A federal grand jury is reportedly investigating possible criminal charges in the suicide case of 13-year-old Megan Meier. At the same time, the state is considering a new law to criminalize the conduct that led to the girl’s suicide after a mother faked the identity of a young boy on MySpace and then cruelly dumped the teenager after she became infatuated with him. The mother and neighbor, Lori Drew, has not been called, but could be a target for criminal charges. Continue reading “Grand Jury Reportedly Investigating Crimes in the Megan Meier MySpace Suicide Case”
Category: Constitutional Law
There has been a spate of recent defamation actions by and against celebrities from Roger Clemens to Tom Cruise and now Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld and his wife Jessica Seinfeld have been sued by Missy Chase Lapine over comments made on the David Letterman Show about her and her allegations of plagiarism of a cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld. This one could actually make some interesting new law if it goes the distance. Continue reading “Latest Celebrity Defamation Lawsuit: Jerry Seinfeld and Wife Sued for Defamation”
The Georgia Supreme Court is considering a basic law of physics: is a man is banished from the entire state except for a small county in a distant section: how can he get there and, if he does, how can he live. This is the intriguing question presented by a lower court’s sentence that Gregory Mac Terry is banished from all but one of the state’s 159 counties. Banishment has become the rage with state judges but there remains a question of constitutionality, if not impossibility. Continue reading “Georgia Supreme Court Considers the Limits of the Laws of Banishment and Physics”
Umatilla Fire Chief Richard Shirk has resigned after he took photos of a 26-year-old woman being treated by emergency workers, including seminude photos of the victim — who later died. The resignation may not end the controversy if the family sues, as did the family of Nicole “Nikki” Catsouras after pictures of her decapitated body were sent around the Internet by emergency officials. Continue reading “Fire Chief Resigns Over Emailed Photos of Seminude Victim”
In what seems to be a trend among celebrities, Roger Clemens has joined the ranks of celebrities filing defamation lawsuits. In a Texas complaint, Clemens is suing former trainer Brian McNamee for 15 allegedly untrue statements about use of steroids and human growth hormones. On the same day his interview about alleged steroid use was broadcast on “60 Minutes,” Roger Clemens beat Brian McNamee to court, filing a defamation suit against the former trainer who claimed to have injected him with performance-enhancing drugs. Continue reading “Roger Clemens Files Defamation Lawsuit Over Allegations of Use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs”
Not long after the scandal of officials sending pictures of a decapitated Nicole “Nikki” Catsouras to friends on MySpace and the Internet, a fire Chief in Central Florida is accused to sending pictures of an accident victim to friends by e-mail. Umatilla Fire Chief Richard has been suspended after he allegedly took (and later e-mailed) pictures of a 26-year-old woman being treated by emergency workers after she crashed her sport utility vehicle into a tree. The woman died later from her injuries. The pictures include nudity. Continue reading “Another Official Accused of Sending Graphic Pictures of Accident Victims to Friends”
In the latest of a series of interesting cases involving sperm donors and surrogate mothers, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that a sperm donor is not liable for child support. The decision in favor of Joel L. McKiernan reversed lower court decisions compelling him to pay child support despite a promise from Ivonne V. Ferguson, his former girlfriend and co-worker, that she would not ask for such support. Continue reading “Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules In Favor of Sperm Donor Against Mother Claiming Child Support — Despite Earlier Waiver”
In Oliver Twist, Mr Bumble said “If the law supposes that . . . the law is a ass.” It perhaps a lesson now understood by Judith Law who received an extra 90 days to telling South Carolina Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein to “kiss her ass” on a probation revocation order. Continue reading “Mr. Bumble’s Revenge: Judge Sentences Woman to Contempt for Telling Her to Kiss a Certain Body Part”
In a curious lawsuit, accused terrorist Jose Padilla has sued Law Professor John Yoo. Yoo is the supposedly one of the authors of several memos supporting President Bush’s enemy combatant policy and has been linked to the abuse that resulted from that policy. Yoo and Georgetown Professor Viet Dinh have been criticized for their roles in creating these abuses that include a formal torture program and the denial of basic constitutional rights. Continue reading “Accused Terrorist Jose Padilla Sues Law Professor John Yoo”
There is an interesting fight brewing over the arrest of Chris Wilson. Wilson is hardly Thomas Paine, unless Paine dabbled in porn. Wilson, 28, is the founder and manager of a controversial site, nowthatsfuckedup.com, where guys post sexually explicit shots of their wives and girlfriends. Nice. However, recently Wilson began to post explicit and disturbing pictures of the carnage from Iraq, photos reportedly sent by soldiers posted abroad. In October, Wilson’s home was raided, his computer seized, and he is now facing life in prison. Beneath the gore and porn, Wilson may have a valid first amendment case. Continue reading “Chris Wilson’s War: Publisher of Iraqi War Dead Arrested and Computer Seized: Was it Porn or Politics?”
Tom Cruise has long proclaimed his faith in Scientology. Now, however, he is reportedly preparing a lawsuit against author Andrew Morton for his book, Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography, in which he details an assortment of cult-like episodes involving Cruise and states that Cruise is now the de facto second-in-command of the Church. If filed, it could prove a fascinating case since discovery would probably not appeal to the notoriously secretive Church of Scientology. Among other things, Morton would be entitled to call Scientology leader David Miscavige, who is discussed at length in the book. Continue reading “Tom Cruise Reportedly Preparing Defamation Suit Against Andrew Morton’s Book on His Scientology Practices”
With the Court set to rule on the constitutionality of lethal injection, it has taken an equally important case to review the constitutionality of capital punishment for non-homicide crimes. Patrick Kennedy, 43, was sentenced to death for the rape of his 8-year-old stepdaughter in Louisiana — one of only two death row inmates sentenced for a non-homicide crime. After decades of the Court pruning back the death penalty through exceptions, this could be a case where there is an expansion of capital punishment. Continue reading “Supreme Court Takes Up Child Rape Death Penalty Case”
The Christa Worthington murder case has taken a surprising turn as jurors allege that racism played a role in the conviction of Christopher McCowen for the crime. The allegations are strikingly similar to those of a juror in the recent conviction of John White in New York. What is remarkable is that the judge in the Worthington murder case has decided to call the jurors to address the allegations in open court. Continue reading “Jurors Allege Racism and Coercion in Murder of Fashion Writer Christa Worthington”
Jane Harman, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee warned then-CIA general counsel Scott Muller in a 2003 letter that destroying videotapes of terrorist interrogations would put the CIA under a cloud of suspicion. However, what is as remarkable as the decision of the CIA to go ahead with the destruction is the failure of the Democrats to do nothing more than discourage what was a presumptively criminal destruction of evidence. Moreover, there is no mention of the crime of torture — only that it would “reflect badly on the agency.” Continue reading “Top Intel Democrat Warned CIA Not to Destroy Tapes — But Then Did Nothing Further”
Tennessee judge John B. Hagler has resigned in a bizarre scandal over a tape that reportedly records him enrages in violent and disturbing sexual fantasies. While everyone is calling for the tapes release, however, it is worth considering who released a tape that was found not to be evidence of a crime and protected by privacy. After all, Hagler is entitled to his own private fantasies so long as he does not hurt anyone else or commits a crime. Continue reading “Tennessee Judge Resigns After Sexually Deviant Tape is Disclosed”