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A Florida man who killed, cooked, and ate his dog – yes, cooked and ate – was convicted of felony animal cruelty. But here’s the kicker: the jury didn’t even get to hear about the latter experimental culinary part, only about the killing. Thomas Huggins says his dog, Bandit, was getting aggressive, and he couldn’t sell her because she was a pit bull mix, reports the Orlando Sentinel. But Huggins clarified that he used a plastic garbage bag to suffocate Bandit, but he had to try twice because she got away the first time....

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court released two opinions, both authored by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, regarding attorney fees in patent cases, and the meaning of the Patent Act’s Section 285 language that allows a “court in exceptional cases may award reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing party.” The cases have been closely watched, as companies are forced to defend patent claims against patent trolls, and the issue has gained traction in the media....

An Ohio veteran has been cited for violating a county ordinance, all because he was keeping 14 “therapy ducks” in his backyard. The Coschocton Tribune reports that Darin Welker, 36, was fined $50 for keeping his feathered friends, which he claims “help him cope with post traumatic stress disorder and depression” after his tour in Iraq. The local judge was unsympathetic, telling Welker that if the law says no ducks, “then there are no ducks....

Can you imagine the scene? Two grown (really, really grown) women, at a TJ Maxx, allegedly stuffing thousands of dollars worth of boots and jeans under their breasts and arm pits. Edmond police identified the alleged shoplifters as Ailene Brown, 28, and Shmeco Thomas, 37. The pair was caught red handed at the TJ Maxx by loss prevention security. Can’t you just hear their conversation while cooking up this scheme?...

Did you hear about the criminal defendant who punched out his lawyer in court? The video got more views than most viral cat videos. Seriously, it was worth at least an honorable mention in the annals of courtroom stories. A good story is priceless, and not just as a trial lawyer’s tool. Storytelling is about life. Storytelling Awards In a first-ever national competition for law students, Brigham Young University law school is holding a storytelling competition in March....

What’s the biggest problem facing graduates today? It’s not the job market, which really, really sucks. It’s the massive load of debt which will stalk them for the next few decades, making it difficult to buy a home, go on vacation, or even save for their own kids’ college funds. Standard monthly repayments, for someone with six-figure debt, probably top $1,000 per month. If you’re not in BigLaw, that’s a massive expenditure....

After setting the internet ablaze by turning himself in to the NYPD, Harvey Weinstein posted a $1 million bail, was fitted with an ankle monitor, and released. Weinstein faces criminal charges of rape, sex abuse and related crimes in New York. In the state case, two women allege he forced them into sex acts with him in 2013 and 2004. The case does not include allegations by scores of other women, including actresses Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow....

For law students seeking to work in house, many will often wonder whether earning a MBA can make their JD more marketable to the in house hiring decision makers. But, like most legal issues, the answer is: It depends. Depending on what sort of work you are looking to perform in house, having an MBA along with your J, unfortunately might not make much difference. For instance, if you will be working on government compliance or intellectual property matters, the MBA will likely matter less than a technical background, and/or prior experience....

Rhonda Hollander, 47, is a female traffic magistrate and attorney from Florida. She also did something most legally-trained professionals would not do: take pictures of men at men’s room urinal. Okay, that should be clarified. Hollander did something most people, regardless of their legal training, would probably never do. Apparently, Hollander was staking out the urinal area in a public restroom inside the West Regional Courthouse. One of the men who was about to urinate saw that Hollander was standing next to him, taking photographs of him relieving himself, reports the Broward-Palm Beach New Times....

Welcome clarification sprang from the Federal Circuit on the issue of what constitutes a good on sale under the 35 U.S.C. sec. 102(b) et seq. Specifically, the court addressed when the “on sale” bar would or would not get triggered on those patents that were filed before the passage of the America Invents Act (AIA). The legal issue before the courts in this case were not fundamentally about intellectual property, but basic contract law....

2015 will be better. It will be a year of great personal and professional success. It will be a year when the legal industry ticks up a notch, when clients come aplenty, and when Will Smith and Martin Lawrence finally decide to film “Bad Boys III.” I’m feeling optimistic about 2015, which is why I’m setting my new year’s resolutions so high. If you’re feeling the same way, here are a few ideas for some goals of your own:...

Last year, Governor Brown announced $544 million in budget cuts for the California court system. This was in addition to $650 million in cuts imposed over the three preceding years. Every court in the state had to make compromises, including shuttering a number of courthouses in Los Angeles County. In Placerville, the local court found a quick way to save $60,000. They would cut their permanent ten-person court reporting staff and replace it with private contractors....

Denise Whiting is known around Baltimore as the woman who trademarked “Hon”–a local term of endearment that has become so entrenched in the city’s culture that there is a yearly festival dedicated to the beehived women who coined the term. Since the community found out about her not-so-secret desire to control the market for “Hon” merchandise across the city, she and her local businesses have been the subject of protests....

Black and Latino law students are suffering the most stress levels associated with law school debt, suggests a survey. Law school debt levels are rising, and so is law student stress. But, in a finding that won’t surprise many, minority and low-income students suffer the most. The study seems to indicate – no surprise – that simply worrying about your student loans can affect the quality of your law school experience....

While most people know that they can’t park in certain parking spots without breaking handicap parking laws, did you know that in certain circumstances, disabled persons can also be in violation of the law for parking in disabled spots? That’s what the California Appellate Court said today. The case, Spicer v. City of Camarillo, addresses the issue of unlimited parking in handicap spots, in light of municipal and state law. The plaintiff in the case was disabled and had a placard issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles....

While certainly not as exciting as the prospect of six Californias, or as debatable as the value of the death penalty, there are still many legal issues in California that are making headlines. In this week’s update, we take a look at a new celebrity lawsuit, how California is dealing with the water shortage, and keeping firearms out of the wrong hands. Firearms and the Mentally Ill In October 2013, the California State Auditor released a report entitled “Armed Persons With Mental Illness,” which found that the “California DOJ was not receiving timely notification from courts when an individual became barred from having a firearm,” California Healthline reports....

When it comes to vehicle emissions, the state of California has long been a leader in setting the most stringent standards. But, with the recent change in the administration at the EPA, as well as the efforts of lobbyists maybe, those high California standards are facing a potential upheaval. Rather than waiting to see what happens, California, 16 other states, and the District of Columbia, have joined together to seek appellate review of the EPA’s final agency action in regard to changing the emissions standards for 2022-2025 model year vehicles....

Court of Federal Claims judgment against the United States for the Department of Energy’s partial breach of its contract with certain nuclear utilities is affirmed in part and vacated in part where: 1) the trial court improperly relied on the 2004 annual capacity report process for calculating damages, and on remand must determine damages based on the 1987 schedule identified in Pacific Gas as the appropriate measuring stick for determining the parties’ contractual intent; and 2) the court did not err in holding that defendants should be allowed to recover an appropriate portion of overhead costs and other indirect expenses....

Somewhere – among hundreds of millions of Americans – is a criminal stamp-licker. Prosecutors have charged the unknown licker with sending a threatening letter to a judge. They don’t know who the defendant is, but for now they’re calling him John Doe. They found his DNA on a stamp attached to an envelope. Unfortunately for the Wisconsin authorities, his DNA is not in the government’s database. The Statute Made Them Do It Officials said they had to file the case before the six-year statute of limitations ran out....

The Internet is always watching, so criminals beware. Last Sunday, a young Alabama boy showed up at a local Walmart to claim a prize for taking the training wheels off of his bike. While the boy and his father were in the store, a man in a Detroit Tigers baseball cap and white T-shirt was caught on surveillance video stealing the bike from the store’s parking lot. What did the police do?...