Here’s a situation for you: a lawyer walks into a bar. Heard that one before, right? Okay, a lawyer drinks. Just another day that ends in ‘y’ right? How about this, a lawyer gets drunk. Okay, still, nothing out of the ordinary. Let’s just bring it on home, now: a lawyer drinks, gets drunk, and then shows up to court while inebriated. Allegedly. Was it mentioned that he not only showed up to court drunk, but it was the wrong courtroom?...
A South Carolina man tried to use a $1 trillion bill to pay for his lunch at Applebee’s. No, he’s not the Richest Applebee’s Customer Ever – he’s an alleged fraudster. 53-year-old Michael Williams tried to use a $1 trillion bill after his debit card was declined, Columbia’s WIS-TV reports. No word yet on whether he’s ever tried to pay with Monopoly money. Passing the $1T Buck The $1 trillion bill Williams tried to use was, in Kansas City’s WDAF-TV’s words, “obviously a fake....
It’s hard being beautiful. Everyone wants to get their hands on you, even TSA agents. The agents are lucky that they’ve only been fired and have not yet been charged with a crime. In Colorado, any sexual contact where the actor knows that the victim does not consent is a class 1 misdemeanor, punishable with 6 to 24 months in prison. The agents may argue that people consent to pat down searches when they go through security....
We’ve been waiting for the Iskanian decision for some time, and as predicted, it changes a lot when it comes to California employment law. California has been an employee-friendly state for a while, with its Supreme Court holding previously that arbitration clauses that waive class action remedies were often unconscionable and unenforceable. But then, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a series of pro-arbitration rulings, including AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion, which wiped out that entire line of California cases by holding that the Federal Arbitration Act preempts state law and allows for such waivers....
Teenyboppers don’t fret - authorities thwarted a Justin Bieber “kidnapping” plot over at a Florida mall last week. The thief, David Dowling, 23, and an unnamed juvenile accomplice decided it would be a hilarious joke to nab a Justin Bieber cutout from a F.Y.E. store. Well, the joke is on them. It seems the thieving pair has proved that stealing a life-sized cutout is the complete opposite of “inconspicuous.” An assistant manager from the store chased the duo and retrieved the cardboard cutout, reports E!...
A New York lawyer was convicted of fraud yesterday for his role in a scheme to buy Maxim, the men’s magazine. No, not the October issue, the whole company. Harvey Newkirk, formerly of the large law firm Bryan Cave, was convicted of one count of wire fraud connected to the scheme. Newkirk worked with convicted felon Calvin Darden Jr. as he tried, and failed, to put together $31 million to buy up the world’s leading publisher of celebrity bikini photos and basic masculinity tips....
Was there ever a more idiotic idea than “The Decision”? Four years ago, LeBron James went on an ego-inflating tour de free agency, letting teams across the country woo him with cap space, exciting teammates, and chances for championships. In the end, he made a completely defensible basketball decision, to join up with two other superstars on the Miami Heat, which led to four finals trips and two trophies, in four years....
Brownhelm Township, Ohio seems to be plagued with an Adultmart thief, an unidentified male who managed to make off with a stolen sex toy worth $800 early Monday morning. Prior to the incident, the thief stole a big rig from a nearby lot, which he then drove into the store. While the truck has been recovered, the toy still remains (thankfully?) missing. The strange thing about the incident is that this may not be the first time the Adultmart thief has robbed the sex store....
In an action by homeowners against current and former owners of a laundry property alleging that oil flowing down from the laundry contaminated plaintiffs’ property, jury verdict in favor of plaintiffs is reversed where: 1) trial court should have entered judgment in favor of the defendants based on the special verdict as it established the statute of limitations defense; 2) based on the lack of evidence at trial that the contamination of the downhill property is reasonably abatable, the jury could not have found otherwise, and this failure of proof did not result from any erroneous ruling by the trial court in connection with granting summary adjudication denying plaintiff’s motion to amend the complaint, or limiting the expert testimony presented by plaintiff; and 3) trial court erred in granting the motion for new trial and denying the motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict....
Boardley v. US Dep’t of the Interior, No. 09-5176, involved a challenge to National Park Service regulations making it unlawful to engage in expressive activities within any national park unless a park official first issues a permit authorizing the activity. The court reversed the partial grant of defendant’s motion for summary judgment, on the ground that the regulations in their current form were antithetical to the core First Amendment principle that restrictions on free speech in a public forum may be valid only if narrowly tailored....
Is the NCAA negligent? That’s the question at the center of a new NCAA concussion lawsuit that alleges the organization failed to protect student athletes. The suit is filed by a former college football player, Adrian Arrington. Now 25, Arrington says he suffered from numerous concussions during his college football career at Eastern Illinois University. Arrington’s suit is seeking class-action status. Arrington served as EIU’s team captain in 2009. He says he suffered from memory loss and had trouble finishing his degree because of his constant injuries....
Conviction and sentence of defendant for burglary and related crimes is affirmed as, when a trial court determines that Penal Code section 654 applies to a particular count, the trial court must impose sentence on that count and then stay execution of the sentence, as there is no authority for a court to refrain from imposing sentence on all counts, except where probation is granted, and failing to impose sentence on all counts can lead to procedural difficulties if the count on which sentence was imposed is later reversed or vacated....
The Apple Store in Grand Central Station undoubtedly gets weekly shipments of packages filled with addictive contents. But this summer, one arrived that was quite extraordinary. An incredibly unusual chain of events transpired over the summer, culminating in the arrest of Richard Dean Desain of Los Angeles for a host of meth-related charges. Events Leading Up to the Meth Arrest On July 7, 2018, an Apple employee at the New York City store was going through his usual routine, opening the day’s shipments, when he came across an odd package addressed to “R De Sain....
In a patent infringement suit involving a patent directed to an elevator system that recognizes a user when the individual enters an entry location of a building then dispatches an elevator to bring the user to a destination floor based on user-specific data, district court’s entry of summary judgment in favor of defendant of noninfringement of the ‘094 patent is vacated and remanded as, the district court erred in construing the terms " information transmitter" and “recognition device” to exclude any “personal action” by an elevator user other than “walking into the monitored area....
California cannot impose its own restrictions on how Golden State slaughterhouses must address non-ambulatory animals. In a unanimous opinion authored by Justice Elena Kagan, the Supreme Court reversed the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today in National Meat Association v. Harris, and ruled that the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) preempts a California statute that prohibits slaughterhouses from buying, selling, or receiving non-ambulatory animals. Following the release of a 2008 Humane Society undercover video that exposed inhumane animal treatment in California slaughterhouses, the state legislature strengthened state laws regarding the treatment of non-ambulatory animals....
As end-of-the-year bonuses start to become as rare as pensions, it’s always nice to know that someone up there is looking out for you. For example, Ropes Gray LLP, in a surprising display of largess, has decided to give its most junior attorneys the same year-end bonuses amounts as their cut-throat BigLaw competition. But this “gift” comes with a catch: bill “substantially more” than the annual target of 1,900 hours....
As Mother’s Day looms closer, you may feel the need to take stock of just how well you’ve raised your kids. Have they always been perfect? Probably not. But they’re probably decent enough to buy a card or make a short phone call on Sunday, right? If not, just remember that it could be worse. Not only could your children have made your life infinitely more difficult up until this point, they could have made this list....
You’ve read Paper Chase. And watched the movie. You’ve talked to recent law school graduates. And those who reign supreme with 2L and 3L status. You went to orientation and got more than a couple of earfuls on what this year will be like. But, to add perspective, how about seeking inspiration on getting through the year from an unlikely source. What 1Ls Can Learn From Puppies Keep it simple. Puppies eat, sleep, play, and expel....
It’s the bane of every law student’s existence: The Bluebook, a devilish, disorganized, and often bewildering collection of legal writing rules. It’s a collection of 500 plus spiral-bound pages designed to make 1L’s rip their hair out. Who can we blame for those hours and hours lost miserably flipping between R.10 and T.8? For decades, the Harvard Law Review has taken credit for starting The Bluebook, but a forthcoming law review article by two Yale librarians paints a very different picture....
Remember “Pastafarians”? Those delightfully quirky followers of the “Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster”? Well it appears that getting a driver’s license is one of their downfalls. Or at least, it’s problematic for one devout young man. Aaron Williams, a 25-year old from New Jersey, went in to have his driver’s license photo taken. But he wanted to do it while wearing a Pastafarian head covering – i.e., a pasta strainer....
