The videotaped incident involving Andrew Meyer and Senator John Kerry has caused an uproar among students and faculty. Meyer’s begging security staff not to “tase me, bro” struck a nerve among students who feel that security and police often over-react. Continue reading “Meyer Case Raises Significant Questions of Campus Speech and Student Responsibilities”
Under the common law, owners are strictly liable for attacks by wild animals or by domesticated animals with violent or dangerous propensities. How about a man dressed as Pluto? For the video, click here According to witnesses, the boy began the encounter with a kick in the groin. I suppose he was lucky he did not mess with Grumpy who would have gone medieval on the kid.
Supporters of the D.C. vote bill have failed to secure the necessary 60 votes to move the measure to the floor for a vote. Continue reading “No Vote for D.C. After Failure in Senate to Secure 60 Votes”
There has been much talk in the last few years about the federalization of child porn stings — once viewed as a largely state area. However, the DOJ has worked with the FBI in going after child predators. Given all of the media attention to internet stings, therefore, it was especially shocking this morning to learn that a federal prosecutor had been nabbed trying to arrange sex with a five-year-old girl on the internet. Continue reading “Federal prosecutor nabbed in attempted statutory rape and abuse of 5-year-old girl”
The video of a student who was hit with a taser is another example of how this device is being widely misused by law enforcement and campus police. This student was clearly obnoxious and clueless in the length of his comments. He was also resisting. However, at no point did he warrant the use of the taser. For the video, click here The most disturbing fact is that this occurred in front of hundreds of witnesses. Most such abuses occur with only the officers and the victim as witnesses.
An interesting product liability case may be brewing over widespread reports of people, particularly children, having their toes crushed or ripped off by escalators while wearing the popular soft crocs footwear. If these shoes cannot be worn on escalators safely, they may be deemed to have a design defect. However, courts usually do not find such defects for obvious risks. For example, what is the difference between a croc and a fip-flop when it comes to this particularly danger? The softness of the rubber may prove the key to any liability. For the story, click here
Jusge Michael Mukasey, former chief of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, has been formally nominated by President Bush. Continue reading “Judge Mukasey is the New Bush Nominee for AG”
The ongoing murder investigation targeting the parents of Madeleine McCann may turn on the reliability of sniffer dog evidence. Continue reading “Wisconsin case could prove key to McCann Murder Investigation”
OJ Simposon is under investigation by Las Vegas police for a theft at the Palace Station casino. He is accused of stealing sports memorabilia had been stolen. However, Simpson appears to have told the dealer (after being contacted) that the memorabilia had been stolen from him. This a common scene as people try to take possession of property or chattel that they insist belongs to them. Continue reading “OJ Simpson Accused of Theft of Sports Memorabilia”
A man, trying to sneak into a concert, impaled his thigh on a 12-foot, wrought-iron fence. The fence has sharp-ended spikes that rise about 8 inches above a horizontal bar. Under common law, a landowner has no duty to trespassers. Continue reading “Man Impales Himself on Fence in Trespass Case”
The the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has promised to appear a decision upholding the right of a small New Jersey town to ban the use of a 20-foot inflatable rat as a symbol of line crossers at a labor protest site. It raises a very interesting constitutional issue. The ordinance banning such signs is fairly common in limiting commercial speech. Here, however, we have pure political speech. The conflict between the first amendment and time-place-and-manner restrictions should be interesting.
For the full story, click here
In the August hearing involving rapper Foxy Brown, her counsel made a surprising revelation that she was pregnant in a clear effort towards a more lenient statement. That claim has now been withdrawan — raising issues of a possible false statement. Lawyers are subject to rules concerning candor to the tribunal and false statements. Such statements in court can be the subject of sanctions by both the court as well as the bar. For the full story, click
An 81-year-old Milwaukee man has sued the Brut cologne company after the product allegedly ignited when he used a campfire. Continue reading “Wisconsin Man Sues Brut Cologne When It Ignites Near Campfire”
In what appears to be case of unnecessary force and arrest directed against students, Orlando police arrested individuals at a college Rosh Hashanah prayer service. It is a common complaint from students: they object to treatment by officers and are promptly arrested. I have seen a number of these abuses, where officers punish citizens for voicing objections by making them spend the night in jail or face arraignment. For the most recent story, click here This follows a shocking video recently of another officer openly taunting a young man with his ability to make up reasons to arrest him. For the vido, click here
In Michigan, a 41-year-old man apparantly went to considerable effort to build a functioning guillotine and then used it to behead himself. Suicides are criminal in part because we believe that it is not only a waste of a human life but that such acts are often taken on impulse and without rational consideration. This suicide falls into a sizable number of cases where the act is not just premeditated and combined with obviously careful planning.
For the story, click here