Today is April Fool’s Day, which means tomorrow you’ll probably read about a few April Fool’s pranks-gone-wrong that resulted in arrests. The line between a well-played joke and a crime can be fine indeed. And with the proliferation of viral pranks on the Internet, jokesters may be pushing the limits of what is legal. Here’s a look at five April Fool’s pranks that ended up with some jokers under arrest:...
President Trump has pledged to announce his Supreme Court nomination next Thursday, setting up another major battle over the Supreme Court seat that has sat vacant for nearly a year now. But the Supreme Court is just one spot Trump has to fill – one spot out of 114. That’s right, there are more than 100 current vacancies in the federal courts, and it now falls to Trump to fill them....
In a petition for review of the NLRB’s finding that Petitioner engaged in an unfair labor practice by failing to notify certain temporary employees that the terms and conditions of their employment would change, the petition is granted where the NLRB erred in concluding that Petitioner was a “perfectly clear” successor to a prior company and that Petitioner was not entitled to implement new terms and conditions of employment. S&F Market St....
It was only a matter of time before someone sued that cuddly, teddy bear of a man, Mr. Simon Cowell. It may come as some surprise, however, that the suit is not taking place in what many (at least outside our borders) call the most litigious country in the world, the good ol’ U.S. of A. No, this suit for exploitation and degradation, otherwise known as reality TV, comes to us courtesy of our cousins across the pond, England....
Talk about a strange paternity lawsuit. A Louisiana man claims his ex-girlfriend stole his sperm and had a child without his consent. Layne Hardin, 44, has now filed a lawsuit against Obstetrical and Gynecological Associates after he claims the company gave two vials of his sperm to his ex, Houston’s KHOU-TV reports. The sperm donation was made specifically for another woman, Hardin claims. But somehow, it got into the hands of his ex-girlfriend....
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a controversial abortion case, California will get a second opinion on whether pregnancy counseling centers must notify women about contraception, abortion, and pre-natal care. In National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, the Supreme Court struck down a California law that required the centers post notices about those options. The justices said the law “drowns out” the centers’ own messages, and remanded the case for further consideration....
Two teens returning from a bagpipe competition in Canada hit a sour note with U.S. border authorities, who swiped their pipes because they contained ivory. Campbell Webster and Eryk Bean of New Hampshire, both 17, were crossing the U.S.-Canada border in Vermont, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized the boys’ prized bagpipes. According to The Associated Press, the bagpipes did contain ivory, but Webster claims it was completely legal to possess....
Dallas healthcare workers and others whose movement has been restricted following exposure to Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan will be able to vote in the upcoming election by email. Lawyers for the Dallas County Elections filed a petition asking the court to extend email voting privileges to workers who treated Duncan and those who may have subsequently had contact with those workers, reports the Wall Street Journal. Duncan, a Liberian national, died earlier this month in Dallas after contracting Ebola in Liberia....
The American Bar Association is currently considering amending the Model Rules on attorney misconduct to make “discrimination and harassment” a professionally punishable offense. That’s great, right? After all, pretty much no one is for discrimination and harassment. Except the wording of the proposed amendment has many attorneys up in arms – particularly over the inclusion of on “socioeconomic status.” Here’s why. The proposed rule change would amend the ABA’s Model Rule of Professional Conduct 8....
A Texas teen has been arrested and charged with rubbing his scrotum on a customer’s pizza after a customer caught him in the act. Papa Murphy’s employee Michael Symonds, 18, was allegedly caught dabbing his testicles all over a customer’s family-size stuffed crust pizza, topped with pineapple and Canadian bacon. According to Austin’s KEYE-TV, Symonds apologized after he was caught with his genitals out. What criminal charges are appropriate for such a ballsy pizza stunt?...
Cable network FXX is currently airing every episode of “The Simpsons” back-to-back, giving hope to children and adults alike in these dark times (at least through Labor Day, when the marathon is set to conclude). So stop playing Bonestorm and check out our picks for the Top 10 greatest legal moments from “The Simpsons”: Milhouse’s parents’ divorce (from “A Milhouse Divided,” Season 8, Episode 6) – Although you don’t see much of the Van Houtens’ divorce, the whole incident convinced Homer to file for divorce without Marge’s knowledge....
Who’d have thought Santa Claus was masquerading as a partner at a big law firm? Whether you believe in him or not, the BigLaw partners have sent out early Christmas cards with promises to stuff their associates’ socks with plenty of cash. How much? Try on a $100,000 bonus for size. There’s no catch, other than being an associate at a large and profitable firm. And, of course, you must have already paid your dues....
Well, sassy esquire, you’ve crossed the Bar exam obstacle course in triumph. Now what? In the current recovering economy lawyers may not find the dream offer and their dream position as easily as they hoped. But, before heading for the hills, consider the realm of contract attorney jobs available. The contract attorney is hired for temporary or on a per-project basis. And what it has its detractors–such as an indefinite term, meaning that you may have to keep the position search open even while you work various contract attorney jobs....
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Department of State have four months to release a ruling as to whether or not a group should be removed from the terror list. The group, an Iranian group named the People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, was placed on the list of terror organizations fifteen years ago, for its role in the assassination of citizens and for its alliance with Saddam Hussein....
When California modified its Sex Offender Registration Act to require that those who had been convicted of certain offenses, even those who had already completed their sentence, register for the public Megan’s Law online database, it created a number of issues. Was this an ex post facto violation? Did it violate due process? What about the contractual obligations of the parties per the plea bargain? Since then, the law has been modified twice, first to provide for a publically-accessible information phone line and later, to provide for the Megan’s Law website....
In a dispute over whether the commuting time for federal employees who use government vehicles constitutes a compensable period of work under the Fair Labor Standards Act, summary judgment for the government is affirmed where there are no regulations or rulings by either the OPM or the Department of Labor that dictate a different result from that reached by this court when it resolved prior similar disputes. Read Easter v. US, No....
Escobar v. Flores, No. C061316, involved a petition under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the Convention) for the return of her eight-year-old son to his habitual residence with her in Chile. The court of appeal affirmed the denial of the petition, holding that the trial court did not err in refusing to order defendant to return the child based on a finding that the child objected to being returned to Chile and had attained an age and degree of maturity at which it was appropriate to take account of his views....
Michael Jordan has his tongue. James Harden has his beard. And now Anthony Davis has his unibrow. By far the best college prospect this year, Anthony Davis also has perhaps the most identifiable physical trait of any draftee: his unibrow. During his one year career at the University of Kentucky, everyone but Davis profited from the unibrow. But now that won’t be the case as Davis trademarked his unibrow. Anthony Davis signed with powerhouse agent Arn Tellem of the Wasserman Media Group....
Mark Van Der Weide, a legal star who has been rising for some time, has reached a zenith in the American economy. The Federal Reserve Board has appointed him as general counsel, following Scott G. Alvarez, a 36-year-veteran of the agency, who is retiring. Van Der Weide beat out many other veteran attorneys for the position, having ascended steadily at the Fed since 2010. “The Board gave thorough consideration to many highly qualified internal and external candidates and Mr....
Florida vampire Josephine Smith, 22, was arrested on charges of felony aggravated battery on an elderly person late last week, accused of attacking 69-year-old Milton Ellis while outside a vacant Hooters in St. Petersburg. Wheelchair-bound and asleep at the time of the attack, the homeless Ellis managed to escape and call for help, but not before Smith bit off chunks of his face and arm. Police found a half naked Smith shortly, covered in blood....
