Month: July 2009

Rove Admits Involvement in Firing of Federal Prosecutors and Bush’s Likely Involvment

170px-karl_roveKarl Rove spoke to congressional investigators last week and reportedly admitted that he did play a role in the hiring and firing of federal prosecutors, including at least one of the nine U.S. Attorneys at the heart of the scandal.

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Worker’s Paradise and Paranoia: China Tells Doctors to Stop Treating Patients — Declaring Sickness Related to New Factory To Be “Mass Hysteria”

China's flagAfter a new factory opened in Jilin, China, citizens flooded local hospitals with complaints about convulsions, breathing difficulties, vomiting and temporary paralysis. They all lived or worked near the new Jilin Connell Chemical Plant. The Chinese government responded in an all too familiar way: declaring the cases to be little more than “mass hysteria” and ordering doctors to stop treating the patients. More than 1,200 of the workers at the new factory has sought medical help.

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Culp-able? Lawyer Arrested After Saying “I Hate the Police” in Front of D.C. Officers

180px-Handcuffs01_2003-06-02Lawyer Pepin Tuma, 33, was speaking with friends on Saturday night about his outrage over the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. when he passed a group of D.C. police officers, including Second District Officer J. Culp. The lawyer started to chant “I hate the police” as he walked by and ended up under arrest.
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Naggs at a Buck Party: Stripper Arrested for Rape Insists that Use of Sex Toy Was “Joke”

150px-Striptease_-_Tuning_WorldNow, this is a rare rape case. The female defendant is accused of raping a man in front of witnesses with a sex toy and then admits to the penetration but insists that it was a joke. That is the case of stripper Maree Naggs who was arrested after a “buck’s party” (bachelor party) in Australia.
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OMG Jst Drov N Pool BRT: Truck Driver Accused of Crashing While Texting on One Cellphone and Talking on Another

200px-TextingTow Truck driver Nicholas Sparks, 25, is being cited as an example of the dangers of multi-tasking — particularly when you are driving a flatbed truck. Sparks is accused of texting on one cell phone while speaking on another cellphone — before hitting a car, crashing through a fence, sideswiping a house and then driving into an in-ground pool outside of Buffalo.
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Fixodent and Forget It? Company Accused of Injuries Linked to High Zinc Concentrations

300px-Mr._M's_Complete_Denture1Fixodent is having trouble convincing some customers that its denture cream allows them to “Enjoy Life Without Worrying About Dentures.” There are a growing number of lawsuits alleging zinc poisoning and neurological injuries linked to Fixodent denture adhesive cream. Procter & Gamble insists that there is no connection between its product and these injuries. With more than 35 million Americans using denture creams, the potential level of liability is considerable. This does not include the variety of zinc-based products in other areas.

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Federal Judge Calls for Investigation of “The Civil Equivalent of the Ted Stevens Case”

sullivanThe World Bank/IMF protest case had a sanctions hearing yesterday that had found its way into the media. Because I am lead counsel (with Dan Schwartz) in one of the two cases (Chang) against the District of Columbia, Federal government, Fairfax County, and various police officers, I will not comment on the controversy.
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Two Police Chiefs Charged in Burglary of the Home of the Surrogate Mother of the Twins of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick

180px-Matthew_Broderick_and_Sarah_Jessica_Parker_at_the_Tribeca_Film_FestivalTwo police chiefs — Martins Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter and Bridgeport Chief Chad Dojack — have reportedly been arrested and booked in a case involving actors Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker — and the surrogate mother who recently gave birth to their twin girls. The police chiefs are accused of illegally breaking into the home of the 26-year-old Michelle Ross to obtain information to be sold to a tabloid.

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Splendor in the Graft: Court-Appointed Trustee Sues Ruth Madoff for $45 Million After a “Life of Splendor”

picardWhen Ruth Madoff recently agreed to a deal with prosecutors under which she would retain millions, we expressed outrage and opined on the possibility of a civil “clawback” lawsuit. It has now happened. Court-appointed trustee Irving Picard accuses Madoff of a “life of Splendor” funded by illegally gained funds from her imprisoned husband Bernard Madoff. Ruth was last seen cringing on to a fur coat as she was being thrown out of a Manhattan $7 million penthouse when it was seized by agents.

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Video: Florida Officers Openly Discuss Falsifying Report to Protect Officer From Blame in Accident By Framing a Citizen

Broward County prosecutors in Florida have dropped four DUI charges against Alexandra Torrensvilas after this video showed Hollywood police officers making up a false story to pin the blame of an accident on her. The problem is that they did it in front of their dash cameras.
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Obama Political Appointees Reportedly Overruled Career Justice Officials In Dropping Charges Against New Black Panther Party for Voter Intimidation

black20panthers20philadelphiaNbplogoAssociate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli overruled career lawyers at the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division to drop a complaint against three members of the New Black Panther Party of intimidating voters in Philadelphia during November’s election — including one member Samir Shabazz who brandished a nightstick.
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Officer Admits That He Repeatedly Called Gates a “Jungle Monkey” But Insists That He Is Not A Racist

220px-Boston_Police_patchBoston Police Officer and National Guardsman Justin Barrett has gone public to deny he is a racist and apologize to professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for repeatedly calling Gates a “banana-eating jungle monkey,” insisting that “I have so many friends of every type of culture and race you can name. I am not a racist.”

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Fire Sale: Arizona Considers Selling House and Senate Buildings for Cash

125px-Flag_of_Arizona.svgThe fire sale of America continues this week with Arizona legislators considering selling their House and Senate buildings and then leasing them back from private companies to raise cash. As we continue to pour billions into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, states are selling off parks and historic sites (here and here). The result is a windfall for private investors who are scooping up deals from legislators who are eager for ready cash.

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High-Protein Pepsi: Florida Couple Claims to Find Dead Mouse in Soft Drink

180px-Pepsi_logo250px-Мышь_2Amy and Fred Denegri allege that they were a bit surprised at their Florida beach house when Fred complained about a funny taste in his Diet Pepsi and was a wee bit surprised to find a mouse in the can. We can now understand Pepsi’s old slogan: “It’s the Cola”/”Dare for More”
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