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It hasn’t been a great couple years for crime labs and their technicians. Last year, Harris County Texas overturned 42 drug possession convictions after initial lab tests were revealed to be false positives. At the same time, lab techs in the Massachusetts state drug analysis unit were convicted of falsifying results and stealing from the lab, affecting some 40,000 criminal cases. Even the FBI was forced to admit that forensic testimony in at least 250 cases was faulty....

The recent Occupy Wall Street protests galvanized individuals against big banks. Now, many Americans are considering closing their bank accounts. But be forewarned: Banks don’t exactly make it easy to break up. In fact, it might end up feeling like a messy divorce before it’s all over. What should you consider before you close your bank account? Direct payments and online payments. Many Americans opt for online payment options these days....

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert’s divorce is finalized! Wait … didn’t they just announce the divorce a few days ago? Unlike the Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries divorce, which lasted longer than their 72-day marriage, Shelton and Lambert had a shotgun divorce, finalized within only a few weeks. Shelton and Lambert married four years ago in 2011. Before the marriage, the couple signed a prenuptial agreement. During the marriage, Shelton and Lambert did not have any children....

Despite what book publishers would like you to believe, there’s no perfect manual on parenting. Kids will screw up despite your best efforts. But if your children cut school, can you, as their parent, be arrested? Criminal liability is certainly a possibility depending on where you live. For instance, last year in Baltimore over 400 parents received court notices regarding their chronically-absent children. The parents were told they could face charges if they didn’t get their kids in line....

It may seem like a minor charge, something kids get in trouble for when they try to sneak an extra candy bar out of the store. But a shoplifting charge can have serious consequences – to your criminal record and your bank account – especially if the charge is a mistake, like you were not charged for something or the cashier forgot to remove the magnetic sensor. Whether you’re planning on fighting the charge, or just want to make sure you’re getting the best plea bargain, you should probably hire a lawyer if you’ve been charged with shoplifting....

Your car is covered by a warranty and that has always been a solace to you. But now that you actually have made needed repairs and submitted your claim, the company is refusing to reimburse you. You can sue, but there are also some steps you should take first – doing these could inspire the warranty company to pay up. If not, document all you have done and then file a lawsuit....

In a new per curiam opinion issued by the U.S. Supreme Court today, the Justices held that a convicted Ohio killer’s “attorneys met the constitutional minimum of competence,” reversing a 2008 federal appeals court ruling that his attorneys failed to find certain mitigating factors in his defense in violation of the Sixth Amendment. How convinced was the Supreme Court of its decision? The justices concluded that: The case involved Van Hook’s 1985 murder of a man that he met at a Cincinnati gay bar, and went with to the victim’s apartment, strangling him to death, then stabbing him multiple times in the head and stomach....

Rihanna seems to have stalkers everywhere. Last year, a New York City Judge called Kevin McGlynn a “ticking time bomb who is wholly fixated on [Rihanna]” after he staked her New York apartment and sent threatening letters. The year before that, Jonathan Whooper was arrested after he tried to break into Rihanna’s L.A. home and claimed to be her “future husband.” This year, Rihanna has yet another stalker. The Los Angeles Police Department is hunting for a stalker who goes by aliases Alex Mercer and Ralph Alexander on his social media accounts....

Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Trending All Day, and something called Clevver are reporting that Logan Paul was arrested in Rome for illegally flying a drone over the Colosseum. Paul, a barely sentient bad hair day that somehow has a camera incessantly trained upon itself, unsurprisingly filmed part of his alleged arrest. This cross-cultural conclave featured an Italian police officer explaining, “the flying of the drone in this area is illegal,” to which Paul, a wig that walked off the set of “Crank Yankers,” responds in Spanish, “No bueno....

An alleged marijuana-seeking mom has been charged in the death of her twin sons in a house fire. Dalawna Berran-Lett, 32, allegedly locked her boys inside their home for almost an hour while she tried to track down her missing marijuana stash, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. But while Berran-Lett was out on her pot-retrieval mission, her boys turned on the stove in their house. Grease on the stove caught fire, and soon the entire home was engulfed in flames....

The executors of the Michael Jackson estate want their piece of the pie. In ongoing attempts to get paid for past and future work administering the Michael Jackson estate, the executors want a cut of the estate’s profits. According to court documents Attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain are seeking 10% of the profits, excluding profits from the “This is It” documentary. In a motion filed last week, they are also opposing a bid by Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, to more than $15,000 a monthly allowance from the singer’s estate....

The current Miss Montana, Jennifer Hepner, has pled not guilty in a DUI case stemming from a traffic stop in January of 2009, according to the AP. Since that time she has been suspended from her pageant duties, but gets to keep her tiara until the next Miss Montana comes around. The AP gave the following background regarding Hepner’s traffic stop and resulting charges: Noteably, however, Montana has implied consent DUI laws....

Actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman “did not want his children to be considered ’trust fund’ kids,” according to court documents from his estate proceeding. The unmarried actor died earlier this year following a drug overdose, leaving behind three children – Cooper, 10; Tallulah, 7; and Willa, 5 – as well as a substantial estate. But the New York Post reports that Hoffman’s accountant told an attorney appointed to represent the children that Hoffman “summarily rejected” the idea of leaving his children money through trusts....

Divorce proceedings are prone to getting nasty, and Paula and Barry Epstein’s divorce appears to be no exception. Paula accused Barry of “serial infidelity,” and when Barry’s attorney demanded proof, Paula’s lawyer turned over dozens of emails from Barry to several women not named Paula Epstein. Believing that Paula must’ve been forwarding his emails to her address, he sued her (and her attorney) under the federal Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Act....

Sarah Palin is a polarizing figure on the political compass who can bring up strong emotions from those who love, hate, or love to hate her. And that is just the sane among us. For those who are a bit less balanced in their approach to politics or just life, there is the need for a protective order. That is just what Palin has done, seeking and receiving court ordered restraint against her alleged stalker Shawn R....

In the slide-to-unlock legal saga that started years ago between tech leaders Samsung and Apple, the Federal Appeals Court reversed the prior appellate decision, reinstating the $120 million verdict against Samsung. The two tech giants are gearing up for an even bigger battle this week before the Supreme Court on an unrelated patent infringement case dating back to 2011. The slide-to-unlock case, originally decided in May 2014, had a federal jury award Apple $119....

In September, a former radio DJ sued Taylor Swift, claiming she cost him his job by falsely accusing him of a backstage groping. The pop star immediately fired back via publicist, saying she provided evidence. Now she has filed a counterclaim, affirming that the David Mueller did indeed lift Swift’s skirt during a photo session at a pre-concert meet-and-greet, USA Today reports. He Said, She Said Mueller contended that he did nothing wrong at the meeting where he was photographed with Swift and his girlfriend....

One of several women who have filed civil suits against Usher Raymond for allegedly infecting them with herpes claims the singer is purposefully delaying mediation in the case, citing his “failure to cooperate” on scheduling and arbitration issues. Quantasia Sharpton filed documents in her litigation blaming Usher and his legal team of “dilatory tactics and failure to cooperate in scheduling a mediation.” So legal questions dogging the singer and actor since last year don’t look like they’re going away any time soon....

The answer? Teens drink hand sanitizer to get drunk. You may think “yuck,” but they’re apparently thinking “yum.” Well, before they end up in the emergency room. In recent months, six teenagers in the Los Angeles area have been hospitalized for drinking hand sanitizer. The teens all presented with symptoms of alcohol poisoning and had to be monitored. The inexpensive, accessible substance is made of 62% ethyl alcohol, according to the Times....

Paging Dr. Ramirez: You may be keeping up with Kim Kardashian, but your giant billboard with her unauthorized image may get you sued. Drivers in Mexicali may have noticed Kim Kardashian posing in a bikini on a billboard touting the services of Dr. Victor Ramirez, a local plastic surgeon, gossip website TMZ reports. A desert border town, Mexicali sits on the Mexican side of the California border about 120 miles from San Diego....