A married couple in Ohio got their own surprise when both the husband and wife were cited for misdemeanors by police after their gruesome, bad joke was taken too seriously by their Facebook friends. The pair thought it would be funny to stage a murder scene in their bathtub using ketchup, then post pictures of it online. The police were able to quickly catch up to them, and failed to see the humor....
In plaintiff’s petition for a writ of mandate seeking to compel defendant to allow citizens to use cameras or other recording devices inside polling stations in future elections and to comply with obligations to secure ballot boxes against tampering in future elections, trial court’s denial of the requested relief is affirmed where: 1) the polling station, the only area to which the challenged policy can and does apply, is a nonpublic forum, and the photography policy is reasonable; 2) trial court acted within its discretion to deny declaratory relief because the requested declaration would have little practical effect in terms of altering parties’ behavior; 3) registrar’s policies do not violate any requirements imposed by law; and 4) evidentiary objections were not improperly sustained, and certain trial court rulings were not prejudicial....
A Colorado woman was denied a medical marijuana dispensary license because of her prior conviction for prostitution. And now she’s suing. Melody Kenyon, the potential pot-repreneuse, was denied the license because the law requires the operator of a dispensary to have “good moral character,” reports Coloradoan.com. Kenyon is suing the city of Fort Collins, claiming the sex act that got her convicted was actually part of a Hindu religious ceremony....
A Seattle police officer has been reassigned after a review of police records found the officer had written 80 percent of the marijuana citations issued in the city so far this year. The officer even added notes to the back of some of the citations, including one in which he voiced his opinion that Washington’s marijuana legalization laws are “silly,” reports Reuters. What else did the department’s investigation find? And if pot is legal in Washington state, why are pot smokers still being cited?...
Rape is always a terrible crime but when the victim sees a video of the incident, it adds a whole new level of invasion to the offense. That’s what happened to the young woman who was sexual assaulted by Elric Shawn Millner. Almost two years after the alleged event, police arrested 24-year-old Millner on Friday. It took the victim, whose identity has been protected, a year to tell anyone about the assault which occurred when she was 17....
This year, we’ve seen a lot of bad news about the legal job market. The most recent statistics were devastating for everyone except lateral candidates who have been practicing for more than five years. Half of the class of 2011 was making less than $60k, which means student loans are sitting pretty in default status. The depressing statistics would have been unfathomably low just a few years ago. Today, it matches with many of our experiences, as well as those of our classmates....
United Techs. Corp. v. US Dep’t of Defense, No. 08-5435, involved “reverse-FOIA” actions seeking to prevent the release of certain Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) documents evaluating plaintiff defense contractors’ respective quality control processes. The court of appeals reversed summary judgment for defendants, holding that DCMA’s decision to release the documents was arbitrary and capricious in that it failed to properly apply Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act....
Summer isn’t like it once was, when you were a young kid or even just an undergrad. Long, slow summer days are replaced by all-nighters as an associate. And if you’re still a law student, life isn’t that much better. Lazy days at the beach are harder to come by, what with all the bar prep or summer associate work. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun. Here are our top tips for enjoying a little bit of sun and fun while still keeping on top of your lawyerly duties....
Over the past decade, the concept of work/life balance has continued to increase in importance. Along with the widespread proliferation of the internet, telecommuting has become incredibly easy thanks to laptop computers, smart phones, and that glorious, glorious Wi-Fi. However, when your workers ask for flex time, or the ability to work from home, without a medical or family reason, it can often put you in an uncomfortable position. Yes, it’s very possible....
Kinder Eggs seemed like a perfect gift for family and friends so Chris Sweeney and Brandon Loo bought a few to bring back to Seattle without knowing they were illegal. Kinder Eggs, also known as Kinder Surprise, consist of a chocolate egg wrapped around a small toy or prize. The eggs are legal in Canada but have never been permitted into the U.S. because of safety concerns. The couple was vacationing in Vancouver, British Columbia and put the eggs in the trunk of their car on their way back to the U....
An interpreter told the defendant that he was accused of a ‘violacion,’ which did not exactly mean ‘violation’ in Spanish. “No he viole a nadie!” the distressed defendant exclaimed. It was a disconcerting moment for the man, who was actually charged with a traffic violation. It also troubled the judge, who learned that “violacion” meant “rape.” Unfortunately, court interpreters are not always competent. What’s worse, there are not enough interpreters – especially in California where people speak more than 220 different languages....
The lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania attorney general Josh Shapiro against Navient, the student loan servicer, could spell change for countless borrowers. According to this lawsuit and lawsuits filed in other states, Navient engages in predatory lending tactics designed to keep borrowers in debt for longer, and steers them away from more advantageous repayment options. The federal lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction, as well as disgorgement of profits, restitution, other damages, and reformation of borrower agreements and repayment plans....
Things are looking up for the seven women who are suing Bill Cosby for defamation. Yesterday, Judge Anita Brody, of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, ruled that the women can have access to Andrea Constand’s case file. Let’s take a look at this clever legal maneuvering. Some background before we delve in. Once upon a time, Bill Cosby was a widely-loved entertainer, famous for creating Fat Albert and playing Doctor Huxtable on The Cosby Show, the highest rated television program for much of the 80s....
When thieves stole a laptop from a medical worker’s car, who knew that it would become a big stressor for general counsel across the country? According to a national survey of health care attorneys, more than 75 percent of the general counsel say that data security is the issue they worry about the most. The $5.5 million penalty against an Illinois-based health care group must have still been on their minds....
Deion Sanders’ child custody battle with his estranged wife Pilar is finally over. And it took jurors less than two hours to make their decision. The Hall of Fame cornerback will get full custody of his two sons, while he and Pilar will share custody over their only daughter, reports Dallas’ WFAA-TV. Clearly not happy with the decision, Pilar pointed out that many pieces of evidence supporting her claim to the kids were not admitted into evidence....
With all the talk of the rare ‘Unqualified’ ratings being handed out to President Trump’s judicial nominees, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse had some rather illuminating questions for Matthew Petersen, a nominee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Lucky for everyone except Petersen, those questions were captured on a video which is going viral. Most notably, Petersen was rated as “Qualified” but his responses to Senator Whitehouse’s questions really call into question what that rating even means....
You may have been aware that, even in this day and age of no-fault divorces, claims of adultery can still have an effect on divorce proceedings in certain states. What you may not have realized, however, is that certain jurisdictions still allow lawsuits based on “alienation of affection,” essentially a jilted lover’s claim that someone deprived them of sexual relations with their ex-spouse. One of those jurisdictions is North Carolina, where jilted husband Joshua Jeffords is suing Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Fletcher Cox, claiming Cox’s affair with his wife Catherine Cuesta Jeffords destroyed their marriage....
“So, why are we here?” asked U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves, rhetorically. “Because the State of Mississippi contends that every court who ruled on a case such as this ‘misinterpreted or misapplied prior Supreme Court abortion precedent.’” Judge Reeves did not share that same legal perspective, and instead overturned, in no uncertain terms, a statewide ban on abortions after 15 weeks of gestation. “No, the real reason we are here is simple,” Reeves wrote....
Here is a new spin on the whole “do something wrong to someone, demand an pology from them” theme noted in a FindLaw Free Enterprise post. In that case, a magazine editor who lifted content from a blogger without permission asserted the blogger should just be grateful her name was mentioned at all. In this case, a new site has come to bedevil the great overlord of social media: Facebook. Their nemesis?...
It looks like the ABA antitrust lawsuit is dying a slow, yet inevitable, death. For those not in the know, Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law filed an antitrust suit against the American Bar Association after being denied accreditation in December. The Tennessee school, which has been accredited by a regional body, claims the ABA is trying to limit the number of law schools and attorneys in the country....
