Category: Torts

Jaw Breaker: Chemistry Blows Jaw Off After Chewing Explosive Material

At first this seemed like the ultimate product liability claim, but it now appears a chemistry student in Ukraine may have blown his jaw off by chewing an explosive material. The 25-year-old student was found by his family, which heard a loud pop in his room and later found an unidentified explosive material next to his gum on this desk.
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Spare the Rod? Former Missouri House Speaker Accused of Beating and Raping Woman . . . Releases on $2,500 Bond

The former Missouri House Speaker and major Republican political figure Rod Jetton has been charged in an alarming series of crimes after a woman accused him of punching, choking, and assaulting her. She also appears to elude to the possibility of a date rape drug, claiming that she blacked out after drinking a glass of wine. Jetton ran for office on a family values platform.

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Slim Down With Bacillus Cereus: Diet Product Recall Issued for 10 Million Cans of Slim Fast

It is amazing how slimming runaway diarrhea can be. Unilever PLC recalling 10 million cans of its Slim-Fast ready-to-drink products in the U.S. and Canada due to the possible contamination of a bacteria that can cause serious illness.

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The Boss’s Burger: Florida Man Arrested For Burger Battery

Port St. Lucie, Florida has another AWDS case (assault with a deadly sandwich). Previously, we saw how Matthew Rubin was arrested for throwing a sandwich at his girlfriend, here. Yet, cold-cut sandwiches are widely known by police to be gateway food to hotter items like pizzas and burritos. Now, Daniel Boss, 25, has been arrested for rubbing a hamburger in the face of his wife. The incident appropriately occurred at one of Daniel’s favorite restaurants, Dick’s.
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Judge Denies Motion as “Incredibly Asinine, Ill-Conceived, Unfounded and Personally and Professionally Insulting”

District Court Judge William Pattinson was a bit subtle but methinks he does not like this motion for venue change. The judge denied the motion after saying it was “so incredibly asinine, ill-conceived, unfounded and personally and professionally insulting that it is unworthy of any discussion or consideration.” Yikes.
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Bad Hampster: Consumer Group Says Popular New Toy Is Not Just Cute But Carcinogenic

One of the hottest toys this year is Zhu Zhu pets — robotic hamsters. GoodGuide, a consumer group, has alleged that the toys are not only hot but toxic. While the manufacturer denies the allegation, the group insists that the toys have a dangerous level of antimony, which can cause cancer as well as lung and heart damage.
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Amanda Knox Found Guilty of Murder and Sentenced to 26 Years in Prison

The twenty-two-year old called Foxy Knoxy, Amanda Knox, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 26 years in an Italian prison. Her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito was sentenced to 25 years. Meredith Kercher was killed Nov. 1, 2007 in the cottage she shared with Knox.

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Crew Member Sues Maersk Over Hijacking of Vessel By Pirates

There is an interesting torts suit stemming from the pirating of the Maersk Alabama in the Gulf of Aden. Crew members are now accusing the celebrated captain of the ship, Richard Phillips, of causing the incident by ignoring repeated warnings to sail around the area after earlier pirate attacks.

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Dead Letter: Mother Sues After Receiving Back Letter To Son in Iraq Stamped “DECEASED”

There is an interesting tort case out of Minnesota where a mother mistakingly received a return letter stamped “DECEASED” after she wrote to her son serving in Iraq. Joan Najbar is a critic of the war and is suing the military for negligent infliction of emotional distress and other claims. Her son, Sam Eininger, was serving with the National Guard in Iraq in 2006 and was very much alive.

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TURLEY BLOG MAKES TOP 100 — RACE BEGINS FOR TOP SPOT IN IMHO (OPINION) CATEGORY

The moment has come. For the last twelve months, we have basked in the glory as the Top Law Professor and Legal Theory Blog. Now, the ABA has started the Third Annual Competition. The good news is that we once again made the top 100 blogs. However, the ABA has mixed things up a bit with new categories. We have been moved to the Opinion category (IMHO- in my humble opinion slot). The ABA editors, however, have put us up against one of the oldest and most popular legal sites, Althouse. To vote, click here.

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Take My Wife, Please: Man Allegedly Tries Wife Swap to Secure Bank Loan

Michael H. Williams, 43, is accused of a bizarre plan to get a loan from the PNC Bank in Mechanicsville, Maryland. When his wife refused to co-sign the loan, Williams allegedly went out and kidnapped another woman to pretend that she was his wife and to sign the papers. It is not clear what he thought the woman would do after the transaction, but the effort was halted by the bank which could not help but notice that his wife had changed in a matter of hours. Even in a state with no-fault divorce, that is a bit of a fast turnaround.

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A Mesa In Arizona: Family Sues After Corpse Falls Out of Casket Into Grave

In yesterday’s story, the Comito family was shocked (here) when they learned that Robert Comito’s ashes were simply dropped from an airplane without opening the box — landing intact in a crater rather than being elegantly spread in the air. They need to talk to the family of Robert Gowdy to see how it could have been much worst. The family in Phoenix, Arizona is suing the city of Mesa, a funeral home, and other parties after a casket broke during a funeral and allow the corpse to fall into the grave in front of traumatized family members.
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Bombs Away: Former B17 Gunner Dropped From Plane and Found Later In Crater

Now this would make for an interesting bailment and negligence case in North Carolina. Robert Comito, a former gunner on a B17, wanted to have his ashes sprinkled in the skies. His family gave the ashes to the Collings Foundation, which agreed to perform the aerial distribution of Comito. Later, however, sheriff deputies found a crater with Comito’s ashes in a box that was thrown from the plane without opening it.
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