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What’s more innocent and nonthreatening than an old lady? That’s probably what a Guyanese woman thought when she hatched her plan to smuggle cocaine into the United States. Olive Fowler, 70-years-old, caught airport investigators’ attention when she acted nervous at JFK airport. Authorities said she was sweating profusely and avoided eye contact with officers. They decided to pull her aside for a pat down search in a private room. After feeling a “dense hard material” under her clothes, authorities found over $73,000 of cocaine in Fowlers underwear and girdle....

Philadelphia attorney Robert Englert Jr. left a personal injury firm to work for another firm, but unfortunately won’t be able to practice law. The reason is because he forgot about a pesky little notice clause in his employment contract. Englert was supposed to give his former firm 60 days notice before he quit, reports the ABA Journal. Well, he didn’t. And now the firm isn’t too happy about it, it appears, as they got an injunction levied against Englert barring him from the practice of law at other law firms, the ABA Journal reports....

Fujifilm Corp. v. Benun, No. 09-1487, concerned a patent infringement suit involving Fujifilm’s patents directed to single-use cameras, or lens fitted film packages (LFFP), arising from defendant’s conduct of purchasing used LFFPs and selling them as new after refurbishing them. The court ultimately affirmed the judgment of the district court, including denial of defendants’ post trial motion for JMOL based on noninfringement of a particular brand of LFFPs and inapplicability of a first sale’s location, plus a ruling holding defendants in contempt of a preliminary order enjoining importation of infringing LFFPs....

Denver’s county fair just got a little greener with the addition of pot-themed contests to this year’s event. But pot enthusiasts hoping to score a blue ribbon should reconsider using an authentic secret ingredient. Alas, real marijuana won’t be allowed at the fairgrounds, The Denver Post reports. Here’s a rundown of the various marijuana-themed contests at the Denver fair along with a few legal reminders: BYOB (Beer, not Bud) Spectators can’t cheer from the sidelines with a puff, puff, pass – not legally, anyway....

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but what happens when that woman is a deputy prosecutor? Well if you happen to be deputy prosecutor Kirmille Welbon, you break into your lover’s home on more than one occasion and get into a physical fight with your lover’s wife. Marion County deputy prosecutor Kirmille Welbon, 28, has been charged with criminal entry, trespassing, and battery, the Chicago Tribune reports. In a story straight out of a Lifetime movie, WISHTV 8 reports that Kirmille Welbon was arrested on charges of felony residential entry and misdemeanor charges of battery and trespass late Sunday night after she pushed her way into Devann’s Johnson’s apartment....

A Florida restaurant manager took communication to a new low when he fired 13 employees at once via text last week. “[W]e have decided to move on without you. We appreciate the opportunity to work with you and all of your hard work,” the text stated, according to United Press International. The servers from Lilly’s on the Lake in Clermont, Florida were shocked when they got the text last Friday. They told reporters that they expected an individual discussion and an explanation of the terminations....

If anyone should know not to help someone buy drugs, you would think it would be a former federal judge. Especially a former federal judge known for giving defendants harsh sentences. “When I look back at the circumstances which brought me here, it makes me sick to think I did them … They were illegal, wrong, foolish. … The only thing I can say is that I’m so very sorry,” Jack Camp said....

A powdered alcohol drink mix going by the name of Palcohol has been approved for sale in the United States, but at least one senator is trying to rain on the powdered booze parade. So how close are you to getting your hands on a pouch of Powderita? Let’s take a look at the law as it currently stands: According to Palcohol’s website, the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) approved its powdered alcohol for sale on March 10....

Clever, subtle, cutting judicial citations are nothing new. The Ninth Circuit’s recent opinion halting President Trump’s travel ban is a perfect example, full as it was of citations to cases like Ex parte Endo (leading to the end of Japanese internment) and Texas v. United States (halting President Obama’s immigration reforms.) There are the sorts of smack downs by way of the Blue Book that make judicial writing a treat....

For the odd soccer fans out there who were looking forward to the spectacle of an eerily quiet match on May 3 between Italian soccer clubs Juventus and Lecce, prepare for possible disappointment. The AP reports that the Italian Olympic Committee has put a hold on a ruling that would have required Juventus to play its next Serie A home match in front of a crowd of empty seats. The original ruling against Juventus was handed down by an Italian sports judge last week as punishment for racist insults directed (presumably by Juventus fans) at Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli, who is an Italian of Ghanaian descent....

Together we have shared a heartfelt letter, a list or two, some unsolicited advice, and even a few beatbox-able lyrics…well, it was only a matter of time until there was a movie review. And luckily, the first one is a unanimous “two gavels up” from the FindLaw Jury (consisting of the author…and two gavels). For those JD’s and attorneys who have ever had difficulty explaining the gravity and borderline-desperation associated with the Bar exam to their non-law counterparts, this film can help build that bridge....

The California Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Richard Tully on Monday, in a case stemming from the 1986 of a 59-year-old nurse in Livermore. The opinion consists of 171 pages, so we’ll bring you the basics. For more in depth information on the case, you can read the entire People v. Tully case here. Shirley Olsson’s body was found naked, with 23 stab wounds on July 25, 1986. A bloody knife and her purse were found at a nearby golf course....

If you were going to flip a coin to choose a law school, you may want to save that coin and go to Syracuse University. Syracuse College of Law is offering $20,000 scholarships to all admitted residents, effectively reducing tuition to $26,460 each year for qualified students. Unless another law school matches, it will be the least expensive private law school in the state. “With over 5,000 New York state residents applying to law schools each year, this innovative program has the potential to positively impact a great number of students interested in attending Syracuse Law,” said Grant Keener, interim assistant dean for enrollment management....

Olympian Oscar Pistorius’ testimony at his murder trial led some people to believe he’s taken acting lessons in preparation for court. Pistorius’ “Oscar-worthy” testimony was filled with tears and even vomiting. In fact, Jani Allan, a former columnist for the South African Sunday Times, claims that her friend, a famous South African actor, coached Pistorius for his court appearance, according to New York Daily News. However, using acting methods to prepare a witness for trial isn’t anything new....

Conviction of defendant for sexual offenses against two minors is affirmed where: 1) Penal Code section 784.7 allows prosecution of defendant’s sexual offenses in any county where any of the offenses occurred; 2) applying section 784.7 to defendant does not violate the constitutional ban against ex post facto laws; 3) the Los Angeles County offenses were timely prosecuted within one year of the victim’s report to the police; 4) juror taint and due process claims are baseless and, in any event, harmless; but 5) defendant’s sentence is reversed and remanded where the court was required to impose full, consecutive, determinate terms on two counts of committing forcible lewd acts on a child under 14....

Trial court’s imposition of various conditions on defendant’s probation following conviction of drug related crimes is modified where: 1) the gang-association probation order is constitutionally defective because it lacks an explicit knowledge requirement; 2) the gang paraphernalia order is modified to include a knowledge requirement; 3) probation order with respect to the areas of gang-related activity is modified as it is constitutionally vague; and 4) the prohibition-from-court-proceedings condition is modified. Read People v....

Trial court’s conviction and sentence of defendant for corporal injury to a cohabitant and criminal threats is modified in part and affirmed where, there was substantial evidence defendant made criminal threats within the meaning of Penal Code section 422. Read People v. Smith, No. B214460 Filed October 19, 2009 Judges Opinion by Judge Turner Counsel For Appellant: Murray A. Rosenberg For Appellee: Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Pamela C....

People make mistakes and most of us can understand and forgive, especially when forgiveness is sought politely in a typed letter and sweetened with chocolate offerings. That is what happened at a Belfast pub when a thief who stole a porcelain dog returned it with an eloquent explanation, a chocolate egg, and a promise to behave in the future, Mashable reports. So could you avoid theft charges if you did the same thing?...

Raymond Chow is guilty of all 162 criminal counts brought against him in monumentally large indictment that alleged the former Chinese-mafia leader engaged in murder-for-hire, money laundering, conspiracy to traffic in stolen goods, as well as a slew of other hefty crimes. It’s been almost ten years since Allen Leung was shot dead in the streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Soon, it seems, his story will come to a close....

Scott Peterson is appealing his death sentence to the California Supreme Court, reports the Modesto Bee. Peterson’s attorney, Cliff Gardner, has filed a 470-page appeal with the state’s highest court, arguing that the jurors for the trial were influenced by the media blitz surrounding the case and that the judge made reversible errors regarding the evidence. Though Peterson was tried in Redwood City instead of Modesto, his hometown, he claims that the media spotlight on the trial swayed the jurors....