor. The CU students face multiple felony charges for what they likely considered a practical joke. Police say three people, including the professor, were sent to the hospital as a result of eating the brownies and that five others were sickened, the Daily Camera reports. The students, 21-year-old Thomas Ricardo Cunningham and 19-year-old Mary Elizabeth Essa, face felony charges of second-degree assault, inducing the consumption of controlled substances by fraudulent means, conspiracy to commit second-degree assault, and conspiracy to induce the consumption of controlled substances by fraudulent means, according to the Camera....
Today the New Jersey Supreme Court sided with Scabby the Rat in a battle over First Amendment rights in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. The court ruled that a local ordinance enforced against a labor protester displaying the ten foot tall rat balloon was an unconstitutional restriction of speech. The case raised the age old question of when and how local governments can restrict speech in a public forum. As cnn reports, in April of 2005, members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers marched outside a Gold’s Gym in Lawrence Township, over a labor dispute with a contractor working on the site....
The United States Supreme Court has agreed to review a class-action lawsuit brought against Chase Bank for changing credit-card interest rates without informing account holders who were late on payments by written notice. Chase appealed the case, Chase Bank USA v. McCoy, to the U.S. Supreme Court after a California federal court allowed the 2006 class-action lawsuit to proceed. The named plaintiff, James McCoy, accused Chase of violating the Truth in Lending Act when it raised his interest rates even after his account was closed due to being late on payments....
Life is full of unexpected roadblocks and sometimes those roadblocks require you to cancel your Spring Break trip. If this happens to you, can you get your money back? Depending on your hotel and/or airline’s policies, you may be able to get a refund if you cancel weeks in advance. However, if you need to cancel at the last minute, you may be out of luck unless you have travel insurance or are willing to reschedule....
Most identity theft crimes are not carried out online, and more than 60 percent of identity thieves are under the age of 34 (with two-thirds being male), according to a new study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and conducted by the Center for Identity Management and Information Protection. The findings also show that one-third of identity theft cases occurred through the identity thief’s employment. According to CBS News, “the most frequently used non-technological method [of identity theft] was the rerouting of mail through change of address cards....
A teenager was arrested for a drugged-driving DUI after allegedly plowing into a Las Vegas restaurant. Ten people were hurt. The driver, 18-year-old Gage Lindsey, reportedly sent his Lexus airborne into a restaurant called the Egg & I. The sedan landed in an outdoor dining patio and smashed through a window of the restaurant during Monday’s busy lunch service, reports the Las Vegas Sun. Lindsey was booked on counts of driving under the influence of drugs resulting in substantial bodily harm, felony reckless driving, and felony hit-and-run....
Ever since Wisconsin passed a law requiring residents to present a valid photo ID at the polls in order to vote, the state has been a lightning rod in the debate about voter fraud laws. Preceding the 2014 elections, amidst a flurry of litigation, the Supreme Court stepped in and ruled that Wisconsin could not enforce its ID requirement. Last week, with a presidential election looming in the fall, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals waded back into the voter ID law morass, ruling that Wisconsin residents who have difficulty getting photo IDs may be able to vote without them....
Cake Boss, is a popular TLC reality television show following “tough guys” baking delicious and delicate confections in their New Jersey kitchen. The family drama apparently extends when the cameras turn off as well. Remy Gonzalez, brother-in-law of the boss himself, has been arrested on charges of aggravated sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, and endangering the welfare of a child. According to MSNBC, 32 year-old Remegio “Remy” Gonzalez is being held in a New Jersey jail following his August 18 arrest....
A Los Angeles judge has ordered a new trial for the “Price is Right” pregnancy lawsuit that resulted in a $7.7 million jury award for model Brandi Cochran. Last November, Cochran won the multimillion-dollar payout in a discrimination lawsuit she brought against the producers of the show, FremantleMedia North America and The Price Is Right Productions. Cochran claimed that she was discriminated against because she was pregnant, reports The Hollywood Reporter....
Eighteen child victims were rescued in a massive child porn sting that led to 190 arrests in 33 states and seven countries, authorities announced Friday. Some of the child victims were living with alleged pornographers, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said, according to Agence France Presse. The child-porn sweep, called Operation Orion, also serves as a warning for parents and children about the dangers of online encounters with strangers, the agency’s director said....
Holding that one cannot patent a “law of nature,” United States District Court Judge Robert W. Sweet struck down seven patents held by the biotech company Myriad Genetics, on BRCA1 and BRCA2, the genes whose mutations are connected with breast cancer. The company had asked the court to dismiss the challenge to its patents, arguing that the act of isolating the gene from the body changes it into a patentable material....
Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has seen his fair share of lawsuits. The self-proclaimed “America’s Toughest Sheriff” was sued by the Department of Justice for civil rights violations, and found to have routinely engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing. He was sued by a newspaper for arresting its owners following some unfavorable coverage. He was sued again for discrimination and was found guilty of racially profiling Latinos on immigration patrols....
