According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, German citizen Gholam Ghaus Z., 41, had been held since January in Afghanistan after he tried to buy a shaver in a U.S. military supermarket. The four-months of confinement that followed has not been justified by the U.S. government and has become a matter of tensions between the two countries. This follows the case of German Turk Murat Kurnaz who spent almost five years in US military camps in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay despite a lack of evidence of terrorism, in the view of the Germans. The Bush Administration, however, is holding the line it appears at keeping our shavers out of the hands of Al Qaeda to avoid an escalation to nose clippers and that quintessentially American product, the Thigh Master. Continue reading “Getting the Schtick Kicked Out of You: German Citizen Allegedly Held for Months by U.S. in Afghanistan After Trying to Buy Electric Shaver in Military Store”
Judge Richard Posner has spent his life establishing the value of law and economics reasoning. In a recent decision, he tackled the usually fuzzy question of the value of loss of consortium – offering his own formula for calculating such damages in the case of Ronald Arpin. Continue reading “Posner on Loss of Consortium”
It is not clear whether this will be more significant as a criminal or a defamation claim. CNN personality Richard Quest was arrested on April 18th. Various news organizations reported that he was found with a small bag of methamphetamine. Bad, but not particularly interesting. However, the New York Post has alleged that Quest was also caught with a rope around his neck that was tied to his genitals, and a sex toy in his boot. A bit of a difference and one that could lead to some interesting litigation if found to be untrue or misleading. Continue reading “CNN Personality Arrested in New York in Allegedly Bizarre Circumstances”
Elena Reichman does not appear to be a threat to the traveling pocket, but according to police she warrants a felony battery charge over a confrontation over a secondary search at the Palm Beach International Airport. The 74-year-old grandmother and Holocaust survivor spent the night in jail over an incident that appears to have been the result of a combination bad judgment and bad manners. Continue reading “Meet the Face of Terror: 74-Year-0ld Criminally Charged After Refusing to Empty Pockets at Airport”
Rozita Swinton has been arrested in Colorado Springs in a reported connection to the call that alleged abuse at the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas. The arrest further supports the concern that the original raid might have been based on a false call. Yet, even if probable cause is questioned, it will not likely help the parents who have lost their children in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Continue reading “Woman Arrested on False Reporting Charges in Colorado Springs — Tied to Polygamy Case in Texas”
A Pennsylvania mother, Diane Rose Adorante, 40, will spend as much as 23 month in jail for hosting a birthday party where Samantha Scheuring, 16, drank herself to death. On Jan. 15, 2007, Scheuring was found dead at the apartment with a blood-alcohol content more than five times the legal limit. Continue reading “Mother Sentenced to Prison for Party Where Youth Drank Herself to Death”
The controversy at Yale continues over the claims of senior art major Aliza Shvarts that she artificially inseminated herself and then induced miscarriages as part of an art project. Yale issued a statement that the claims were false and merely part of her “creative fiction.” She now says the university is lying and that she did use the miscarriages for art. Continue reading “Yale’s “Abortion Artist” Denies the Denial of Yale University Over the Authenticity of Art”
Despite the recent litigation over the abusive use of police dogs, there appear a few dogs that may be too playful. In this video a police dog is having a great time with multiple people running — too much fun to stop the fleeing suspect.
Media groups are protesting the attack killing a journalist captured in a remarkable video below — showing an Israeli tank firing and hitting a clearly marked press vehicle. A medical examination showed on Thursday indicated that metal darts from the shell was the cause. Continue reading “Video: Israeli Tank Allegedly Fires on or Near Press Vehicle”
The sinking of the Titanic has long been the subject of romance novels and history books, but now may find its way into legal works. It has long been suspected that the ship sank due to shoddy material and construction that made it more vulnerable to sinking. Now, experts have focused on the rivets — raising the possibility that this was the largest actionable personal injury case in history. Continue reading “Titanic Personal Injury Case: Titanic Found to Be Largest Product Defect Case in History”
Vancouver transit riders are being tasered. Documents show police have sued tasers on passengers 10 times in the past 18 months, including five occasions when passengers skipped fares.
It appears that the police view a taser as a standard response to a failure to obey police orders. In one case, a passenger accused of skipping the fare was tasered after he refused to let go of a railing. Continue reading “Pay or Play: Vancouver Police Taser Transit Riders Who Fail to Pay Fare”
Yale Art major Aliza Shvarts has become a national sensation with her claim to use blood and pictures from self-induced miscarriages for art works. The only problem is that it appears to be untrue. Continue reading “Yale Denies Performance Artist Story of Use of Miscarriage”
The so-called “black widows” Helen Golay, 77, and Olga Rutterschmidt, 75, were found guilty of five counts. Golay was found guilty of the first degree murder of Kenneth McDavid, 50, in 2005 and Paul Vados, 73, in 1999 as well as conspiracy to murder for financial gain counts in both killings. Rutterschmidt, 75, was convicted of conspiracy to murder McDavid for financial gain. The men were killed for insurance proceeds as discussed in the video below. Continue reading ““Black Widows” Convicted Murder of Homeless Men”
A federal judge In New Orleans has ruled that the city of Slidell must take down a portrait of Jesus on the wall at Slidell City Court. While the damages are nominal, the city will now pay legal fees and costs for an obviously unconstitutional act and attack on the principle of separation of church and state. Judge Jim Lamz helped bring about this loss by refusing to order the portrait removed. While it has been a few years since I lived in Louisiana, Slidell did not seem like a city with money to burn. Yet, it seems willing to waste money not only on this litigation but the salaries of the attorneys who told them that they could get away with this obvious violation. Continue reading “Jesus Has Left the Building: Courthouse Loses Fight Over Portrait of Jesus”
The Ninth Circuit has held down an interesting ruling that upheld an award of $600,000 for Deanna Freitag, a former guard who alleged that she was sexual harassed by male inmates. The allegations stem from the conduct of inmates in the maximum-security prison at Pelican Bay. Continue reading “Federal Court Upholds Sexual Harassment Award for Female Guard Harassed by Inmates”