Posts

An Ohio mom accused of making fake cancer claims about her 4-year-old son is asking the court to consider an insanity plea. The mother, 31-year-old Emily Creno, was charged with child endangerment for allegedly making her son endure months of medical tests. She also allegedly shaved her son’s head and convinced him he was dying. Creno’s court-appointed attorney has filed a motion to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, and has asked the court to examine Creno’s competency....

The U.S. Senate has voted to toughen product safety laws and increase the regulatory power of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in the wake of a number of high-profile cases in which defective and tainted products reached stores and consumers nationwide. HR 4040, titled “To establish consumer product safety standards and other safety requirements for children’s products and to reauthorize and modernize the Consumer Product Safety Commission,” would increase CPSC budget and staff and create a publicly-accessible information base of consumer product complaints....

A Superior Court judge has ordered actress Lindsay Lohan to show up to court or else face going to jail. Beverly Hills Superior Court judge Marsha Revel has said that if the troubled actress fails to show up, a bench warrant will be ordered for her arrest, Reuters reports. As previously discussed, Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel warned Lohan that she could land herself in jail if she failed to comply with the probation terms....

A Horizon City, Texas teen who faked leukemia is now facing felony theft charges filed by police. Angie Gomez, 18, started the deception by telling friends, church members and classmates that she was dying from terminal cancer and would only have six months to live. Community members rallied behind the teenager, organizing a fundraiser and a special prom to help Gomez. Gomez even created a foundation called “Achieve the Dream,” aimed at helping children with leukemia, the New York Daily News reports....

A former Los Angeles teacher accused in a sickening child abuse scandal is being held in lieu of $23 million bail. Mark Berndt, 61, is charged with committing lewd acts against 23 boys and girls, ages 7 to 10. More charges may be coming, as five more alleged victims have stepped forward, the Los Angeles Times reports. Berndt allegedly made students play a “tasting game” while blindfolded in his class at Los Angeles’ Miramonte Elementary School, the Times reports....

If you ask most travelers this holiday season, they will tell you the biggest headache in airports is the security line. Shoes on? Shoes off? How much liquid can I have again? Beyond slowly kicking your carry-on through the line is about the pinnacle of boredom. Surprisingly, there are ways to make this experience worse. So if you’re trying to make your trip through airport security as smooth as possible, here’s what not to do:...

It’s been more than two years since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and BP has finally reached a settlement with prosecutors. The London-based company has agreed to plead guilty to 14 criminal charges including manslaughter, and will pay $4 billion in fees and fines over the next five years, The Washington Post reports. That’s in addition to a $525 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that will be paid over the next three years....

Posting a classified ad on Craigslist is a great way to sell your extra stuff. However, it’s also a great way to fall victim to an online scam if you’re not careful. How can you tell when the person replying to your Craigslist ad may be a scammer? Here are five signs that someone might be trying to pull a fast one on you: 1. They Won’t Come See the Item in Person....

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Safety Alert on the diabetes drug Avandia and its links to heart risks. The alert was issued shortly after a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) suggested a link between use of Avandia and an increased risk of heart disease and heart attack. The NEJM article concludes that “patients and providers should consider the potential for serious adverse cardiovascular effects of treatment with rosiglitazone [Avandia] for type 2 diabetes....

Drugs have been a problem in the United States for decades, but it seems that somehow it’s become even more widespread – maybe because of the increased use of opioids. So, it’s not surprising that the government is trying to step up in finding solutions to end this crisis. One way the current administration has decided to address the drug crisis is to seek harsher sentences for drug dealer and kingpins....

Two convicted Florida murderers who used fake court orders to temporarily escape from prison were recaptured on Saturday. Convicted murderers Joseph Jenkins and Charles Walker were apprehended at a hotel in Panama City Beach, where authorities believe they were waiting to be transported to another state. The pair’s escape from a Florida prison was made possible by counterfeit court documents – a security breach that has prompted the Florida correctional system to crack down on court orders....

Home prices in 20 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. fell 18 percent from October 2007 to October 2008, continuing a nationwide trend of plunging home values, according to a Standard and Poor’s report released today. The October 2008 Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices measure changes in residential housing values in 20 metropolitan markets across the U.S. According to CNNMoney.com, the report shows that “sunbelt cities suffered the most,” with Phoenix home prices down 32....

The internet has the potential to bring people together for all sorts of purposes. Craigslist.org, for example, helps people connect, find jobs, and even buy and sell stuff. Unfortunately, Craigslist is also a haven for scammers and criminals. Apart from the concern of buying stolen goods, users must be wary of the spammers that have also started to exploit Craigslist in order to perpetrate a host of different types of scams....

Have you seen the movie, The Fighter? If so, you might remember the song “How You Like Me Now?” which was featured throughout the movie. Who would have guessed that the song would begin a legal frenzy over music sampling? But that is just what has happened. The song “How You Like Me Now?” is the work of British band The Heavy and was featured in a Kia Super Bowl advertisement last year....

We all know our mobile devices can affect our attention spans, but what about our sobriety? Well, a new law in Washington State plans to treat cell phones as an intoxicating substance, banning the use of any electronic device while driving, even if you’re stopped at a traffic light. Referred to as a DUI-E, offenders can be nailed with a $136 fine for a first offense, and $234 for any subsequent offenses within five years....

Jillian Michaels recently adopted a 2-year-old girl, Lukensia, from Haiti. The former “Biggest Loser” trainer and her partner, Heidi Rhoades, welcomed Lukensia only days after Rhoades gave birth to a boy on May 3. Michaels hasn’t answered emails or done much of anything else other than care for her children, The Star-Ledger reports. While Michaels and Rhoades were able to adopt a child, the road to becoming parents isn’t always easy for same-sex couples....

The words “John Daly love triangle” may sound like a nightmare you had when you fell asleep watching The Masters. Or like an earnest yet terrible golfer-turned-musician cover band. But the love life of the man with the loudest golf pants in the land may just end up in the highest court in the land. Daly’s former wife is suing his current fiancee for alienation of affection, alleging the woman broke up her marriage to the (in)famous golfer....

“All current orders remain in full force and effect.” Those were the words from Los Angeles judge Reva Goetz in the Britney Spears conservatorship case. After a forty minute meeting with a Los Angeles judge, Britney Spears will remain under conservatorship, with her father Jamie Spears and attorney James Wallet in full control of her estate. The NY Daily News reports that Spears and her father met with Goetz individually before the determination was made....

If it tastes too good to be true, or at least “natural,” it probably is. A class-action lawsuit against the makers of Kind snack bars claiming their “non-GMO” and “natural” labeling is false and creating unjust enrichment is currently pending in federal court. Plaintiffs claim that “Pressed by Kind” and “Fruit Pieces” packaging convince the consumers that their ingredients are whole unsweetened fruit, though they are actually processed with sugar prior to the dehydration process....

If you’ve ever taken a car in for maintenance, chances are your mechanic has returned to you with a list that many of us believe should be emblazoned with the words “Mechanic Rip Offs.” Dealerships, maintenance chains, and even your local shop do this for a few reasons–not all of which amount to mechanic scams. That outrageous list of your car’s failings primarily serves as a buffer against liability. The last thing any mechanic wants is for a customer to cause an accident and then blame them for failing to properly inspect the vehicle....