One time my credit card number got stolen and the thief used it to spend $2.19 at Taco Bell, after first stopping in for a manicure. I thought that was kind of weird. True story. But of course, this post isn’t about me. It’s about breast implants, which are always exciting. In the case of Shatarka Nuby, 29, her quest for bigger breast implants took a turn to the dark side, and now she’s forced to pay the price....
The dominos continue to fall in the wake of famed tort law pioneer and “Master of Disaster” Stanley Chesley’s career-ending unreasonable fee scandal. Months after being disbarred in Kentucky, and resigning from the Ohio state bar, Chesley voluntarily resigned from the United States Supreme Court’s rolls. It all started with a fee paid out in mass class action Fen-Phen litigation. Chesley walked away with $20 million of a $200 million settlement....
Cities are always looking for new ways to target graffiti, but San Francisco’s recently released free iPhone app, Graff City, is certainly an innovative plan. Using the iPhone’s digital camera, the app presents an image of the user’s surroundings. He can then use a finger to digitally spray paint–or virtually tag–any surface within the camera’s view. That image can then be emailed or uploaded to Facebook for “bragging” rights. Graff City is the product of San Francisco’s Arts Commission and its StreetSmARTS program, which Reuters reports provides street artists with grants to paint murals on designated property around the city....
Yes, really, another post about the perils of attending law school. Of course, there are profits, as well. There’s no denying that law school has its rewards and that, despite what many legal blogs like to wax sarcastically poetic about — the profession is pretty rewarding. Now’s the time for many to be thinking about applying to law school. If you’re wondering if you are making or have made the right call, here are some things that you should know about attending law school that you may not know:...
It’s TV season again and that means that ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder is back, fresh off the heels of Viola Davis’ Emmy Award. If you’re not familiar with HTGAWM, it’s the ridiculous story of Professor Annalise Keating’s never-ending Crim Law course, where the best and the brightest student patsies are invited to help folks, well, get away with murder. Or solve murders. It’s a bit ambiguous at this point....
For law students and J.D.’s anticipating the coming long weekend–a brief respite from the ongoing rigmarole of law school or post law school life–there are probably many things on your mind. Health insurance may not rank high on the list, but maybe it should. Your law school might offer a plan to students, this is especially true for a law school that is part of a broader campus (i.e. including undergrads, other grad programs, etc....
It is that time of year again, back to school. How can you tell? Increased traffic, sales at Staples, stressed kids and happy parents. Oh, and homework. Here is a case of homework in a very unusual arena. A Nevada judge has given homework to a defendant who came before him on a charge of selling pot. The defendant, 25 year-old Matthew Palazzolo, was busted for selling the drug he grew himself after obtaining a valid medical marijuana card....
In Fred Beverages, Inc. v. Fred’s Capital Mgmt. Co., No. 10-1007, the Federal Circuit dealt with the the decision of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) denying a motion to leave amend a pending petition in plaintiff’s action seeking to cancel a trademark in International Class 32 on the ground of abandonment. The decision of the TTAB is reversed as its denial of the motion for leave on the grounds that the filing fee did not accompany the motion was arbitrary and capricious....
I think the Daily Mail wins for the best headline on this story: “Wunderbra.” The Brits really have a way with headlines. Of course the headline came after a German court bra ruling that found that bosses can require female employees to wear bras at work. Now, this immediately sounds familiar to any true Seinfeld aficionado. May I introduce exhibit A, a conversation between the surprisingly litigious Kramer and attorney Jackie Chiles, from the episode entitled, The Caddy:...
What would be dumber than engaging in a full-blown fireworks fight with a neighbor only a few feet away from each other? Engaging in a fraternity fireworks fight while your houses are filled with illegal drugs, as two Miami University frats discovered. A fraternity fireworks allegedly battle erupted between the neighboring Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Phi Kapp Tau frats, reports the Dayton Daily News. But when police came a knocking, they found a whole lot more than fireworks....
Getting a song stuck in your head may be bad enough. But imagine if someone like your boyfriend serenades you constantly with that song you can’t stand. This is what happened to 23-year-old woman Samantha Malson. Her boyfriend had Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” in his head and reportedly felt the need to sing it out loud to Malson on all occasions. The Colorado woman had enough and broke down....
A 9-year-old Minnesota girl fed up with her parents’ alleged use and sale of marijuana in their home decided to take action. She walked into the Barnesville police station last month and gave detailed descriptions to police about where to find her parents’ stash of meth, as well as seven marijuana plants, reports ABC News. What was the final straw for this little girl, and what charges could her parents potentially be facing as a result?...
Final decision of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (Board) refusing registration of the mark “Mattress.com” is affirmed as the Board’s decision finding the mark generic in relation to the recited services was supported by substantial evidence. Read In re 1800Mattress.com IP., LLC, No. 09-1188 Appellate Information Appeal from: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Decided November 6, 2009...
A former in-house attorney at Apple sued the tech company this spring, alleging age discrimination, gender discrimination, and wrongful termination. The attorney, who worked at Apple for two years, says her male coworkers were regularly given preferential treatment and that she was fired after complaining about an environment of “fear and intimidation.” But she sued under the name of “Jane Doe.” If she wants to pursue her claims against Apple, she’ll have refile her suit under her real name, a Los Angeles judge ruled this week, the Recorder reports....
Judges come and judges go. And this time, it was Judge Arthur J. Garjasa’s turn to bid the Federal Circuit farewell as he announced his retirement from the bench. Judge Gajarsa was already on senior status with the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals so his announcement does not create a vacancy on the court. The announcement was made on June 30, 2012. In his parting message, Judge Gajarsa had this to say:...
Useless piece of trivia: one-third of all eggs produced in Missouri are sold in California. Why are we tossing such eggstremely useless statistics at you? Well, that little nugget of trivia is at the heart of a lawsuit filed by the “Show Me State” against the “Golden State.” The lawsuit also pits two stereotypes against each other: Missouri farmers fighting California regulators. And as an added bonus, the central issue is a somewhat rare interstate commerce clause argument....
Though she may have slapped television commentator Dr. Cathleen London across the face in the middle of a Trader Joe’s, opera singer (and newly dubbed “Pad Thai Slapper”) Marcella Caprario was acquitted yesterday of all charges, leaving her free to consume as much vegan Pad Thai as she can get her hands on. The verdict, decided by Judge ShawnDya Simpson in Manhattan, came down to one question: Is a slap in the face of supermarket rudeness self-defense?...
People v. Graves, B220129, involved a prosecution of a defendant for spousal battery on his wife and battery on is mother-in-law. In reversing the trial court’s dismissal of the case, the court remanded the matter as a sham trial does not trigger double jeopardy protection. The court also held that the trial court erred by denying the People’s request to trail within the statutory period provided for by section 1382....
You care if your chickens roam free and get healthy feed, whether the meat is organic or not. So probably you also care about poultry workers and the conditions in which they work, which are reportedly not great. According to Oxfam America, poultry workers routinely complain of insufficient bathroom breaks and some say that they wear diapers on the job to deal with the problem. Having adequate bathroom breaks is written into the law, and it’s not optional for employers to allow them....
A survey of recent law graduates found that, surprisingly enough, they were unhappy with the status quo of legal education. Seriously, a shocker, right? The survey’s findings are somewhat in line with President Barack Obama’s suggestions from a few weeks ago, though we’re still wary of the unintended consequences of dropping the third year. The survey, done by our friends at Kaplan, polled bar review students on legal education reform, resulting in three significant takeaways:...
