Posts

The trial of Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s doctor, is underway in a Los Angeles courtroom, with attorneys slowly working their way through jury selection. Murray, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter for negligently supplying the King of Pop with Propofol, is already facing an uphill battle. After the first round of questioning, it’s clear that an impartial jury may not be possible. Out of a pool of hundreds of jurors, over half responded to a questionnaire stating that they are not available for a two month period, reports USA Today....

Troy Davis’ death has brought to light a number of questions about the death penalty appeals process. Just an hour prior to his Wednesday execution, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a temporary stay of execution. Three hours later, it officially denied the stay, allowing the injection procedure to go forward. Why did the high court first grant, then deny a stay? Just prior to his execution, Troy Davis’ attorney had requested that both a federal court and the Georgia Supreme Court consider new evidence....

The Ohio Police Chief accused of burglarizing the home of the woman who is a surrogate mom for Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker was recently found guilty on three of six charges. According to People.com, Martin’s Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter, 40, along with another police chief, was accused of meeting with freelance photographers last May and offering items such as a poem, photos, legal documents about the Broderick Parker surrogacy agreement, and pictures of ultrasounds....

Bar patrons can get rowdy, which is why many clubs and bars hire a bouncer to control the front door. Like any other employee, the bouncer gets paid for his work with the club. A wannabe bouncer (yes, one that does not get paid because he is self-appointed) recently over stepped his bounds by attacking a patron with a stun gun. Nathan Landis was a wannabe bouncer at Antique Billiards in Colorado....

Much as some of us would want to, we can’t eliminate all physical contact in public interactions. Especially when we enter crowded areas like swarming sidewalks, stuffed shops and stores, and packed public transit. Sound like anywhere you were on Black Friday? We might have to expect a couple brushes with strangers on Black Friday, but when do those bumps become assault and/or battery? Here’s a look. Local and state statutes may vary, but generally assault is often defined as an attempt to injure someone else....

Scott Baio may have played a children’s caretaker on TV, but one of his co-stars says he was a child molester in real life. However, despite the actress’s claims regarding Baio’s behavior, the “Charles in Charge” star will not be charged with any crime – at least not in this case. His 14-Year-Old Co-Star Nicole Eggert says she was just 14 when actor Scott Baio, then 25, began molesting her, including digital penetration and inappropriate touching....

You know you do it. Everyone is a Facebook stalker these days. You look at his or her pictures; you read comments made on walls; and you may or may not show up someplace after your stalkee publicly checks-in. But when does this behavior cross the line? When, exactly, is your (hopefully) innocent obsession breaking your state’s stalking laws? Are you a real stalker? Stalking is generally defined as a pattern of harassing conduct that places an individual in reasonable fear of harm....

Over 200,000 minority home buyers will receive part of a $335 million settlement reached between Bank of America and the Justice Department. The BofA minority settlement stems from charges that its Countywide Financial unit discriminated against African American and Hispanic home buyers between 2004 and 2007. BofA acquired Countrywide in 2008, inheriting the company’s legal liabilities. Amongst them were accusations that loan officers pushed minorities into more expensive mortgages and charged them higher interest rates and fees....

With growing reports that credit card companies are gouging their customers before new rules take effect, the House of Representatives has approved legislation to speed up the effective date of portions of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (known as the CARD Act), which otherwise would not go into effect until February or August of 2010. It restricts interest rate increases during the first year It prevents interest rate increases on existing balances except for three instances Longer amounts of notice are required in order to raise rates on future purchases Keeps payment terms the same… meaning credit card companies can’t change the terms on you Places limits on the fees and penalty interests that companies can charge consumers Companies must consider the consumer’s ability to pay before allowing limit increases or issuing a new card Requiring companies to set reasonable due dates Preventing companies from targeting young consumers Stopping deceptive advertising for credit reports Setting Gift Card Protection As you can tell, the CARD Act sets up a number of protections for you as a consumer....

After countless appeals, a Supreme Court ruling, and 16 years, a lawsuit brought against the Chicago Fire Department on behalf of nearly 6,000 African-American firefighter applicants is almost over. On Friday, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, that to rectify the discriminatory and disparate impact of an employment policy, the department must hire 111 of the African-Americans who took a 1995 qualifying exam, and split an estimated $30 million between the rest....

The potential gap between the time of discovery of the defect and the time of recall in 2005 has led to an investigation by the National Traffic Safety Administration. The investigation may result in fines, such as the $16.4 million dollars Toyota was recently fined due to the investigation into faulty accelerators. Several million vehicles were effected by faulty floor mats and accelerator pedals that stick down, resulting in substantial danger....

The Justice Department has named former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to head the investigation into allegations that Russian agents meddled in the 2016 presidential elections. That investigation is expected to touch on contact that Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security advisor, had with Russia before and after the election. The necessity of independent counsel to oversee the investigation became apparent following Trump’s dismissal of James Comey who was the head of the FBI until last week....

No, your mind is not playing tricks on you. Another hospital technician was linked to spreading Hepatitis C. This time, Steven Beumel was convicted of intentionally spreading the disease at a Florida hospital. The 49-year-old radiology technician admitted to stealing syringes of the pain killer Fentanyl during patient procedures, reports the Orlando Sentinel. To hide his theft, Beumel replaced the used syringes with saline contaminated with Hepatitis C. Steven Beumel worked at the Mayo Clinic’s Interventional Radiology Unit and potentially infected thousands of patients with the deadly Hepatitis C....

The terrorists have won. At least according to the Internet hordes decrying Sony’s move to drop the release of “The Interview” on Christmas Day. It certainly didn’t help that theater chains across the country were refusing to show the comedic tale about a plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but there may also have been a legal motive. As The New York Times reports, lawsuits filed after the theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado, may have set the stage for Sony’s decision....

Today the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of James Ford Seale, the ex-Ku Klu Klan member, former Mississippi policeman and sheriff’s deputy who was indicted and convicted for his role in the kidnappings and brutal murders of Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore in the summer of 1964. According to a report in the Jackson Free Press, “the FBI investigation of the Dee-Moore case yielded more than 1,000 pages of files, including informant accounts....

Several batches of Kellogg’s Special K “Red Berries” cereal have been recalled due to potential contamination, reports NBC News. The recall was announced Tuesday after glass pieces were found in one batch of the ingredients used to make the cereal. So far, no injuries have been reported. By issuing a recall before anyone gets hurt, Kellogg is trying to play it safe. The costs and inconvenience associated with a recall are a lot less than the costs of defending a potential lawsuit....

Federal prosecutors have charged Rezwan Ferdaus with attempting to use a model airplane to bomb the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol. Federal agents had been in contact with the 26-year-old U.S. citizen since early last year. Posing as al Qaeda recruiters, they supplied him with fake C-4 explosives, assault rifles and grenades. Ferdaus then supplied undercover agents with remote bomb detonators to be used abroad. Rezwan Ferdaus became militarized after viewing jihadist videos online, according to the indictment....

When DUIs hit the news, the cause is often alcohol. But a marijuana DUI can be just as deadly. Just 11 days after Washington state’s new pot law went into effect, police on Monday responded to an accident in which a driver had hit a pedestrian. The victim, an unidentified man in his 50s, was walking across the street with some groceries. The man allegedly stepped out into traffic, which may put him at fault....

NBC now needs to dig deep and use some legal resources to defend against inadvertent reality star Anurag Tiwari. Tiwari claims that the network’s “To Catch a Predator” program was defamatory, invaded his privacy, and caused emotional distress. Tiwari was a former engineer at Sun Microsystems. He fell into the “To Catch a Predator” trap in 2006. For those unfamiliar with the show, the basic premise is that law enforcement officials lure pedophiles to a house using fake identities....

This month the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed a bill to standardize the rights of sexual assault victims and improve prosecution of sex crimes. That federal legislation, introduced by New Hampshire’s Senator Jeanne Shaheen, shone a light on rape kit reform throughout the country. This week, Governor Nathan Deal signed a bill to ensure the timely testing of sexual assault evidence in Georgia, for example. Shaheen’s federal bill focused on this type of evidence, and the grueling legal process for sexual assault victims trying to keep track of their rape kits in the criminal justice system....