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The Arizona State Board of Cosmetology had to deal with a lawsuit filing over pedicure fish this week. Yes, you read it correctly, pedicure fish. According to the Phoenix New Times, pedicure fish are imported Garra Rufa fish that suction off dead skin cells from the feet of pedicure clients. Garra Rufa fish are toothless miniature carp that are native to hot springs in Turkey. The fad started in Asian nail salons in Queens as featured in The Gothamist....

In plaintiff’s request for writ of mandamus seeking to compel the City of Anaheim to litigate tax assessment proceedings without the assistance of outside counsel retained pursuant to a contingency fee agreement claiming that the fee arrangement violates a government lawyer’s duty of neutrality, trial court’s denial of the writ petition is affirmed as, Clancy does not bar contingency fee lawyers from assisting government lawyers as co-counsel in ordinary civil litigation such as this, and the tax assessment proceeding is a civil administrative action that does not require the delicate weighing of values described in Clancy....

Don’t be surprised if Oakland developers display anti-establishment artwork in their building lobbies. A federal judge said the building industry is bound by a city law that requires commercial and residential developers to display art publicly or pay a fee. At a cost of up to one percent of their budgets, the builders will have to pay for some pricey artwork. Although they lost in Building Industry Association - Bay Area v....

Sandell v. Taylor-Listug, Inc., D055549, concerned a challenge to the trial court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendant, in plaintiff’s suit against his former employer for disability and age discrimination. In reversing, the court remanded the case in concluding that plaintiff presented evidence sufficient to establish a prima facie case of disability and age discrimination. The court also found that plaintiff presented sufficient evidence to raise a triable issue of fact as to whether the motivation for his termination was discriminatory in response to defendant’s proffer of legitimate nondiscriminatory reasons for terminating his employment....

The Satanic Temple has won another legal battle, this time in Florida. The Florida Department of Management Services agreed to allow a diorama featuring Lucifer in the Capitol’s rotunda. Looking like a cross between a last-minute history fair project and a black velvet puppeteer’s booth, the Satanic Temple’s display reads “Happy Holidays From The Satanic Temple” and features a tiny angel figurine tumbling from cotton-ball clouds into construction-paper fire. According to the Orlando Sentinel, this same diorama was rejected one year ago for being “grossly offensive....

Using a propane torch in a small apartment is never a good idea. But using it to prepare a squirrel for dinner and then leaving the torch next to a plastic plant holder that causes a fire is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Khek Chanthalavong, 38, and his live-in girlfriend Barbara Pellow are being sued by an insurance company after Chanthalavong’s squirrel roast allegedly caused a fire that destroyed a building at their apartment complex, according to Grand Rapids, Michigan’s WOOD-TV....

Professional sports teams, much to the chagrin of less geographically-mobile fans, have a tendency to up and move. Franchise mobility, and the new-stadium-deal-or-bust extortion racket that precedes most moves, makes it all too apparent that leagues and teams are out for money first and fan appreciation third, fourth, or elsewhere down the list. But at least one city isn’t taking the taking of their team lying down. The city and county of St....

Maybe you just saw the red and blue flashing lights in your rearview mirror. Or a landlord handed you a 60-page lease. Or you’re wondering if getting married so quickly was such a good idea. There are a million reasons why you might need a lawyer, including quite a few you haven’t thought of yet. So, here are the top 10 reasons to get one on your side. Here’s why you might need a lawyer, in graphic form:...

When seeking employment in the limited legal market that exists today, associates are looking for more than just competitive pay, but negotiating may be a frightening prospect. Negotiating a job offer tends to focus on monetary terms, like pay, bonuses, and vacation, and often non-monetary benefits get neglected, or are assumed to be inflexible. But, like most things in life, if you don’t ask, you’ll never actually know what options are available....

There’s that old saying, “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.” In Lori Teel’s case, that saying should be modified to: “Don’t steal the Twilight movie from your local library, if you’re not prepared to be arrested in front of your kids.” In a case about ridiculous things and ridiculous reactions, Teel had a long overdue Twilight book. When she ignored demands to return it, she was arrested....

Trial court’s holding that the Rent Stabilization and Eviction for Good Cause Ordinance (RSO), adopted by the citizens of the City of East Palo Alto, permitted recovery of attorney fees by a landlord in successful litigation against the city is reversed as the intent of the electorate was that section 15.A.5 of the RSO authorize the recovery of attorney fees only in civil proceedings between landlords and tenants to enforce their respective rights under the RSO, and no other provision of the RSO provides for an award of fees against the city....

Ah “HTGAWM.” Two weeks ago, I was mocking your mediocrity. Now? Actually I still am, but hey – last night’s was a good episode. If you’re just now catching up on the show, note that everything after this handy italic paragraph is spoiler-laden: Watch Episode 7 first. And if you haven’t read our previous recaps, you’ve got some homework to do. Client of the week? This week it was all about Rebecca (“Goth Girl”)....

“21 Jump Street.” “Never Been Kissed.” “17 Again.” There are plenty of movies about adults sneaking back in to high school, whether to fight crime, research a story, or relive the past. But what about if you’re a foreign national? And what if it’s not a movie? John Harris High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania found out this week that one of its star students was in fact a 23-year-old Ukrainian man who had been posing as an American student for almost four years....

California’s Sixth District Court of Appeal, located near FindLaw’s Secret Volcano Headquarters, was clearly not pleased last week as it issued an opinion in Cypress Semiconductor Corp v. Maxim Integrated Products. The case is about misappropriating trade secrets, but that’s not really what it’s about. As it turns out, Cypress was using the threat of a lawsuit to get Maxim to do what Cypress wanted, and as the Court cogently observed after turning into a giant green monster, “COURT SMASH!...

Al Jazeera America, the sister news channel analog of the venerable Al Jazeera English channel, has suspended its general counsel, David W. Harleston, after questions were raised about his qualifications to practice law. Mr. Harleston’s is another high level blow to AJAM. His arrival to the news channel took place during a time when the company was suffering internal turmoil amid staff complaints of a culture of anti-Semitism and sexism....

The Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act’s petition support requirement does not violate due process, the Federal Circuit ruled recently. That Act, also known as the Byrd Amendment, though in effect only briefly, allowed for the collection and distribution of duties on imported goods found to have been dumped into the U.S. market by foreign producers. Only domestic producers who supported the petition are allowed to receive the collected funds....

Maybe you’re looking for a career change. Maybe you’ve always wanted to be an attorney, but spent a few years raising a family beforehand. Perhaps you’re just a glutton for punishment. Either way, you’re a bit older and thinking about going to law school. Should you? How old is too old for law school anyway? Technically, you can always go to law school. There are law schools out there who will take just about anyone, regardless of their age, LSATs, or ability to eventually pass the bar....

In a petition for review of the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board’s order requiring petitioner to pay vocational rehabilitation benefits to respondent, the petition is granted where the Board’s decision was not a final determination of respondent’s right to vocational rehabilitation benefits and because Cal. Lab. Code section 139.5 had been repealed. Read Beverly Hilton Hotel v. Wkrs.’ Comp. Appeals Bd., No. B212205 Appellate Information Filed August 26, 2009 Judges Opinion by Judge Mosk...

On the heels of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s forced exile from the NBA for making racist comments, another NBA team owner is giving up his stake in a team after a racially insensitive email regarding the team’s fan base was made public. Atlanta Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson self-reported the existence of the email – in which he wrote that he believed black Hawks fans attending games were scaring away affluent white fans – to league officials, reports The Daily Beast....

In recent years, parental leave has become a major employee benefit, and that includes adoptive parents. Adoptive parents stand on equal footing with birthing parents on many parental leave laws, including the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and many state leave acts, as well as employer-offered benefits. The federal FMLA applies to government agencies, public and private schools, and most private employers with over 50 employees. The law provides the right of eligible employees to take up to 12 work weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons....