As a general matter, wild animals are not the basis for tort liability absent possession and control by a third party. However, the family of Sam Ives, 11, are suing the U.S. Forest Service after the boy was killed by a bear in 2007 in a the Timpanooke Recreation Area in Utah.
Continue reading “Family Sues National Forest Service Over Fatal Bear Attack”
Category: Torts
Domonique Ramirez, 17, has filed a novel legal action to keep her crown as Miss San Antonio after pageant officials accused her of excessive consumption of tacos and insubordination.
Continue reading “Taco Belle? San Antonio Beauty Queen Sues Over Effort To Strip Her of Crown”
In Baldwin, Pa., Carl Behr has decided to wage a one-man crusade against unseen atheists in his neighborhood. His solution? Erecting a 25-foot lighted cross on his yard facing his neighbor and another on his roof. I saw this on Reddit and it makes for an interesting nuisance case.
Continue reading “Man Accused of Nuisance After Erecting Huge Lighted Crosses To Deter Atheists”
We have been following a series of paternity cases (here and here and here and here) where courts have rejected claims of lack of consent or knowledge by a parent in forcing child support payments. I just ran over a case that, while now a bit dated, is remarkable. The case involves a Chicago doctor who was forced to pay child support after his girlfriend, without his knowledge, saved sperm from oral sex and arranged to be impregnated with it. The case came to public attention after an appellate court ruled that Dr. Richard O. Phillips could sue Dr. Sharon Irons for emotional distress in the case.
It appears that Benihana Restaurant has found a new way to maintain a happy customer base: it is suing those who say they do not like their food. In Kuwait, Mark Makhoul wrote a balanced but critical review of the new Benihana restaurant in Kuwait on his blog http://www.248am.comKUWAIT CITY. Benihana proceeded to sue him in a clear abuse of the legal process . . . not to mention good taste.
Continue reading “Bad Taste: Benihana Sues Blogger Over Bad Review”
Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
California professional golfer (and former police officer) Lana Lawless is challenging the LPGA’s rule requiring tournament participants to be “female by birth.” The LPGA has ruled, according to Lawless, that as a transgender woman, she is ineligible to compete. The rule seems to fly directly in the face of California’s Unruh Law which holds that all people in the state are “free and equal, and no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, marital status, or sexual orientation are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind whatsoever.”
Continue reading “Playing It Straight: LPGA’s “Female By Birth” Rule Challenged”
Aurora police officer James Waselkow has been reinstated with back pay after being fired for excessive use of force. Waselkow broke the orbital bone near the right eye of Carla Meza during an arrest and then failed to give her medical treatment. He was later fired after the Chief concluded he had used excessive force and did not have probable cause for an arrest after the domestic violence call.
Continue reading “Colorado Police Officer Reinstated With Back Pay After Being Fired For Using Excessive Force and Breaking Six Department Policies”
Ashley Renee Oxendine, 22, is accused of a rather bizarre criminal act in Gainesville. After fighting with her former boyfriend, she not only physically assaulted him but threw his mother’s ashes out the window.
Outside Chicago, car salesman John Stone was reportedly fired for the world’s most ill-conceived neck wear: a Packers tie. The sales manager at Webb Chevrolet ordered Stone to remove the tie and when he refused, he fired him.
There is an interesting lawsuit out of Alabama where lawyers have filed a class action against Taco Bell over its claim to serve “beef” in its dishes. In fact, the lawsuit alleges, Taco Bell is serving what are called “beef extenders” and not actual beef as defined by the U.S. government.
This week we have two cases rivaling for the most frivolous litigation of the year. In Pennsylvania, Cathy Cruz Marrero is shown in the video below texting while walking through the mall. Marrero was not looking where she is going and walks right in a fountain. She has now retained counsel. In the meantime, Hubert Blackman of New York City is suing a Las Vegas company after a prostitute failed to give him a full hour of service.
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
What saw manufacturer is going to want to build this device? The demonstration in the video doesn’t seem realistic. The finger detection mechanism is the key factor. It would have to work perfectly under a variety of conditions not demonstrated in the video. The manufacturer’s liability insurance could be prohibitive
According to the Washington Post, Fairfax County (where I reside) has agreed to pay $2 million to the parents of an unarmed man who was shot by one of its officers five years ago. Optometrist Salvatore J. Culosi, 37, (shown left) was shot by SWAT officer Deval V. Bullock. Bullock insisted that his gun accidentally went off and he was not charged in the killing.
Continue reading “Fairfax Gives $2 Million To Parents of Unarmed Man Shot and Killed By Swat Officer Outside of His Home”
This is an amazing story. Brooklyn College student Chinemerem Eze, a Nigerian national, was convinced that her landlord had hidden a camera in her apartment. She complained to school officials, who proceeded to arrange for her being committed to a psychiatric ward . . . Then later she found the camera.
We have been following “stolen valor” cases and the constitutional controversies raised by faux warriors. There is now a disturbing case out of New York which could present the next context for such prosecution. This picture is of a true American hero: Sgt. Roberto Sanchez, 24, a US Army Ranger killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2009 after five tours of duty. It was reportedly stolen by a man named “Dylan Sorvino” to claim to be a special forces soldier to attract women and praise for his service on Facebook.