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The California legislature is considering a new law that would allow prosecutors in the state to bring enhanced aiding and abetting, or even enhanced felony charges, when a felony crime is video recorded. That means that a person who video records a felony could also be held liable for assisting in the crime for making a video. While the new law is not intended to dissuade innocent bystanders and eyewitnesses from making videos, there is a fear that it will be misunderstood as such....

It all started in December, when Facebook privacy settings were changed and made public some data that users had previously set to private. These changes forced users to opt-out, not opt-in. Over the past six months, the backlash has increased to a level where federal regulators have begun looking into Facebook’s privacy practices and questioning whether they could be illegal. This week, Facebook added simplified privacy options, but they did little to quiet the anger of the growing anti-Facebook crowd....

If you were planning on getting down and dirty with an animal, now there’s one more state you should avoid. The bestiality bill bans sexual activity between humans and animals. The bill, championed by State Senator Nan Rich, passed both the Florida Senate and House, reports NBC Miami. Next stop: Florida Governor Rick Scott. Sen. Rich has been campaigning for a bestiality bill for years after a series of high-profile cases involving humans having sexual relations with humans....

Halloween is a time for candy and costumes but it’s also a time for pranks which unfortunately can lead to people getting arrested. Some Halloween pranks are all in good fun but too many of the popular ones involve breaking the law. Like other major holidays, police are out making sure that everyone is safe which means you’re more likely to get caught. Not knowing the law is never an excuse when it comes to crime so here’s a quick refresher on what not to do this Halloween....

Johns Hopkins Hospital has proposed a $190 million payout to settle a class-action lawsuit over a gynecologist’s secret recordings of patients. The late Dr. Nikita A. Levy is alleged to have “surreptitiously recorded patients over the course of several years,” reports The Baltimore Sun. Although Levy committed suicide in February 2013 amid an investigation into his alleged recordings, Hopkins had identified more than 12,500 potential victims. What would this proposed settlement cover for Levy’s victims?...

Target, Kmart and Toys R Us retailers agreed to pay $454,000 in civil penalties and other fines to settle claims related to lead in children’s products. The lawsuit was filed two years ago after toys were found to have been made and/or sold with unsafe levels of lead paint. The retailers, along with several manufacturers including Mattel Inc., were sued by the California Attorney General’s office and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office in November 2007, the L....

If your fruit bowl contains any mangoes, you may want to check their labels because there’s a recall for the tropical fruit. Daniella brand mangoes have been recalled for potential contamination. The products were distributed across the country and could contain Salmonella. The recalled mangoes include whole pieces of fruit, along with sliced mangoes found in many pre-cut fruit blends. So far no one has died from Salmonella infection but more than 100 people have gotten sick, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....

You may have heard about predatory payday loans, wherein lenders give consumers cash advances based on their payroll and employment records. These loans often come with exorbitant interest rates, leading consumers to borrow more money, diving deeper into debt. But why make cash-strapped consumers come to you with their pay stubs, when you can just mail them a check, hoping they’ll cash it and start the spiraling debt cycle themselves?...

As it should be obvious to everyone by now, the cops are on Facebook. Heck, they may even put your arrest on their own Facebook page. So it shouldn’t be that surprising that a New York state court made the police’s job a little easier by ruling that Facebook must turn over photos, private messages, and personal account information in response to legitimate warrants. The ruling was in regards to 381 warrants served on the social media company by New York prosecutors, but could have much larger online privacy implications....

According the the complaint (shown below), BOA sent shareholders proxy materials about the proposed merger telling them that it wouldn’t pay Merrill execs their traditional year-end performance bonuses before closing its deal to aquire the investment house without first getting consent. A prior undisclosed agreement allowed Merrill executives up to be paid up to $5.8 billion in bonuses for 2008, according to the S.E.C., but BOA’s proxy statement disclosures were rendered materially false and misleading by failing to disclose this information....

Don’t you just love that one line in Taylor Swift’s song so much that you want to put it on a T-shirt? Be careful, because you may soon be infringing on her trademark. Taylor Swift recently applied to trademark several phrases from her “1989” album, including “Party like it’s 1989,” “This sick beat,” “Cause we never go out of style,” “Could show you incredible things,” and “Nice to meet you, where you been....

The endless legal saga of Roman Polanski rages on, this time with another accuser saying the she was also ‘victimized’ by the filmmaker in 1973 when she was just 16 years old. The 59-year-old woman, who gave only the name Robin, said she was forced to come forward after Samantha Geimer (the woman who originally accused Polanski of rape) allegedly urged a California judge to drop the charges against him. Robin was flanked by famous civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred....

People usually have a lot of questions when a loved one dies, especially around the cause of death. Finding out involves a medical examination by a coroner, but when is an autopsy required? The answer isn’t always a clear one. When a person dies, an autopsy can be ordered depending on the situation – such as in the case of famed painter Thomas Kinkade, who recently died. You might be surprised to learn when autopsies are mandated by the law....

Former America’s Next Top Model judge Nole Marin is being sued for sexual harassment by an aspiring model that claims the fashion expert wanted him to do more than just strike a pose. Nicholas Hamman-Howe alleges that the unwanted sexual advances date back to 2007 and continued until 2010. In the suit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, the aspiring model alleges that he never considered modeling as a career until meeting Marin who complimented his physique....

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino was indicted Wednesday for tax fraud, and said he wouldn’t get drunk or high until his trial is over. The former “Jersey Shore” cast member was indicted by a federal grand jury along with his brother for filing fraudulent tax returns on nearly $9 million in income. To add insult to injury, in order for Sorrentino to be released on bail, he had to promise the court he wouldn’t drink or do drugs while released....

A Michigan meatpacker is recalling 1.8 million pounds of ground beef tainted with E. coli. The tainted beef, traced to Detroit-based Wolverine Packing, has already caused at least 11 cases of foodborne illness in four states, three which required hospitalization, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Through a statement released to the Detroit Free Press, the company claimed that none of its product had tested positive for the strain of E....

Comedian Bill Cosby has responded to a lawsuit filed against him earlier this week that alleged he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1974. Calling the allegations “patently false,” Cosby filed his response to the lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, reports the Los Angeles Times. In addition to challenging the factual basis of the allegations made in the lawsuit, Cosby also claims that the lawsuit should be barred by the statute of limitations....

A computer hacker claims he broke into the email accounts of several members of the Bush family. The unnamed hacker says that he stole “a lot of stuff” from the political family, including emails about former President George H.W. Bush’s recent hospitalization, former President George W. Bush, and other notable family members, reports Politico. The hacker also says that he was able to steal addresses and other contact information for Bush family members....

The year may be young, but “Teen Mom 2” star Jenelle Evans has already seen more than her fair share of legal trouble. She’s been arrested three times, she’s filed complaints, and now some of the charges against her have been dropped. North Carolina prosecutors have decided to withdraw all charges against Jenelle Evans that arise from allegations made by her ex-roommate Hanna Inman. Inman reportedly decided not to pursue prior accusations that Evans made threats and harassing phone calls....

This weekend we’re all winding our clocks back an hour. (Or our cell phones and smartwatches are doing it for us.) Some of us, author included, consider Daylight Saving Time an antiquated hassle that needs to go the way of the horse and buggy. But some new crime statistics make a pretty good argument to make Daylight Savings Time permanent. It turns out that having more daylight in the evening (a function of setting our clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time) reduces crime rates....