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The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to consider an appeal by former Enron investors who were seeking to recover more than $30 million from a number of Wall Street investment banks. The shareholders alleged that the banks – including Credit Suisse First Boston and Merril Lynch – conspired with the now-defunct energy company to hide its liabilities and inflate its value. According to the Associated Press, by refusing to review the investors’ lawsuit, the court took away what may have been their only hope of keeping the case alive....

If you’ve ever watched any of the countless popular legal television dramas with an attorney, you’ve likely heard all about how awfully sensationalized the law is portrayed on television. Whether it’s misused legal concepts, or the failure to utilize a realistic (likely plot/attention crushing) timelines, people all too frequently confuse concepts from TV law for the real thing. One of the more commonly misused legal concepts involves character evidence. The idea that a person’s history can always be used against them in a court of law is misguided....

You may have heard of or seen incidents of animals being hurt or mistreated by humans. But what exactly is animal cruelty under the law? One recent case has animal rights activists fuming. A North Carolina woman was arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty after she allegedly let her dog die of starvation. The dog had medical issues, and the woman claimed she spent hundreds of dollars trying to nurse the dog back to health....

One husband, four wives, thirteen children, and three stepchildren. Those are the cast members on the new TLC show Sister Wives. Now, to the surprise of no one but the twenty one people named above, the Sister Wives family is being investigated for bigamy. CBS reports that the Sister Wives family may be charged with bigamy – a third degree felony in the state of Utah. Although rarely prosecuted, the investigation was inspired by all the publicity the show has received leading up to the it’s debut this Sunday....

It was probably too much to expect the final episode of “The Good Wife” to wrap everything up with a nice little bow – it was never a show that liked things clean and simple and was self-aware without being self-congratulatory, so a celebratory victory lap in episode 156 was never in the cards. Still, that final “shot,” so to speak? Not even the most cynical fan could’ve expected the show to end like that....

Getting pulled over is no picnic. But things can really go sideways if you don’t know your rights – you can either fail to enforce rights you do have or exacerbate the situation by claiming rights that you don’t. So the next time you get pulled over, make sure you’re cool, calm, and collected and you’re familiar with these three laws: Police are allowed to request identification and registration and proof of insurance for the vehicle....

Voice stress tests are the new polygraph. The technology records a suspect’s voice when he answers easy questions (“What’s your name?) and hard questions (“Did you do it?”). Over 1,800 law enforcement agencies nationwide use at least some form of the technology. But are voice stress tests even admissible at trial? They may not be – but it ultimately depends on the specific court. When deciding whether to admit expert scientific testimony, federal judges must consider whether:...

Have you ever thought about calling the cops to teach your kid a lesson? If so, think again, because you might be the one who spends the night in the slammer. One parent’s idea of an appropriate method of discipline can appear abusive to others – especially when you get the police involved. Florida mom Melissa Townsend, 27, found that out the hard way. Townsend was put into a state-sponsored timeout after she called 911 and asked dispatchers to send officers to scare her children, ages 1 and 3, reports Orlando’s WKMG-TV....

It’s a new kind of “chickenpox party” for the digital age. Instead of forcing your kids to play with infected friends, why not just make ’em suck on sick kids’ lollipops? One mom in Nashville thought it was a sweet idea, so she sold the pops on Facebook – after her kids drenched them with an unhealthy dose of chickenpox-infected drool. Wendy Werkit also sold her kids’ saliva and infected q-tips – just $50 with overnight shipping....

Jinia Armstrong Lopez was worried that her brother Ronald Armstrong might be a danger to himself. Armstrong had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia, was off his medication, and was poking holes in his leg “to let the air out.” She tried to have him admitted into a hospital, but when he fled, a doctor drafted involuntary commitment papers and the police were dispatched to make sure he didn’t hurt himself....

New York City violated the Americans with Disabilities Act’s integration mandate that requires the city to help people with mental illness “receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs,” After an 18-day trial and six years of litigation, the court issued a 210-page opinion, finding that the State’s for-profit licensed homes for mentally ill patients: What does the ADA’s ‘Integration mandate’ say, and how are people with mental illness helped, in this case, by the ADA’s provisions?...

Today, the Dylann Roof saga neared some semblance of closure as the young man was sentenced to death. The jury returned the death sentence after only three hours of deliberation. The speed of the sentencing decision was likely fueled by Roof’s own insistence that he did not suffer from any mental impairments, coupled with his lack of a repentant attitude. To make matters worse for Roof, he not only confessed to the murders, he never even appeared remorseful for his actions....

The EPA’s more stringent air quality rule that limits how much nitrogen dioxide emissions can be emitted near major roadways was upheld by a federal appeals court. The upshot of the ruling is that car manufacturers, factories, and oil companies may all have to make significant changes to their business to comply with the rules. More likely, the oil industry will appeal the decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D....

Sometimes, you have to take the good with the bad, and that is very true of America’s governmental system. Based on Federalism principles, Judge Bernard Friedman of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan ruled that Congress overstepped its authority to pass the 1996 law that criminalizes female genital mutilation (FGM), and consequently dismissed many key charges filed against the doctors that performed the FGM procedure, and removed four of the eight defendants from the case....

Apple proclaims in their ads, “There’s an app for that.” Well, it turns out that there is also an app that allegedly steals your personal information. A recent lawsuit against the gaming developer Storm8 claims the developer has been collecting the cell phone numbers of iPhone users who downloaded Storm8’s games from the iTunes app store. Online Media Daily reports that the lawsuit claims that user phone numbers are not necessary for any of Storm8 games, but the games nonetheless contain software that automatically collects and transmits the telephone number of all iPhone users who download any Storm8 game....

It was too close for comfort when an accused Jennifer Garner stalker showed up at the nursery school where her daughter is enrolled. CBS/AP reports, that Steven Burky is in police custody in Los Angeles for an alleged restraining order violation. The couple’s daughter Violet attends the nursery where Burky was arrested. He is being held on $150,000 bail at the Santa Monica Jail, police said. As previously discussed, other celebrities including Justin Timberlake and ESPN’s Erin Andrews, to name just two, have also had to obtain restraining orders against crazed fans and stalkers....

Late on Friday, April 29, Johnson & Johnson and McNeil Consumer Healthcare announced a recall of several of their products, including liquid infant’s and children’s Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl. A statement from FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg urged consumers to discontinue using the recalled products. According to a report by Reuters, Hamburg’s statement also said the potential for health problems to be caused by the recalled drugs is remote, however, “Americans deserve medications that are safe, effective and of the highest quality....

You may have been annoyed by receiving a barrage of “Add Connections” emails from LinkedIn users. But imagine how they felt when they found out the professional networking site had hijacked their email contacts to spam those messages out. They were not pleased. In response, users filed a class action lawsuit against LinkedIn, claiming the emails damaged their reputations. And now the company has agreed to pay $13 million to settle the suit....

The second-ranking member of Maryland’s Episcopal Diocese is facing criminal charges, including manslaughter, following a suspected hit-and-run DUI crash in which a man was killed. Baltimore authorities say Bishop Suffragan Heather Cook was allegedly texting while driving when she veered off the road, hitting a bicyclist from behind, reports The Associated Press. The bicyclist, 41-year-old Tom Palermo, died from head injuries suffered in the crash. Cook reportedly fled the scene before returning 30 minutes later....

The late actor Mickey Rooney can finally rest in peace, now that an agreement has been reached between his estate and his ex-wife regarding his burial plan. Rooney, who died Sunday at age 93, expressed interest in being buried somewhere with a connection to Hollywood film stars, while his estranged ex-wife Jan Rooney believed that the actor should be buried at a family plot near Hollywood, according to the New York Daily News....