Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a lawsuit, no escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up the Fan Duel and Draft Kings merger to see: the FTC has alleged that the merger violates the Clayton Act due to concerns that it will create a monopoly for daily fantasy sports. The lawsuit, filed last month by the FTC, seeks to resolve the concern created by the merger by stopping it....
You graduated. Then you tackled (or are tackling) the bar. After a few months of spinning your wheels, you even found a job. Now, your transmission is going out and you suddenly find yourself in an unfamiliar place, with the desire, and more importantly, the means to get a new(ish) car. That’s right. No more disposable $200 Nissan Pulsars (it was a rough time in my life). Here are your top choices, based on a completely arbitrary set of criteria....
Rejection of plaintiffs’ petition challenging a county trial court’s procedures as unconstitutional is affirmed where the summary denial of a prison inmate’s ex parte application for the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus or a writ of mandate is a subordinate judicial duty that a commissioner may perform pursuant to section 259, subdivision (a) of the Code of Civil Procedure, without violating the Constitution, because it is not the “trial” of a “cause....
While most lawyers out there don’t need to hear this ever, let alone more than once, getting a little reminder every now and again isn’t bad for any lawyer, so here goes: Seriously lawyers, especially you prosecutors out there, we don’t live in the world of Bobby Axelrod and you are not Chuck Rhodes. Rather than trying to scheme, backstab, and cheat your way to the top, or using your position in ways to belie the public’s trust, going the old fashion route of putting in sweat-equity is just a way better move, unless you’re hoping to go out in a blaze of glory and lose your license, or worse....
When it comes to hunting hogs and coyotes, lawmakers in Texas are trying to give hunters a new option. Wild hogs, and particularly feral hogs, are not only dangerous to other animals and people, the wild beasts also cause an estimated $80 to $90 million in property damages each year in Texas alone. To combat the feral hog problem, Texas just passed a law to allow hog hunters to shoot feral hogs from a hot air balloon....
Many Americans have probably forgotten about Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the naval base there, where foreign detainees are held with limited legal process. The detainees are believed to be terrorists, or at least associated with terrorist organizations, and some have been in custody for more than a decade, since the Iraq War. One such detainee is Ravil Kamilevitch Mingazov, and his story is odd. Trained as a professional dancer, he was in Russia’s military ballet troop, did passport control at the Mongolian border and managed military food operations....
People v. Verdugo, S083904, concerned a challenge to a conviction of defendant for first-degree murder and a sentence of death. On automatic appeal, the court affirmed the conviction and the sentence over claims of error regarding: 1) trial court’s error in refusing to appoint Keenan counsel; 2) failure to disclose Brady and section 1054.1 material; 3) evidentiary issues; 4) instructional error; 5) trial court’s failure to limit the prosecution’s victim impact evidence; 6) scope of cross examination; 7) alleged Griffin error; 8) timing of defense closing argument; 9) challenges to California’s death penalty scheme; 10) denial of new trial motion; 11) denial of request to discharge retained counsel; 12) cumulative prejudice; and 13) alleged violation of international law....
One woman is making headlines for her lawsuit against the now infamous maker of jelly beans, Jelly Belly. Though many might have a hard time believing that the makers of such a silly, sweet, and fun confection could commit fraud and intentionally deceive customers, the evidence for this lawsuit was printed on every single box of one of their novelty products: Jelly Belly Sport. The confectioner, like so many other food product manufacturers, is alleged to have attempted to trick customers by leaving the word “sugar” off their list of ingredients....
Kleiner Perkins will have to air its dirty laundry in court after a judge denied its bid for arbitration in a growing sexual harassment scandal. Ellen Pao, a current employee, is suing the venture firm for sex discrimination. She claims that women are treated poorly by the firm and that they do not have the opportunities for advancement offered to man. Kleiner attempted to keep the case out of court and force Pao into a private arbitration....
Trial court order order dismissing defendant’s claim for loss of goodwill connected to the acquisition by eminent domain of real property is reversed where the court erred in concluding that defendant was not entitled to compensation for goodwill because it was a month-to-month tenant as nothing requires that a business owner’s entitlement to goodwill must be based on a written lease on the property that is taken. Read Los Angeles Unified School District v....
A Pennsylvania man faked his mom’s obituary in order to get paid time off work. Scott Bennett was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct over the incident. All in all, it was a rather clever ploy in theory. Think about it this way: how many people actually read physical newspapers these days? It seems more and more consumers turn to the web to catch up on the latest headlines. Perhaps Bennett thought nobody would read the obituary at all....
In a very un-sexy lawsuit, model Liz Dickson is suing Playboy for allowing a radio host to attempt to “tee-off” from her butt. According to Dickson’s lawsuit, she was asked to lie on her stomach with a golf tee between her buttocks during a 2012 Playboy photo shoot with comedian and radio personality Kevin Klein, reports TMZ. Klein attempted to strike a golf ball balanced on the buttocks tee, but ended up missing and whacking Dickson’s derriere....
Getting paid to watch NFL football? No helmet? No microphone? What kinda job is this anyway? Cassie Sadowitz, any football fan would say, has a dream job. She is general counsel for the Jacksonville Jaguars. She spends most of her time on the legal department’s document retention and management systems. She also works on sponsorships and HIPAA compliance for the team. “With the recent stadium improvements and the new amphitheater and covered flex field, downtown Jacksonville is going to thrive as a unique entertainment destination, and I am proud to have played a role in its development,” Sadowitz told Corporate Counsel....
While the passing of Prince Roger Nelson was profoundly felt by his fans, his family is still seeking answers about the superstar’s death. Prince’s family recently filed a lawsuit against the late star’s doctor due to an alleged failure in the standard of care that failed to recognize, treat and/or counsel Prince for opioid addiction. And though there were no criminal charges brought against the doctor, the family’s lawsuit clearly states allegations that Prince’s doctor took no steps to prevent Prince’s foreseeable death as a result of opioid addiction....
Pro surfer Jill Hansen has been charged with attempted murder over an alleged hit-and-run incident involving a 73-year-old woman. Hansen, 30, was arrested last week in Hawaii after what police have called “a road rage incident,” in which she allegedly followed an elderly driver to her condo and ran her down once the lady exited her vehicle, reports the Los Angeles Times. Will Hansen be trading her surfboard for an orange jumpsuit?...
The Supreme Court is taking an appeal from a manufacturer that used to make NFL headwear, that is, until it was left standing in the cold after Reebok scored an exclusive deal with the NFL in 2001. American Needle, the former maker, has since claimed in court that the exclusive licensing agreement violates antitrust laws. Now, the NFL antitrust case has come to the nation’s highest court, and the case has significant implications for everyone from sports leagues to consumers alike....
A Thai man married his dead girlfriend in an act that is simultaneously morbid and sweet. Chadil Deffy, also known as Deff Yingyuen, wed his recently deceased bride Sarinya “Anne” Kamsook in a ceremony in the Surin province. The couple had been together for a decade before a tragic accident claimed Kamsook’s life. They had planned to get married. Yingyuen wanted to focus on his studies before setting a date, reports the Huffington Post....
Happy 10th Anniversary! On February 12, 2004, then-Mayor (now Lieutenant Governor) Gavin Newsom decided to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, calling it a “fundamental right.” According to The Associated Press, 4,000 couples were married over the following month before the California Supreme Court stepped in and voided the marriages. It took another nine years before gay marriage would be legal in California, but those 4,000 marriages were an important step towards the present day, when it seems every week, another state is joining the marriage equality movement....
If you remember the AutoAdmit/xoxohth lawsuit back in 2007, you’ve probably been waiting for Thomas M. Cooley Law School to get in on the internet defamation action. Well, the Cooley lawsuits are here, and the school is suing the law firm of Kurzon Strauss LLP and four anonymous bloggers, all of whom have accused the administration of defrauding the student body. Wait, aren’t all law schools a scam? In explaining its decision to file both suits, Cooley claims that it must “protect the reputation of the school and its students and alumni from defamatory Internet attacks....
It’s graduation season and that means that it’s time for judges to be recognized at commencement ceremonies. This year, two judges from the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals have been recognized during commencement ceremonies: Judge Arthur J. Gajarsa and Chief Judge Randall R. Rader. Judge Gajarsa received an honorary degree from the Georgetown University Law Center at their commencement ceremonies held on May 20, 2012. Georgetown University also happens to be Judge Gajarsa’s alma mater, and he has served on the Board of Advisers....
