Bizarre, Lawyering, Society, Torts

Frozen Assets: Court To Decide Distribution of Bullmastiff Semen as Estate Asset

800px-bravehearts_sampsonFamily Court Judge Cheryl Matthews had a logical question when Anthony and Karen Scully appeared in his court with a lingering estate asset question left over from their divorce: “Am I Being Punk’d?” The court and lawyers were presented with the rather novel question of who gets the frozen semen of AKC-registered bullmastiffs Cyrus, Regg and Romeo. The frozen semen is worth thousands of dollars and, while their six dogs were divided with the rest of the estate, the lawyers are set to go to trial on assets.

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Courts, Criminal law, Religion, Society

Family Announces Intent to Sue Over Police Forcing Accused Child Killer to Remove Her Scarf for Mugshot

nour-s-hadidIllinois police have been accused of violating religious sensitivities by forcing Nour Hadid, a 26-year-old woman accused of beating her 2-year-old niece Bhia Hadid to death over four days. She demanded to be photographed wearing her veil covering her face and her husband Alaeddin Hadid has announced an intention to sue the police for the “insult against our religion.”

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Bizarre, International, Religion, Society

Crucifixion Day: Dozens of Filipinos Flogged and Crucified For the Glory of God

default2It is crucifixion day again in the Philippines as dozens of Catholics allowed themselves to be nailed to crosses as people cheered every nail pounded into their hands. A far greater number of devotees beat themselves bloody with whips to experience the torments of Christ.
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Constitutional Law, Criminal law, Media, Politics, Society

Tomlinson Tape: Video Contradicts Police Claims and Shows Man Being Struck Without Provocation

default1British police are facing many question over the death of Ian Tomlinson, 47, who died of a fatal heart attack during the April 1st protests. While police insisted that they had no contact with police after witnesses accused them of attacking him without provocation, new pictures and the video below have emerged that seem to contradict their claims and showing police hitting Tomlinson from behind with a baton. The case should focus the English people on the abusive law to make it a crime to film police. Absent these films, this case would have been buried by the Metropolitan Police Service.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society, Torts

No Duty to Rescue Rule: Court Holds That New York Transit Workers Had No Obligation To Help Woman Being Raped in Station

180px-south_ferryUnder the common law, one of the more controversial rules is the “no duty to rescue rule” that says that, if you were not responsible for placing someone in danger or risk, you have no obligation to help them even when it would cost little to save their life. A New York judge has shown how far this rule extends in clearing two transit employees would did nothing but call their superiors while a woman was raped in their station.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society, Torts

Legal Forecast: Overcast With a Chance of Falling Bodies

125px-flag_of_russiasvgChina's flagIn the same week as a teenager who was injured at a mall by a falling suicide jumper, bodies are also flying in Russia and China in an expanding area of body torts. In Russia, a man repeatedly through himself out of a high window without success while in China a teenager was hit by a flying corpse.

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Bizarre, Politics, Society

Better Wright Than Wong: Texas Legislator Wants Asian-Americans to Adopt Names That Are Easier to Pronounce

bettybrownTexas State Rep. Betty Brown (R) finally hit on the problem that she has with Asian people: they are just a bit too . . . well . . . Asian — at least in terms of their names. Brown has caused a firestorm in suggesting that Asian-Americans change their names so that “Americans” can pronounce them.

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Bizarre, Congress, Criminal law, Justice, Lawyering, Politics, Society

Alaska Legislators Demand Apology to Stevens And Federal Lawsuit

225px-ted_stevens Former Sen. Ted Stevens (R., Alaska) and his allies are continuing their implausible campaign to rehabilitate the disgraced Senator and portray the Justice Department’s gross negligence as a vindication of the ethically challenged Stevens. Alaskan legislators in the House passed a resolution demanding not only an apology from the federal government but a lawsuit to recoup his fees and costs in defending himself.

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Bizarre, Criminal law, Society, Torts

Teenager Hurt After Suicide Jumper Lands On Top of Him at New York Mall

300px-nordstrom_wing_far_pentagon_city_mallThere is an interesting potential torts case in New York. A woman in her fifties apparently decided to commit suicide at a Mall by jumping from an upper level. She landed on 17-year-old Derrick MuInoz who was knocked unconscious and suffered a large gash on his head.

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Bizarre, Constitutional Law, Courts, International, Politics, Religion, Society

Egyptian Court Bans Literature Journal For Publishing Blasphemous Poem

EgyptA respected literature journal, Ibdaa (or Creativity) has been banned by an Egyptian court for publishing blasphemous poem by poet Helmi Salem that compared God to a villager who feeds ducks and milks cows. It is only the latest crackdown on poets who have used the Koran or references to God in artistic ways.

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Courts, Society, Torts

Tarasoff Revisited: Federal Court Rules That Hospitals May Be Liable for a Murder Committed By a Former Mental Patient

clayThere is an interesting case in Detroit on the liability of hospitals for the actions of third parties — a case with striking similarities to the famous 1976 ruling in Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California.

The Detroit case involves a woman murdered by her husband, Christopher Howard, 10 days after he was released by a Michigan hospital. The Sixth Circuit has ruled that the family of Marie Moses Irons can sue Providence Hospital under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor law requiring emergency treatment of patients by hospitals. The ruling by Judge Eric Clay (left) could have sweeping implications for hospitals across the country.
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Bizarre, Courts, Society

Mother Wins Motion to Compel Retrieval of Sperm from Dead Son In Order to Produce Grandchild

image_8543108In Texas, Travis County Probate Judge Guy Herman has issued what may be a fairly unique order. He has agreed to a motion from Marissa Evans to have sperm collected from the corpse of her son, Nikolas Colton Evans, to allow her to have a grandchild through a surrogate mother.

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