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Nothing beats a sunny day at the beach. Waves gently lapping the shore, the sun warming your sandy body … the sound of camera-equipped drones buzzing overhead? It wasn’t exactly a day at the beach for one Connecticut drone operator, who was allegedly assaulted by a woman who accused him of photographing beachgoers with a drone. The man had surreptitiously recorded his attacker with his smartphone, and the incident ended with police arresting 23-year-old Andrea Mears, reports Ars Technica....

In our rapidly expanding pantheon of dumb criminals (N.B., the Santa Claus Burglar, the Bouquet Bandit) this one stands head, shoulders, and breasts above the rest. This criminal is so lacking in any form of gray matter than not only the police, but the fashion police, are going to want a piece of this guy. Our story of the mad crime spree begins, according to CBS News reports, in always sunny Pittsburgh, Pa....

Hall of Fame college football coach Jim Donnan has been accused of engaging in a Ponzi scheme by the federal Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The former University of Georgia coach is currently under investigation by the SEC and the agency is seeking to recover millions of dollars of ill-gotten gains. However, the former coach has not yet been charged with a crime, reports The Associated Press. Donnan allegedly engaged in an elaborate Ponzi scheme with a business partner where the pair used Donnan’s high-profile connections to swindle about $80 million from investors....

Over at Indiana University, they have role-played the law firm of the future. You can probably stop reading after “new associates would be paid less” and “there’d be fewer of them.” (Am Law Daily)Partners behaving badly: FindLaw’s Blotter sums up the story of the BigLaw partner who booted her kids from the car.Corporate associates take note: the ABA Journal reports that Wilson Sonsini is replacing you with a web-based term-sheet generator....

In plaintiff’s case against defendants arising from a patent license agreement dispute, judgment on the pleadings in favor of defendants is reversed and remanded where: 1) the district court erred in finding that plaintiff’s subsidiaries are not licensed under the parties’ patent licensing Agreement; and 2) the unambiguous Agreement makes clear that the license grant includes subsidiaries of plaintiff and defendant that meet the Agreement’s Subsidiary definition. Read Imation Corp. v....

Dependency court’s order appointing minor’s aunt as the successor guardian and a separate order summarily denying father’s subsequent Welfare & Institutions Code section 388 petition challenging the appointment is reversed as the failure to consider the provisions of section 366.3(f) deprived father of his rights to participate, to be considered as the guardian, and to be eligible to receive reunification services without the requirement that he file his own section 388 petition....

A family friendly, kids-eat free kind of place, or a “sexually charged” hang-out that serves up waitresses as part of “vicarious sexual entertainment?” If you ask the National Organization for Women, Hooters restaurants is trying to have it both ways: a smokin hot joint when it comes to defending against sexual equality or harassment lawsuits and just a cozy family place when it comes to marketing its baby-sized T’s like “Future Hooter’s Girl....

Friday, the Judicial Council of California voted unanimously to approve recommendations to reaffirm Judicial Council authority over the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), restructure the AOC, and endorse a plan for monthly monitoring of the implementation of the recommendations. In May, the Strategic Evaluation Committee (SEC) recommended to the Judicial Council that that the AOC “must refocus on providing service to the courts; that a fundamental restructuring of the organization is needed; that the AOC must be down-sized to correspond with its core functions; and that its internal processes need to be improved....

“You know what will be great,” the civil fine-burdened man thinks to himself, “I’ll just pay the whole thing in pennies. That will really show them.” Jokes about paying fines in change have existed since coins were invented, apparently, but most of us don’t follow through on the threat because most of us are adults capable of understanding that dumping a bunch of pennies on a civil servant’s desk is a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing....

Sometimes the only way to go is out, and divorce is the best option. But divorces can take years to finalize and often the first, and perhaps most important step, is legal separation. Though often overlooked, the day you walk out may be the most important day of your divorce. Set yourself up to win with these tips. Learn the Basics of Legal Separation When a married couple decides that they will divorce, the process of legal separation should begin....

It may sound a little silly, or even weird, to hear about a woman who requested a stay in her court proceedings to get her hair done. Especially since her request was denied by the judge. However, when you hear that this woman will facea jury trial for murder, you may change your opinion. Lawyers for defendant Marni Yang sought to put her murder trial on hold and asked to appeal Judge Christopher Stride’s ruling denying Yang a haircut, color and makeup application, reports the Chicago Tribune....

“Bird Box,” a Netflix Original horror movie that has been seen by over 45 million people, is causing quite a stir on social media, but the company promises that wasn’t its intent. SPOILER ALERT: In the movie, characters realize that if they see an invisible entity, they will kill themselves. In order to keep themselves from seeing it, they go around all day wearing blindfolds. Perhaps too many kids were home during winter break, and decided they needed something to do, so someone created the “Bird Box Challenge....

Sara Gruen’s New York Times best seller, Water for Elephants, addressed the issues of circus animal treatment and cruelty to elephants. The topic has become increasingly popular in recent years as protesters call for circus boycotts to condemn animal cruelty. This week, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that plaintiffs in a circus animal cruelty case lacked Article III standing to bring an Endangered Species Act (ESA) claim against Feld Entertainment, parent company of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus....

Trick or treaters may be descending on your home in droves once the sun sets this Halloween. You may think you have your bases covered with candy and a lit Jack O’ Lantern. But before you sit back on the sofa and wait for the doorbell to start ringing, think about protecting yourself from potential lawsuits by foreseeing possible dangers. If your porch light is on during Halloween evening, it’s a signal to trick or treaters that they are invited to come to your door....

Four sisters are suing their dad over college tuition. The alleged deadbeat doctor dad supposedly reneged on a promise to pay for his youngest daugher’s college education, according to court documents. Nora, Magdalena, Ina and Lola Kelleher filed the lawsuit against their father, Daniel Kelleher, a child psychologist based in Connecticut, reports the New York Post. Leave it to a child psychologist’s kids to sue a parent, right? The lawsuit alleges Daniel Kelleher promised to give his daughters his Paris apartment and half of a checking account he shared with their mother, Sylvie Furstenberg, his ex-wife....

If you want to drive your career forward, there’s never been a better time than now. And this week, we’ve got three particularly appropriate jobs for legal professionals looking to shift into the fast lane – or just looking to find an awesome new job. As part of our affiliate relationship with Indeed, we’re bringing you three of this week’s coolest, most interesting jobs, covering everything from choppers to civil rights....

So you’re going to march into your partner’s office to demand (OK politely request) more money. When you embark on the road towards salary negotiation, you need to keep in mind that the partner or HR director is akin to a lunatic in a bank vault. Except that he or she is guarding the payroll budget. You should be implementing paraphrasing, mirroring, and conveniently placed pauses into your raise request speech....

In an action challenging a tax on owners of residential real property who rented their properties, summary judgment for defendants is reversed, where the levy was a general tax that was void because it was not approved by a majority vote of the municipal electorate as required by article 13C, section 2, subdivision (b) of the California Constitution. Read Weisblat v. San Diego, No. D052787 Appellate Information Filed August 18, 2009...

Seasons change. People change. And circumstances change. And what worked previously may not work so well anymore. That can apply to anything in life, from our job or place to live to a marriage or child custody arrangement. But some changes aren’t so easy to make. So, if it’s time to change a child custody agreement or modify a custody order, when is it too late? Court orders may appear permanent – and some are – but when it comes to child custody, those orders can be modified....

Michigan’s “Petoskey Batman” days as the Dark Knight are over. Well, at least for six months: Batman’s on probation. As it turns out, he’s far from immune to the law. This masked vigilante, legal name Mark Wayne Williams, was arrested in May for trespassing and carrying dangerous weapons. He was found hanging off the side of a building. He pled guilty last month to a count of resisting and obstructing an officer....