The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is holding a hearing on the safety of the diabetes drug Avandia, hearing testimony and scientific evidence on possible links between Avandia use and increased risk of heart attack. According to the Washington Post, “The panel could recommend not changing the drug’s label or putting a “black box” warning on the label; they could even suggest that the drug be pulled from the market....
To the tanorexic mom and other leathery friends, listen up. The FDA wants to reclassify tanning beds and sunlamps, and require warning labels for young people, including warnings about cancer. The FDA has regulated tanning beds and sun lamps for over 30 years, but for the first time the agency now says tanning devices shouldn’t be used by anyone under 18, reports the Associated Press. The bottom (tan) line of the FDA’s tanning beds proposal is to increase awareness of tanning bed risks....
Transcripts of the Ferguson grand jury hearings have been released to the public following the announcement that Darren Wilson would not be indicted on any criminal charges for the shooting death of Michael Brown. This is somewhat unusual, as grand jury proceedings are typically held in secret, and when no indictment is reached, the public isn’t privy to what testimony was heard. However, as CNN reports, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch agreed to release thousands of pages that were the basis of the grand jury’s decision not to indict Wilson for Brown’s killing....
A federal grand jury returned a criminal indictment against Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian citizen arrested for attempting to detonate and explosive device on Christmas Day while on a Northwest Airlines Flight 253 flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. Abudlmutallab unsuccessfully attempted to detonated a bomb containing pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) that was attached to his body before the plane landed at Detroit Metropolitan airport, but was apprehended and subdued by passengers and crew....
Teachers have a lot on their plate: the students themselves, lessons plans, administrative duties, and countless others. Add this one to the list: students stealing nude photos off your phone when you’re not looking. Union County High School teacher Leigh Anne Arthur left her phone on her desk for only a few moments while hall patrol and a 16-year-old student scooped her phone, opened it, and found pictures of a partially undressed Arthur....
Producers of the 2013 Grammy Awards are laying down the law when it comes to dress codes. Revealing clothes will not be allowed at the Grammy ceremony this Sunday. CBS, which will air the Grammy Awards, has issued an advisory to all presenters, asking that they be adequately covered. Specifically, the dress policy states that anyone appearing on camera should take care to cover their buttocks and breasts, E! Online reports....
If you missed seeing Biggie Smalls live, you may still get your chance with a hologram. The Notorious BIG’s widow, singer Faith Evans, reportedly said recently that she is working on developing a hologram and is considering performing “live” with the electronic replica of her husband, according to CNN. Biggie Smalls or the Notorious BIG, born Christopher Wallace, died in an unsolved shooting in 1997, but his memory and music live on....
In a small city south of Indianapolis, a disconcerting pattern seems to be emerging. There were two bombings within two weeks this month, according to the Associated Press, and they appear to be aimed at those in contact with the criminal justice system in Madison, Indiana. Both bombs were reportedly homemade devices. One targeted a judge at home and the other detonation was in the parking lot of the city hall police department....
At times, we all get weak in the face of easy money or a good deal. Scammers know this and have devised a number of consumer scams that you should always avoid. Con-artist tricks have come a long way in terms of sophistication. They can be much more difficult to spot. However, you don’t need a law degree to identify them. All you need is common sense. Here are three common consumer scams and how to avoid them....
One of the hottest areas of criminal law, literally, is arson. Arson is defined as willfully, wrongfully, and unjustifiably setting property on fire, often for the purpose of committing fraud. However, like a fire, in most states, arson is measured in degrees, meaning that not all acts of arson are punished equally. Generally, if a person is injured, or the value of the property destroyed exceeds a few hundred dollars, arson will be charged as a felony....
Guess what may be brewing between ex-couple Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony: a custody battle that may turn “vicious,” according to sources. Jennifer Lopez has custody of the couple’s two 3-year-old twins according to their initial agreement. It’s an agreement that Anthony may soon try to contest. He might seek joint custody. Turns out, Anthony’s a little peeved. He doesn’t like the company that Lopez has been keeping. Specifically, he’s reportedly not too happy about Lopez’s new boyfriend, 24-year-old backup dancer Casper Smart....
As previously noted on FindLaw’s Celebrity Justice, Jersey Shore Cast member Nicole Polizzi, better known to the western world as Snooki, was arrested for on July 30 for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace, etc. As you may recall, Snooki was arrested after an afternoon of boozing and evidently annoying other people in the general vicinity of the pint-sized pop culture phenom. Specifically, during the filming of an episode of the MTV reality hit Jersey Shore in July, Snooki became intoxicated, disorderly and was bothering other patrons....
Pop star Justin Bieber released his new single “Boyfriend” this week. But a phone-number prank he unleashed three weeks ago has a Texas attorney calling for possible legal action. Bieber, 18, sent a message in jest to his 19 million followers on Twitter: “Call me right now.” The teen’s tweet also included a Dallas-area phone number – with the last digit replaced by a question mark, CBS News reports. Beliebers worldwide began guess-dialing, and found two numbers that worked....
Karate student, Jannine Ramirez, got some extra practice when she came home after a late night to find an intruder in her apartment. Ramirez was returning from her first karate competition at 1 am on Sunday morning when she found a drunken man in her bathroom. She kicked down the bathroom door, found the man washing his hands, and then kicked him right through the shower door. When he came at her she threw him into the living room and then kicked him right out the door....
Two former police officers have been acquitted of all charges in the 2011 beating and stun-gun death of Kelly Thomas, a 37-year-old mentally-ill homeless man. The gruesome surveillance footage of the beating stirred public outrage and highlighted the public’s growing concern over police brutality, particularly toward the mentally ill and homeless population. But why were ex-Fullerton police officers Manuel Ramos and Jay Cicinelli found not guilty of all charges? Ramos, 39, was charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in Kelly Thomas’ beating death....
What happens when a state legislature allocates $11 million to a religious institution? The Kentucky Supreme Court answered that question Thursday, April 22, when they struck down the allocation for violating the principle of separation of church and state in the Kentucky state Constitution. The question came about after David Williams, a Republican and president of the Kentucky Senate, supported and passed a bill designed to provide $10 million to build a pharmacy school and $1 million in scholarships....
Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputies beat jail inmates and visitors without justification, unjustly detained people and conspired to obstruct a federal investigation into misconduct at the jail, according to indictments unsealed Monday. 18 current or former deputies were arrested Monday by the FBI in a mass show of force, The Los Angeles Times reports. The most damning indictment (attached below) states that an official encouraged deputies to use excessive force and make unlawful arrests of visitors....
Ohhh parents, lies and audiotape….The Lohan family drama continues with Lindsay Lohan’s father claiming that God is punishing his daughter for her sins. It all started with the social media wonder site Twitter. Lindsay Lohan tweeted how her father was abusive and horrible to herself, her mother, and her siblings. She specifically tweeted how her father Michael Lohan would threaten to kill her mother Dina Lohan if she attempted to leave him....
Visine is meant to “get the red out” of dry, itchy eyes. But a California man is accused of using Visine to poison his girlfriend. A chemical in Visine can make a person ill if it’s ingested in large enough doses. That’s what happened to Shayne Carpenter’s girlfriend after he allegedly snuck a few drops of Visine into her drink during a fight. Carpenter, 27, was booked on domestic violence charges as well as poisoning, reports UPI....
Did you know ATMs can sense how much money is in them at any given time? That’s why, to fool the machine, an ATM service man used fake cash to replace the real money he allegedly stole. Gene Carlo Pena was caught after he arrived at JFK airport in New York, travelling from the Dominican Republic. He voluntarily returned to the U.S. to face charges of embezzlement and counterfeiting, reports NBC News....
