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States Use Coronavirus Shutdowns to Ban Abortion

Several states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas, appear to be using the coronavirus shutdowns to escalate their ongoing fights over abortion access. These bans are being challenged in court to varying degrees and the results of these cases have the potential to dramatically change the pre-pandemic landscape of the right to abortion access in some of these states. Federal judges have ruled against bans in states, including Alabama, Ohio, and Oklahoma but as the shutdown continues, cases citing that bans are part of emergency measures to fight the virus, continue to be filed and appear in court. Many states use the reasoning that abortions are elective surgeries that are not medically necessary. One example of this is Arkansas. Arkansas is facing a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union for banning abortion at the state’s only clinic- albeit they are allowing dental appointments amidst the coronavirus pandemic’s shutdowns, when many state dental associations are recommending that dentists close their practices for non-emergency dental needs. The… Read More

N95 Mask “Middleground” Supply Chain

With hospitals and other health care facilities across the United States crying out for lack of proper protective gear against the novel coronavirus, in particular N95 masks, the opportunity for profiteering is being seized not by an underground or black market but by those who have become pop-up middlemen for the N95 mask market.  In wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising fears of it across the globe, has been the growing concerns and realities of medical facilities across the United States that do not have access to proper protective gear for workers who are being exposed, or will be exposed, to this dangerous and often deadly, highly contagious virus.  As hospitals and other healthcare facilities scramble up and down dried up supply streams trying to procure these highly sought out masks, people like Brian Kolfage, a 38-year-old Florida military veteran who recently raised millions of dollars in donations for a privately built wall on the U.S. – Mexico border, has started a new venture: hawking millions of N95 masks. … Read More

Antitrust Probe Over Wireless Carrier-Switching Technology Closed 

The U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into GSM Association, the trade group that has been criticized for making it difficult for consumers to switch cell phone carriers and mobile networks, has been closed.  The Justice Department has indicated that it is satisfied that the group is ready to use its standard-setting process for a more “consumer-friendly eSIM standard,” than the ones that have been set in the past. eSIM’s technology allows consumers to switch wireless providers without having to get and physically insert an identifying microchip, more commonly known as a SIM card. The GSM Association (commonly referred to as GSMA and the Global System for Mobile Communications) is a trade group that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide. Its membership is made up of approximately 800 mobile operators, including four major carriers in the U.S. market. The GSM Association was formed in 1995 as a body to support and promote mobile operators using the GSM. It sets the standards on eSIM mobile technology. The probe was instigated by… Read More

Donald Trump’s Impeachment Inquiry

The impeachment inquiry for President Donald Trump continues amid criticism from both sides of Congress towards the other. The president’s impeachment inquiry was initiated by US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, on September 24, after a whistleblower alleged that President Trump abused his power of the presidency by pressuring the leaders of foreign countries to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The president has been accused of doing this to advance his own personal and political interests. Thus far, these allegations have been corroborated by the testimony of top U.S. officials. In particular, the inquiry’s initial allegations focused on Trump and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, for taking part in a quid-pro-quo campaign to pressure the Ukranian government to take actions that would support the president’s 2020 campaign. In the days after the announcement of the inquiry, additional allegations of misconduct were performed as well as reported. In the past few weeks, Trump and his defenders have busied themselves with attacking the process by which Trump’s impeachment… Read More

Johnson & Johnson Recalls Baby Powder

Amid a decade of cancer and other health issues’ lawsuits and scrutiny of their baby powder, Johnson & Johnson is recalling 33,000 bottles of it because U.S. health regulators found trace amounts of asbestos in samples from one bottle that was purchased online. Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder, which is made from cosmetic talc, has been a staple for American baby care, as well as for adult skincare and makeup routines for over a century. It is made from the mineral talc which is mainly comprised of the elements magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. When this is in powder form and applied to skin it absorbs moisture and decreases friction. Moisture and friction are common causes of rashes and skin irritations such as chafing. Talcum powder is widely used in baby and adult cosmetic products, as well as in other consumer products.  In its natural form, some talc contains asbestos which has been known to cause cancers. Although Johnson & Johnson has been sued and lost cases where asbestos in their… Read More

U.S. Lawmakers Delay Muller Testimony By A Week

Updated: July 12, 2019 Mueller, who supervised the federal investigation into alleged Russian interference during the 2016 U.S. presidential election has now been scheduled to testify on July 24 before the House Judiciary, and Intelligence committees, the panels’ chairmen mentioned in a statement. Under the new agreement, Mueller is said to appear before the Judiciary Committee for three hours. Following his testimony, Mueller will then appear before the Intelligence Committee. “All members – Democrats and Republicans – of both committees will have a meaningful opportunity to question the Special Counsel in public, and the American people will finally have an opportunity to hear directly from Mr. Mueller about what his investigation uncovered,” said Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff. Lawmakers started to consider a delay for Muller when Judiciary Committee members saw that many of the panel’s less senior lawmakers would not get time to ask questions. “Everyone on the committee wants an opportunity to examine Mr. Mueller,” said Representative David Cicilline, a senior House Judiciary Democrat.… Read More

Appeals Court Rejects Sandy Hook Parents Lawsuit Against Newtown

Updated: July 12, 2019 While addressing the case as “undeniably tragic,” the appeals court ruled 3-0 on Friday against the parents of both Jesse Lewis and Noah Pozner, agreeing with a lower court judge that governmental immunity shielded the defendants. “It is clear that the adoption of the school security guidelines by the defendants was an act of discretion encompassed within their general duty to manage and supervise their employees and schoolchildren, and, therefore, was protected by governmental immunity,” Judge Thomas Bishop wrote. The parents accused the school officials of failing to follow mandatory security guidelines that could have saved many lives after the gunman, Adam Lanza, opened fire as he made his way into the Sandy Hook Elementary School. They claim these guidelines included the ordering of an immediate lockdown, having all school entrances locked from the inside to prevent Lanza from entering, and ensuring adequate training for faculty and staff. Donald Papcsy, who is a lawyer on behalf of the parents, mentioned that his clients look forward to… Read More

New York Governor Cuomo Orders Probe Into Advertising Platform of Facebook

Updated: July / 1 / 2019      This is now the second investigation that the state governor has ordered into the social media company as of this year. In February, Cuomo had also ordered two state agencies to investigate a report that Facebook may have been accessing personal information from smartphone users, including health and other sensitive data, than had previously been known.   On Monday, Cuomo had cited reports which claimed the social network allowed advertisers to modify or block ads using ZIP code information to exclude consumers based on race, color, national origin, religion, familial status, sex, and disability, among other classifications.   The company is currently facing a similar probe in which the Trump administration is accusing Facebook of selling targeted advertising that discriminated based on race, in violation of the U.S. Fair Housing Act.   The probes have come despite Facebook agreeing in March to overhaul its paid advertising platform, as part of a wide-ranging settlement with U.S. civil rights groups, which had filed five… Read More

House Panel Sues Treasury, IRS Over Donald Trump’s Tax Returns

Updated: July / 2 / 2019    On Tuesday, a Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives panel filed a long-awaited lawsuit in federal court demanding President Donald Trump’s individual and business tax returns. The House Ways and Means Committee filed a lawsuit against both the U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service after Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, refused a legal request for the records and defied two congressional subpoenas seeking the returns.   The filing sounded the starting gun in what is widely expected to be a lengthy legal battle that is likely to end in the Supreme Court.   There was no official comment from the Trump administration, but Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said: “We will respond to this latest effort at presidential harassment in court.”   Democrats want Trump’s tax records from 2013 to 2018, which legal experts have said could shed light on the president’s business dealings. Such a legal process, experts said, could unfold slowly and become an issue in the 2020 election.  

Taylor Swift & Justin Bieber Feud Over Music Catalog

Updated: July / 1 / 2019  The talented pop star, Taylor Swift, has started a feud with Justin Bieber’s manager for buying her music catalog, prompting Bieber to come to his defense in a heated online dispute that has drawn in several top figures in the music industry.   On Sunday, Swift took to social media to write a lengthy post on Tumblr voicing her dismay that Scooter Braun, who is the manager for  Bieber as well as other talented artists such as Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato, was acquiring Big Machine, the Nashville-based record company that owns the master recordings of her past songs. “This is my worst case scenario,” the “Shake It Off,” singer wrote, and accused Braun of “incessant, manipulative bullying.”   Swift said Braun “got two of his clients to bully me online” about a 2016 tiff with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, and referred to a photo of Braun and Bieber.   “Now Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given… Read More

Large Companies Call on U.S. Supreme Court to Rule In Favor of LGBT Workers

Updated: July / 2 / 2019   More than 200 corporations, some of which are America’s best-known companies, are now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that federal civil rights law will ban job discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.   The corporations outlined their stance in a legal briefing that was released on Tuesday by a coalition of five LGBTQ rights groups. The briefing is being submitted to the Supreme Court in the coming week ahead of arguments before the justices on Oct. 8 on three cases that may determine whether those who are gay, lesbian, or transgender are protected from discrimination by existing federal civil rights laws. Among the 206 corporations endorsing the briefing were companies such as Amazon, American Airlines, Bank of America, Ben & Jerry’s, Coca-Cola, Domino’s Pizza, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Nike, Starbucks, Viacom, the Walt Disney Co., and Xerox. Two major league baseball teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Tampa Bay Rays.   “Even where companies voluntarily implement… Read More

CFTC Awards Almost $2.5 Million to Cargill Whistleblower

Updated: June  25, 2019 / 4:35 p.m.  The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has awarded almost $2.5 million to a whistleblower in a 2017 case against global grain trader, Cargill Inc, over alleged violations in how it handled trades, the agency said on Tuesday. The award, which was of significant size, was then reduced “because of the whistleblower’s delay in reporting” the misconduct, the agency mentioned in a statement.   The agency had fined Cargill $10 in 2017 for delivering inaccurate information on swaps to protect the revenue of the company, and for also failing to supervise the company’s swap dealers.   In a statement to sources, Cargill claimed it, and CFTC resolved the matter back in November 2017, and Cargill neither admitted nor denied the findings.   The CFTC stated that at the beginning of 2013, Cargill did not comply with regulations regarding thousands of complex swaps that had affected hundreds of counterparties. Swaps are used in changing financial markets by companies to manage any risk outside of futures… Read More

Robert Muller to Testify Before House Panels on July 17

Updated: June 25, 2019 / 9:23 p.m. Robert Mueller, who had issued a report back in April regarding Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, will be testifying in an open session in front of the House of Representatives Judiciary and Intelligence Committees on July 17, the panels’ Democratic chairman stated on Tuesday. Representative Jerrold Nadler, a chairman of the judiciary panel, and Representative Adam Schiff, who is the head of the intelligence panel, mad a joint statement claiming that Mueller had agreed to testify after the two committees issued subpoenas on Tuesday. Mueller’s 448-page report that was released publicly in April found Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election and that Republican President Donald Trump’s election campaign had multiple contacts with Russian officials. However, the report also found insufficient evidence to provide a criminal conspiracy between both the campaign and Moscow. The report, which was partially redacted, also defined instances in which Trump tried to interfere with Mueller’s investigation, but declined to make a judgment on whether or not… Read More

Amazon is Granted U.S. Patent To Use Delivery Drones for Surveillance

Updated: June 21, 2019 / 5:23 p.m. Amazon.com Inc is now looking into newer ways to use drones not just to deliver packages, but also to provide surveillance as a service to its customers, according to a patent which was granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.   The delivery drones would be used to record video of consented user’s property to gather data that can be analyzed. An example of this would be to use analyzed data to look out for a broken window, or a fire or if a garage door was left open during the day, the patent described.   According to the patent, the surveillance function of the drone can be limited through geo-fencing, a technology which is used to draw a virtual boundary around the property under surveillance. Any imagery or data captured by the drone outside the geo-fence would be obscured or removed.   Amazon.com filed the application for the patent in 2015 and was granted it on June 4.   Earlier… Read More

FedEx Files Lawsuit Against The Department of Commerce

Updated: 6/24/19 On Monday, courier company, FedEx, filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Commerce, claiming that it has been “essentially deputize[d]” to enforce its trade blacklist. The lawsuit comes a month after Huawei mentioned it is reassessing its relationship with the delivery company after many packages that were meant for shipment within Asia were instead diverted and mismarked for the delivery to America. FedEx claimed the packages (which Huawei said did not contain any technology covered by the trade ban imposed against it by the Trump administration) had been misrouted accidentally. In a court filing, FedEx claimed that it has “developed a sophisticated proprietary risk-based compliance system” to follow the U.S. export laws by screening for senders or recipients on the list of entities believed to pose a national security risk. Huawei, which was not mentioned by name in either of FedEx’s announcements or its complaint against the U.S. government, was added to that list last month. However, FedEx stated that the U.S. government expects it to… Read More

Supreme Court to Hear Insurers’ Appeal for $12 Billion in Obamacare Funds

Updated: June 24, 2019 / 9:46 a.m. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether or not insurers would be granted to seek $12 billion from the federal government under a program that was set up by the Obamacare law aimed at encouraging them to offer medical coverage to previously uninsured Americans. The justices will come together to hear an appeal by a group of insurers of a lower court’s ruling that Congress had suspended the government’s obligation to make such payments. The insurers have claimed that the decision would let the government pull a “bait-and-switch” and withhold money the companies were initially promised. Insurers such as Moda Inc unit. Moda Health Plan Inc. and other insurers who have sued to try and persuade the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make the payments have mentioned that the government was supposed to help them recuperate from early losses in which they endured after the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act under former Democratic President, Barack… Read More

Supreme Court Allows Profanity Language Trademark in F-word Case

Updated: June 24, 2019 / 10:21 a.m. On Monday, the Supreme Court slammed down on a long-term U.S. ban regarding trademarks on both “immoral” or “scandalous” words and symbols, ruling in favor of a case which involved a clothing brand with an indecent name. The justices ruled against President Trump’s administration, defending a law which was set in place since 1905. The justices were also in favor of the Los Angeles streetwear designer, Erik Brunetti, who was turned down by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office after seeking to trademark his brand name FUCT.   All nine justices agreed with the decision that was written by liberal Justice Elena Kagan that the prohibition on “immoral” trademarks ran afoul of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment right to free expression. However, three justices wrote dissents to say the bar on “scandalous” trademarks should have been upheld.   In 2011, a trademark application for FUCT got rejected, the Patent and Trademark Office claimed that the brand name sounded like profanity and concluded that… Read More

U.S. Lawmaker Request Facebook to Pause Cryptocurrency Project

Updated: June 18, 2019 / 4:36 p.m.   Maxine Waters, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, mentioned that Facebook should halt their development of the product, dubbed Libra until U.S. Congress and regulators can review the issue, and call on company executives to testify before Congress.   “Facebook has data on billions of people and has repeatedly shown a disregard for the protection and careful use of this data,” she said in a statement. “With the announcement that it plans to create a cryptocurrency, Facebook is continuing its unchecked expansion and extending its reach into the lives of its users.”   Waters comments came after Representative Patrick McHenry, who is the senior Republican on her panel, sought a hearing on Facebook’s new initiative. A Facebook representative said the company looked forward to answering lawmakers’ questions regarding their project.   The announcement made by Facebook’s was met with instant backlash from U.S. lawmakers and regulators across the globe. They are concerned that Facebook is already too massive and careless with… Read More

Michael Avenatti Receives Trial Date Regarding Alleged Nike Extortion

Updated: June 18, 2019 / 3:55 p.m. Celebrity attorney, Michael Avenatti, is scheduled to go to trial on November 12 in a Manhattan federal court, on charges related to extorting Nike Inc. Paul Gardephe, who is the U.S. District Judge, had scheduled the trial at a hearing which took place on Tuesday, according to a court record. Avenatti has pleaded not guilty to the charges that are currently against him. “I look forward to a New York jury hearing all of the relevant evidence relating to Nike,” the California lawyer wrote in an email. “I have complete confidence in the truth and am confident that I will be exonerated at the end of the trial.” Avenatti, 48, was arrested on March 25 in New York on charges of trying to extort more than $20 million from the brand Nike. Avenatti did this by threatening to expose the giant by what he called their improper payments to recruits for college basketball teams that the company sponsored. Nike has denied wrongdoing in… Read More

Jay-Z Hires Celebrity Attorney to Represent Phoenix Family That Was Threatened By Cops

Updated: June 17 / 2019 Category: Celebrity / Legal Jay-Z Hires Celebrity Attorney to Represent Phoenix Family That Was Threatened By Cops In a disturbing viral video which showed a Phoenix police officer telling a 22-year-old man “I’m gonna put a f***ing cap in your f***ing head” in front of his family, victims of the distressing harassment have now gained a powerful ally to help fight for justice. Billionaire rapper and businessman Jay-Z has offered to help the family of Dravon Ames in their legal battle against the Phoenix Police Department. Jay-Z and his label, Roc Nation, have hired Alex Spiro, who is a high-power New York attorney, to assist with the case. The family is currently being represented by Tom Horne, a former Arizona Attorney General, and filed a $10 million notice of claim against the city last week. The incident that sparked the case started when Ames’ 4-year-old daughter allegedly walked out of a Family Dollar store with a toy that wasn’t paid for. Officers then followed the… Read More

Bayer AG Requests Judge to $2 Billion Roundup Jury Verdict

Updated: June 18, 2019 / 11:08 a.m. On Monday, at the Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland, the German drugmaker and chemicals company blamed the massive verdict on “inflammatory, fabricated and irrelevant evidence” from the couples’ lawyers. “The resulting trial focused not on ascertaining the truth regarding the state of the science, causation, and compliance with legal duties, but instead on vilifying Monsanto in the abstract,” the company, which bought Monsanto last year for a whopping $63 billion, said in motions filed with the court. Bayer is currently facing Roundup cancer lawsuits by more than 13,400 plaintiffs across the United States. The company denies the allegations against them, claiming that the weed killer and its active ingredient glyphosate, is safe for people to use. The verdict and two prior jury decisions against Bayer AG have triggered steep declines in Bayer shares, leaving it with a market valuation of $56 billion. Bayer requested the Superior Court Judge, Winifred Smith, who presided over the roughly seven-week long trial, to reverse the jury… Read More

U.S. Drugmakers File Lawsuit to Prevent Federal Rule Requiring Drug Prices in TV Ads

Updated: June 14, 2019 / 3:26 p.m. On Friday, U.S. drugmakers filed a lawsuit that challenges a new government regulation requiring drug manufacturers to disclose the list price of prescription drugs in direct-to-consumer television advertisements.   The lawsuit was filed jointly by the companies Amgen Inc, Eli Lilly, Merck & Co, and Co and the Association Of National Advertisers in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.   The new regulation that was finalized on May 8 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is set to take effect in July. It is part of the government’s efforts to lower the cost of prescription medications for U.S. consumers.   Drugmakers have disputed over the new regulation, claiming that the list prices do not signify the final price that is paid by the consumer, as it excludes rebates and discounts drugmakers may offer to the customer, as well as patient assistance programs to make drugs more affordable.   “Not only does the rule raise serious… Read More

Sex Cult Trial In New York Leads to Final Closing Statements

Updated: June 17, 2019 / 6:09 a.m. A New York sex cult who was run by a leader that is accused of holding a woman hostage and having the women branded with his initials carried out his crimes in an upstate subdivision that hid a “horror movie” reality, a federal prosecutor stated on Monday. Keith Raniere, 58, is currently on trial and facing charges that include racketeering, sex trafficking, and child pornography. Prosecutors claim he used his organization called Nxivm, in which he billed itself as a self-help group, to hide a secretive sorority where young women were forced into sex through blackmail and ordered to follow dangerously restrictive diets. “The closed doors of these cookie cutter houses may seem straight out of a horror movie, but for the defendant’s victims, it was all too real,” Moira Penza, the Assistant U.S. Attorney said as she presented pictures of Clifton Park, New York, a neighborhood where the Nxivm cult operated. Penza displayed photos of various houses where witnesses claim that Raniere… Read More

U.S. Court Rules Against The Trump Administration in Case Involving Immigrant Teen Abortion

Updated: June 14, 2019 On Friday, a U.S. appeals court ruled that the U.S. government cannot deny access to abortions for unaccompanied immigrant minors that are held in federal custody, a blow that now hits hard to a policy made by the Trump administration.   A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a lower court decision that found the government cannot prevent the ability of a woman to obtain an abortion under established Supreme Court precedent.   The case involves a 17-year-old girl, whose name and nationality was not publicly disclosed and went under the alias  “Jane Doe” in legal documents. It is said that she came to the United States by herself in the year of 2017 and was placed in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which falls under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and houses immigrant children.   The girl, who was in the United States illegally, obtained an abortion after she sued… Read More

Trump Wins U.S. Victory in Court To Ban Transgender People From Serving in The Military

Updated: Jan 14 / 2019 A U.S. appeals court granted President Donald Trump a “victory” in his objectives to ban transgender people from the U.S. armed forces, requesting a judge to reconsider her ruling against the policy, which the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed to take effect. On Friday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put aside a ruling by Marsha Pechman, a U.S. District Judge based in Seattle, which claimed that the ban potentially violated the constitutional rights of transgender service members and recruits.   Without ruling on the merits, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appeals court stated that Pechman did not give the military’s judgment enough deference, and requested that she provide more.   That finding could reinforce Trump’s position, but the government still has the burden of justifying his policy.   Pechman is one of the four federal judges that has ruled against Trump’s policy toward transgender military personnel.   In January on 2019, the Supreme Court, which carries a 5-4 conservative majority, removed… Read More

U.S. Appeals Court to Review Led Zeppelin ‘Stairway’ Decision

Updated: June 10, 2019 / 4:04 p.m. The rock band, which includes lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page, are being accused of copyright infringement for stealing the riff from “Taurus,” a song that was written in 1967 by guitarist Randy Wolfe of the lesser-known band Spirit. A jury in Los Angeles ruled in favor of Led Zeppelin back in June 2016, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled out 3-0 last September that errors by the trial judge required a new trial. Francis Malofiy, who is a lawyer for the trustee representing Wolfe’s estate, said the 11-judge appeals court panel which plans to reconsider the case under Monday’s order, will focus on whether to broaden copyright protection for “Taurus.” He also went on to say that the three-judge panel erred in deciding that a piece of sheet music “deposit copy” of “Taurus,” rather than sound recordings by Spirit, defined the scope of what could be considered copyrighted under the federal 1909 Copyright Act. “It deals… Read More

Trump Begs Appeals Court to Black Subpoena for His Accounting Records

Updated: June 10, 2019 / 6:51 p.m. On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump, requested for an appeals court to overturn a ruling requiring his accounting firm to provide his financial records during his time before his presidency to the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives Oversight Committee. Lawyers on behalf of Trump mentioned in a court filing that a May 20 decision that was made by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, required Mazars LLP to comply with the subpoena, was considered “flawed” and should be reversed. Mehta’s ruling was one of the first times when a federal court waded into the dispute about how far Congress can go in probing Trump and his business affairs, marking a significant victory for House Democrats. President Trump has still continued to refuse cooperation with a series of investigations regarding issues that range from his tax returns to his Washington hotel, as well as his children’s security clearances. Trump’s lawsuit that was filed on April 22 argued that the committee’s subpoena exceeded constitutional limits on the… Read More

Governor of Texas Signs Law Increasing Age to 21 to Legally Purchase Tobacco Products

Updated: June 8 / 2019 Supporters of the bill believe that by increasing the minimum age by three years should reduce the risk of addiction in young adults.   On Friday, Abbott signed the legislation, which covers tobacco products such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or other tobacco-based products. The only exception regarding the law is for those who serve in the military.   The law is said to go into effect starting on September 1.   Anyone that is caught breaking the new law is said to face a Class C misdemeanor and a fine of up to $500.   The state of Texas is among a growing number of states that are raising the tobacco age limit.   Illinois has recently signed similar legislation in May. States, where the legal age is already 21, include California,Hawaii, New Jersey, Maine,Oregon, and Massachusetts. Laws will take effect later this year in both Arkansas and Virginia.  

Supreme Court Takes On Comcast Appeal in Racial Suit Regarding Byron Allen

Updated: June 10, 2019 / 9:54 a.m. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the bid of cable television operator, Comcast, to remove comedian and producer Byron Allen’s racial bias lawsuit which is accusing the company of discriminating against black-owned channels.   The justices will be reviewing a decision by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which cleared the way for a $20 billion civil rights lawsuit against Comcast to proceed.   At issue in the litigation is the refusal made by Comcast to carry channels operated by Entertainment Studios Networks, owned by Byron Allen, who is black.   The justices have not acted on a similar appeal by Charter Communications which involved claims by Allen after the company also declined to carry his channels. That case likely will be guided by the outcome in Comcast’s appeal.   Both Comcast and Charter have claimed that their decisions were based on capacity constraints, not race, and that Allen’s channels, including Justice Central.TV, Cars.TV, Pets.TV and… Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Takes On Intel Retirement Fund Dispute

Updated: June 10, 2019 / 9:55 a.m. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Intel Corp’s bid to prevent a lawsuit which accuses them of violating federal law for making employee retirement plan investments that cost beneficiaries hundreds of millions of dollars.   The justices have decided to take on Intel’s appeal of a lower court ruling that revived the proposed class action lawsuit, initiated by a former employee back in 2015 after a judge agreed with the tech company that the litigation was filed too late.   The lawsuit accused the company’s committee that manages the retirement contribution and 401(k) savings plans, for breaching their fiduciary duty to the participants by placing an overly heavy emphasis on alternative investments like private equity and hedge funds.   The lawsuit was brought to attention by the former Intel engineer, Christopher Sulyma, in San Jose, California federal court.   The dispute revolves around the period when retirement plan participants had to file suit for alleged violations of the Employee Retirement… Read More

Opioid Manufacture Insys Files for Bankruptcy Following Kickback Probe

Updated: June 10, 2019 / 6:24 a.m. On Monday, drug manufacturer Insys Therapeutics Inc filed for bankruptcy amid the mounting of expenses that was driven by a U.S. Justice Department probe into claims that the company bribed doctors with money to prescribe a powerful opioid medication to their patients.   The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing was marked as a first for a drug manufacturer that is accused of helping fuel the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic which had came days after Insys struck a $225 million settlement with the Justice Department.   The department is now Insys’ largest unsecured creditor due to Wednesday’s agreement, which resulted in a subsidiary pleading guilty of fraud charges and the company entering into a deferred prosecution agreement.   The filing of bankruptcy followed after a federal jury in Boston in May found Insys founder John Kapoor and four other former executives guilty of engaging in a racketeering conspiracy that centered around a fentanyl spray known as Subsys.   Chandler, Arizona-based Insys stated that the company… Read More

House Votes in Favor to Protect Dreamer Immigrants

Updated: June 4, 2019 / 7:02 p.m. On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to end the threat of deportation which hung over undocumented immigrants known as “Dreamers” who entered the United States when they were children.   By a vote of 237-187, the Democratic-controlled House approved the legislation regardless of the opposition from the White House, which stated that the act would “reward illegal immigration.”   It’s said that only seven Republicans voted for the bill.   As it appears, there has been no sign that the Republican-controlled Senate would consider the House bill to pass, which will likely leave this Democratic initiative to be fought over during the 2020 presidential and congressional election campaigns.   During the earlier period of his administration, Republican President Donald Trump stated that he wanted to help Dreamers, many of those who were very young when they arrived in the United States with their parents.   However, after following a series of failed negotiations, Trump has since focused on tightening down… Read More

Insys Ordered to Pay $225 Million to Settle Fraud Charges

Updated: June 5, 2019 / 5:46 p.m. During the settlement, Insys Therapeutics admitted to bribing doctors to prescribe their opioid painkiller.   Prosecutors claim that Insys was using kickbacks and other illegal marketing methods to boost sales of Subsys considerably, which is an under-the-tongue spray that is used to treat pain in adult cancer patients. The spray contains fentanyl, which is a powerful opioid that is 100 times stronger than the drug morphine.   The settlement involving the company followed the conviction held by a federal jury in Boston on May 2, which accused five former Insys executives, including founder and former billionaire John Kapoor, of racketeering charges for contributing to the nation’s opioid epidemic.   Wednesday’s settlement is calling for the operating unit, Insys Pharma, to plead guilty to a total of five mail fraud counts.   The Chandler, Arizona-based company is said to forfeit $28 million, pay a $2 million fine and alo pay $195 million to settle charges it defrauded the government under the False Claims Act.… Read More

Jussie Smollett Dropped From Fox Drama Series

  Updated: June 5 / 2019 After a long battle of legal affairs with Empire star Jussie Smollett, it’s now confirmed by the series creator that he will not be returning to the Fox drama for its sixth and final season.   The statement came from the series creator, Lee Daniels after a media report implied that Smollett would indeed be returning for the sixth season of the show.   “This is not factual. Jussie will NOT be returning to Empire,” Daniels made public in a tweet to Variety after it reported an “exclusive” headlined “‘Empire’ writers prepping for Jussie Smollett’s return in Season 6.”   The drama that stars Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard will be ending after the sixth season.   Apparently, Smollett was written out of the final episodes of the show’s fifth season after the allegations sparked attention that he faked a hate crime against himself in January this year. However, just because the studio did not include him in the series, many speculate that… Read More

Doctor In Ohio Charged With 25 Counts Of Murder For Administering Fatal Opioid Dosages

Updated: June 5, 2019 / 12:57 p.m. A doctor in the state of Ohio is convicted of 25 counts of murder for administering high and sometimes fatal doses of opioid painkillers to many of his sick patients, prosecutors mentioned on Wednesday.   The doctor, William Husel, has turned himself into the Columbus police after a six-month-long investigation into what Mount Carmel Hospital called his administration of “inappropriate” doses of fentanyl to patients, Franklin County prosecutor Ron O’Brien mentioned at a news conference.   Husel’s case is just one of the many waves of U.S. doctors charged for their role in a public health crisis that revolved around Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that led to a record of 47,600 opioid-related overdose deaths in the year 2017.   If Husel is prosecuted, he faces 15 years to life in prison for each count.   “By giving fentanyl at these levels, we were comfortable with the information we had that it was a sufficient amount that the only rational purpose could… Read More

House Judiciary Committee to Hold June 10 Hearing Regarding Mueller Report

Updated: June  3, 2019 / 3:45 p.m.   The committee will be hearing different testimonies from former U.S. attorneys and legal experts, one of which includes John Dean, who is a Trump critic and also a former White House counsel to President Richard Nixon who had served a year in prison with connections to the Watergate scandal.   “We have learned so much even from the redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report,” Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler mentioned in a statement.   “These hearings will allow us to examine the findings laid out in Mueller’s report so that we can work to protect the rule of law and protect future elections through consideration of legislative and other remedies,” Nadler said.   In a 448-page redacted report that was released in April, Mueller had documented several occasions in which Trump was seeking to quash the probe by way of firing former FBI Director James Comey. However, Mueller did not decide as to whether or not Trump had obstructed justice.  … Read More

Developers Sue Apple Inc. for App Store Costs

Updated: June 4, 2019 / 11:54 a.m. On Tuesday, two app developers took action against Apple Inc over their App Store practices, making allegations similar to those in a lawsuit that was brought on by consumers that the U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed to proceed.   Donald R. Cameron, who is the California-based app developer along with Illinois Pure Sweat Basketball, alleged that Apple had engaged in anticompetitive conduct by only allowing the downloading of iPhone apps through their official App Store. Apple also requires developers to price their apps in different tiers ending in 99 cents and takes up to a 30% commission from developers on the sale of apps.   “This practice is analogous to a monopsonist retailer paying artificially low wholesale prices to its suppliers,” the developers said in their suit. “In both paradigms, a competitive market would yield better post-commission or wholesale prices, and fairer profit, for developers’ digital products.”   The claims center around the same Apple practices that were highlighted in a lawsuit that… Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Expected to Hear IBM Retirement Fund Dispute

Updated: June 3 / 2019 On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether or not the managers of a retirement fund for IBM Corp employees who have invested in the company’s stock can be sued for failing to disclose that its microelectronics business was overvalued.   The court will hear an appeal by IBM’s retirement plan of a lower court ruling that allowed the litigation to proceed. IBM is not a defendant in the case.   The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is the American business community’s most significant lobbying arm, has begged the Supreme Court briefly to hear the case, claiming a ruling against the fund could prevent companies from offering retirement plans that invest in company stock. Thousands of companies nationwide offer those types of programs.   Participants in the IBM retirement plan have mentioned that in 2013 the company’s microelectronics division were suffering losses even though IBM stated at the time it was valued at $2 billion.   The accusers in the case have said… Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Takes On Copyright Case Linked to Blackbeard Flagship

Updated: June 3, 2019   After the ship was discovered in the late 1990s, the state has since worked with Nautilus Productions, a firm which is owned by former WRAL News photographer Rick Allen, to document the long recovery of artifacts that were buried in sand and debris under 20 feet of seawater. In exchange for the work that Allen provided, he retained the copyright of the footage that was taken.   However, in 2015 Allen filed a federal lawsuit against the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, claiming that the agency violated his copyright and misused the footage by publishing it online without his consent.   Since then, the state has argued in front of a federal three-judge panel that it was protected from liability by sovereign immunity. Allen’s lawyers now seek to overturn that ruling, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court that a state agency can be held responsible for copyright infringement the same way any private entity would.   “The Constitution of the United States… Read More

George Nader Arrested for Child Pornography

Updated: June 3 / 2019   Nader was arrested during his arrival at the John F. Kennedy International Airport for “transporting visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.”   Investigators then seized his electronic devices that same day of his arrest and had a warrant to search his luggage, according to the Justice Department. The orders were issued concerning a “matter unrelated to child pornography,” according to the FBI.   Nader’s arrest warrant was issued, and a sealed criminal complaint was filed back in April of 2018, according to court records. Prosecutors have sought to keep it confidential to prevent him from fleeing or tampering with evidence until arrested.   Nader previously pleaded guilty to the same charge back in 1991, the Justice Department mentioned.   If convicted, Nader faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years.  

Cruise Line Carnival Seeks Dismissal in Lawsuit Regarding Cuba Docks

Updated: May 31 / 2019 Cruise Line Carnival Seeks Dismissal in Lawsuit Regarding Cuba Docks Cruise line Carnival Corp is asking a U.S. court to dismiss the current lawsuits against them that claim the company profited from confiscated Cuban property, which are the first cases that were brought up since the Trump administration made them possible this month. According to the case, two U.S. citizens who claimed to hold titles to the Havana and Santiago de Cuba ports that were nationalized by Cuba after Fidel Castro’s 1959 leftist revolution filed lawsuits against the cruise line in the Florida U.S. District Court in early May for docking there.   The suit followed after the Trump administration announced a long dormant and controversial section of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act that would take effect on May 2, allowing U.S. citizens to sue Cuban entities and foreign firms over confiscated Cuban property.   The law is part of a broader attempt by the United States to force Cuba over its support for Venezuela’s embattled… Read More

Fergie Requests Judge to Restore Her Formal Name

Updated: May 3 / 2019 Fergie has decided to make official moves to cut ties with her ex-husband, Josh Duhamel, and reclaim her original name as Stacy Ann Ferguson. According to legal docs obtained by sources, Fergie has requested a judge to restore her former name, and officially remove Duhamel as her last name. She also requested divorce documents and asked that the judge terminate the court’s ability to award support for both her and Josh Duhamel.   Fergie legally switched to her stage name, Fergie Duhamel, back in August of 2013. At the time she had been married to Josh for nearly five years.   Fergie filed for divorce on Friday, which came as no surprise to many as they have been apart publicly since September 2017 when they both announced they were splitting. According to new documents,  the couple lists the date of separation as April 1, 2017.   Fergie’s has also requested for joint and legal custody of their 5-year-old son, Axl.  

Nipsey Hussle’s Ex-Girlfriend Fights in Legal Bid to Reclaim Her Daughter

Updated: May 16 / 2019 Tanisha Foster, who is the mother of Nipsey Hussle’s 10-year-old daughter, Emani Asghedom, appeared at a court hearing Tuesday where she broke down emotionally and vowed to fight a legal bid by the rapper’s sister to become Emani’s guardian in the wake of his March 31 killing.   “I love my daughter, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back,” Tanisha Foster told sources after the hearing, where she then broke down in tears after being reunited with her daughter.   Foster has not seen her daughter for many months due to the girl reportedly living with her father, sources reported. Hussle, who was 33 when he died, had been in a relationship with actress Lauren London for five years.   Following Foster’s courtroom reunion with her daughter, the judge cleared the room for 20 minutes to allow both the mother and daughter to have some time together privately. The judge also postponed making a ruling on the guardianship petition filed last month… Read More

Stoney Westmoreland Faces Six Felonies After trying to Meet a 13-Year-Old Boy for Sex

Updated: 2:21 PM PST 12/24/2018 The former Disney Channel actor, Stoney Westmoreland, is currently being charged with six counts of felonies after police officials stated he tried to meet and have sex with a 13-year-old boy. Westmoreland who is 48, was on the LGBT dating app, Grindr, when he came across a profile that appeared to be an underage boy. However, the profile was secretly operated by detectives in Salt Lake City, the location near where the show “Andi Mack” is filmed, prosecutors said. On Dec. 13, the actor was arrested after arranging a ride through a cab service app to meet the boy so they could go back to his hotel room, authorities mentioned. Before the arrangement, Westmoreland had previously sent over many explicit photos to the “boy”, requesting for nude pictures in exchange for his, authorities said. Westmoreland confirmed and acknowledged to police that he had sent the nude photos and knew the person he was speaking with claimed to be 13 years of age, charging documents state. A message… Read More

U.S. Activist Facing 20 Years Behind Bars for Harboring Migrants

Updated: May 29, 2019 / 6:05 a.m. An activist in the state of Arizona is being charged for harboring two undocumented migrants and is facing a trial on Wednesday, in a case that is likely to set an example over what aid U.S. citizens can give to illegal border crossers. The U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Scott Warren in a raid that took place in January of 2018 near the location of Ajo, Arizona after finding two migrants hiding inside of the shower of a dilapidated building that is used by humanitarian groups. The 36-year old is facing two felony counts for harboring the undocumented migrants and one felony count of conspiracy to transport the two men. The university geography instructor could also face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of all charges against him. Warren was indicted after Jeff Sessions, the former U.S. Attorney General, instructed prosecutors to prioritize cases that involved the harboring of migrants. The crackdown was in connection to President Donald Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policies… Read More

Father of Overdose Victim Testifies in Oklahoma Opioid Trial of J&J

Updated: May 29, 2019 / 6:06 a.m. On Wednesday, a father of a university football player who died of a drug overdose provided his emotional testimony about the personal cost of the nationwide opioid epidemic during the second day of a trial in a lawsuit by the state of Oklahoma, that of which is accusing the drugmaker giant Johnson & Johnson of fueling the crisis. Craig Box, who is an Oklahoma attorney, testified in court that he never suspected his son, Austin, was abusing the use of prescription painkillers until he was later discovered unconscious at a friend’s house back in 2011 and then rushed to the hospital soon after. “We had no idea about the prevalence of these drugs and the dangers of these drugs,” he said during testimony that was streamed online by Courtroom View Network. Hunter claims that the deceptive marketing campaigns that were carried out by J&J, along with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, led to an “oversupply” of addictive painkillers… Read More

Avenatti Pleads Not Guilty to Stealing $300,000 From Adult-Film Star Stormy Daniels

Updated:  May 28, 2019 / 12:38 p.m. On Tuesday, celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti has pleaded not guilty in the Manhattan federal court in a case where he had allegedly stolen $300,000 from his former client Stormy Daniels. Avenatti is accused of stealing a portion of Daniels’ advance from her book contract, according to court documents, and using the stolen money to pay his law firm employees and a coffee business he owns. As part of the bail conditions that were set on Tuesday, he is prohibited from having contact with Daniels except in the presence of the council. A grand jury has indicted Avenatti for two separate schemes: the case involving Daniels, in which he is charged with fraud and aggravated identity theft, and a second case which prosecutors say he attempted to extort more than $20 million from the sportswear giant Nike. Avenatti has denied the allegations against him and mentioned that he plans to plead not guilty in both of the cases. Early Tuesday morning, Avenatti surrendered to… Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Takes on Mexican Border Shooting Dispute

Updated: May 28, 2019  9:54 a.m. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court was arguing whether or not the family of a Mexican teenager who got fatally shot on Mexican soil by a U.S. Border Patrol agent who fired from across the border in Texas can pursue a civil rights lawsuit in the American courts. This will mark the second time in which the Supreme Court will consider a legal dispute that involved Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca, who was 15 when he was killed back in 2010 along the U.S.-Mexico border. The justices will decide on whether to allow the family’s civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages from Border Patrol agent Jesus Mesa to proceed. In 2017, the court had previously ruled in the same case but did not decide the critical legal question of whether Hernandez’s family could press charges for the violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, which bars unjustified deadly force. The lawsuit also claims that Hernandez’s right to due process under the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment was… Read More

Vegas Entrepreneur Receives 50 Years Behind Bars in $1.5 Billion Ponzi Scheme

Updated: May 23, 2019 6:47 p.m. On Thursday, a federal judge sentenced a former Las Vegas medical billing company operator whom prosecutors address as “the ringleader” of a $1.5 billion Ponzi scheme that deceived thousands of Japanese residents to 50 years in behind bars. Former chief Edwin Fujinaga, 72, of the MRI International Inc, was sentenced by Gloria Navarro, a Chief Judge of the Nevada federal court, which followed his conviction that took place last November on 20 counts of  wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. Fujinaga was also ordered to forfeit a whopping $813.3 million and also make $1.13 billion of restitution, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. His trial was four weeks long. Prosecutors were seeking the 50-year term, while federal public defenders that represented Fujinaga said a five-year sentence was enough given his age and health. The public defender’s did not provide an immediate response to a request for comments. According to prosecutors, both Fujinaga and his associates promised investors they would buy unpaid patient… Read More

Celebrity Chef Mario Batali Pleads Not Guilty for Sexually Assaulting Women

Updated: May  24, 2019 6:18 a.m. On Friday, celebrity chef Mario Batali appeared in a Boston courtroom where a not-guilty plea was asked on his behalf to a criminal charge that he faces for forcibly groping and kissing a woman at a restaurant back in 2017. Batali, 58, was wearing a baseball cap and blazer while ignoring questions from news sources on his way into and out of the Boston Municipal Court, where he was criticized after being charged with indecent assault and battery. The criminal case is one of the first against Batali since the 2017 emergence of the #MeToo movement, which has since exposed widespread patterns of sexual harassment or abuse towards women in American. Since the campaign, many careers of powerful men in the media, politics, entertainment, and business have ended. The woman who was assaulted told the police that in March 2017, Batali groped her breasts, buttocks, and groin then kissed her after posing with her for a photograph in a Boston restaurant, according to the… Read More

U.S. Prosecutors Contemplate Death Penalty for Accused Pittsburgh Shooter

Updated: May 23, 2019 / 6:11 a.m. A case that involves Robert Bowers, the man who is accused of massacring 11 people at the Tree of Life, a Pittsburgh’s synagogue last year, was scheduled to return to a federal courtroom on Thursday, as prosecutors contemplate whether or not to pursue with the death penalty against him. Bowers, 46, is accused of charging into the synagogue on Oct. 27 with a semi-automatic rifle and three other firearms while shouting “all Jews must die” as he began opening fire on congregants gathered for a Sabbath service. In the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, Bowers had pleaded not guilty to a 63-count indictment. Some of the charges, including murder as a hate crime, can carry out the death penalty. During Thursday’s hearing, prosecutors may discuss whether they will seek the death penalty for Bowers. The session is a routine hearing that will review the status of the case. Currently, the United States sees an incline in the number of hate crimes and the… Read More

Trump Lawyers Reach A Verdict With The Oversight Committee

Updated: May 22, 2019 / 7:04 p.m. The House Oversight Committee has now reached a verdict with the attorneys that are representing on behalf of President Donald Trump to seek a faster appeal in a court case which involves lawmakers who are seeking the financial records of the U.S. leader from his accounting firm, the panel mentioned in a statement on Wednesday. On Monday, a U.S. judge ruled that the Mazars accounting firm will be required to turn over the documents to the House Oversight and Reform Committee, but the president appealed the decision. The panel said in a statement that under the schedule, written arguments might be submitted as early as June 12, with briefings completed by at least July. As of now, the court has yet to approve the accelerated schedule.

Trump Appeals Ruling That Would Allow Congress to See His Financial Records

Updated: May 21, 2019 / 10:09 a.m. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump appealed a federal judge’s ruling in an attempt to block the House of Representatives committee from obtaining his financial records, according to court filings. Lawyers on behalf of Trump and his company filed the appeal in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia a day after a U.S. district judge backed the House Oversight Committee subpoena for Trump’s financial records from his accounting firm, Mazars LLP. On Monday, the lower court’s decision made an early setback for the Republican president in his legal battle with congressional Democrats as lawmakers begin investigating several aspects of his administration. The House Oversight Committee has previously mentioned before that they need Trump’s financial records to examine whether he has any conflicts of interest or has broken the law by not disengaging himself from his business holdings, as previous presidents did. Trump’s lawyers have argued that the panel’s demand for his records exceeded Congress’s constitutional limits. Mazars has mentioned that… Read More

Mcdonald’s Faces 25 New Sexual Harassment Complaints From Employees

Updated: May 21, 2019 / 11:15 a.m. On Tuesday, the McDonald’s Corp was involved with 25 new lawsuits and administrative charges of condoning sexual harassment in the company’s workplace and retaliating against employees who spoke up about the harassment they were receiving. McDonald’s is known as one of the world’s largest and most recognizable brands around the globe, and with the new 25 cases, it now makes the fast-food chain a primary target of a campaign to extend the #MeToo movement, which initially sprung from sexual harassment cases in Hollywood, to the workplace. The cases were announced by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and of those 25 cases, three of them are new lawsuits from two of the brand’s employees who have previously filed charges. The other charges were presented to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). In the last three years, McDonald’s has faced more than 50 such charges and lawsuits, the ACLU said. During last September, McDonald’s employees in 10 different cities staged a one-day strike… Read More

Supreme Court Takes No Action Regarding Indiana Abortion Cases

Updated: 5/20/19 On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court took no action on appeals that seek to renew two restrictive Republican-backed abortion laws from Indiana, even as debate covers a new measure in Alabama that would nearly prohibit the procedure entirely. Neither of the Indiana cases was on the list of appeals in which the court acted on Monday morning. The court has not announced whether or not it will hear each of the cases on May 28. If the nine-justice courts decide to take on either case, it will grant the conservative majority an opportunity to “chip away” at the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that allowed the legalization of abortion nationwide and also recognized a right under the U.S. Constitution for women to terminate their pregnancies. One of the Indiana laws requires any fetal remains to either be buried or cremated while banning abortions performed due to a fetal disability or the sex or race of the fetus. The other law requires women to undergo an ultrasound examination… Read More

NYPD Sheriff Arrested after Plotting a Hitman to Kill Her Husband and Boyfriend’s Daughter

Updated: 5/20/19 Valerie Cincinelli, a New York police officer and a mother of two, paid $7,000 as part of a scheme to have her husband, Isaiah Carvalho Jr,  murdered by a hitman. According to sources, Cincinelli, who is a 12-year NYPD veteran and who also worked in a Queens domestic violence unit, conspired to have her boyfriend’s daughter killed, which lead to her boyfriend contacting the FBI, authorities mentioned. In 2007, Cincinelli joined the NYPD and worked in the 106th precinct until the year of 2017, when she was then placed on modified duty and was no longer permitted to carry a firearm after being disciplined for sharing confidential information with her then-boyfriend at the time. It’s still unclear if it was the same boyfriend who had informed authorities of her recent murder-for-hire plot. “It’s your worst nightmare scenario,” Matthew Weiss said, Carvalho’s lawyer. Carvalho and Cincinelli married four years ago before filing a divorce in January. By February, she had asked her boyfriend to hire a hitman to murder… Read More

Senator Warren Demands Federal Laws Protect Women’s Rights to Choose

Updated: May 17, 2019 / 12:05 p.m. On Friday, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has called for the restructuring of the federal law to ensure that all women continue to have access to abortion amid the current efforts in states such as Alabama and Ohio to enact bans on the procedure. “This is a dark moment,” Warren, who is also running for president, stated in a post Friday morning outlining her new proposal. “People are scared and angry. And they are right to be. But this isn’t a moment to back down – it’s time to fight back.” Warren said that Congress should enact new laws that reinforce the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which legalized the right to have an abortion. A new law should go farther to prohibit states from “interfering in the ability of a patient to access medical care, including abortion services, from a provider that offers them.” Warren also would like Congress to enact laws that invalidate state rules that were put into place… Read More

Judge Considers Bid to Prevent Trump’s Emergency Border Wall Funding

Updated: May 17, 2019 / 7:14 a.m. U.S. President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration that was used to divert more than $6 billion to build a wall across the border of Mexico will face its first trial on Friday when both advocacy groups and states are expected to ask a federal judge to block the funding. At Friday’s hearing, the president’s authority to construct a wall using funds that Congress declined to approve for the amount he requested will be questioned to determine a verdict. Back In February, the U.S. Congress approved $1.375 billion for the construction of “primary pedestrian fencing” along Texas’s southeast border. Unfortunately, the funding was lesser of Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion to build border walls in the states of Arizona and New Mexico as well as Texas. In February, Trump declared a national emergency and was able to divert $601 million from a Treasury forfeiture fund, $3.6 billion from military construction and $2.5 billion earmarked for Department of Defense counterdrug programs to obtain the additional… Read More

German Nurse Who Killed 100 Patients Now Faces Another Life Sentence

Updated: May 16, 2019, 1:16 p.m. In October of last year, Niels Hoegel was charged for the deaths of 97 people. During his first day of trial, Hoegel confessed that he killed his patients that ranged between the ages of 34 and 96 at two different hospitals in northern Germany between the years of 2000 and 2005. Currently, the former nurse is serving a life sentence for six convictions against him, including homicide and attempted homicide in 2008 and 2015. Those convictions have led authorities to investigate hundreds of deaths and uncover the bodies of his former patients in the clinics where he worked. Hoegel was accused of giving each of his victim’s various non-prescribed drugs, in an attempt to show off his resuscitation skills to colleagues and fight off boredom. Prosecutors mentioned that Hoegel should have been aware of the drugs he administered to his patients at hospitals in both Delmenhorst and Oldenburg, located northwest Germany, that could cause life-threatening cardiac problems. In previous hearings, Hoegel claimed he felt… Read More

Kim Kardashian Continues Her Pursuit In Law

Updated: May 8, 2019 3:00 p.m. Most of the public were surprised to learn that famous reality star, Kim Kardashian West, was studying law, considering she’s taking an alternative route to becoming a legal attorney. West has avoided going to traditional law school and interning instead and has successfully got quite a few people out of jail because of it. Both Lawyers Brittany K. Barnett and MiAngel Cody confirmed that Mrs. West has worked on a campaign to free 17 people from federal prison in just 90 days. That’s considered more than most law school students do in three years. “Kim has been funding this project and (has been) a significant supporter of our 90 Days of Freedom campaign as part of the First Step Act, which President Trump signed into law last year,” Cody told sources. “We’ve been going around the country in courtrooms and asking judges to release these inmates.” Barnett is West’s attorney and co-founder of the Buried Alive Project. She and Cody will also be launching… Read More

Suspects of Colorado School Shooting Are Charged With Murder

Updated: May 15, 2019 / 6:11 AM Two teenagers that were accused of fatally shooting a classmate and wounding eight others at a Denver high school were charged last week on Wednesday for both murder and attempted murder. Alec McKinney, 16, and Devon Erickson, 18, are accused of opening fire on their fellow students in two different classrooms at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) charter school on May 7 at the Highlands Ranch, Colorado. McKinney, who also identifies as male, was listed on the court docket under his legal name, Maya Elizabeth McKinney. Theresa Slade, who is the Douglas County District Judge, has put all charges along with the case file under seal, banning them from the public. Each of the teenagers is now facing a range of charges, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, arson, and theft. McKinney was charged as an adult, prosecutors said, and both Erickson and McKinney are being held without bond.

Alabama Governor Approves Law to Ban Abortion

Updated: May 15, 2019 / 9:42 AM On Wednesday, the governor of Alabama signed a bill that will ban almost all abortions in the state, even in cases of both incest and rape, leading to a ban that would prevent a woman from terminating her pregnancy legally. Abortion rights activists in the U.S. have already vowed to fight against the ban and go to court to block the enforcement of the Alabama measure, which is considered one of the strictest anti-abortion law yet enacted to provoke a reconsideration of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. Governor Kay Ivey, who is a Republican, signed the bill a day after the Republican-controlled state Senate had approved the ban and also rejected a Democratic-backed amendment that would allow abortions for women and young girls who were impregnated by rape or incest. “To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God,”… Read More

Nipsey Hussle’s Brother Seek’s Control of His $2 Million Estate

Updated: May 11, 2019 Nipsey Hussle’s brother Samiel Asghedom, or otherwise known as Blacc Sam, has recently filed a petition to become the administrator of his brother’s multimillion-dollar estate. Asghedom claims no one was legally appointed to handle Nipsey’s fortune after he died without a will. According to legal documents, Asghedom is seeking to become the administrator of the estate that has an estimated value of more than $2 million. Asghedom claims that there has been an incline of business opportunities in the month that followed the murder of Nipsey. He also wants to ensure those business offers get pursued in a timely and proper manner. Asghedom writes: “[Nipsey’s] passing has created significant media attention, which, in turn, has presented potential time-sensitive business opportunities based on [Nipsey Hussle] ‘s likeness, right of publicity, and other intellectual property based on the media attention surrounding [Nipsey Hussle] ‘s exceptional life story and musical career.” As of now, a  judge has not announced a ruling regarding the request of Asghedom. Top Rolling Meadows,… Read More

Man Suing ‘Live PD,’ Cops After His Arrest Aired

Updated: May 08, 2019 9:00 a.m. Greenville County deputies searched Frederick West and his friends while on “Live PD” in hopes to find contraband back on April 29, 2017. After unsuccessfully finding evidence during their search, deputies began searching the nearby areas, eventually finding drugs hidden in a bush. West was then arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine, and the arrest was also broadcast live on “Live PD.” However, the charges against West were eventually dropped a year later due to insufficient evidence, but his arrest is still broadcasted in older reruns of the tv show. West claims the re-airings have caused him ongoing pain and suffering and has tarnished his character, according to the lawsuit. He also claims he was targeted because of his race. West is seeking actual and punitive damages from Big Fish Entertainment (which produces “Live PD”), A&E Television Networks (which airs the show) and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. In terms of how Big Fish Entertainment feels, they are confident that they did nothing wrong.… Read More

Deckers Wins $450k Lawsuit Against Small Aussie Rival

Updated: May 13, 2019 / 5:18 PM A small Australian boot-maker has lost a whopping  $450,000 following a legal war with UGG, the American footwear giant. After a trademark trial that was carried out for four days in a federal court in Chicago, the jury agreed that selling 12 pairs of sheepskin-lined boots that carried the “ugg” name to consumers in the U.S. between the years of 2014 and 2016 through its e-commerce site, Sydney-based Australian Leather had indeed infringed the trademark of UGG, a Deckers brand. However, the drama for Australian Leather doesn’t stop there. They also may potentially be on the hook for millions of dollars in legal fees that stem from the 3-year lengthy lawsuit. Deckers had first filed the lawsuit back in March 2016, declaring that Australian Leather’s “virtually identical” boots break their valuable trademark rights in the word “UGG,” as well as its design patent. They requested a U.S. federal court to force the small business to limit their sales of its Australian-made boots to… Read More

Sex Cult Victim Speaks Out for The First Time

Updated: May 8, 2019 A former member of a cult-like group known as Nxivm, speaks out on Tuesday for the first time on graphic details about how women in the “cult” were manipulated into becoming “slaves” that provided sexual favors to its leader. The 32-year-old British woman who identified as “Sylvie,” breaks her silence in a testimony for the racketeering and sex trafficking trial of Keith Raniere, the former leader of Nxivm in Brooklyn federal court. The statement gave jurors a glimpse into a group in which prosecutors claim multiple women were branded and humiliated. In Sylvie’s statement, she said she was involved with the Nxivm cult for nearly 13 years, taking self-help courses, when she was invited to join a secretive sorority within the organization. However, to join, Sylvie said she was first required to prove her dedication by providing “collateral” to Monica Duran, the woman who had personally invited her, in the form of nude photographs and a stamped letter to her parents saying she was a prostitute.… Read More

Nespresso fires trademark lawsuit against Williams-Sonoma over coffee pods

Updated: May 10, 2019 / 4:07 PM Nespresso USA, who is the coffee machine maker giant, has sued the cookware company, Williams-Sonoma, for trademark infringement. Nespresso accused the specialty retailer of “tarnishing the Nespresso brand” by selling look-alike espresso capsules that produce low-grade coffee. The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in Manhattan federal court and claimed that Williams-Sonoma copied the Nespresso capsule design in a “willful ploy” to trade off Nespresso’s popularity and reputation. The Nespresso company is part of Switzerland-based Nestle SA.

Britney Spears Restraining Order Against Ex-Manager Sam Lutfi Is Granted

Updated: May 8, 2019 1:25 P.M. Singer and songwriter Britney Spears has filed for a restraining order against her ex-manager Sam Lutfi. Documents obtained by sources claim that both the singer and her family were requesting a civil harassment restraining order against Lutfi, 44. According to the legal documents, Lutfi allegedly pretended to “have a professional relationship with Ms. Spears, even falsely claiming to have been her manager.” However, Lutfi got removed from the singer’s life back in 2009, when she got a three-year-long restraining order against him and later placed under conservatorship. The singer’s mother is now alleging that Lutfi is now once again causing a disturbance in both Britney and her family’s life. “Shortly after Ms. Spears checked herself into a mental health facility, Lutfi began a new campaign of harassment against Ms. Spears and her family,” the filing claims. “In the last week alone, Mr. Lutfi has made dozens of disparaging and threatening comments on social media and in interviews.” The documents contain many claims regarding Sam… Read More

Denver to Become The First State to Decriminalize Magic Mushrooms

Updated: May 8, 2019 / 8:26 PM Denver will become the first city in the United States to decriminalize the use of magic mushrooms, based on unconfirmed results taking place on Wednesday of a ballot initiative regarding the hallucinogenic drug. The initiative sought for Colorado’s capital to end the imposition of criminal penalties for individuals who are at least 21 years of age and are using or possessing psilocybin, which is known as magic mushrooms. If the state approves the initiative, the psilocybin will remain illegal under both Colorado and federal law. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, psilocybin is classed as a Schedule 1 substance, meaning the agency has determined that the drug has a higher potential for abuse with no accepted medical application. A group known as Decriminalize Denver that is behind Tuesday’s ballot question claimed that psilocybin had a wide range of medical benefits. It has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression and also to treat tobacco, alcohol and opioid addictions, and with alleviating symptoms… Read More

Hayden Panettiere’s Boyfriend Arrested for Domestic Violence

Updated: May 3, 2019 12:16 p.m. Brian Hickerson, the boyfriend of actress Hayden Panettiere, was arrested early morning Thursday after getting into an alleged violent confrontation with the actress. A spokesperson of the police said that Hickerson, 30, was being detained at a Los Angeles residence and booked on suspicion of domestic violence. Hickerson was arrested around the time of 2:25 a.m. and spent the late night behind bars before posting a $50,000 bond the next afternoon, jail records revealed. Sources close to the incident claim that Hickerson and Panettiere, 29, had gone out drinking together in Hollywood on Wednesday night and then returned home after, which eventually lead to an argument that turned physical. Police were soon called in and questioned the couple, following the arrest of Hickerson. Inside sources claim there were marks on the body of the Nashville actress.

Ashton Kutcher Expected to Testify in Trial for Death of Former Girlfriend

Gargiulo, 43, has pleaded not guilty in court to two counts of murder and an attempted-murder charge that involved attacks in the Los Angeles area between the years of 2001 and 2008, one of which included the death of Kutcher’s former girlfriend, 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin. Recently, the case had stirred significant attention when discovered that actor Ashton Kutcher will be one of the 250 witnesses present to testify in court. Gargiulo is accused of murdering Ashley Ellerin on the night of February 21, 2001, court documents claimed. That night, according to prosecutors, Ellerin had missed a date with Kutcher, who invited her to an after-party for the Grammy Awards. When she didn’t arrive, Kutcher went to her home and glanced through one of her windows. “Mr. Kutcher looked in the window and saw what he thought was spilled wine on the floor,” Akemon told the jury, according to KABC. “We believe now the evidence will show that was actually blood, and Ashley had already been murdered.” She was stabbed 47… Read More

Lawsuit Challenges to End Solitary Confinement in Virginia Prisons

Updated: May 6, 2019 2:25PM A lawsuit filed on Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union claims that the long-term use of solitary confinement at two of Virginia’s toughest prisons has caused “severe physical and mental health damage” to many of the housed inmates, some of which have experienced hallucinations, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal thoughts. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia, by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a dozen prisoners who were placed in solitary confinement between two to 24 years. The practice is known to be widespread and often used as punishment for minor infractions of prison rules. After a prisoner enters solitary confinement, they are put into a “step-down program” that Virginia claims enables them to rejoin the general population of the prison depending if their behavior improves significantly. However, the lawsuit claims that the program is a sham designed to keep inmates locked away to make use of available space in the prisons system. “It’s this sort… Read More

Lawmakers Condemn Potential Facebook Settlement

Updated: May 6, 2019 / 3:36 PM  On Monday, two U.S. senators criticized of reported plans involving a Federal Trade Commission settlement with Facebook Inc for misuse of consumers’ personal information, claiming that top officials, which may include founder Mark Zuckerberg, must be held responsible. In a letter written to the FTC, both Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, and Republican Josh Hawley told the agency that even a $5 billion civil penalty is a “bargain for Facebook.” It’s reported that the agency is also considering a settlement that elevates oversight of privacy policies and practices for the board of directors of Facebook, requiring the social media giant to be more diligent in policing third-party app developers. However, Blumenthal and Hawley claimed that was inadequate and thought the FTC should go further. “It should consider setting rules of the road on what Facebook can do with consumers’ private information, such as requiring the deletion of tracking data, restricting the collection of certain types of information, curbing advertising practices, and imposing a firewall… Read More

Insys Therapeutics Director Guilty In Opioid Crisis

Updated: May 2, 2019 / 2:16 PM On Thursday, the founder of Insys Therapeutics Inc became one of the highest-ranking pharmaceutical executives to be convicted in a case that is tied to the U.S. opioid crisis when he and all four of his colleagues were found guilty of participating in a scheme to bribe doctors to prescribe an addictive painkiller. In Boston, a federal jury found John Kapoor, who is the drugmaker’s former chairman, and his co-defendants all guilty of racketeering conspiracy for engaging in a scheme that also misled insurers to pay for the drug. The arrest of Kapoor in 2017 came the same day U.S. President Donald Trump had declared a public emergency over the epidemic that involved tens of thousands of overdose deaths annually. 76 year old Kapoor was found guilty for running a scheme that bribed doctors nationwide by requiring them to act as speakers at sham events meant to educate clinicians about its fentanyl spray, Subsys. Prosecutors also claim that Kapoor was involved in directing… Read More

Famous Actor Clint Eastwood Loses Lawsuit Over Antioxidant

Updated: May 2, 2019 / 9:12 PM In Manhattan, a federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a trust that was established by renowned actor, Clint Eastwood, who attempted to claim full ownership of a patent that was related to glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that is believed to help protect the body from potential cell damage. The Clinton Eastwood Trust sued Molecular Defenses Corp (MDC) last year, claiming that they had illegally acquired a patent that got derived from research of a late physician that the trust claimed it helped to fund. The actor was seeking ownership of the patents to be assigned to his 1988 Clint Eastwood Trust. In a court order granting the defendants’ motion to dismiss, the judge claimed that the actor had failed “to allege that the Eastwood Trust, or any of the other plaintiffs, have or ever had any interest in the ‘611 patent or the ‘381 application”. As there was no real reason for the Eastwood Trust to have any right to the patents,… Read More

U.S. Attorney General Barr Defies Congress by skipping Mueller hearing

Updated: May 1, 2019 / 10:08 PM Attorney General William Barr defied Congress on Thursday by deciding that he will not attend a House Judiciary Committee hearing on his handling of Special Counsel Robert Mueller regarding the Russia investigation report, according to Jerrold Nadler, the Chairman of the panel. Nadler accused Barr of being afraid to testify. “Barr has just informed us that he will not attend tomorrow’s hearing,” Nadler, a Democrat, said to reporters on Wednesday after a contentious Senate hearing that took place on Wednesday morning during which Attorney General William Barr attempted to defend his treatment of the Mueller report. The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that it would not comply with a subpoena seeking Mueller’s complete report on the Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election and the related investigative files generated from the investigation. The Democrats from the committee pledged to issue a subpoena to oblige the Attorney General William Barr to testify, while Jerrold Nadler still had some hope that Barr would… Read More

Starbucks coffee presses recall over laceration risk

Updated: May 1, 2019 / 4:12 PM The Starbucks Corp. is voluntarily recalling back a specific type of coffee press it sold for more than two years after receiving reports about it breaking during use, causing cuts and puncture wounds. The Seattle-based coffee chain, Starbucks Corp., is voluntarily recalling about 263,000 coffee presses that the company had made in partnership with Bodum. The coffee presses that were made from recycled materials were sold at Starbucks cafes and on its website from November 2016 through January 2019, for about $20, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall is taking place after the world’s largest coffee chain started received reports of the product breaking during use and causing injuries. It received eight reports of the plunger’s knob breaking in the United States and one report from Canada, resulting in lacerations, deep cuts, and puncture wounds, according to information from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Co-branded by Starbucks with Bodum, the eight-cup French coffee press has a cylindrical glass beaker… Read More

Florida Man Imprisoned For Buying a Trafficked Underage Girl on Backpage.com

Updated: April 30, 2019 / 4:13 PM Former middle school teacher, Jeffrey Farrell Davis, 36, has admitted to paying for sex with a 14-year-old girl who was trafficked on Backpage.com. The man has received a 10-year sentence in federal prison, prosecutors mentioned on Tuesday, in the latest criminal case stemming from the now-shuttered site. Backpage.com was the dominant Internet marketplace which allowed people to buy and sell sex in the United States up until federal authorities seized the website in April 2018 as part of an investigation into both human trafficking and child prostitution. Former Chief Executive Carl Ferrer has since agreed to shut down the website as part of an agreement with prosecutors in which he had pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering charges. Ferrer is now cooperating in the investigation with the website. Prosecutors claim that Davis was among the many men who responded to ads on Backpage.com that were offering a 14-year-old girl for sex. The child was sold then delivered to so-called johns at homes… Read More

Judge Rules Democrat’s Lawsuit Against Trump Can Proceed

Updated: April  30, 2019 / 8:32 PM On Tuesday, a U.S. federal judge ruled that the Democrats in Congress can proceed with moving forward with their lawsuit which accuses President Donald Trump of violating the law by accepting gifts or payments from foreign governments through his businesses. Emmet Sullivan, the U.S. District Judge, denied a motion by Trump to dismiss the lawsuit that was filed by 198 members of Congress. The lawmakers charged the president for violating the Constitution’s “emoluments” clause, which was set in place to prevent federal officeholders from accepting or receiving payments from foreign governments without the “consent” of Congress. The constitutional provision is designed to prevent bribery and foreign influence. In his 48-page decision, Sullivan said that he found Trump’s attempt to vaguely define the emoluments clause to be “unpersuasive and inconsistent.” Sullivan claimed that he agreed with the congressional Democrats who brought the case and said that the clause should be read more broadly as barring an official from accepting payment of any sort whatsoever… Read More

Supreme Court Takes on Gay & Transgender Job Discrimination Cases

Updated: April 22, 2019 / 9:42 AM On Monday, the Supreme Court decided on whether or not the U.S. law prohibited workplace discrimination based on sex, and protects both gay and transgender workers, as the conservative-majority court waded into a dispute over a divisive and social issue. The high-profile legal fight is debating whether gay and transgender people are covered and protected by the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars employers from discriminating against their employees based on sex as well as race, color, national origin and religion. The Trump administration has argued that Title VII does not cover sexual orientation or gender identity. The court, whose made up of 5-4 conservative majority, includes two Trump appointees that will take on the two cases concerning gay people who have claimed they got fired because of their sexual orientation, one of which involved a New York skydiving instructor named Donald Zarda and another involving a former child welfare services coordinator from Georgia named Gerald Bostock. The… Read More

House Panel Declares Barr Must Testify on Tuesday

Updated: April 29, 2019 / 7:31 PM On Monday, Jerrold Nadler, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman said that Attorney General William Barr must testify before his panel on Thursday, despite his reported objections to the format for questions that Democrats intend to use. “We’ve been very clear. Barr has to come. He has to testify. It’s none of the business of a witness to try to dictate to a congressional committee what our procedures for questioning him are,” Nadler said to reporters. “He is supposed to show up on Thursday, and we will take whatever action we have to take if he doesn’t,” he added. The Justice Department officials had no comment regarding the lawmaker’s remarks. On Sunday, a Democratic congressional aide mentioned that Barr could skip the upcoming hearing because he is objecting to plans for an extra hour of questioning by both the lawmakers and committee attorneys in a closed session to discuss classified segments of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation report. Nadler has subpoenaed… Read More

Russian Agent Maria Butina Receives 18 Months in Prison

Updated: April 26, 2019 / 1:03 AM On Friday, Maria Butina was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison after the Siberia native begged a judge for mercy while expressing deep regret for conspiring with a Russian official to infiltrate a gun rights group and influence U.S. Republicans and conservative activist groups. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan imposed a prison term sentence that was equal to what the prosecutors requested. Butina will also be deported back to Russia after she completes her prison term. The verdict included the nine months Butina has already served in jail since her arrest in July, meaning she now only has nine more months to serve. Butina’s lawyer, who is a graduate student at the American University in Washington and who also publicly advocated for gun rights, had requested Judge Tanya Chutkan to consider a sentence that matched the time that Butina has already served in jail so to allow her to return to Russia. Wearing a green prison jumpsuit, Butina begged Judge Tanya Chutkan for mercy, calling her “dear judge.”… Read More

Kansas State Rules The State’s Constitution Protects Abortion Rights

Updated: April 26, 2019 / 12:39 PM On Friday, the Supreme Court of Kansas ruled that the state’s constitution defends a woman’s right to have an abortion and consequently upheld an injunction blocking a state law that would have banned second-trimester abortion procedure that is currently commonly performed in the State. The ruling allows the right to an abortion in the state of Kansas, even if the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade, which is the 1973 ruling that recognized a right to allow abortions in the U.S. Constitution. Rulings by state appeals courts on state constitutional issues are generally not subject to U.S. Supreme Court review. Kansas state’s constitution protects “the right to control one’s own body, to assert bodily integrity, and to exercise self-determination,” the court wrote. “This right allows a woman to make her own decisions regarding her body, health, family formation, and family life — decisions that can include whether to continue a pregnancy.” Political leaders in the state quickly commended the ruling while others condemned it. “While federal law has long… Read More

4th Subpoena Damages Chipotle’s Financial Outlook

Updated: April 25, 2019 / 8:11 AM On Thursday, the Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc said they received their fourth subpoena from U.S. federal prosecutors, in which they are seeking information related to an outbreak that left hundreds of customers sick last year in one of its restaurants in Ohio. Following the disclosure, the company’s stocks experienced a 5 percent decline. After the drop, analysts said they see limited valuation even as the company posted better-than-expected quarterly sales and profit on Wednesday. “It’s not a new incident but (the subpoena) is enough to shake off some of the more skittish bulls on the story,” said Maxim Group analyst Stephen Anderson. Over the past three years, the company has endured several subpoenas regarding illnesses that link to its restaurants following salmonella, E. Coli, and norovirus outbreaks at the company’s outlets which date back to 2015 which affected hundreds of people across several states. The latest subpoena is now the fourth the company has received and is currently part of an ongoing criminal… Read More

Federal Judge Blocks New Trump Abortion Rule for Medical Clinics

Updated: April 25, 2019 / 6:14 PM On Thursday, a federal judge in Washington state blocked federal enforcement of rules crafted by the Trump administration that could initially strip federal funding from health care providers who refers patients to have an abortion performed. The ruling which was made by U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima, Washington, came two days after another federal judge in Portland, Oregon, indicated he would block at least some of the rule changes, which to take effect by May 3. The suit challenged the changes brought against the Department of Health and Human Services by Bob Ferguson, the Washington state Attorney General, and abortion rights groups such as Planned Parenthood. Contenders of the rule changes described them as a “transparent attack on Planned Parenthood” and said they would “curb access to care such as contraception and breast and cervical cancer screening for millions of low-income people.” “Today’s ruling ensures that clinics across the nation can remain open and continue to provide quality, unbiased healthcare to… Read More

R. Kelly’s Accuser Wins Civil Case

Updated: April 24, 2019 / 5:43 PM A woman wins a civil case after accusing R. Kelly of sexual abuse. She has won the case by default against Kelly after the singer failed to respond to her lawsuit and not showing up in court. The woman who accused Kelly of having sex with her repeatedly when she was 16 years old, filed the case in Chicago back in February, a day before Kelly was arrested and taken into custody on a total of 10 charges of sexual abuse. The woman is one of four accusers – three of which who were underage at the time of the alleged crimes – at the center of the criminal case against the singer, according to Jeffrey Deutschman, her lawyer. The woman who won the case is identified as “H.W.” in criminal court filings. The lawsuit claims Kelly first met the woman when she was only 16 years of age and initiated a sexual relationship that lasted longer than a year. On Tuesday, a… Read More

The City of New York Tickets 12 Citizens for Defying Measles Vaccination Order

Updated: April 24, 2019 / 3:56 PM The City of New York has issued out civil summonses to a total of 12 people it claimed were not complying with a mandatory measles vaccination order as the number of recorded cases in the city’s worst outbreak since 1991 rose to 390, according to data released on Wednesday. The highly contagious and in some cases deadly virus began last October in New York City, with the majority of it confined mainly to children based in Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn. According to a statement by the city’s Health Department, two of the 61 additional cases confirmed since Thursday were in pregnant women. Earlier this month, the Health Department took the unusual steps by issuing out an emergency order that requires unvaccinated people in the affected neighborhoods to get vaccinated for measles, mumps, and rubella, or MMR, unless they could prove they had immunity. The 12 people that defied the order must attend a court hearing and face a fine of up to… Read More

Supreme Court Confused By The Case of an Unconscious Drunk Driver

Updated: April 23, 2019 / 4:24 PM On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court justices debated over whether or not police should need a court-issued warrant to legally draw an unconscious suspect’s blood, a case which brought attention to a man found drunk driving in the state of Wisconsin and had his blood obtained without his consent. All nine justices appeared divided over the case as they heard an hour of arguments in an appeal by Gerald Mitchell, the man involved in the incident, regarding state court rulings that endorse the ability to allow police to test drawn blood from an unconscious person. Mitchell appealed a ruling by Wisconsin’s highest court that the blood draw did not violate the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment which protects against unreasonable searches. After finding Mitchell shirtless near the shores of Lake Michigan, the blood police drew proved his blood-alcohol concentration was above the state’s legal limit. A Wisconsin law assumes motorists automatically give consent to tests of their breath or blood by merely driving on… Read More

Federal Court Rules Philadelphia Can Refuse Foster Care Agency that Rejects Working with Gay Couples

Updated: 4/22/19 7:56 p.m. On Monday, a federal court appeal ruled that the city of Philadelphia can now exclude any foster care agency refusing to work with same-sex couples from a program for placing city children with foster families. The Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 that many of the Catholic Social Services had not demonstrated religious persecution or bias in the placement freeze, with Thomas Ambro, a Circuit Judge claiming that the city was acting against what it perceived as a violation of its anti-discrimination laws. “The question in our case is … whether CSS was treated differently because of its religious beliefs,” Ambro wrote, according to NBC. “Based on the record before us, that question has a clear answer: no.” “This ruling is devastating to the hundreds of foster children who have been waiting for a family and to the dozens of parents working with Catholic Social Services who have been waiting to foster a child,” said Lori Windham, a senior council member at the Becket Fund for… Read More

House Judiciary Subpoenas Former White House Counsel Don McGahn

Updated: 4/22/19 5:20 p.m. On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jerrold Nadler, sent out a subpoena to Don McGahn, the former White House counsel to testify before the panel in its investigation of potential obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump. Democrat Jerry Nadler claims the committee asked him for documents from McGahn by May 7 and for him to testify on May 21. An attorney on behalf of McGahn was not available for comment. A report by Robert Muller, publicly released on Thursday by the Justice Department said Trump asked McGahn to fire Mueller because he was investigating suspected Russian interference during the 2016 U.S. election and possible coordination between Trump campaign members and Moscow officials. “Mr. McGahn is a critical witness to many of the alleged instances of obstruction of justice and other misconduct described in the Mueller report,” Nadler mentioned. Mueller’s report claimed that the 22-month long investigation had not confirmed that the Trump campaign conspired with the Russians. However, Mueller did find… Read More

Supreme Court Considers Hearing On LGBTQ Workplace Discrimination

Updated: 4/22/19 9:42 a.m. On Monday, the Supreme Court said it would hear three cases regarding LGBTQ workplace discrimination and determining whether federal law protects LGBTQ individuals from experiencing discrimination at work. In an unsigned order, the court said it would review all of the three cases regarding the matter, but required that two of the cases be combined into one argument. The two merged cases inquired whether or not discrimination over sexual orientation falls under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Currently, the statue blocks discrimination in the workplace because of sex. The court claimed it would examine if the same federal statute protects transgender people in the workplace, based on what gender they prefer to be identified as. The cases offer the opportunity for the Supreme Court to expand on work discrimination protection towards people in the LGBTQ communities. So far, lower courts, have been divided on the issue. In one of the cases, Gerald Lynn Bostock, who is an openly gay man, alleges that a Georgia… Read More

Trump Suing to Block Subpoena form Obtaining Financial Records

Updated: 4/22/19 On Monday, President Donald Trump and his business organization are suing against the Democratic chairman of the House oversight committee to block a subpoena that is seeking years of the president’s financial records. The complaint, which was filed in Washington’s federal court, claimed that the subpoena from Representative Elijah Cummings “has no legitimate legislative purpose” and accuses Democrats of harassing Donald Trump while wielding their new majority in Congress to try to stain the president’s standing. “Instead of working with the president to pass bipartisan legislation that would actually benefit Americans, House Democrats are singularly obsessed with finding something they can use to damage the president politically,” the lawsuit said. Cummings, who is a Maryland Democrat and also chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, had issued out the subpoena earlier this month to Mazars USA, who is an accountant for Trump and his organization. The subpoena is seeking eight years of documentation from Trump and several of his businesses, lawyers for Trump and the Trump… Read More

9th Circuit Deals Crackdown on Sanctuary Cities

Updated: 2:oo PM Et, Fri April 19, 2019 A federal appeals court ruled against Trump’s administration in an attempt to block a California law which limits cooperation between law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. The 54-page ruling which took place Thursday, from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, was yet another blow at  President Donald Trump who has railed against these so-called sanctuary cities, – a catch-all term used to describe jurisdictions that in some ways do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agencies. Trump administration challenged parts of three “sanctuary” laws in California last year. They were designed to protect undocumented immigrants from federal immigration officials. Repeatedly, the Trump administration has tried to crack down on sanctuary cities, seeing them as an impediment to immigration enforcement. However, federal courts have thrown a wrench in those plans. Federal courts are also primarily blocked by the administration from taking away funds because jurisdictions don’t cooperate with immigration authorities. President Donald Trump has confirmed earlier this month that the administration was… Read More

The Turpins Sentenced to 25 Years After Children Testify

Updated: 3:20 PM ET, Fri April 19, 2019 Both David and Louise Turpin have been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after they pleaded guilty to holding their children captive and torturing them for many years in their home in California. “My parents took my whole life from me,” said Jane Doe, one of their daughters. She was one of two of the children, both now in college, who made an appearance in court Friday to testify how they suffered at the hands of both their parents as well as their hope for the future. “But now,” she said, “I’m taking my life back.” Early last year the couple was arrested after one of their 13 children who ranged between the ages of 2 to 29 managed to escape their home in Perris and managed to call the police. Authorities claimed that the siblings were isolated from the outside world and were denied showers, food, and medical care. They were also sometimes tied up for “weeks or even… Read More

How FBI Retraced the Steps of a Teen Infatuated with Columbine Massacre

Updated: 6:29 AM ET, Thu April 18, 2019 A frantic hunt for a Florida teen who was “infatuated” with the Columbine massacre begun after a series of suspicious events occurred which started with the teen buying three one-way plane tickets to Denver. Sol Pais, 18, traveled to Colorado this week from her residence in Surfside, a suburb of Miami. As soon as the Miami high school student arrived in Denver on Monday night, she purchased a pump-action shotgun legally from a gun shop that was less than two miles from Columbine High School, the FBI said. Authorities in Miami immediately notified their Denver counterparts and warned that the student was armed and was a threat to the Columbine High School, which lead to a shut down of at least 19 school districts in the Denver area. After law enforcement officials knew she was already in the state, they issued an alert Tuesday saying that she was last seen wearing a black shirt and camouflage pants. Investigators discovered she was moving… Read More

New York Man Arrested for Taking Gas Cans and Lighters into St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Updated: 11:03 AM ET, Thu April 18, 2019 A man was arrested after trying to enter the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York during Wednesday night with gallons of gasoline, lighter fluid, and lighters, authorities claimed. A security officer eventually stopped the 37-year-old man at the cathedral, the man then left the church but was detained shortly afterward by counterterrorism officers, NYPD’s John Miller mentioned at a news conference. The man, who is also from New Jersey and is known by police, spilled out some of the gasoline as the security officer was trying to stop him in the church, forcing him to turn around, Miller said. “It’s hard to say exactly what his intentions were, but I think the totality of circumstances of an individual walking into an iconic location like St. Patrick’s Cathedral, carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters is something we would have great concern over,” Miller said. Security officers are stationed at each entrance and immediately noticed him when… Read More

Suspect of Golden State Killing’s Could be Facing Death Penalty

Updated: 6:11 PM ET, Tue April 16, 2019 Prosecutors in the case of Joseph James DeAngelo, who is the suspected Golden State Killer might be facing the death penalty, prosecutors mentioned in court on Wednesday. Although the governor placed a suspension on executions back in March which prevented executions from being carried out in the state of California, the order does not avoid penalty death sentences from being handed out. DeAngelo is accused of killing more than a dozen people and raping at least 50 people in 6 different counties in California between the years of 1976 and 1986. Four of the counties mentioned that they would ask for the death penalty if DeAngelo is convicted. The charges against DeAngelo in two of the provinces, Tulare and Contra Costa, are not eligible for the death penalty. “We are absolutely thrilled with what has happened today,” Ron Harrington said, the brother of Keith Harrington, a victim who was murdered in 1980. Cases like this, he mentioned, are “why we have the… Read More

71 Year Old Man Arrested and Charged with 100 Counts of Child Rape

A 71-year-old man in central Louisiana has been arrested on a total of 100 preliminary counts of first-degree rape. The man is accused of sexually assaulting young children in and around his hometown which took place decades ago, authorities claimed. Harvey Joseph Fountain, of Pineville, was arrested on April 9, taking place eight days after a now-adult accuser confessed to authorities that Fountain had raped them when they were a child. Investigators have since gathered supporting evidence to prove the allegation to be accurate, along with additional accusations that Fountain had raped other children, the sheriff’s office mentioned. The rapes are alleged to have happened between the 1970s until the early 1980s, and in each case, the child victims were under 13, sheriff’s Lt. Stephen Phillips mentioned. Phillips said he cannot disclose how many children are alleged to have been raped yet. The investigation as of now “is still ongoing, and more arrests are possible,” the sheriff’s office mentioned in a recent news release. The rapes are alleged to have… Read More

Man Arrested in Dallas for Attacking a Transgender Woman

Updated: 4/15/19 10:30 a.m. Edward Thomas, 29, was arrested over the weekend by Dallas police in connection to a brutal attack of a transgender woman which was captured on video and later uploaded online.  The attack happened in broad daylight in front of a crowd of people in a Dallas neighborhood.  A purported video of the brutal attack was posted on Facebook, showing an outraged man in a white shirt viciously beating the woman to death till she nearly became unconsciousness, all while a crowd of people stood around and watched while shouting homophobic slurs.  Eventually, several women carried the victim’s limp body to safety.  On Sunday, a Dallas police spokesman said the woman’s identity would not be released.  Investigators mentioned that the woman has already reported the assault Friday night while receiving treatment in the hospital. She explained to officers the the attack took place earlier Friday after she was involved in a minor traffic accident near an apartment complex in the southern part of Dallas, according to police… Read More

Supreme Court Declines a Death Row Inmate’s case Regarding Discrimination for Being Gay

Updated: 10:41 AM ET, Mon April 15, 2019 The Supreme Court has again rejected a gay death row inmate’s appeal that claims jurors in South Dakota were biased against him due to his sexual orientation.      On Monday, the justices did not comment in leaving the death sentence in effect for Charles Rhines.      In 1992 Rhines was convicted for the death of a doughnut shop employee in Rapid City, South Dakota. Rhines’ lawyers argued in his favor that the Supreme Court’s opinion should be extended to include evidence of discrimination based on sexual orientation. “Anti-gay bias, if left unaddressed, risks systemic harm to the justice system, and in particular, capital jury sentencing,” they told the justices in court briefs. Attorney General of South Dakota, Jason R. Ravnsborg, said the lower courts were right to hold and that the challenge was procedurally barred in part because Rhines has to wait so long to make his claims. Ravnsborg pointed out the brutality of the crime that Rhines endured, at… Read More

Judge Threatens to Block Carnival Cruise Ships from Accessing US Ports

Updated: 11:37 AM ET, Fri April 12, 2019 A federal judge in the US has threatened to keep ships from the Carnival cruise lines out of American ports to punish the company’s potential violations of the terms of its probation. The company has been on probation as part of a 2017 settlement in which Carnival agreed to pay the full amount of $40 million for discarding oil illegally into the ocean from the Princess Cruises ships and not telling the truth to US authorities. Carnival owns the Princess Cruise line. US District Judge Patricia Seitz said on Wednesday that she’d decide in a hearing on June what action to take against the cruise line. Carnival started its five-year probation period back in 2017 and agreed to full inspections by third-party auditors. According to filings  reported by the Miami Herald, the cruise line “sought to avoid unfavorable findings by preparing ships in advance of court-ordered audits, falsified records, dumped plastic garbage into the ocean and illegally discharged gray water into Glacier Bay… Read More

Fake Mobsters Face 20 Years for Extorting 198k From a Former Pizzeria Owner

Updated: 1:29 AM ET, Wed April 10, 2019 An actor and two others involved are now facing 20 years in prison after confessing to extort $198,000 from an owner of a former New York pizzeria in a plot described as a mob shakedown. Douglas Singer, Leroy Wilson, and Marianne Wood have each pleaded guilty on Tuesday to being involved in an extortion conspiracy that involved an unnamed victim in Brooklyn. The incident took place last year after the victim sold his pizzeria in a building he granted to Singer, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York mentioned in a statement. The pizzeria was sold by the victim for $60,000, including a $15,600 security deposit and monthly rent payments of $5,200, according to legal documents. From that point, the business deal took a severe turn, that of which you would see in a scene from a mobster movie, one of which that is complete with a muscular man in dark outfits and sunglasses. The three men carefully… Read More

Chicago City Planning to Sue Jussie Smollett for Half a Million Dollars

Updated: 4/11/2019 3:37 PM PDT Chicago city is planning to release a hammer on Empire star, Jussie Smollett after pressing lawsuits against him. From this, he may go on trial effectively for allegedly being involved for the staged “attack” back in January. The City is demanding Smollett to pay upwards of a half a million dollars as reimbursement for all the costs the city paid during his case. As previously reported, the city threatened to sue Smollett if he didn’t pay $130k to cover the cost of investigating a case that was faked by him. The City of Chicago enforced a letter to Jussie’s team earlier this month, but they ignored the message entirely. The City stated that the cost of investigating the case was at least $130,000 in overtime, but now is requesting hundreds of thousands of dollars in addition to the $130,000 to cover attorney fees and added expenses. The City wants the judge to triple that amount to punish the actor.  As reported, the lawsuit claims Smollett scoped out the specific… Read More

Robert Kraft’s Lawyers Fight Against The Release of Spa Video

Updated:  4/12/2019 10:37 AM PDT The legal team of Robert Kraft made their way into a courthouse Friday morning prepared to act against and fight in a legal war over the release of video footage to the public where it revealed Kraft receiving sexual acts at a day spa in Jupiter Florida.  Attorneys Jack Goldberger, Alex Spiro, and William Burck all arrived early morning at the courthouse ready to argue the case.  As previously reported, Kraft’s team has continued the fight to keep the surveillance videos of Kraft under wraps, fearing that the release of it could obstruct Kraft’s chances of receiving a fair trial.  Several media outlets have filed court documents hoping to gain access to the video so they can share it publicly. Police officials claim they have recorded graphic footage of Kraft (and other men) inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida back in January, which showed the 77-year-old receiving sexual acts in exchange for money. Kraft argued several times that the videos of him should not be released… Read More

Michael Avenatti Indicted on 36 Counts

Updated: 1:49 PM ET, Thu April 11, 2019 In Los Angeles, a federal grand jury indicted Michael Avenatti -a celebrity attorney who is facing criminal charges- on a total of 36 counts which included wire fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion and bank fraud which are all connected to his alleged theft of tens of millions of dollars. At the beginning of 2015, Avenatti executed a scheme to defraud five clients, according to the indictment, one of which was a paraplegic. Avenatti withheld a settlement payment of $4 million from the client. After stealing the client’s $4 million settlement, Avenatti then directed a small portion of what the client was owed, $124,000, to be paid to the client while sending some payments to assisted living facilities to cover the client’s rent. However, Avenatti lied to the client and told them that the settlement had already been paid. As a result, that client was unable to purchase the property they were wanting. Additionally, the client was also denied benefits from social security when… Read More

Texas Legislature’s Considering Abortions to be Punishable by Death

Updated: 9:14 AM ET, Thu April 11, 2019 Lawmakers in Texas are considering to pass a bill that would allow a woman who undergoes an abortion procedure to be charged with capital murder, a crime that is punishable by death in the state of Texas. House Bill 896 that was introduced to the Texas House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee would remove the exception in the penal code for the criminal homicide that applies to both the women who have the procedure and the medical professionals that perform it, convicting them for the murder of an unborn child. The action would conceal the ban on abortion procedures in the state, allowing the state to enforce the bill “regardless of any contrary federal law, executive order, or court decision.” The landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade acknowledged a woman’s right to have an abortion under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. “A living human child, from the moment of fertilization on fusion of a human spermatozoon with… Read More

Julian Assange Charged with Conspiracy to Commit Computer Fraud

Updated: 11:01 AM ET, Thu April 11, 2019 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was found guilty Thursday in London for breaking his bail conditions that required him to appear on May 2 for an extradition hearing. Until then, Assange is currently in custody for the time being. Assange’s alleged crime dates back to 2010 when he agreed to help Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence specialist, access Defense Department computers to disclose secretive government documents. The US Justice Department unveiled this information Thursday morning, a few hours after authorities forcibly removed Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy in London. The case has since been sealed up until now, and with its unveiling, it has now marked a new chapter in the US government’s high-profile efforts to prevent classified documents and secretive information from being leaked. Assange’s attorney, Barry Pollack, says the allegations against Assange in the indictment made public “boil down to encouraging a source to provide him information and taking efforts to protect the identity of that source. Journalists around the… Read More

Police Surprised to Find a Roomba After Storming Bathroom to Catch Burglar

Updated: April 10 at 3:14 AM On Monday, two men dialed 911 at 1:48 p.m., soon after, the sheriff’s office made a post on Facebook to report that someone had broken into a home in the Cedar Hills neighborhood just outside Beaverton, Ore, which is about seven miles west of downtown Portland. The alleged intruder was locked inside the bathroom of the home, the caller claimed, adding that he could see moving shadows under the door. A nearby detective rushed to the scene after the reported call. Within minutes, three other deputies from the sheriff’s office joined the detective, bringing along two canine officers from Beaverton’s police force, DiPietro mentioned. The law enforcement soon learned the full story from the concerned callers. “There was two gentlemen house sitting for their nephew, who is an adult. They go out to walk the dog, and when they come back, they hear something in the bathroom,” DiPietro said. “The door is shut and locked, and they believe someone is in there. So, they… Read More

How Huffman and Loughlin are Handling the College Admission Scandal

Updated: 1:59 PM ET, Wed April 10, 2019 Of the staggering 50 people who got caught in one of the largest college admissions cheating scheme ever prosecuted in the United States, both Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin have become the two faces associated with the scandal, with many following the case wondering if they will end up behind bars for the crime. Huffman and Loughlin are among 33 parents accused of using their wealth to cheat on standardized tests for their children while bribing college coaches and administrators who had superior authority regarding admissions for students. The investigation of the scandal took a drastic turn on Monday when Huffman and a dozen other parents, including one coach, all agreed to plead guilty to mail fraud and other forms of bribery, highlighting on the individual actions both women have taken since the scandal surfaced. While there’s still little news regarding how both women are handling the fallout, here is what we know so far about both of the actresses: Felicity Huffman… Read More

Warner Bros. Shuts Down Pro-Trump Video Using Dark Knight Music

Updated: 11:22 AM ET, Wed April 10, 2019 On Tuesday, Warner Bros. made a copyright claim against a pro-Trump 2020 video that used fragments of music from “The Dark Knight Rises” score. “The use of Warner Bros.’ score from The Dark Knight Rises in the campaign video was unauthorized,” the entertainment company mentioned in a statement on Tuesday. “We are working through the appropriate legal channels to have it removed.” President Donald Trump tweeted out the two-minute video on Tuesday with a caption that wrote: “Make America Great Again.” Since the post, the video has been taken down “in response to a report by the copyright owner.” A campaign respondent mentioned to sources that the Trump campaign did not have any involvement with the production of the video. A spokesperson on Twitter declined to comment on the removal of the video, but shared the company’s copyright policy with news reporters, in which it claims that the company’s “response to copyright complaints may include the removal or restriction of access to… Read More

Students Protest against Hiring Brett Kavanaugh on Campus

Updated: 04/09/19 10:53 AM EDT The students of George Mason University are protesting the school to stop Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh, from teaching a summer course at the university this year. According to The Washington Post, some students at the school’s main campus in Fairfax City demand that Kavanaugh is blocked entirely from being allowed to teach a class to students at the university’s Antonin Scalia Law School this summer due to the allegations of sexual misconduct accused against him last year. The school’s undergraduate population of students consists of roughly around 25,000 students, while about 525 students are enrolled at the university’s law school. Since the news of Kavanaugh’s hire surfaced last month, student protesters have reportedly been marching around the school’s campus, chanting out phrases like, “Kick Kavanaugh off campus!” A recent petition has also emerged calling on the school’s administrators to not only prevent Kavanaugh from teaching summer courses but also issue an apology to the sexual assault survivors over the move. The petition was created… Read More

Actress of Smallville Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking Charges

Updated: 9:41 AM ET, Tue April 9, 2019 Actress Allison Mack was arrested back in April of 2018 for being accused of her alleged involvement with Nxivm (pronounced NEX-ium), which is an organization that claimed to be a self-help program but really was pyramid scheme in which some recruits were exploited “both sexually and for their labor, to the defendants’ benefit,” according to Richard P. Donoghue, the U.S. attorney. Mack is accused of recruiting women to join a “female mentorship group” when really, it was an organization created and led by Keith Raniere, the Nxivm’s founder who was known within the group as Vanguard. Last year, Mack was best known for her role as Chole, Clark Kent’s smart confidant on the CW’s “Smallville.” Mack was indicted on the charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy, according to a legal statement that was released by the Justice Department. The star pleaded not guilty at the time of being accused. Officials stated that Mack, 36, was the co-creator… Read More

Prosecutors Demanding Prison Sentences to Parents Involved in College Admission Scandal

Updated: 3:24 AM ET, Tue April 9, 2019 It’s confirmed that thirteen wealthy parents, including famous actress Felicity Huffman, and one coach will be pleading guilty to offering large sums of money as bribery, as well as other forms of fraud from the college admissions scandal that took place in March, federal prosecutors in Boston mentioned Monday. Huffman, who is the star of the hit TV show “Desperate Housewives,” pleaded guilty to paying the large sum of $15,000 to a fake charity associated with Rick Singer to facilitate cheating for her daughter on the SATs, the complaint mentioned. Huffman faces up to at least 20 years in prison. However, in exchange for Huffman’s plea, federal prosecutors will consider incarceration at the lower end of the sentencing range which would involve a $20,000 fine and 12 months of supervised release. They will not add additional charges. A federal judge will make the final judgment for the outcome regarding Huffman and the other defendants. “I am in full acceptance of my guilt,… Read More

Jennifer Hart & Wife Sarah Guilty for Driving Their Adopted Children off a Cliff

Updated: 5:02 PM ET, Sat April 6, 2019 Jennifer Hart, who tested positive for being drunk in autopsy reports, drove six of her adopted children in their family SUV, while her wife, Sarah, was sat in the passenger seat looking up many different ways to end a person’s life. The SUV carrying the Hart family drove off a 100-foot Pacific coast cliff in March of last year, a tragedy that took all eight lives, sparking questions about homicide and abuse of the children. While the SUV headed towards the destination, the wife, Sarah, was browsing her phone with related searches like: “How easily can I overdose on over the counter medications?” “Can 500mg of Benadryl kill a 125 lb woman?” “How long does it take to die from hypothermia while drowning in a car?” The horrifying details about this tragedy emerged Thursday after a coroner’s jury agreeably ruled that both Jennifer and Sarah Hart intended to die with their six adopted children: Hannah, 16, Markis, 19, Ciera, 12, Jeremiah &… Read More

Abducted US Tourist Safely Rescued

Updated: 9:53 AM ET, Mon April 8, 2019 Kimberly Sue Endicott’s dream to go on an excursion to visit gorillas in their natural habitat soon took a startling turn when she and her tour guide were kidnapped at gunpoint. It all started last week when both the California woman and her tour guide got abducted at gunpoint in a Ugandan national park. The armed gang held Endicott and her guide captive, making various demands for a ransom of $500,000 by using their cell phones. After news of their abduction surfaced, police stated that they would not be offering the money for their release. However, the nightmare came to an end on Sunday when Ugandan security forces rescued Endicott and her guide. An unspecified ransom was paid to free both of the hostages, an insider mentioned to reporters. The handover was “quiet and peaceful,” the source claimed. They were then released unharmed from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which borders the Queen Elizabeth National Park, the place where both were abducted… Read More

Phone Smashing Lawsuit Is Settled Against Conor Mcgregor

Updated: 4/8/2019 6:55 AM PDT UFC fighter, Conor McGregor now has one less legal issue he’s involved with after a man dropped a filed lawsuit against him for smashing his phone in Miami. It now appears there was a legal agreement established to put this incident to rest. As previously reported in the media, 22-year-old Ahmed Abdirzak sued Conor for battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress over the incident that took place on Match 11, at the Fontainebleau hotel. Abdirzak claimed Conor “flew into a rage and punched [Abdirzak’s] smartphone out of his hand” before “stomping on the phone repeatedly.” Abdirzak was suing for around $15,000. Now, recent court records reveal that Abdirzak has now filed new documents to dismiss his suit against McGregor with prejudice, which is to assume that the two have likely reached a settlement agreement. Because of Conor’s big fortune, it’s evident that the star could easily cut a cheque and put this matter to rest without needing to take legal action to defend… Read More

Brian Rini Charged for Falsely Posing as Timmothy Pitzen

Updated: 4/5/2019 8:57 AM PDT On Wednesday, someone contacted police authorities saying that Brian Rini was roaming around claiming to be Timmothy Pitzen, a child who went missing seven years ago and caught national attention. The case was also recently featured on the A&E show, “Live PD.” Local authorities and the FBI responded to the report and picked up Rini then immediately performed a DNA test to confirm if he was, in fact, the real Timmothy Pitzen. On Thursday, the DNA test came back negative, and law enforcement knew that Brian Rini was an impostor. As of now, it’s still unclear as to what Rini’s motive was for impersonating the child and what his charge will be for falsely impersonating Timmothy. However, we know the U.S. Attorney’s Office is on the case. Meaning, he will be charged federally. Rini appears to have a lengthy history of illegal actions. Recently, he just got out of jail a month ago after doing 18 months for burglary and vandalism. He was also convicted of… Read More

Chicago Suing Jussie Smollett After Repayment Deadline Passes

Updated: April 4, 2019 4:27pm Jussie Smollett, the actor who plays Jamal Lyon, the openly gay individual on the popular FOX series, Empire, had 16 total felony charges against him with potential years behind bars after allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack on himself back on January 29. The case closed on March 26. On Wednesday, a deadline was placed on Smollett by Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuelfor. Smollett is required to repay the City $130,000 for the sum of costs of the investigation into the alleged attack against him, Chicago will also be suing the actor. “Mr. Smollett has refused to reimburse the City of Chicago for the cost of police overtime spent investigating his false police report on January 29, 2019, a spokesperson of the Midwestern metropolis said Thursday as it became EOD in Chicago. “The Law Department is now drafting a civil complaint that will be filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Once filed, the Law Department will send a courtesy copy of the complaint to Mr.… Read More

Man Pleads Not-Guilty for Allegedly Poisoning Co-workers Food for 17 Months

Updated: 3:15 AM ET, Fri April 5, 2019 A female engineer at a Bay Area consulting firm claims that she suffered many months of “immediate and significant health problems” after consuming beverages and food she had left at her desk while at work. She suspects that they both were poisoned by a colleague, according to law enforcement. According to surveillance video from inside her office at Berkeley Engineering and Research in Berkeley, California, Rong Yuan claims she witnessed her co-worker, David Xu, lacing her water with a substance, according to court documents. David Xu, 34, was taken into custody on March 28. Xu was charged with three felonies: premeditated attempted murder and two counts of poisoning with enhancement. The last two charges are from Yuan’s relatives who also showed symptoms of poisoning after drinking from her water bottle that she brought home from the office. The three alleged victims’ blood samples contained high levels of cadmium, according to law enforcement. Xu, who is also an engineer, pleaded not guilty to… Read More

Jeff Bezos Keeps 75% of Amazon Stock After Divorce

Updated: 5:20 PM ET, Thu 4/4/19 MacKenzie Bezos took to Twitter Thursday to announce that she and Jeff Bezos have completed the process of their divorce, leaving her with a whopping $35.6 billion in Amazon stock. MacKenzie Bezos claimed that she was “happy” to be giving up 75 percent of their stock in Amazon to her ex-husband, along with voting control of her shares. She also surrendered all of her interests in The Washington Post and the Blue Origin aerospace company to him. The settlement would make her the fourth-richest woman in the world, ranking her behind Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, Alice Walton and Jacqueline Mars, according to Bloomberg. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, MacKenzie Bezos will being retaining shares comprising of about 4 percent of Amazon’s outstanding common stock, thus, making her the third-biggest shareholder at the company, behind her ex-husband and Vanguard. He will remain the wealthiest person in the world, even after the loss $35.6 billion in Amazon stock. Amazon’s stock was down around 0.4% Thursday afternoon… Read More

American Family Files Wrongful Lawsuit Against Airline After Crash in Ethiopia

Updated 1:18 PM ET, Thu April 4, 2019 A 737 Boeing Max 8 jet shortly crashed after takeoff from Addis Abba, killing all 157 passengers on board. The crash also followed in another collision which took place in Indonesia that also involved a Boeing 737 Max 8 jet. The plane has since been withheld until the airline releases a software fix.  A preliminary report in the crash of the Boeing Max 8 (which crashed six minutes after the take-off) reported that a bird hit the attack sensor (a vane that sits outside the cockpit) or possibly a foreign object, assuming that the sensor took damage at take-off that caused the second 737 Max Crash in five months. The report also said that the plane’s crew performed all appropriate procedures by Boeing.  Thursday, lawyers have filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Chicago against Boeing Airlines on behalf of a 24-year-old woman who died in last month’s Ethiopia Airlines crash.  Samya Stumo, who is originally from Sheffield, Massachusetts, was on a work… Read More

Texas Bans Spiritual Advisors from Death Chambers after New Court Order

Updated 3:30 PM ET, Wed April 3, 2019 It has been declared that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice will bar ministers, chaplains, and spiritual advisers from execution chambers because of the Supreme Court’s ruling last week due to an incident which involved the execution of an inmate who requested to have his Buddhist spiritual adviser present in the death chamber with him. The justices agreed to delay the execution of Patrick Henry Murphy’s. However, weeks before the controversy, the judges denied a similar request made from an inmate in the state of Alabama. The state denied Murphy’s initial request the state because officials said it was a security protocol that only employees were only allowed inside the chamber, and that only employed Christian and Muslim advisors were allowed inside. Murphy’s lawyers have challenged this policy, arguing that it had violated Murphy’s religious liberty rights. This led to the Supreme Court postponing the execution. In a statement released on Wednesday, the state declared that “Effective Immediately,” the protocol will now… Read More

3 Fraternity Brothers Sentenced to Jail for Penn State Hazing Death

Updated 4:22 AM ET, Wed April 3, 2019 Four Penn State University fraternity brothers have now been sentenced in relation with the death of a hazing ritual pledge, ending the life of Timothy Piazza. The three will be receiving jail time, according to an inside source. Joseph Sala, Luke Visser, Joshua Kurczewski and Michael Bonatucci, who are former members of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, was recently sentenced on Tuesday in Centre County Court. Each member pleaded guilty to the hazing-related charges which were related to the February 2017 death of 19-year-old Timothy Piazza, a sophomore at Penn State. Piazza, who was new to the fraternity, was pledging the Beta Theta Pi fraternity ritual, drinking 18 drinks in 82 minutes as part of a hazing ritual requirements. Piazza later fell down a flight of stairs leading down into the fraternity house basement. The fraternity members waited 12 hours to call 911 and report the incident. Piazza ended up dying from a traumatic brain injury because of the fall, according to court… Read More

Witnesses Involved with College Admission Scam Sign Plea Agreement

Updated 3:37 PM ET, Tue March 26, 2019 Rudy Meredith and Mark Riddell, the two main witnesses of the college admission scam are now cooperating, both signing plea agreements with prosecutors in exchange for lesser sentences, according to released court documents. Riddell and Meredith were involved with the college admissions scam: cheating on standardized tests for specific students and also bribing college coaches to falsely classify an applicant as a recruited athlete, making space available for paid admissions. Meredith, who was the former coach for the women’s soccer team at Yale University, openly admitted to accepting bribes from wealthy parents in exchange for designating prospective students as recruits on the Yale soccer team, according to the plea agreement. Riddell, who was the former director of college entrance exam preparation at IMG Academy – which is a private college prep school based in Florida, admitted that he filled out tests in place of specific students, providing answers for their exams and replacing them with the correct answers, the plea agreement states.… Read More

Robert Kraft’s Lawyers Want Illegally Obtained Video Suppressed

Updated: 12:25 PM ET, Wed April 3, 2019 Robert Kraft’s attorneys are now accusing police of carrying out an invasive “NSA-style surveillance campaign” in their actions to suppress a video that shows Kraft allegedly soliciting sex acts with employees at a spa located in Jupiter Florida. “The (Jupiter Police Department) resorted to the most drastic, invasive, indiscriminate spying conceivable by law enforcement, taking continuous video recordings of private massages in which customers would be stripping naked as a matter of course in order to prosecute what are at most misdemeanor offenses,” the attorneys write. Kraft, who is also the owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots team, has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution. His lawyers have stated that the 77-year-old first-time offender will unlikely receive time in prison for the charges if he were to be found guilty. However, the video evidence that was filmed inside the day spa would be damaging to Kraft’s reputation, experts mention. Kraft has since waived his arraignment and has also… Read More

Famous Magician David Blaine Under Investigation for Sexual Assault

Famous Magician, David Blaine, is currently under investigation after alleged reports of sexual assault were made against him, Police Chief Dermot Shea of New York said on Monday. An active investigation is currently in effect and is underway by the department’s special victim’s division, Shea mentioned during a news conference on Monday. Shea has since declined to provide additional details regarding the allegations against the magician. Inside sources that are familiar with this investigation mentioned that the accuser of the sexual assault filed a report against Blaine with the police, but the allegation is outside the statute of limitations and the NYPD has not yet stated how the investigation will proceed. Jill Fritzo, the spokesperson on behalf of Blaine stated that he intends to cooperate with the NYPD. “David denies the accusations that have been reported and he takes these allegations seriously. He intends to cooperate with any investigation,” said Fritzo. Additionally, a source claimed there was an investigation into Blaine around a year ago, but it has since been… Read More

The Supreme Court Feuds Over Death Penalty

UPDATED:8:51 AM ET, Tue April 2, 2019 Controversy has been sparked over a recent execution of a Muslim inmate in Alabama which led to a rare public debate between the Supreme Court justices on how the death penalty should be enforced. The justices are still divided and have not reached a compromise over the execution of Domineque Ray, a man who claimed that his religious rights were disregarded due to not being allowed to have an imam with him in the execution chamber back in February. In early February, the conservative-oriented court couldn’t provide much reasoning regarding their decision to allow the execution of Ray to go forward. The Alabama penitentiary allows for a Christian chaplain to be in the room; however, officials blocked the imam, forbidding this request and claiming that prison employees could only be present in the chamber for security concerns. However, it didn’t stop there. Another death penalty case involved the request for a Buddhist spiritual adviser last week, and the controversy continued since in this case the request… Read More

Sackler Family Conspiring to Profit off of Opioid Addiction Treatments

UPDATED: April 1, 2019 Recently, it has surfaced that the well-known Sackler family, who are also the founders of Purdue Pharma, are currently under investigation for their company’s role with the current opioid epidemic in America. Purdue and the Sacklers are now facing more than 1,600 lawsuits against them. However, it has been reported on Monday that not only are the lawsuits attempting to prove the Sacklers are guilty of being heavily involved in marketing opioids to patients but also were expecting to profit from selling treatments to patients that became addicted to the painkillers manufactured by their company. A New York complaint emphasizes on one of the documents of Project Tango (the details of the marketing plot), which is portrayed as a blue funnel with a larger end of which was labeled “pain treatment,” the narrow end labeled “opioid addiction treatment.” The document mentioned that “pain treatment and addiction are naturally linked,” suggesting that profits from one could potentially lead to earnings from the other. Purdue also allegedly pursued with a… Read More

R Kelly Legal Team Requesting Foxx-Avenatti Communication

UPDATED: 4/1/2019 8:03 AM PDT Steven Greenberg, who is the attorney of R Kelly, wants to know more about Michael Avenatti’s relationship with Kim Foxx, who is the Cook County State’s Attorney. Greenberg spoke out to the media before the hearing, stating that he will be requesting all records of Avenatti and Foxx’s communications. Kelly’s legal team has already begun raising the federal charges against Avenatti’s for extortion. According to the motion filed Monday morning, Greenberg states that Avenatti bragged about his skill to put public pressure on the cooperation Nike, according to federal prosecutors. Greenberg continues to point out that Avenatti has publicly talked about numerous conversations with Foxx regarding the alleged sex tape. Foxx is also called out by Greenberg during the motion, mentioning that Jussie Smollett’s case shows she is “able to be influenced and wowed,” which was an apparent reference to Foxx’s discussion with Tina Tchen. Foxx ends up saving herself as a result of that communication. Avenatti’s responds to the motion by saying, “Greenberg is now trying to distract attention away… Read More

Rapper Nipsey Hussle Murdered

UPDATED: 4/1/19 8:37 A.M. ET Famous Rapper Nipsey Hussle has been confirmed dead on Sunday afternoon after a shooting in Los Angeles took place near a clothing store which he owned, according to a high-ranking deputy of the Los Angeles Police Department. The shooting also involved two other casualties who were caught in the blast, injuring both of them around the time of 3:20 p.m., according to the police department. The shooting took place in the territory of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. The rapper and the two victims were then transported to a hospital, where one of them was pronounced dead (Nipsey Hussle) and the other two were in stable condition, according to LA police. In a tweet, the department stated that they had no information regarding the suspect that opened fire. The rapper’s last message on Twitter read: “Having strong enemies is a blessing.” Back in 2010, Hussle, 33, whose birth name was Ermias Davidson Asghedom, was the founder of his record label All Money In, which he… Read More

Live Nation being Sued by Neal Schon and His Wife Michaele

UPDATED:  3/27/2019 7:28 PM PDT Neal Schon, the guitarist in the band Journey, claims his wife, Michaele, was violently abused by a security guard while pictures were being taken of him performing during his concert. According to legal documents, Schon says Michaele, who became famous after crashing a White House dinner in 2009, was near the front of the stage during Schon’s Fort Wayne, Indiana concert back in 2017 when she physically attacked. Schon states his wife was, “violently assaulted and forcibly thrown into a PA system.” It’s not clear as to what exactly provoked the attack against her. Schon, who married Michaele in 2013, claimed his wife had suffered immense emotional distress over the incident that took place. He also claims to have suffered emotional distress, “as an artist,” and is now worried about his wife while performing with Journey. Schon is now holding Live Nation responsible for the affair that happened to his wife, claiming that they allegedly provided the security for the venue he was performing at.… Read More

Reporter Jenny SuShe Fires Back with Lawyers After a Forced Kiss by Kubrat Pulev

UPDATED:  3/28/2019 8:01 AM PDT Female sports reporter Jenny SuShe, who was kissed forcibly on the lips by Kubrat Pulev, the Bulgarian heavyweight champion has decided to take legal action by hiring Gloria Allred over the assault. SuShe, who is a reporter for the Vegas Sports Daily, was in a mid-interview with Pulev over the weekend when suddenly, the professional pugilist pulled her face in and planted a hard kiss on her lips. She then later described the incident over social media as “embarrassing” and “strange.” Pulev, who was excited after having just winning a match against Romania’s Bogdan Dinu in California, thought nothing of the kiss, claiming SuShe was a close friend of his. “You may have seen a clip of me kissing a female reporter after I won my fight on Saturday night,” he tweeted. “The reporter, Jenny is actually a friend of mine and after the interview, I gave her a kiss. Later that night, she joined me and my other friends at my post-fight celebration. On… Read More

The House Passing Resolution Opposing Military Ban on Transgender People

UPDATED: 3/28/19 1:58 PM ET Early in January, the Supreme Court passed President Trump’s ongoing transgender military ban to take effect, enraging pro LGBT activists that say the ban itself is discriminatory, inhuman, and irrational. Trump first announced the ban on his Twitter account in July 2017 in which he said the reasoning behind the ban is due to “tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” The policy was then released later by the James Mattis, the previous Secretary of Defense in 2018. The policy’s purpose is to block all individuals who have been medically diagnosed with a condition known as gender dysphoria, preventing them from serving in the military, with limited exceptions. It also states that individuals without this condition may serve. However, only if they do so based on the sex they were assigned at birth. A resolution was then passed on Thursday by The House of Representatives conveying opposition against the Trump administration’s ban on service members in the military that are… Read More

New York County Taking Steps to Ban Unvaccinated Minors from Public Places During the Outbreak of Measles

UPDATED: 3/27/19 9:57 AM ET People unvaccinated under the ages of 18 will be banned from all public places in Rockland County, New York, which will be taken into effect at midnight, Wednesday night, according to director of strategic communications, John Lyon. Day announced this new order earlier this week on Tuesday. The declaration is considered an effort to contain the outbreaks of measles that started in October, with a total of 153 reported cases reported in the county. The outbreak arose when an unvaccinated resident of the county became infected during their visit in Israel, then returning to the city, contagious with the disease. Assumingly, the outbreak mostly affected Jewish neighborhoods. The City of New York has reported a total of 214 cases as of Wednesday from the outbreak as well as in Orthodox Jewish communities, according to the city department of health. Day said the outbreak would not continue to go on. “This is a public health crisis, and it is time to sound the alarm, to ensure… Read More

Car Attacker of Charlottesville Pleads Guilty to 29 Hate Crime

UPDATED: 3/27/2019 4:39 PM ET A jury in Virginia convicted James Alex Fields for driving head-on into a crowd of people during a 2017 white nationalist rally that took place in Charlottesville. Today, the Department of Justice has announced that James has pleaded guilty to all 29 federal hate crimes. Each of the charges carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, meaning, Fields will be avoiding the possibility of the death penalty for his actions. The charges covered a hate crime act which resulted in the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, and 28 other counts of hate crime acts that resulted in bodily injury and involved an attempt to kill others within the crowd, the Department of Justice stated. Previously, Fields pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, as well as an additional charge which was an act of racially motivated violence against a federal activity. Bill Barr, the General Attorney, and US Attorney, Thomas T. Cullen both stated that Fields executed an act of domestic terrorism when… Read More

Giants CEO Larry Baer Suspended from Occurrence with Wife

UPDATED: 3/26/2019 7:07 AM PDT The Major League Baseball has suspended Larry Baer, the CEO of the San Francisco Giants, and will be withdrawing his pay until July 1, 2019, because of an incident that was taken place back in March with his wife. They require Baer to undergo complete counseling before allowing him to rejoin the league. Commissioner Rob Manfred states that the unpaid suspension will be backdated to March 4, 2019, the day at which Larry Baer took a leave from the team. “During the period of his suspension, Baer shall have no involvement in the operations of the Giants,” Manfred mentions. “The Club shall be operated by an interim control person appointed by the ownership group in consultation with the Commissioner. Baer will be required to undergo an evaluation by an expert to determine an appropriate treatment and counseling plan.” Manfred continues, “At my direction, the Department of Investigations conducted an investigation into the March 1, 2019, video-recorded incident involving Larry Baer. I also personally met with… Read More

Attorney Mark Geragos Now Pulled into the Avenatti Case

On Monday, federal authorities arrested Attorney Michael Avenatti, the former lawyer for adult-film star, Stormy Daniels. Sources reported that Avenatti was accused of trying to extort millions of dollars from the Nike corporation. Sources familiar with the investigation said that Attorney Mike Geragos is claimed to be the unnamed “co-conspirator” that was alleged to have been involved in the scheme with Avenatti. Later, sources claimed that the charges against Geragos were being dropped. However, if the recent allegation is true, then the relationship between both attorneys had to have continued last week, when Avenatti and Geragos had allegedly made contact with Nike, threatening to expose confidential information of Nike employees for being involved in the funneling of payments to the top high school basketball players and their families. The indictment alleges that both men demanded Nike to hire both to conduct an internal investigation into the issue for $15 million to $25 million. “I do take seriously the idea that you’re not supposed to turn down a case just because… Read More

NFL owners allowing Robert Kraft’s court case to play out

UPDATED: Updated 1:51 PM ET, Tue March 26, 2019 Robert Kraft, 77, is currently being charged with two counts of misdemeanor solicitation in Palm Beach County, Florida. Kraft was among more than 100 other people that were allegedly linked to several central Florida massage and day spa parlors, suspected to be fronts for prostitution after a month-long investigation had taken place. Robert pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him and denied any wrongdoing. The billionaire has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday, but it’s still unclear on whether he will still be attending the proceeding in person. “I am truly sorry,” Kraft said in a Saturday statement. “I know I have hurt and disappointed my family, my close friends, my co-workers, our fans and many others who rightfully hold me to a higher standard.” Police officials allege that Kraft was recorded on one of the day spas surveillance cameras in Jupiter FL, paying for and receiving sexual acts from women. Kraft and the 14 other men involved have… Read More

Bethenny Frankel breaks down in tears during custody battle in Manhattan Supreme Court

UPDATED: March 25, 2019 | 12:55pm On Monday, March 25, the “Real Housewives of New York City” star, Bethenny Frankel, put her emotions on display in the Manhattan Supreme Court while recalling the times her ex-husband, Jason Hoppy, used FaceTime to verbally and emotionally abuse her, often two times daily. The couple is going through a rough custody battle over Bryn, their 8-year-old daughter. Bethenny Frankel testified against Jason Hoppy’s alleged harassment and verbally abusive behavior and detailing the events that took place during a FaceTime call that took place back on May 9, 2015. “The circumstances were I was trying to FaceTime Bryn … and I have experienced basically every day Jason using it as a tool to harass me or abuse me or taunt me and on that day, I recorded our correspondence,” Frankel explained. Frankel also explained that it was Mother’s Day and it was also her daughter’s birthday weekend, and when Frankel requested Hoppy to speak with their daughter, he allegedly snapped, “Keep recording me, you’ve… Read More

Justice Department knew three weeks ago that Mueller wouldn’t reach a conclusion on obstruction of justice

Updated 7:48 PM ET, Mon March 25, 2019 The U.S. Justice Department knew three weeks ago that Robert Mueller would not be reaching a conclusion whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice. The special counsel’s team informed Attorney General Bill Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein about Mueller’s intentions at a meeting that took place roughly three weeks ago. The meeting wasn’t only about discussing the matter of justice obstruction, according to a source familiar with the matter. During the meeting, the special counsel’s team also asked for more time to finish their work for administrative reasons. The Justice Department granted their request. On Sunday, March 24, Attorney General Bill Barr released a four-page summary of Mueller’s principal conclusions, explaining that the special counsel “did not draw a conclusion — one way or another — as to whether the examined conduct constituted obstruction.” “Instead,” Barr wrote, “for each of the relevant actions investigated, the report sets out evidence on both sides of the question and leaves unresolved what the Special… Read More

Michael Avenatti Arrested in Manhattan, NY

UPDATED: 7:53 p.m. ET, March 25, 2019 Michael Avenatti, the attorney who had represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Donald Trump, was arrested early this morning outside the office of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, in Manhattan, New York. It was the location at which a final meeting between Avenatti and Nike was supposed to be held. George Berman, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, presented a timeline of Michael Avenatti’s alleged extortion scheme. Berman claims that the extortion attempt took place over the course of less than a week. It apparently started on March 19, when Avenatti had the first meeting with Nike to inform the company he had a client who held valuable information regarding potential misconduct of the company. Avenatti then threatened Nike by claiming that he would hold a news conference about the matter and that he would be making this damaging information about the company available to the public. His goal was to extort 20 million dollars… Read More

California governor moves to “Freeze” the death penalty

UPDATED: 2019/03/22 12:00 PM With an increasing focus on criminal justice system reform, California has taken a leadership role under to their new Governor, Gavin Newsom, in the stand against the death penalty. As of an executive order signed last week, California’s penal system now under a moratorium on all slated death penalties. According to Newsom, his concerns over the death penalty stem from a variety of factors including issues on race and mental health, and the statistics that lend themselves that these demographics playing an unjust role in those who face corpral punishment. He continues with concerns over the real, documented issue of putting to death innocent people. In America, the execution rate is higher than any other democracy in the world, and some studies suggest that the methods of execution may broach the border of cruel and unusual punishment. This is especially true in California, having the largest death row anywhere in the Western Hemisphere, with 737 people awaiting execution, and a nearly 60% skew toward African-American or… Read More

Former Tesla employee accused of stealing self-driving tech to benefit Chinese rival

UPDATED: 2019/03/22 12:00 PM An intellectual property suit was filed Thursday against a former Tesla employee, Guangzhi Cao, accusing him of stealing Tesla tech and turning over to chinese competitors — a Chinese electric vehicle startup, by the name of Xiaopeng Motors. Elon Musk’s company is seeking damages and to stop Cao from using the information. As filed in a California US District Court, Tesla (TSLA) accuses Cao of allegedly uploading complete copies of the company’s self-driving source code to his personal Apple (AAPL) iCloud account — taking more than 300,000 files. Later, after accepting a job with Xiaopeng, Cao then deleted 120,000 files from his work computer and disconnected his iCloud account from it, the complaint says. He then repeatedly logged into Tesla’s networks and cleared his browser history before leaving Tesla in early January. Cao is now employed at  XMotors, Xiaopeng’s US subsidiary. As mentioned in a statement released by Xiaopeng, the company has started an internal investigation, but is unaware of any alleged misconduct by Cao, adding… Read More

“Bud Light Castle” under attack after MillerCoors sues over Corn Syrup Super Bowl ad

UPDATED: 2019/03/22 12:00 PM The maker of Miller Lite and Coors Light isn’t taking the joke well when it comes to Bud Light’s corn syrup Super Bowl ads. MillerCoors filed a lawsuit against Anheuser-Busch (BUD), the brewer of Bud Light, over the commercials, claiming them as “false and misleading.” In their complaint, MillerCoors states they want the ads blocked and its rival to set the record straight. In the ads that aired during the Superbowl, Bud Light touted the fact that the beer is sweetened with rice rather than corn syrup, taking jabs at its competitors who they claim to use the latter as a part of their ingredients. The beef stems from the fact that the American Heart Association and other health organizations commonly cite this sweetener in particular (as well as many others like sugar, honey, etc) as common contributor to obesity and heart-related illnesses. Presumable, MillerCoors isn’t happy with that kind of brand association. In the premise of the first ad, the Bud Light King, Bud Knight… Read More

Hoping to turn a new page, Dan Peres named Gawker’s new editor in chief

UPDATED: 2019-03-21 12:00 PM Journalist Dan Peres has been named as the editor in chief of Gawker.com by it’s parent company, Bustle Digital Group. This is the latest move in leadership’s attempt to revive the boundary-pushing news and commentary website, which went dormant during a high-profile legal battle. Now, under Mr. Peres, who was the editor in chief of Condé Nast’s men’s fashion magazine,  “Details” for 15 years, the site is expected to relaunch later this year. The new leadership emphasizes that the new site will not be a “Gawker 2.0”  — meaning relics of the old site’s reputation like a brash writing style and bold publishing standards, will not be the foundation for the relaunch. “In the later years they probably took things too far,” Mr. Peres said. “There was a lot of gratuitous meanness and sort of misguided decision-making.” Peres sees this relaunch as an opportunity to edit down some of the misguided salaciousness, and reinvigorate some of the “great things that they did” in the past. However,… Read More

Republicans in FL push to make Ex-Felons pay for the right to vote

UPDATED: 2019-03-21 12:00 PM This week, a Florida House panel approved a bill that would require former felons to pay fees and fines before having their voting rights restored. This immediately prompted criticism from voting rights advocates and those who say it undermines a new Amendment that focuses on restoring that very right and unfairly punishes those who are unable to pay and undermine the central objective of the amendment: ending permanent disenfranchisement.   However supporters of the bill contend that it’s meant to clarify and resolve questions that arise as a result of the new Amendment. Since it’s effective date in January, the Amendment has caused some confusion. For example, it did not apply to those convicted of murder or sexual offenses, stirring questions about which crimes should be counted in those categories. The bill, which would also clarify the relevant offenses, passed the subcommittee with a vote of 10 to 5, split along party lines — Democrats opposed.

Notoriously silent Justice Clarence Thomas asks important question for the first time in 3 years

UPDATED: 2019-03-21 12:00 PM Although generally known as the silent and stoic Justice on the Supreme Court — often not saying a word in open court for multi-year stretches — Justice Clarence Thomas asked his first question in 3 years involving race. Thomas is only the second African-American justice in US history. He opposes governmental racial remedies across the board, and has voted against such implementations of that philosophy like campus affirmative action and electoral districts drawn to enhance the voting power of minorities who have long faced bias at the polls. Thomas believes the Constitution’s equal protection guarantee forbids such racial measures and, in a practical vein, argues that they stigmatize blacks, Latinos and other racial minorities. To very briefly summarize, a portion of case heard on Wednesday morning examined the legal precedent for the Court’s interference in cases where State court juror’s were allegedly struck from the jury during the Voir Dire processes based solely on their race. Attorney Sheri Lynn Johnson argued on behalf of the defendant… Read More

SF Giants CEO, Larry Baer, won’t face prosecution for fight with wife

UPDATED: 2019-03-20 12 PM San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer does not face any charges as a result of a physical altercation with his wife, Pam, that was caught on tape. Sources say that officials thoroughly investigated the altercation and ultimately determined Baer’s action’s did not constitute a crime. The SF District Attorney’s office gave the following statement to reporters from TMZ… “After a careful review of the relevant evidence, including multiple videos, statements from several witnesses and the parties themselves, the evidence does not support filing criminal charges.” In the video recording, Baer can be seen in a physical altercation with his wife in a public park where Pam is ultimately knocked to the ground in a struggle to pry a phone out of her hands. In the recording, she can be heard yelling, “Oh my god. Help!” As a result of the incident, Larry has taken a leave of absence from his job with the Giants while cops and the MLB investigate the situation. He as also has… Read More

SCOTUS rules government can detain immigrants with past criminal records — even years later

UPDATED: 2019-03-20 12 PM In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court held on Tuesday that the government can detain immigrants with past criminal records — without a bond hearing — even if years have passed since they were released from custody. The focus of the case was whether or not a bond hearing must occur promptly upon an immigrant’s release from criminal custody or whether it can happen months or even years later when the individual has resettled into society. According to the current statute, the detention can occur “when the alien is released” from custody, with no clarification on timeline. In his opinion for the Court, Justice Samuel Alito took issue with the immigrants in the case arguing they were “owed bond hearings” in order to argue for their release. Alito said that the law did not support their argument. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote separately to say that the ruling was based entirely on the language of the statute at hand. “The court correctly holds that the Executive Branch’s… Read More

New law — signed by Trump — used to get data from Cohen’s Gmail

UPDATED: 2019-03-20 12 PM Court filings reveal that federal prosecutors used a new law Trump signed to collect data from his former attorney and “fixer,” Michael Cohen. Southern District of New York Investigators obtained search warrants to Cohen’s Gmail account in February of 2019. The documents were turned over by Google, but the search engine company “declined to produce data that it stored on computer servers located outside of the United States,” according to an FBI agent’s affidavit who was working on Cohen’s case. Just a few weeks later, Trump signed into law the CLOUD Act, giving US law enforcement more legal precedent to pursue overseas data — like that of Cohen’s email stored on international servers. This provision was tucked into the $1.3 trillion spending bill Trump signed to avoid a second government shutdown under his administration. With this new governance, the federal prosecutors returned to court, asking for another warrant to get the remaining Cohen materials. An April 2018 affidavit provided by the FBI agent argued that “providers… Read More

Kevin Tsujihara, Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros., is Leaving

UPDATED: 2019/03/19 12:00 PM Kevin Tsujihara has been with Warner Bros. for 25 years and has contributed to many of their greatest successes. In fact, among the many feathers in his cap, he has helped create a winning formula for a once-struggling Disney Marvel label, bringing in successful movies like Wonder Woman in 2017 and Aquaman in 2019. In 2013, Kevin Tsujihara became the CEO of Warner Bros. However, the Hollywood Reporter recently published an article that exposed text messages between Tsujihara and actress Charlotte Kirk. In these texts, it was revealed that because of an apparent sexual relationship between the two, Tsujihara would push for the actress to get film auditions. While Kirk has been featured in several Warner Bros. films—How To Be Single and Ocean’s 8—Tsujihara’s attorney has stated that Tsujihara did not have any direct role in hiring her for either of these positions. In addition to the success he brought to the table with Warner Bros. movies, Tsujihara can also be credited with much of the… Read More

19-Year-Old Girl Pleads Guilty to Reckless Endangerment

UPDATED: 2019/03/19 12:00 PM Taylor Smith, 19, has pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment after she pushed friend, Jordan Holgerson, 16, off a 60-foot bridge in August of 2018. A group of friends decided to go to Moulton Falls in Washington State to see who would jump off the bridge and into the water below. While Jordan was on the ledge, she decided at the last minute not to jump, and video footage shows her shaking in fear. Before she could get off the ledge, Smith pushed her enough to lose her balance and fall off the bridge before she had a chance to steady herself. Experts agree that because of how quickly she fell, hitting the water caused the same type of physical injuries that she would have sustained had she hit concrete from a 60-foot fall. The accident caused six of her ribs to break and both of her lungs to puncture. While Smith previously faced a fine of $5,000 and the potential for one year in prison, she… Read More

The National Enquirer Pays to Leak Jeff Bezos Story

UPDATED: 2019/03/19 12:00 PM The story broke news in January 2019 that Jeff Bezos (Amazon billionaire) was having an affair with Lauren Sanchez Whitesell. The National Enquirer printed an 11-page spread detailing numerous intimate text messages between the couple and even drew in a greater audience by stating that they had incriminating nude images with Bezos. The question on everyone’s minds, however, is how did the National Enquirer come to possess these images? To answer this question, The Wall Street Journal recently published an article discussing their investigation into the matter, presenting evidence that shows Lauren Sanchez Whitesell’s brother—Michael Sanchez—at the heart of the leaked texts and pictures. An unknown source spoke with the WSJ, stating that the National Enquirer paid Sanchez $200,000 in exchange for information on his sister’s affair with Bezos, including evidence of their secret relationship. Other news sources state that he gave up this information for an even heftier price tag of $250,000. In fact, the WSJ is not the first to point a finger at… Read More

Should Beltway Sniper Lee Boyd Malvo Get a New Sentencing?

UPDATED: 2019/03/18 5:00 PM Over a decade ago, Lee Boyd Malvo (17 years of age at the time) and his older associate, John Allen Muhammad, shocked the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. areas by committing acts of terror that ended the lives of 10 people and wounded many others. These murders took place between September 5 and October 22, 2002, and while Muhammad was executed for these crimes in 2009, Malvo was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Malvo was personally found guilty of shooting Linda Franklin, an FBI analyst, outside a Home Depot store in Fairfax, Virginia. However, the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence regarding underage murderers has changed since then. While the ruling originally had the death penalty taken off the table for juveniles, it also stated that a life sentence without the possibility of parole was not constitutional for people under the age of 18. Judges are now being required to consider whether a juvenile’s crime shows that they displayed irreparable corruption or if their actions showed that… Read More

The Middle Finger is Free Speech

UPDATED: 2019/03/18 5:00 PM When it comes to free speech, most people will still likely avoid giving a police officer the middle finger. However, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled that this vulgar gesture is actually a protected form of free speech. This news comes on the heels of a woman giving the middle finger to a police officer who had pulled her over in June 2017. The woman in question, Debra L. Cruise-Gulyas, was pulled over by a police officer after she was caught driving over the legal speed limit. Instead of slapping her with the usual speeding ticket, the officer, Matthew W. Minard, wrote her a non-moving violation ticket. This type of ticket is less serious than a speeding ticket. Instead of showing gratitude for the reduction in the ticket, Ms. Cruise-Gulyas gave officer Minard the middle-finger salute as she drove away. After this exchange, officer Minard again pulled her over and changed her violation to be more serious—a speeding ticket. However,… Read More

R. Kelly’s Attorney Welcomes Courtroom Cameras

UPDATED: 2019/03/18 5:00 PM Kelly, 52, American record producer, singer, and songwriter, has plead “not guilty” to 10 accounts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four different women. The alleged abuse is said to have occurred over the span of roughly a decade. Of the four women, three were minors at the time the sexual abuse in question occurred. The evidence against R. Kelly has been building for over two decades, with a huge break coming in 2008 when he was acquitted of child pornography charges regarding a video that showed him performing sexual acts with a 13-year-old girl. The singer never confessed to this crime. In an interesting turn of events, a judge has ruled that there will be cameras in the courtroom during R. Kelly’s trial. His attorney believes that this will work to the benefit of his case, stating that “Mr. Kelly wants this to be an open and transparent process…with cameras in the courtroom, everyone will see what really happens.” However, the women accusing R. Kelly of… Read More

SEC Files Lawsuit Against Volkswagen, Says Company Misled Investors In Emission Scandal

UPDATED: 2019/03/15 12:00PM The United State Securities and Exchange Commission (aka the SEC) is suing Volkswagen and alleging that they defrauded their investors during their diesel emissions scandal. Volkswagen’s former chief executive, Martin Winterkorn, is also named in the lawsuit. If you’re unfamiliar with the scandal, from April 2014 to May 2015, the German auto company raised more than $13 billion from United States investors as senior executives lied about and even used software to cheat emissions tests. After putting devices on 11 million vehicles, the cars tested as low emission when their actual output was 40 times the United States’ legal limit. The scheme was eventually uncovered by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The complaint alleges that “By concealing the emissions scheme, Volkswagen reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in benefit by issuing the securities at more attractive rates for the company.” Volkswagen has called these allegations “legally and factually flawed” and says that the SEC is simply “piling on” after the company already admitted guilt and has been… Read More

Remington and Other Gun Companies Lose Ruling Over Liability in Sandy Hook Shooting

UPDATED: 2019/03/15 12:00PM In a big win for the parents of the children who were killed at Sandy Hook and a loss for the firearms industry, the Connecticut Supreme Court cleared the way for a lawsuit against the companies who manufactured and sold the semiautomatic rifle that was used by the gunman at the tragic Sandy Hook massacre. Typically fun companies are afforded immunity in such cases, as to keep them from being sued every time someone uses their guns in a crime, but the lawsuit is looking to challenge that immunity. The ruling by the Supreme Court allows the case (which has been brought by the families of the victims) to go around the precedent and creates an opening to bring claims to trial and hold the companies liable for the attack. Remington is one such company. Families are alleging that the marketing for their AR-15 style Bushmaster used in the attack used slogans like “Consider your man card reissued.” They arguing that those messages are irresponsible, and an… Read More

Shooting in New Zealand Mosques Leaves 49 Dead

UPDATED: 2019/03/15 12:00PM Forty-nine people were killed in shootings at two central Christchurch, New Zealand mosques in a terrorist attack. Officials reported that one man in his late 20s is being charged with murder and that there were two explosive devices found attached to a vehicle that they stopped.The gunman streamed a live video of the attack on Facebook and shared a nearly 90-page manifesto online. 41 people were killed at Al Noor Mosque and seven at Linqood Mosque just 15 minutes away. Another victim died at Christchurch hospital. Police said that four people, three men and one woman, had been taken into custody. The Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, said that one of them is an Australian. Of the three others, the police commissioner said that one of them may have nothing to do with the attack and are continuing to try to figure out how the other two suspects may have been involved. The man being charged with murder will appear in court on Saturday morning. None… Read More

Jussie Smollett Pleads Not Guilty on 16-Count Indictment

UPDATED: 2019/03/14 6:00PM Jussie Smollett pled not guilty to the 16-count indictment against him. Smollett was charged by the State’s Attorney’s Office with a felony of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. In an indictment that his attorney called “overkill,” the grand jury handed up two sets of charges: One for Smollett’s initial report to Chicago PD and the other charges are for his second interview with the police. The brothers involved in the staged attack on Smollett told grand jurors that Jussie hired them. The brothers were caught on camera buying supplies before the incident and said that Smollett drove with them ahead of the incident to scout the location and rehearse the attack. Smollett is set to be back in court in mid-April and has been advised that he must be at every court date moving forward. He is allowed to travel to LA and NY for meetings with his legal counsel, but must notify the court 48 hours in advance before traveling. He must also… Read More

Gordon Caplan, Lawyer Who’s Part of Massive College Admission Scheme, Put On Leave From Manhattan Law Firm

UPDATED: 2019/03/14 6:00PM Manhattan law firm Willkie, Farr & Gallagher has put Gordon Caplan on a leave of absence. Caplan is accused of paying $75,000 to have a proctor correct the answers on his daughter’s ACT exam after she took it as part of a multi-million dollar scheme involving celebrities and wealthy people cheating to get their children into college. According to court documents, Caplan had a conversation with Rick Singer, the mastermind of the scheme and said that he felt “pretty weird” and was apprehensive. He asked, “If somebody catches this, what happens?” He also expressed worries that his daughter would be “finished” if she was attached to the scheme. He said, “I’m not worried about the moral issue here. I’m worried about the, if she’s caught doing that, you know, she’s finished.” In a statement, the law firm said, “As widely reported, one of our partners, Gordon Caplan, was among the persons charged in the college admissions matter This is a personal matter and does not involve Willkie… Read More

Paul Manafort Sentenced to More Prison Time And Charged With Crimes in New York State

UPDATED: 2019/03/14 6:00PM New York State prosecutors charged Paul Manafort with mortgage fraud and other charges on Wednesday, March 13th, 2019 in a move that would ensure if Donald Trump were to try to pardon him, he would stay in prison. Judge Amy Berman handed down a 43 month sentence on top of the 47 months he was sentenced to last week. Her added sentence adds an extra three and a half years to his original sentence. While the judge in his original sentencing was lenient with Manafort, Berman was definitely not. She did not believe that he was sorry for his actions in the least. She said, “Saying I’m sorry I got caught is not an inspiring plea for leniency.” She told the courtroom “It is hard to overstate the number of lies and the amount of fraud and the extraordinary amount of money involved.” After the sentencing, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. revealed charges of residential mortgage fraud, conspiracy, falsifying records, and a scheme to defraud, in… Read More

Cardinal George Pell Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison For Child Sex Abuse

UPDATED 2019/03/13 2:00PM Cardinal George Pell has been sentenced to 6 years in prison for the abuse of two choirboys in the late 1990s. He is the most senior Vatican official to be convicted of sex abuse to date. Until last month Pell held a role considered by many to be the third most senior position within the Roman Catholic church as the Vatican treasurer. Pell, 77, was found guilty of one count of sexual penetration of a child and four counts of committing an indecent act with a child last December after a five-week trial that occured in secret. According to testimony, in the late 1990s, Pell caught two choirboys drinking communion wine and one by one forced them to engage in sexual acts with him. The boys did not come forward about what happened until 2015. His statement to Victoria Police led to an investigation and a number of other historical sex abuse charges to be filed against Pell. Chief Judge Peter Kidd handed down the verdict on… Read More

“Testicular Bill of Rights” Proposed In Objection to Georgia Abortion Bill

UPDATED 2019/03/13 2:00PM Democratic minority whip Daar’shun Kendrick is proposing a law that would make it an “aggravated assault” for men to have sex without a condom and would require men to obtain permission from their partner before seeking a prescription for erectile dysfunction drugs. Among her other proposals are DNA testing at the sixth week of pregnancy to determine paternity and requirements for the father to make immediate child support payments. It would also ban vasectomy procedures and introduce a 24-hour waiting period for men to buy porn or sex toys in Georgia. The bill is in response to Georgia’s House of Representatives passing a “heartbeat bill” that would ban abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy. The bill is moving to the State Senate, which is Republican-controlled. She said on a radio interview, “If the state of Georgia is going to be concerned with regulating women’s reproductive rights, I think it’s only fitting that we also do that for men’s reproductive rights.” She said that the point of… Read More

50 People Charged in Largest College Admissions Scam Ever Persecuted

UPDATED 2019/03/13 2:00PM Well-known businessmen, wealthy parents, coaches and actresses are among those charged in a massive college cheating admission scandal. The case is being called the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted. In the scam, parents paid a college prep organization, Key Worldwide Foundation, to take entrance exams on behalf of students or correct their answers. The organization also allegedly bribed college coaches to help admit students into college as recruited athletes regardless of their abilities. Felicity Huffman, an Academy Award nominee, has been charged with felony conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud and was arrested without incident at her LA home. She appeared on Tuesday in a federal court in LA and her bond was set at $250,000. She also surrendered her passport. Allegedly the actress paid $15,000 to facilitate cheating on her daughter’s SAT. She allegedly discussed the scheme in a phone call with Lori Loughlin. Loughlin is another one of the big names involved along with her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli.… Read More

Tucker Carlson Caught on Tape Using Racist and Homophobic Language (Again)

UPDATED 2019/03/12 4:00PM Media Matters for America released tapes of conservative Fox News host, Tucker Carlson, using racist and homophobic language just days after releasing records of Carlson making misogynist remarks. In the recording the Fox News host uses racist and homophobic language to describe Iraqi people, African Americans, members of the LGBT community and immigrants while speaking on a radio show in the years between 2006 and 2011. These recordings come one day after the nonprofit release recordings in which he can be heard using sexist language while speaking about child rape, rape shield laws, underage marriage and other topics. He refused to apologize for his remarks on his television show, instead choosing to go on a diatribe about the “digital mob.” He said, ““The great American outrage machine is a remarkable thing. One day you’re having dinner with your family imagining everything is fine, the next your phone is exploding with calls from reporters.” He said that his network still supports him saying, “First, Fox News is behind… Read More

Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin Indicted in College Admissions Bribery Case

UPDATED 2019/03/12 4:00PM Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman and Full House actress Lori Loughlin have been charged along with 48 others in a bribery scam that involves some of the most elite colleges in the United States. The charges against the actresses include conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Huffman has been arrested and is in custody, but will be released on a signature bond. According to court records, the actresses and others allegedly bribed people to get their children into various schools. Some of the bribes were to the tune of $6 million. The schools involved in the case include Stanford, UCLA, Stanford, Georgetown, and others. The alleged scam was unearthed after authorities found a California businessman who ran an operation that helped students get into the schools of their choice. Parents would pay the man money that he would then pass along to an SAT or ACT administrator or college athletic coach. In some cases, the money would go to a coach, the coach… Read More

Conor McGregor Posts Bail After Smashing Fan’s Phone in Miami

UPDATED 2019/03/12 4:00PM MMA fighter Conor McGregor has been arrested again. The pro fighter was brought in for allegedly smashing the phone of a fan outside of a hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. According to TMZ, at 5AM Monday morning, Conor and the owner of the phone were walking out of the hotel at the same time, at which point the fan attempted to snap a picture of McGregor. McGregor did not take too kindly to the impromptu photoshoot and slapped the victim’s phone out of his hand, which caused the phone to fall to the ground. Then, McGregor stomped on the device multiple times, damaging it. He finally picked up the phone and walked away with it. The incident was captured on a surveillance video. McGregor apparently went back to the home he is staying in while in Miami. The alleged victim filed a report with the police, who then went to the home and arrested him in the evening. McGregor was booked for robbery/strong arm and criminal mischief… Read More

Michael Cohen Suing Trump Organization

UPDATED 2019/03/08 3:00PM Michael Cohen is suing the Trump Organization for more than $1 million, which is money he says was supposed to be paid to his lawyers. Cohen claims that Trump went back on a promise to cover all of his legal fees related to the Mueller investigation. He says that, shortly after he was subpoenaed, Trump’s team agreed to cover all of his attorney’s fees. From October 2017 to May 2018, Trump’s company covered $1.7 million of his legal fees, but Trump started distancing himself from Cohen in June 2018. According to the lawsuit, this is when the money stopped coming in and a total of $1,037,868 remains unpaid. He alleges that his attorneys then pulled out of the case, which hurt him in the long run. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax fraud and campaign finance violations. He is suing the Trump Organization for the outstanding cash and is also looking to recover damages in the case.

Uber Not Held Liable After Self-Driving Car Causes Death

UPDATED 2019/03/08 3:00PM Officials announced earlier this week that Uber will not face any criminal charges in the death of a pedestrian who was struck by one of their self-driving cars in Tempe, Arizona last year. The pedestrian was walking a bicycle across a road at night when the self-driving software system initially classified them as an unknown object, then a vehicle and then a bike, but never stopped. The Yavapai County Attorney’s Office said that it conducted a review of the evidence and determined that Uber is not criminally liable. Though Uber is not liable, the employee behind the wheel of the SUC could face criminal charges. Video showed the test driver was distracted and not watching the road. Companies working on self-driving cars have test drivers who are meant to intervene in cases such as these. There is no real precedent for holding companies liable in these situations, but there is no way to prove that the company knew the software would fail, and therefore cannot be held… Read More

Man Who Killed Wife and Daughters Says He Didn’t Want Anyone Lying For Him After the Crime

UPDATED 2019/03/08 3:00PM Chris Watts, 33, killed his pregnant wife Shanann, 34,  and their two children 4-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste in August 2018 before disposing of their bodies at an oil field where he worked. According to prosecutors in the case, the 33-year-old strangled his wife and then suffocated his children before putting them in his car and driving away to dispose of their bodies. Now, months later, Watts is speaking with law enforcement about his state of mind in the weeks and months before the brutal murders and why he plead guilty to the crimes. Watts had initially blamed his wife for killing his two daughters, telling police that he saw her smother them. From there, though Watts said that he had not planned the killings, he certainly took steps to create a plausible story for his family, friends and police to believe, taking off Shanann’s wedding ring to indicate she wanted a divorce, choosing a plausible story that his family would believe and taking a therapy book… Read More

Paul Manafort Sentenced to Nearly 4 Years in Prison

UPDATED 2019/03/08 3:00PM Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, has been sentenced to almost 4 years in prison for cheating on his taxes and committing bank fraud. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Manafort was facing nearly 20 years in prison, but US. District Court Judge R.S. Ellis III called the guidelines calculation for his sentencing “excessive” and instead sentenced him to 47 months in prison. In court, Manafort asked the judge to consider his suffering over the past two years saying, “The last two years have been the most difficult years for my family and I. To say that I feel humiliated and ashamed would be a gross understatement.” He added, “I know it is my conduct that has brought me here.” Aware he may be criticized, the judge attempted to prove that his punishment was harsh enough, saying “go and spend a day, a week in jail or in the federal penitentiary. He has to spend 47 months.” He said that the sentence he imposed is in line with others… Read More

Michael Cohen Asked Lawyer to Talk to Trump Team About Pardon, Possibly Contradicting Testimony

UPDATED 2019/03/07 2:00PM A spokesperson for Michael Cohen, former personal attorney and fixer for President Trump, confirmed in a statement that Cohen asked one of his attorney’s to reach out to an attorney representing the president about receiving a pardon. According to the statement, Cohen asked his attorney at the time to meet with Rudy Giuliani, who is representing Trump, about the possibility of a pardon after an FBI raid on his home and office occured in July 2018. Davis said, “Prior to Michael Cohen’s decision to leave the ‘Joint Defense Group’ and tell the truth on July 2, 2018, Michael was open to the ongoing ‘dangling’ of a possible pardon by Trump representatives privately and in the media. During that time period, he directed his attorney to explore possibilities of a pardon at one point with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani as well as other lawyers advising President Trump.” Cohen later left the Joint Defense Group and “change his life and tell the truth” for the sake of his family… Read More

Fired Police Officer Found Guilty of Attempted Murder and Manslaughter After Killing Stranded Motorist

UPDATED 2019/03/07 2:00PM For the first time in 30 years, an officer in Florida has been convicted of an on-duty shooting. A jury in Florida found Nouman Raja, 41, guilty of manslaughter and attempted murder in the October 2015 death of 31-year-old Corey Jones. Jones had been on his way home from a music gig on a Saturday night with his band when his car broke down on the highway. His brother and a band mate worked to fix the car, but were not successful. Jones then decided to wait alone for the tow truck to come. That is when Raja drove the wrong way up the exit ramp in an unmarked white van, wearing plain clothes and approaching aggressively. He did not identify himself to Jones, the audio recording showed. Jones thought that he was being robbed, prosecutors argued, while Raja believed that he was investigating an abandoned car. Jones pulled out a hand gun that he had legally purchased just days before. That is when Raja shot him… Read More

Michael Jackson’s Statue Removed from Museum, Music Dropped From Radio After Airing of Leaving Neverland

UPDATED 2019/03/07 2:00PM The HBO Documentary Leaving Neverland is proving to have consequences for Michael Jackson, even though he is not around to witness them for himself. Radio stations in New Zealand and Canada have decided to drop Jackson’s music from their playlists, citing the new accusations of abuse by the late pop star as reasons for the decision. Many fans of Jackson’s have expressed sympathy for the victims, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who accuse the singer of sexually abusing them over a period of several years, and the radio stations explain that they only play music that their listeners want to hear. Right now, that is not Michael Jackson. Jackson’s statue was also removed from Britain’s National Football Museum. The statue has been displayed since 2014, but was removed this week in the wake of the documentary. A spokesperson said of the decision, “As part of our ongoing plans to better represent the stories we want to tell, we have made a decision to remove the Michael Jackson… Read More

Senator Martha McSally Says She Was Raped While Serving In Military

UPDATED: 2019/03/06 8:00PM Arizona’s Senator Martha McSally revealed to a Senate Armed Services subcommittee that she was raped by a superior officer while serving in the Air Force. The hearing was on preventing sexual assault in the military, a pervasive problem. McSally is the country’s first female pilot to fly in combat. She served in the Air Force for 26 years. McSally told the group of witnesses set to testify at the hearing about their own experienced with assault, “Like you, I am also a military sexual assault survivor. But unlike so many brave survivors, I didn’t report being sexually assaulted. Like so many women and men, I didn’t trust the system at the time.” She expressed that she felt “ashamed and confused” at the time and totally powerless. She shared, “In one case, I was preyed upon and raped by a superior officer.” McSally said that she was prompted to come forward because she was seeing cases like hers being treated inadequately. “I was horrified at how my attempt… Read More

Ryan Seacrest Wants to Be Left Out of Blac Chyna’s Kardashian Law Suit

UPDATED: 2019/03/06 8:00PM Ryan Seacrest’s legal team has filed new legal documents explaining the reasons why he should not have to sit down for a deposition by Blac Chyna’s team. Chyna sued the Kardashian family, claiming that, in order to have her reality show Rob & Chyna cancelled, they threatened E! with pulling their very successful Keeping Up With the Kardashians from the network. Now, Chyna is going to Seacrest’s production company, asking for documents for their suit. Seacrest’s team says that they gave over 800 pages worth of documents proving that he is not directly involved with the case in any way. Chyna’s team, however, will not let up, saying that Seacrest’s single tweet congratulating Rob Kardashian on the second season of Rob & Chyna getting picked up, proves his involvement. Seacrest’s team says that Chyna has not articulated a direct connection between the tweet and her suit. Seacrest is now fighting back and wants Chyna to give him $2,460 for wasting his time.

Father Found Guilty of Plotting Acid Attack on His Own Three-Year-Old Son

UPDATED: 2019/03/06 8:00PM A UK man has been found guilty and sentenced to 16 years behind bars for plotting an acid attack on his own child during a custody battle with his ex-wife. He was convinced unanimously by a jury after a six-week trial. The jury convicted him and five co-conspirators of plotting to spray sulfuric acid on the three-year-old’s face, intending to “burn, maim or disfigure” his own son. The attack was a bid to gain increased custody by making the child’s mother seem incapable of providing adequate care. The man, 40, is originally from Afghanistan, and his wife left him in 2016, taking their three children with her. His ex-wife was out with the children shopping for a birthday present in the English city of Worcester, when the child was sprayed with sulfuric acid on his face and arms. The boy has since made a “good recovery” and is still in the care of his mother. The five convicted co-conspirators were named as Adam Cech, Jan Dudi, Norbert… Read More

Jury Questions Submitted In Michael Rosfeld Case

UPDATED: 2019/03/05 3:00PM In June 2018, East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld was charged with criminal homicide in the shooting death of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II. Documents showed that Antwon was shot in his face, right arm and middle of his back. Rosfeld made inconsistent statements about whether or not he believed Antwon has a gun when he opened fire. Allegheny County District Attorney Steve Zappala said he believes Rosfeld acted “recklessly and without justification.” He said that he “finds that Rosfeld’s actions were intentional.” and that he was “not acting to prevent death or serious bodily injury.” He defended his decision to charge him with criminal homicide. Now prosecution and defense lawyers in the case have submitted the nearly 80 questions that they want potential jurors to answer. A motion hearing for Rosfeld is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5th, 2019, one week before the jury selection will occur. Questions include whether or not the potential jurors have family or friends in the military or police, how they feel about… Read More

Oprah Winfrey Airs Interview With Michael Jackson’s Leaving Neverland Accusers

UPDATED: 2019/03/05 3:00PM After the controversial airing of HBO’s “Leaving Neverland,” a documentary that details two men’s experiences being abused as children by Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey conducted an interview with the two men. Winfrey sat down with the two men accusing Jackson of childhood sexual abuse, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, and director Dan Reed. The hour-long interview aired on the OWN network and the studio audience was made up of sexual abuse survivors, supporters and family members. Jackson’s estate has vehemently denied the accusations and called both Robson and Safechuck liars. Oprah told the audience that she expects backlash. She said, “I know people all over the world are going to be in an uproar and debating whether or not Michael Jackson did these things and whether these two men are lying or not lying. But for me, this moment transcends Michael Jackson.” It is much bigger than any one person. This is a moment in time that allows us to see this societal corruption. It’s like a… Read More

Ex-NFL Star Kellen Winslow Jr. Back In Jail, Accused of Lewd Conduct in Public Gym

UPDATED: 2019/03/05 3:00PM   Winslow had previous posted a $2 million bail in July 2018 for a case involving three women who allege that he raped them. Two of the women were transients who allege that they were kidnapped by the former football player. The third woman alleges that Winslow raped her 15 years ago while she was unconscious. If he is convicted on all counts, Winslow faces up to life in prison. While out on bail on February 13th, Winslow was allegedly working out in a gym in San Diego when he began touching himself and asking a nearby 77-year-old woman if she liked it. One week later, the same woman claims that she was in the hot tub at the gym when Winslow again engaged in lewd conduct. The woman says that Winslow also reached out and touched her arm and foot as she attempted to leave. She claims that she immediately reported the incident. As a result, Winslow was charged with two counts of lewd conduct, one… Read More

Three Months After Fatal Stabbing, Police Say Family of Woman Killed Staged the Crime

UPDATED 2019/03/04 2:00PM Three months after 52-year-old Jacquelyn Smith was stabbed in what was thought to be an incident with a panhandler gone wrong, Baltimore police have arrested her husband and her stepdaughter in connection with the crime. Initially it was reported that Smith was stabbed while driving with her family through the city. She was stabbed, reports stated, by a man after stopping for a panhandler who carried a child and a sign asking for money.. Smith’s husband, Keith, called 911 to report the stabbing and rushed his wife to the hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. On Sunday, March 3rd, 2019, police revealed that the story about the panhandler was concocted to cover up a premeditated murder. Keith Smith, 52, and his daughter Valeria Smith, 28, were arrested near the Mexican border in Harlingen, Texas and charged with first-degree murder. Police say that Keith Smith had attempted to leave Maryland during the investigation, which tipped them off to him potentially being a person of interest, but did… Read More

San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer Stepping Away From Team After Altercation With Wife Caught on Video

UPDATED 2019/03/04 2:00PM San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer is stepping away from the Major League Baseball team to take “personal time” after a physical altercation with his wife, Pam, was captured on video. TMZ posted a video of the altercation that showed Baer knocking his wife to the ground from a chair in a public park in San Francisco on Friday, March 1st. His wife screamed for help during the incident, drawing attention to the already very public fight. Both husband and wife called the incident nothing more than a marital spat; Pam said that she had already forgiven her husband and was not pressing charges. Baer issued a statement that called his own behavior “unacceptable.” The Giants board of directors issued the following statement regarding the matter: “Mr. Baer has acknowledged that his behavior was unacceptable, apologized to the organization and is committed to taking steps to make sure that this never happens again. He has also requested, and the board has accepted, his request to take personal… Read More

Hedge Fund Performance Coach Suing Showtime’s Billions for Stealing From Her Book

UPDATED 2019/03/04 2:00PM Denise Shull, 59, is suing Showtime’s Billions for copyright infringement and she is providing emails to prove it. She says that the cable television show infringed on her life as “the world’s only female hedge fund performance coach” and her book on finance “Market Mind Games: A Radical Psychology of Investing, Trading and Risk.’ Emails with Billions showrunner Andrew Ross Sorkin show that he emailed Shull to invite her to discuss her book on his CNBC show in 2012 and then emailed her again asking her questions for the show. The email led to a two-hour meeting with with writers and executives where she was asked many questions about her life. The digital marketing director of the series, Alphonzo Terrell, also asked her about being part of the show’s promotion and the actress Maggie Siff, who plays the character whom Shull alleges is based on her, sent her technical questions as well. Those exchanges eventually ended without any discussion of involvement or compensation. When the show premiered… Read More

Brothers Involved In Jussie Smollett Hoax Issue Apology, Say They Have “Tremendous Regret”

UPDATED 2019/03/01 3:00PM Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, the two brothers involved in what police are calling a staged hate crime against Empire actor Jussie Smollett have issued a public apology through their lawyer saying that they have “tremendous regret” for their part in the situation. The brothers were initially arrested as suspected attackers after Smollett reported that he was attacked by two men who shouted homophobic and racial slurs, doused him with bleach and left a noose around his neck. Police now believe that Smollett paid the brothers $3,500 to stage the crime “because he was dissatisfied with his salary.” Smollett is charged with felony disorderly conduct. Attorney Gloria Schmidt said in a statement, “My clients have tremendous regret over their involvement in this situation, and they understand how it has impacted people across the nation, particularly minority communities and especially those who have been victims of hate crimes themselves.”

Fyre Festival Attendee Suing Netflix Over Using Her Footage in Fyre Documentary

UPDATED 2019/03/01 3:00PM A woman who attended the legendary fiasco known as Fyre Festival is suing Netflix for stealing her footage of the event. Clarissa Cardenas claims that in 2017, she shot footage of her horrendous experience in the Bahamas, and that Netflix used the video in its documentary about Fyre Festival without licensing it from her. The video, she says, is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. There is no description of her video in the lawsuit, though she does include a screenshot of the video. Regardless, she is sticking by her claim that the video is hers and that Netflix owes her some compensation. She’s suing Netflix and the producer Jerry Media for copyright infringement and is looking to recover $150,000 in damages or a cut of the documentary’s profits.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Be Indicted on Corruption Charges

UPDATED 2019/03/01 3:00PM Israel’s attorney general announced on Thursday, February 28th, that his office plans to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges. The indictment comes after a two-year investigation into the prime minister’s conduct. Netanyahu faces one count of bribery and three counts of breach of trust. With elections only six-weeks away, Netanyahu is calling the prosecution’s announcement a “witch hunt,” calling the charges “outrageous” and an attack on him by his liberal opponents. He vowed to refute all allegations, calling them “blood libel.” This is not the first time that Netanyahu has found himself in trouble with the law. Police have previous recommended indicting the prime minister for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three different cases. The most serious allegations against the prime minister involve his ties to the controlling shareholder of Israel’s telecom tech giant Bezeq, Shaul Bezeq. Police have said their investigation concluded that the men engaged in a “bribe-based relationship.” Police also accused the PM of corruption twice, the first instance involves… Read More

Conservative Federal Judge, Eric Miller, Confirmed Without Consent of Either Home-State Senator

UPDATED: 2019/02/28 3:00PM Seattle attorney Eric Miller was confirmed as a judge on the United States’ most liberal appeals court this week, but he was confirmed without the consent of either of his home-senators. Before this week, a nominee for the 9th circuit court of appeals had never been confirmed without the support of at least one senator from their home-state. Historically, senators can submit their opinions via “blue slips” or they may choose not to return them. Neither Senator Patty Murray nor Senator Maria Cantwell, both Washington state Democrats, returned blue slips on Miller’s nomination to serve on the 9th circuit court of appeals. Miller was confirmed on Tuesday, February 26th on a 53-46 vote. This allows Trump to move forward toward a more conservative federal judiciary. The vote to confirm Miller’s lifetime appointment followed a brief hearing, which took place during a congressional recess. Only two Republican senators were present. This marks a break in traditions that some Democrats are calling “a dangerous first.” According to a statement… Read More

Broadway Production of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Threatens Legal Action Against Playhouses Putting on Harper Lee Tale

UPDATED: 2019/02/28 3:00PM A theatre in Buffalo, New York is being forced to shut down its production of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The Kavinoky Theatre at D’Youville College says that it is over a licensing dispute that is closing productions of the play at theaters across the country in favor of the current Broadway production. According to the theater’s executive director Loraine O’Donnell, “Companies, small and large, are getting these cease and desist and really we have no alternative.” The orders are coming from the Broadway producer that is tied to Harper Lee’s estate. O’Donnell claims that she has the rights for staging the play from two years ago and it is a different version from the current Broadway production of the show. O’Donnell insists that she checked to ensure that this wouldn’t occur. She told one news station, “When I heard about the Broadway production, again a whole different adaptation, written by Aaron Sorkin, I called the publishing company that we got the rights from and said,… Read More

Robert Kraft Pleads Not Guilty In Prostitution Case

UPDATED: 2019/02/28 3:00PM Robert Kraft has formally entered a not guilty plea in his prostitution case. The court documents state: “The defendant Robert Kraft hereby pleads not guilty to all charges and requests a non-jury trial in the above-styled cause.” Kraft has also requested a non-jury trial and hired a close friend of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as a lawyer in the case. Kraft is facing two misdemeanors and faces a $5,000 fine, 100 hours of community service and attending a class in the dangers of human trafficking. In response to the allegations that the Patriots owner solicited prostitutes at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida, Kraft made a public statement denying that he participated in any illegal activity. Officials, however, say that they have graphic surveillance footage that shows the 77-year-old businessman entering the spa on January 19th and 20th of this year and receiving sex acts in exchange for money. If convicted, Kraft faces up to a year in jail. He is scheduled to… Read More

Mother and Daughter Charged With Five Counts of Homicide After Killing Family Members

UPDATED 2019/02/27 2:00PM Shana S. Decree, 45, and Dominique K. Decree, 19, have both been charged with five counts of homicide and one count of conspiracy in connection with the deaths of their five relatives. A social worker had knocked on the door of the family home for a surprise visit on Monday when they discovered that most of the family was dead; Shana and Dominique were both “disoriented” and rushed to the hospital. Shana Decree lived in a Morrisville, Pennsylvania apartment with three of her children: Dominique Decree, Naa’Irah Smith, 25, and Damon Decree Jr., 13. Her sister, 42-year-old Jamilla Campbell and her twin daughters, Imani and Erika Allen, 9, lived in the apartment, too. When no one answered the door, the social worker had building maintenance check the apartment. Police were called less than 20 minutes later. There was, according to reports, broken glass, clutter, and overturned furniture throughout the apartment. The deceased members of the family were found in the bedroom. Initially the mother and daughter told… Read More

Michael Cohen Testifies That Donald Trump Was Involved in Hush Money Scheme, Provides Checks to Prove It

UPDATED 2019/02/27 2:00PM Former Trump lawyer, Michael Cohen, is testifying on Capitol Hill today and attempting to support his claims that the president engaged in possible criminal conduct while in office. He has submitted copies of checks that Trump, his son Donald Jr. and the COO of the Trump Organization have signed as evidence. Cohen provided a copy of a check that he says was personally signed by Trump in 2017 to reimburse him for payments that he made to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, who alleged having an affair with Trump. Cohen said at his House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing, “I am providing a copy of a $35,000 check that President Trump personally signed from his personal bank account on Aug. 1 of 2017 — when he was President of the United States — pursuant to the cover-up, which was the basis of my guilty plea, to reimburse me — the word used by Mr. Trump’s TV lawyer — for the illegal hush money I paid on his… Read More

Conservative Student Assaulted at UC Berkeley

UPDATED 2019/02/27 2:00PM Activist Hayden Williams was on the UC Berkeley campus recruiting students for a grassroots conservative organization when two men assaulted him. One of the men pushed Williams and punched him in the face. Hayden is not a student at the UC Berkeley campus, but the campus chapter of Turning Point USA, asked him for recruiting assistance. Williams is a field representative for another conservative group, Leadership Institute. On Tuesday, February 26th, 2019, UC Berkeley officials announced that police were preparing to apprehend a suspect in the assault on a felony charge. The suspect has not been named and they have not yet been issued an arrest warrant. Conservatives are arguing that the attack garnered what they perceive as a delayed response from the police and university because of “liberal bias” in the media. They also say that this bias has garnered a lack of response from the public as well. Donald Trump Jr. even tweeted, “Wonder if it would be the same if a conservative beat up… Read More

Michael Cohen Will Testify on Capitol Hill This Week

Michael Cohen is scheduled to testify before three congressional committees this week. He will testify on Tuesday (2/26/19) before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Wednesday (2/27/19) before the House Oversight Committee and Thursday before the House Oversight committee. His hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday are private, but the House Oversight hearing is public. Cohen, formerly Trump’s lawyer, pleaded guilty last year to multiple crimes, including lying to Congress and arranging hush money payments to women that allegedly had affairs with the president. He is expected to describe what he views on the president’s “lies, racism and cheating” while President of the United States and while in private business. His three-year long prison sentence is set to begin in May. Cohen is expected to detail his exact motives for helping president Trump and his motives for coming clean now, offering specific details about how and why he arranged hush money payments under the direction of Trump. He is also expected to provide more detail about his lies to Congress, specifically the allegation… Read More

New Jersey Man Indicted for Arson, Quadruple Murder of His Brother, Sister-In-Law and Their Children After Business Dispute

Court documents allege that Paul Caneiro murdered his brother Keith Caneiro and his family just one day after Keith decided to cut off his brother over missing business funds. On November 20th, 2018, 50-year-old Keith Caneiro was found fatally shot on the front lawn of his home after emergency services were called because the home was on fire. Inside the house, his wife Jennifer, 45, and their son Jesse, 11, and daughter Sophia, 8 were all found stabbed to death. On Monday, February 25th, 2019 a Monmouth County grand jury returned a 16-count indictment against Keith’s brother Paul, 52, alleging that he was the one who murdered his brother and his family before burning down their New Jersey mansion to cover up the crime. Paul Caneiro also set fire to his own home earlier that same day, though the motive is unclear and no one was harmed in that blaze.   According to court papers, Paul Caneiro committed the crimes after he stole upwards of $75,000 from the technology firm… Read More

Federal Court Orders Roger Stone Associate Andrew Miller to Testify, Rejects Challenge to Mueller’s Legitimacy

Roger Stone associate Andrew Miller will testify to a grand jury in the Mueller investigation or face the possibility of going to jail, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on February 26th, 2019. The ruling is seen as an endorsement of Mueller’s authority; Miller will be held in contempt of court and jailed for refusing to testify under Mueller’s subpoena. Miller’s challenge to the subpoena tested whether Mueller could call witnesses to a grand jury and take other prosecutorial steps. The appeals court said that Mueller was legally appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as special counsel in May 2017 and has conducted a grand jury investigation that is within his authority. Miller’s attorney said in a statement, “We are disappointed with the decision and will be considering future legal action, whether before the full court of appeals or the Supreme Court.

Man Who Spent 39 Year in Jail for Double Murder He Didn’t Commit Gets $21 Million Settlement

UPDATED 2019/02/25 71-year-old Craig Coley spent 39 years in prison, almost four decades, for two murders that he did not commit. Simi Valley announced on Saturday, February 23rd, 2019 that they will settle with Coley, giving him $21 million for spending the last nearly four decades wrongfully incarcerated for the 1978 murders of Rhonda Wicht and her 4-year-old son, Donald. Coley’s case represents that longest prison term overturned in California. City Manager Eric Levitt said “While no amount of money can make up for what happened to Mr. Coley, settling this case is the right thing to do for Mr. Coley and our community.” On November 11th, 1978, Rhonda Wicht was found strangled and raped in her home and her son Donald was found smothered. At the time, neighbors alleged that they overheard a struggle and spotted Coley’s truck outside. Coley, then 31, a manager of a restaurant and son of a retired LA detective, was in the process of breaking up with Wicht at the time of her death.… Read More

Judge Dismisses Charges in 170-Foot-Tall Water Slide Decapitation

UPDATED 2019/02/25 In 2016, a young boy was riding a nearly 170-foot-tall water slide in Kansas when he was decapitated and died. State attorneys brought criminal charges against operators and associates of the waterpark, accusing those involved of recklessness. The water slide, which was named Verruckt (meaning “crazy or insane” in German) opened in 2014 and was marketed as the tallest water slide in the world. The rafts used on the ride would sometimes lift from the chute and the slide was covered in netting that was supported by poles so that riders would not fall off. But there were times that the riders struck the netting or poles, injuries that occured before 10-year-old Caleb Schwab’s death in August 2016. The 10-year-old was knocked from the ride and toward the netting, where he hit a metal pole and decapitated. Caleb’s family received a $20 million settlement from Schlitterbahn Waterparks and companies involved in the slide.The two women on the raft with Caleb were sisters who also sustained facial injuries and… Read More

White House Denies Allegations That Trump Kissed Former Campaign Staffer Without Consent

UPDATED 2019/02/25 A former Trump staffer who worked on his 2016 presidential campaign says that Trump kissed her without her consent at a gathering of supporters before a Florida rally. Alva Johnson is alleging in her lawsuit that the now-president grabbed her hand and leaned in to kiss her on the lips outside of a rally in Tampa, Florida on August 24th, 2016. The kiss, unwanted, landed on the side of her mouth when she turned her head. Johnson said that the interaction still causes her anguish. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called Johnson’s allegation “absurd on its face.” She added, “This never happened and is directly contradicted by multiple highly credible eye witness accounts.” Johnson identified two Trump supporters, Pam Bondi (former Florida attorney general) and another campaign official, as witnesses. The two witnesses denied seeing the alleged interaction in interviews. Johnson had been singing Trump’s praises in 2017 and even said in one interview that she was expecting to be given a job at the U.S. Embassy… Read More

Parents Who Held 13 Children Captive In Their Home Plead Guilty to Multiple Charges

UPDATED 2019/02/22 5:00PM David and Louise Turpin each pleaded guilty to 14 charges of torture, adult abuse, child endangerment, false imprisonment and more on Friday, February 22nd, 2019. The couple held their thirteen children, seven of which were adults, captive in their California home, chained and living in squalor. The ages of the children ranged from two to twenty-nine, and they had been shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks. The couple was arrested after their 17-year-old daughter fled the home through a window and called police on a deactivated cell phone that she had found in the home as part of an escape she had planned for more than two years.   They each are facing 25 years to life in person according to the Riverside Country District Attorney’s Office. The District Attorney believes that the pleas will result in life sentences.

R. Kelly Charged With Sexual Abuse of Four Victims, Three of Them Minor

UPDATED 2019/02/22 5:00PM Kelly has been indicted on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Cook County, Illinois. During a press conference, Kimberly Foxx, the Cook County state’s attorney announced the charges, saying that a grand jury indicted the singer on 10 counts involving four victims identified as “H.W.,” “R.L.,” “L.C.” and “J.P.” Three out of four of the victims were under the age of 17 at the time of the alleged incidents. The incidents took place in the years between 1998 and 2010. The statute of limitations has not run out on the alleged incidents. Foxx noted that each count is a Class 2 felony in Illinois and carry a potential sentence of three to seven years. Kelly has been facing allegations of assault for decades, but the full extent of his actions was brought to light with a docuseries Surviving R. Kelly in which some of his victims outlined and described his alleged physical, emotional, sexual and psychological abuse.

Driver of School Bus Involved in Newark Crash Arrested for DUI, Was Actually an Aide

UPDATED 2019/02/22 5:00PM 57-year-old Lisa Byrd was arrested for driving a school bus full of children with special needs while under the influence on Wednesday, February 20th, 2019. In a recent development, it was found that Byrd was not a licensed school bus driver at all, but a school bus aide. Byrd decided to drive the bus during a snow emergency in Newark, New Jersey on Wednesday, as the driver on the route was running late. The bus then hit a tree as investigators claim Byrd overdose on what they assume was heroin. The owner of the school bus company says that he was not aware that Byrd was on any illegal substances. In fact, he theorized to one publication that it was a drop in the woman’s blood sugar that lead to the crash. First responders to the scene used Narcan to revive Byrd. Narcan is a narcotic that is typically used in patients who have overdosed on heroin. It can also be used on hyperglycemic people. Eyewitnesses at… Read More

Kim Kardashian Suing Fast-Fashion Brand for Using Her to Sell Their Knockoff Clothes

UPDATED 2019/02/21 Kim Kardashian has long been critical of fast fashion brands who use her iconic high-end style to create cheap knockoffs versions, but now she is taking that criticism a step further by taking one of those brands to court. Kardashian filed a lawsuit against Missguided USA, an online retailer that sells outfits that are very similar to those worn by celebrities, for using her name and image without her permission to advertise those knockoffs. In the lawsuit, Kardashian cites multiple examples of when Missguided posted its own versions of an outfit Kardashian wore and posted herself on Instagram within days or hours of her posting. She included side-by-side examples. Kardashian also claims that Missguided usually tags her in the posts and uses photos of her to advertise the clothes, which she says is akin to false advertising and gives their customers the idea that she’s working with the company directly. According to TMZ, Kardashian is planning to file many more lawsuits against these fast fashion brands. Kardashian is… Read More

Former Trump Staffer Wants to Nullify NDAs with Class-Action Lawsuit

UPDATED 2019/02/21 Former Trump campaign official, Jessica Denson is filing a class-action claim to nullify all nondisclosure agreements that the Trump campaign forced its staffers to sign. In the claim, Denson argues that the NDAs are too vague, too broad and can be used as a means of retaliation against those staffers who complain about their workplace conditions. Trump is a big fan of non-disclosure agreements and uses them often. Denson’s lawyers, David Bowles and Maury Josephson, have estimated that there were thousands of employees, volunteers and contractors who have been forced to sign these NDAs that keep them from exposing any secrets or making any disparaging comments about Trump, his family or his campaign. Bowles told The Post, “My client believes that the campaign has been using these NDAs as a bludgeon against workers who want to speak out and anybody who wants to make a comment that could be construed as critical of the president of the United States.”

Jussie Smollett Arrested, Police Allege He Staged Attack to Promote Career

UPDATED 2019/02/21 “Empire” star Jussie Smollett was arrested on Thursday morning (2/21/19) on suspicion of filing a false report after alleging that he was attacked on January 29th. His bail hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon. According to Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson, Actor Jussie Smollett paid two brothers $3,500 to stage an attack on himself to take “advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career.” The attack on Smollett did take place, but it was staged, and the police have the check that was used to pay the two men who carried it out. According to Johnson, Smollett staged the attack partly because he was unhappy with his “Empire” salary. The two men punched the actor, wearing gloves, but “as far as [police] can tell, the scratching and bruising that [the public] saw on his face were most likely self-inflicted.” Johnson also warned of the dangers of filing false reports: “Bogus police report cause real harm. I am offended by what’s happened and I’m… Read More

Former Philadelphia Homicide Detective Charged with Rape and Intimidation During Investigations

UPDATED: 2019/02/20 5:00PM 52-year-old Philip Nordo, a former Philadelphia Homicide detective who was fired in 2017 after 20 years on the force, was arrested on Tuesday, February 19th. The former detective is accused of grooming and sexually assaulting male witnesses during investigations and then using intimidation to keep them from speaking out about the abuse. Prosecutors say that this pattern of abuse continued over a decade of Nordo’s public service. The accusations come after a long-running probe into the former detective’s behavior while on the force. Charges include multiple counts of sexual assault, rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. A grand jury found that the 52-year-old “repeatedly contacted young men that he sought to groom,” and upon grooming them then made threats to “make the targets of his advances more susceptible to his sexually assaultive and/or coercive behavior.”  The threats made included arresting or jailing suspects, displaying his firearm, targeting already handcuffed prisoners, and more while in interrogation rooms and visiting rooms. These allegations do not only affect Nordo’s criminal… Read More

Federal Judge Overseeing Roger Stone Case Orders Him to Court

UPDATED: 2019/02/20 5:00PM Federal judge Amy Berman Jackson of the United States District Court in Washington ordered a hearing on Tuesday, February 19th, 2019, to consider revoking Roger Stone Jr.’s bail. Stone was charged with obstruction of justice, witness tampering and making false statements last month. He pleaded not guilty to the felony charges, which accused him of lying to investigators. The order comes after Stone posted a photo of the judge on Instagram with cross hairs of a gun near her head. Stone suggested in the post that Judge Jackson would be biased in presiding over his case. The photo was deleted, but already circulated across social media. Judge Jackson asked Trump’s longtime adviser to explain why she should not change the conditions of his release or modify his gag order after seeing the horrific Instagram post.   Stone apologized in a court filing on Monday writing that the “photograph and comment…was improper and should not have been posted. I had no intention of disrespecting the Court and humbly… Read More

High School Student Who Went Viral For Pro-Life Rally Encounter with Native American Elder Is Suing the Washington Post

UPDATED: 2019/02/20 5:00PM Attorneys for Nick Sandmann, a Kentucky high school student who found himself at the center of a huge viral video controversy last month, are suing The Washington Post and seeking $250 million in damages. Sandmann, a student at Covington Catholic High School was in DC for a March for Life rally, donning a Make America Great Again hat when he had an encounter with Omaha tribe elder Nathan Phillips, who was also in DC, chanting and playing the drum at the Indigenous Peoples March. The initial video caught the attention of the internet and went viral, accusing Sandmann of being disrespectful and racist until a second video, posted days later, provide more context for the encounter. In the second video, a group of black men who identify as Hebrew Israelites, taunt the students and the participants of the Indigenous Peoples Rally. Sandmann’s attorneys, Lin Wood and Todd McMurtry filed a lawsuit on behalf of the young man for “compensatory and punitive damages” adding, “This is only the… Read More

Grand Jury Reportedly Being Convened to Hear Evidence Against R. Kelly In Light of New Allegations

UPDATED: 2019/02/19 2:00PM After a video allegedly showing R. Kelly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl was given to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office last weekend, a grand jury has reportedly been convened in Illinois. Representatives for the singer who, as of late, has been plagued with allegations of both physical, sexual and emotional abuse, say that the reports are fake. In a statement they said, “I am unaware of any ‘special’ grand jury being convened to look into R. Kelly. There is no record of any such proceedings, and no need for them. The report is false.” Kelly’s representative added that grand jury proceedings are meant to be secret, which means that “to the extent that people are commenting on what may or may not be going on today are possibly violating the law.” The State’s Attorney’s Office has yet to comment.

16 States Sue to Stop Trump’s Declaration of a National Emergency to Build Wall

UPDATED: 2019/02/19 2:00PM President Trump declared on Friday, February 15th, that he would spend billions of dollar more on his border wall than Congress had granted him, using his emergency powers to do so. Now, 16 states have challenged President Trump on Monday, February 18th in court over his plan to fund his multi-billion dollar border wall. The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in San Francisco, argues that President Trump does not have the power to divert funds for his border wall because Congress is the branch of government that controls the spending. Trump’s thoughts on the matter are contradictory sat best. He is quoted as saying, “I didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster.” The lawsuit states, “Contrary to the will of Congress, the president has used the pretext of a manufactured ‘crisis’ of unlawful immigration to declare a national emergency and redirect federal dollars appropriated for drug interdiction, military construction and law enforcement initiatives toward building a wall on the United States-Mexico… Read More

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Returns to Supreme Court

UPDATED: 2019/02/19 2:00PM 85-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg took the bench at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, February 19th, for the first time since undergoing surgery in December for cancer. The surgery that she underwent was to remove two cancerous nodules from her lung She was there to hear oral arguments after missing two weeks in January to recover. Instead of attending in person, she followed the cases by reading their transcripts from home and will vote in the cases she missed. Cases this term include religious liberties, partisan gerrymandering and Trump’s decision to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census questionnaire.

Prosecutors Recommend Reduced Time for Tekashi 6ix9ine

UPDATED: 2019/02/17 1:00PM Tekashi 6ix9ine was facing a minimum of 47 years and a maximum of life in prison after being charged with nine federal counts that included firearms offenses, narcotics trafficking, racketeering, and conspiracy, but under the terms of his recent guilty plea, he could get out of jail as early as 2020 According to a newly unsealed plea deal, because the rapper gave complete cooperation, the US Attorney’s Office has agreed “not to prosecute the defendant for the crimes set forth in Counts One through Nine.” They have also agreed that “should the defendant successfully cooperate, the government…will file at the time of sentencing a motion…for a sentence below the mandatory minimum.” A federal judge will determine his sentencing during a hearing scheduled for January 2020. He will also be eligible for witness protection.

Anthony Weiner Released from Prison

UPDATED: 2019/02/17 1:00PM The oft-disgraced congressman, Anthony Weiner, has been released from prison as a part of a federal re-entry program in New York while he waits for his full release later this spring. Weiner was serving time after being convicted of sexting a 15-year-old North Carolina girl. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison and was transferred from Federal Medical Center in Massachusetts to New York’s Residential Reentry Management Program. It is believed that Weiner is serving his remaining time until his release on May 14th, 2019  in home confinement or a halfway house. Upon release, Weiner will spend three years supervised and will pay a $10,000 fine. He will also register as a sex offender.

The Dark Side of Making Dreams Come True – Ryan Adams Accused of Teasing Fame for Sexual Favors

UPDATED: 2019/02/15 12:00 PM For nearly two decades, Ryan Adams, a prolific singer-songwriter, has been praised as a creative genius and a respected industry tastemaker. With over 16 albums and 7 Grammy nominations to his name, it’s not too far fetched to learn that his career is littered with big name collaborations like Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw, John Mayer, etc. It’s also known that he has taken a special interest in bolstering the trajectory of female artists, especially younger ones. Often championing many of them onstage, on social media, and even in the studio — an arena where his help and approval can mean the difference between a career in music or not. However, seven of these female artists and dozens of associates are now saying that Adams’s golden ticket was not without strings. Among those describing a pattern of manipulative behavior in which Adams teased career opportunities while simultaneously pursuing a sexual element to their relationship, is his former wife, singer and actress Mandy Moore. Moore states that “Music… Read More

Up and Coming Rapper Charged with The Murder of His Friends

UPDATED: 2019/02/15 12:00 PM Though publicly mourning the loss of two of his close friends, Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr., on Instagram who died in October, YNW Melly, a rising Florida rapper, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with two counts of murder. Police say that YNW Melly fatally shot his friends and then staged the crime scene to look like a drive-by shooting. The arrest of YNW Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Demons, delivers a seemingly significant halt to what what appeared to be an up-and-coming career, to include a just beginning concert tour across the country, a recent collaboration with famed artist, Kayne West, and his Instagram was full of the trappings of hip-hop stardom. The investigation turned toward YNW Melly after another member of his posse, Cortlen Henry, gave a statement to police in which the facts discovered during the preliminary investigation did not match what was being presented to detectives. Further investigation and forensic evidence found that YNW Melly shot and killed Williams and… Read More

California Man Faces More Than 12 years for Starting Cranston Wildfire

UPDATED: 2019/02/15 12:00 PM A California man was sentenced to more than 12 years in state prison Thursday, after admitting and being found guilty of starting a wildfire that destroyed over 13,000 acres of the San Bernardino National Forest last summer. The Cranston Fire, as it would be named, required the efforts of over 700 firefighters called to battle the flames. Brandon McGlover, age 33, of Temecula, CA pleaded guilty to two counts of burning of a structure or forest land, after initially being charged with starting nine separate blazes on July 25, including the Cranston Fire, which was the largest. McGlover admitted to burning multiple structures that resulted in the Cranston Fire, according to prosecutors. In addition to is sentencing, the judge also ordered McGlover to pay restitution to the victims. The blaze was one of many in last summer’s “Fire” season the wreaked havoc on the Southern California landscape.

Deal’s Off the Table – Judge Denies Plea Agreement Due to Manafort’s “Intentional” Lies During the Investigation

UPDATED: 2019/02/14 12:00 PM Paul Manafort finds himself without the safe haven of a plea deal today. As Judge Amy Berman Jackson explains, Manafort “made multiple false statements to the FBI, the OSC and the grand jury concerning matters that were material to the [Robert Mueller led] investigation,” including his contacts with his Russian associate during the campaign and later. Manafort was convicted of a litany of financial crimes in August, and cut the original deal to plead guilty to two charges of conspiracy and witness tampering in September. However, Judge Jackson determined that Manafort intentionally lied about $125,000 he received for the legal bills, about another Justice Department criminal investigation, and about his interactions with his longtime Russian associate, Konstantin Kilimnik, while and after he was campaign chairman. Even though is deal is off the table, Manafort is still bound by what he agreed to in the plea. He is unable to retract his guilty pleas, and the finding frees Mueller’s office from its contractual obligations stipulated in the… Read More

58 Priests Named as “Credibly Accused” for Sexually Assaulting Parishioners in a List Released by VA Dioceses

UPDATED: 2019/02/14 12:00 PM A new update in the ongoing investigation being done by the Catholic Church of it’s leaders yields a list of 58 Virginia priests who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors. Virginia’s two Catholic dioceses, the Diocese of Arlington and the Diocese of Richmond each released a list of 16 and 42 names respectively, both citing the need to bring closure and justice to the victims families in order to begin the healing process. None of the clergy listed in either diocese are currently in active ministry, spokesmen for the dioceses said; however a local survivor-advocate on Wednesday criticized both lists, stating that neither includes the names of the parishes where the 58 accused men served nor when they were removed from their positions. The Church also faces additional criticism, as other advocates have pointed out that there is no agreed-upon standard among bishops for what constitutes “credibly accused,” nor a consensus on who should get to define it. A bishop raised the problem on… Read More

Cosby Claims He is a Political Prisoner — Shows No Remorse

UPDATED: 2019/02/14 12:00 PM In a statement given by Bill Cosby — his first since his incarceration — the famous comedian and television star blames his imprisonment on a covert political agenda, subtly comparing himself to Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Randal Robinson, and Dr. Benjamin Chavis,” and says he’ll never have remorse for his crimes: “My political beliefs, my actions of trying to humanize all races, genders and religions landed me in this place surrounded by barb wire fencing, a room made of steel and iron,” the comedian said in a statement released by press spokesman, Andrew Wyatt. Cosby’s long and winding path to his conviction last September began in 2004 when Andrea Constand accused him of sexual assault. A decade later, many other women came forward with accusations that Cosby had drugged and assaulted them in similar incidents over his career as a powerful celebrity. Cosby now faces 10 years behind bars as result of the Constand case — the only one to be brought… Read More

NYPD Detective Loses Life as a Result of Friendly Fire

UPDATED: 2019/02/13 1:00PM A New York Police Department detective was shot and killed in the borough of Queens on Tuesday. As Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill stated, it was an apparent incident of friendly fire. As the two officers went into the store where the incident took place, a suspect came out of a back room with a replica handgun. The detective and sergeant fired, and as they were leaving the store, the detective was apparently shot by officers unaware of the situation. The detective who lost his life was Brian Simonsen, 42, and a 19-year veteran of the department. “Once again our hearts are broken in the NYPD,” Commissioner O’Neill said, and went on to cite that while friendly fire was what ended Simonsen’s life, the true fault lies in the actions of the suspect, who O’Neill describes as a 27-year-old career criminal. Before Tuesday, eight US police officers had been killed by firearms while on duty in 2019, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund website.

Fairfax Accuser Says Knowledge of Previous Unpunished Assault May Have Led to His Alleged Crime

UPDATED: 2019/02/12 1:00PM In the wake of the rape allegation brought against Virginia’s Lt. Governor, Justin Fairfax, Meredith Watson (via counsel) has also announced a second rape allegation against former duke basketball player and current Fox Sports West analyst, Corey Maggette. While Maggette maintains his innocence in a statement taken for New York Times article which broke the story of this second allegation, Watson, through her attorney, Nancy Erika Smith, said in a separate statement on Friday that after she was raped she went to an unnamed dean “who provided no help and discouraged her from pursuing the claim further.” Watson also told the same to Fairfax, Smith said, and went further to assert that Fairfax used his knowledge of that assault allegation to take advantage of Watson. In response to these continued allegations, Fairfax stated, “I want to stand here in that truth and restate that my truth, as well as the truth of Dr. Tyson and Ms. Watson, should be fully investigated and thoroughly assessed,” calling on the… Read More

Murders’ Identities in a 1946 Mass Lynching Could Be Revealed After Court Ruling

UPDATED: 2019/02/12 1:00PM On Monday, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Atlanta, affirmed a lower court’s ruling that ordered the release of the grand jury transcripts from the 1946 Moore’s Ford lynching case that involved what is widely regarded as the “last mass-lynching” in American history. On July 25, 1946, two black couples were riding in a car in Walton County, Ga., when they were mobbed by a group of white men. They were dragged from the car at gunpoint, tied up, then shot — about 60 times, at close range — and killed. Although a grand jury convened and numerous witnesses testified for 16 days, there were never any charges brought leaving the case unsolved to this day. Now, more than 70 years later, what was said during the grand jury hearings may be on the verge of becoming public. In a 2-to-1 opinion, Judge Charles R. Wilson wrote that the event was so obviously of “exceptional historical significance” that “the interest in disclosure… Read More

El Chapo Facing Life in Prison after 10 of 10 Guilty Convictions

UPDATED: 2019/02/12 1:00PM The Mexican crime lord known as El Chapo was convicted on Tuesday after an extensive three-month long drug trial in New York. Through what defense attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman described as a case “…with so many cooperating witnesses and so much evidence,”  the prosecutorial team was able to expose the inner workings of his sprawling cartel; which over many years, illegally imported literal tons of drugs into the United States and plagued Mexico with relentless bloodshed and corruption. Serving as a dark folk hero in Mexico, El Chapo, whose real name is Joaquín Guzmán Loera, must face the truth that his career as a legendary outlaw, known for notorious for his innovative smuggling tactics, his violence against competitors, his storied prison breaks and his nearly unstoppable ability to evade the Mexican authorities, has ended As Judge Brian M. Cogan read the jury’s charge sheet in open court — 10 straight guilty verdicts on all 10 counts of the indictment — Mr. Guzmán sat listening to a translator, looking… Read More

Arizona Police Being Sued for Torture After Tasering a Man’s Genitals During Arrest

UPDATED: 2019/02/10 An Arizona man is alleging that members of the Glendale police department tased him eleven times during a “vicious and evil” traffic stop. Newly released body camera footage from the July 2017 encounter is disturbing and shows police tasing Johnny Wheatcroft in his genitals as he struggles to get out of his seatbelt to remove himself from the vehicle. Wheatcraft is now suing the Glendale Police Department. According to the police, the vehicle was pulled over because of a turning violation. Wheatcroft was not driving the vehicle and was in the passenger seat at the time of the incident. The car also contained his 5- and 11-year-old songs and their mother in the back seat. In the newly unearthed body camera footage, officers can be heard asking Wheatcroft for his identification and became suspicious that he was hiding evidence in the car. Police said they found a “usable quantity of methamphetamine within the vehicle.” In a statement, the Glendale police said that “For the safety of themselves and… Read More

American Airlines Pilot Arrested Just Before Transatlantic Takeoff on Suspicion of Being Drunk

UPDATED: 2019/02/10 Just a few minutes before he was scheduled to take off from Manchester Airport, an American Airlines pilot has been arrested on suspicion of being drunk. Officers were called to the airport on Thursday, February 7th, after receiving a report that a pilot “may have been under the influence of alcohol.” The 62-year-old man was arrested and bailed pending further inquiries; he remains unnamed. The flight was cancelled in the wake of his arrest. In a statement, American Airlines said that there was indeed an employee who had been detained. They added, “Safety is our highest priority and we apologize to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans.”

Supreme Court Blocks Louisiana Abortion Law From Taking Effect

UPDATED: 2019/02/08 10AM   On Thursday February 7th, 2019, The Supreme Court blocked a Louisiana abortion access law from going into effect for now. The order was 5-4 with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the four liberals currently on the court for the stay. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a dissent. The Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents doctors, patients, and clinics in Louisiana, asked the Supreme Court to put the law on hold before it was slated to go into effect on Friday, February 8th. The law, Louisiana’s Unsafe Abortion Protection Act has been blocked since 2014 and require a doctor to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the facility where the abortion is performed. Louisiana argues that the law is important and necessary because it provides a higher level of physician competence. Critics of the law argue that there is no medical justification for the law. In fact, they say, it is simply a veiled attempt to unlawfully restrict abortion access for women. In a… Read More

Muslim Inmate Executed in Alabama After Legal Battle Over Religious Rights

UPDATED: 2019/02/08 10AM Domineque Ray, 42, was sentenced to death in 1999 for his part in the 1995 rape and murder of Tiffany Harville, a teenage girl in Selma, Alabama. He was put to death on Thursday night, February 7th, after arguing that his religious rights were violated because Alabama would not allow his imam by his side at his execution. Alabama’s state policy is to have a Christian chaplain in the room. Ray and his attorneys petitioned the court last month to have the chaplain removed from the room and to instead have an imam to offer him spiritual guidance and he was granted a stay on his execution as he argued for his religious rights. The Supreme Court voted on Thursday to lift a stay for the death row inmate. The state argued that it was a matter of security–anyone in the room during an execution must be a Dept. of Corrections employee. They offered instead to hold the execution without a religious cleric in the room and… Read More

Vanessa Tyson, the Woman Who Accused Virginia’s Lt. Gov Justin Fairfax of Sexual Assault, Describes Incident

UPDATED: 2019/02/07 Vanessa Tyson, the woman who has accused, Justin Fairfax, the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia of sexual assault has issued a statement through a law firm of her 2004 encounter with Fairfax at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. Dr. Tyson is an expert in black history and associate professor of politics at Scripps College in California. She is an advocate for victims of sexual assault and has been open with her own experiences. In the statement, Tyson said that the encounter began with kissing but led to forced oral sex. Her description of the event that occurred in a hotel room with Mr. Fairfax is raw and emotional. She writes, “What began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault. Mr. Fairfax put his hand behind my neck and forcefully pushed my head towards his crotch. Only then did I realize that he had unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants, and taken out his penis.” She continued on to say that the Lt. Governor was stronger than… Read More

Judge Gives 67-Year-Old Man Lighter Sentence in Sex Abuse Case, Calls Young Girls ‘Aggressors’

UPDATED: 2019/02/07 Raymond Stoden, 67, knew the ages of the two young girls, 13  and 14, who he solicited nude photographs from, but a Kansas judge is now saying that the young women were “more aggressor than a participant.” Leavenworth Country District Judge Michael Gibbens, according to court transcripts from the December trial, said, “I think that a 13-year-old who offered what she offered for money is certainly an aggressor, particularly since she’s the one that had to travel to Mr. Soden.” Then, to add insult to injury, the Judge sentenced Soden to five years, ten months in prison, which is eight years less than what is called for in Kansas’ sentencing guidelines. Choosing not to follow the guidelines requires “substantial and compelling reasons” and among the judge’s reasons were that the teens went to Soden’s house voluntarily and took money for sexual behaviors. He also questioned whether the girls actually suffered harm from the incident, pointing to their absence at Soden’s sentencing as proof. The judge said that he… Read More

Bar Registration Card Shows Elizabeth Warren Listed Her Race as “American Indian”

UPDATED: 2019/02/06 11AM Cue the “Pocahontas” jokes from President Donald Trump…again. The Washington Post is reporting that Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren listed her race as “American Indian” on a State Bar of Texas registration card in 1986. Warren’s political career has been plagued with questions about her heritage after the senator claimed to be Native American, including attacks from Donald Trump and his Twitter account. Warren used DNA testing last year to prove that she did, indeed, have some Native American roots, but her assertion was swiftly met with criticism among the Native community. The registration card is significant because it is the first time a document has shown Warren making the claim in her own handwriting. Republicans insist that she used her assertions that she was Native American to further her career (though research has proven that is not so). Warren is expected to formally announce her 2020 presidential run on Saturday, February 9th. In an interview with The Post, Warren said that she was sorry for identify herself… Read More

Massachusetts Court Upholds Michelle Carter’s Conviction for Manslaughter After She Encouraged Her Boyfriend’s Suicide

UPDATED: 2019/02/06 11AM The Massachusetts Supreme Court decided on Wednesday, February 6th, to uphold the involuntary manslaughter conviction of Michelle Carter, who encouraged her boyfriend’s suicide over text messages. Carter will serve 15 months in prison for the 2017 conviction that held her responsible for the suicide of her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III. In July 2014 Carter, who was then 17 years old, was texting with her boyfriend Conrad Roy as he attempted suicide in his Ford F-250 truck by inhaling carbon monoxide. When Roy expressed that he could not go through with it, Carter told him to “get back in.” Her 15-month conviction had been on hold until the Supreme Court’s ruling. Carter’s defense had arguing that Carter’s actions were protected under the first amendment, but the court did not see it as such. The court explained in their ruling: “The evidence against the defendant proved that, by her wanton or reckless conduct, she caused the victim’s death by suicide. Her conviction of involuntary manslaughter as a youthful offender… Read More

North Carolina Man Holds Teen Burglary Suspects At Gunpoint After Ransacking

UPDATED: 2019/02/05 A North Carolina man stopped three teenage burglary suspects in their tracks by holding them at gunpoint outside of his parents’ home. After a neighbor called him to report that there were strangers on the property, Stephen Routh immediately went to his parents’ home on Sunday, February 3rd. Routh arrived as the suspects who were 14, 15, and 17, were leaving from the back door. He held them at gunpoint, ordering them to get on the ground and phoning the police. While the suspects didn’t take anything from the home, there was allegedly plenty of damage done. Routh is quoted as saying, “They’re lucky I didn’t shoot them, cause I had every right to put a bullet in somebody. There have been too many instances lately of home invasions like this where they get caught. And some people have been shot and killed.” Authorities took the 17-year-old into custody and called the parents of the 14 and 15-year-old.

Kardashians Come Out On Top In Cosmetics Lawsuit, Win $10 Million

UPDATED: 2019/02/05 It’s not easy keeping up with Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian, but we’ll simplify it: The famous sisters won in a lawsuit brought against them by Hillair Capital Management three years ago. Hillair claimed that they sunk $10 million into a “Kardashian Beauty” line and that the sisters totally shirked their licensing deal. The sisters insisted from the start that they had nothing to do with a “Kardashian Beauty” line, rejecting Hillair’s claims and ordering the company to pay the trio $7.2 million plus $3.2 million in interest. It looks like the Kardashians’ attorney thinks that Hillair is going to fight the decision. They’ve filed to have the $10 million award locked in by the Los Angeles Superior Court.

New Details Emerge In Case of 13 Children Found in Family Home Living in Squalor

UPDATED: 2019/02/05 David and Louise Turpin are facing more than 38 counts of torture after the discovery of their House of Horrors in which they kept their 13 children, at the time aged 2 to 29, locked up, neglected, abused, and starved for decades. David, 57, and Louise, 50 were arrested in Perris, California in January 2018 after one of their teen daughters escaped the property and warned police. When police arrived at the home, they found the 13 emaciated children chained to their beds inside a “foul-smelling” room. Part of the case against them, according to reports, will be built upon photos of the home’s conditions as well as the disturbing 911 call made by the teen who escaped. In the call, she told officers that the home smelled so badly that she could barely breathe. Photos of soiled underwear, photos of the children in chains, and evidence of the inhuman conditions inside of the home were listed among the evidence being presented in their case. The pair will… Read More

Super Bowl Sex Trafficking Sting Leads to 40 Arrests in Atlanta, Georgia

UPDATED: 2019/02/04 2:00PM

Investigators in Atlanta, Georgia said on Friday, February 1st, 2019, that 40 people have been arrested for sex trafficking as a result of the crackdown during Super Bowl week. Atlanta is considered one of the biggest hubs of sex trafficking in all of America, and many do not realize that it thrives during major sporting events like the Super Bowl.

Everyone is doing their part to ensure that the horrific crime is stopped and the people involved are recovered. Even airport and hotel staff are trained to spot signs of human trafficking.

An advocacy group, Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution, had been handing out fliers with the photos of 16 missing girls. On January 28th, the organization reported that two of the young women were identified as having been to hotels in the city. Homeland Security spokesperson Brian Cox said that there have been 7 more arrests and four more people recovered since then–two adults and two juveniles.

Brooklyn Detention Center Sued Over Inhumane Conditions After a Power Outage Left Inmates Without Heat

UPDATED: 2019/02/04 2:00PM After nearly 1,600 inmates at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center went without heat or electricity for nearly a week during a polar vortex, attorneys in New York City have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the warden of BMDC. They are claiming that the jail kept inmates, most of which were love-level offenders awaiting trial, in inhumane and unconstitutional conditions during a week where temperatures plummeted to the single digits. The suit called the conditions in the prison a “humanitarian crises.” Before this, public defenders claim that they had trouble even communication with their clients during the historical 35-day government shutdown. Then, on January 27th, a fire broke out in a gear switch room, causing electrical outages. Inmates were reporting little or no heat, little or no hot water, minimal electricity, lack of access to medical services, lack of access to telephones, computers, laundry and commissary. Meanwhile, those guarding them bundled up in layers of clothing as inmates wore their standard tee shirt and… Read More

After 35 Days of Testimony, the Jury in the El Chapo Trial Is Set to Retire

UPDATED: 2019/02/01 The jury of the El Chapo trial have heard 35 days worth of outlandish, gory, and surreal testimony, and now it is time for them to retire to deliberate his fate. The case is expected to go to the jury on Monday, February 4th. After hearing the testimony of 56 witnesses, seven women and five men will decide whether or not El Chapo aka Joaquin Guzman is guilty of trafficking nearly 450,000 pounds of cocaine, conspiring to murder his rivals and laundering millions of dollars. The trial of epic proportions was being held in Brooklyn, New York under immense security and promised an “avalanche of evidence” on the part of the prosecution that would prove Guzman ran a murderous drug empire. Meanwhile, Guzman’s defense largely attempted to prove that the witnesses the prosecution brought forth were nothing more than people who “lie, steal, cheat, deal drugs, and kill people.” There were stories of brutal murders, courtroom dramatics as drug kingpins were brought in and even a moment where… Read More

Missing Tennessee Girl Found Alive, Father Charged With Rape

UPDATED: 2019/02/01 After being missing for more than two weeks, a 14-year-old Tennessee girl was found alive in Wisconsin on Thursday, January 31st. Her father, Randy Pruitt, is charged with rape and the girl is “going fine” according to Sheriff Tommy Jones of Monroe County, Tennessee. Pruitt was the girl’s adoptive father. The girl went missing from her Tennessee home on January 13th The sheriff did not provide many details because the investigation is ongoing and there is a potential for additional suspects. He told reporters, “At this point, we are still investigating there’s a possibility of multiple other charges coming forth with multiple people involved.” The identity of the girl has also not been revealed as she is a victim of sexual assault and a minor. The sheriff does not believe that there is any connection between the girl and the Wisconsin residence in which she was found. Pruitt is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, February 5th.

Unruly Fan Goes Tumbling Down Arena Steps, Takes Two Police Officers With Him

UPDATED: 2019/01/31 3PM Sports games can get rather rowdy, which is evident from an incident at a Miami Heat game on January 30th. 23-year-old Adrian Mato was at the Miami Heat v. Chicago Bulls game when he began to argue with the people around him. According to police reports, he was “behaving in an aggressive manner” when a Miami police officer attempted to calm him down and figure out why he was upset. Mato did not calm down, and instead continued to act aggressively. The officer stated that Mato “had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage in his breath as well as he has a slurred speech as he yelled in Spanish.” Another police officer showed up to escort the 23-year-old out of the stadium, which is when he started to swing his arms and become physically aggressive and resistant. That is when Mato and the officers began to roll down the rows of the arena. Mato was eventually carried out of the venue. The entire encounter was caught… Read More

Sackler Family, One of the Richest Families in America, Accused of Profiting From Opioid Crisis

UPDATED 2019/01/30 3:00PM The Sacklers (one of America’s richest families) and members of their company, Purdue Pharma, have been named in a Massachusetts lawsuit that accuses them of profiting from America’s opioid crisis by aggressively marketing the drug OxyCotin, which creates an opioid dependency. Attorneys for the family and Purdue Pharma deny these claims. A court ruling on Monday, January 28th decided that the details of the case will become public on February 1st as the defense’s protests were “hardly compelling” enough to keep the information private. The allegations against the family and their company are that there “appear to be discussions of tactics that could be used to promote the sales of OxyContin (particularly in higher doses), to encourage doctors to prescribe the drug over longer periods of time, and to circumvent safeguards put in place to stop illegal prescriptions,” according to the judge who oversaw the case. Purdue insists that the Attorney General of Massachusetts is cherry-picking from tens of millions of emails to distract from omissions of… Read More

‘America’s Most Wanted’ Fugitive Caught After Nearly 20 Years

UPDATED: 2019/01/29 46-year-old Michael Eugene Moore was arrested in his Palm Coast, Florida home after being stopped by police who detected him in a stolen vehicle. Moore was featured on America’s Most Wanted’ over two decades ago after stabbing his wife and abducting their five-year-old daughter in 1996. His wife, then 33, survived the attack and weeks later his daughter was found safe in Miami and she was returned to her home. The police pulled him over after running his plates and determining that the vehicle was stolen. According to reports, the car had been reported as stolen after Moore allegedly committed arm robbery, tied up the female victim, and fled with her car. When caught, Moore refused to get out of the vehicle or comply with commands from law enforcement. Three hours later, he finally was taken into custody. He was charged with grand theft and resisting arrest without violence in Florida. He is being held as a fugitive from justice for Virginia authorities, as that is where his… Read More

Man Arrested In Russia After Casually Taking Painting From a Museum

UPDATED: 2019/01/28 3:00PM Museum security must not be as tight as we all think it is because a Russian man casually strolled into a Moscow museum, took a painting off of the wall, and walked out with it. The 31-year-old took “Ai-Petri. Crimea,” a painting worth $185,000 and calmly walked away while onlookers assumed that he was an employee. The suspect had a previous criminal record and was charged with theft of items of special value. The painting was on display as part of a temporary exhibit and was apparently not secured with an alarm. Shortly after, the suspect lead police to a construction site, though he denied stealing the painting. The painting was undamaged.

Michael Jackson’s Family Categorically Denies Leaving Neverland Claims

UPDATED: 2019/01/28 3:00PM Michael Jackson’s name was on everyone’s lips after the film Leaving Neverland left its viewers in disgust of the pop star’s actions and wondering if they should even be listening to his music. The nearly four hour long film detailed the accounts of two young boys, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who allege that Jackson groomed them and then sexually abused them when they were 7 and 11 respectively. While the singer’s estate has already called the two-part documentary “tabloid character assassination,” his family decided to release a statement as well condemning the film as untrue and calling it a “public lynching.” They wrote, “We can’t just stand by while this public lynching goes on, and the vulture tweeters and others who never met Michael go after him. Michael is not here to defend himself, otherwise these allegations would not have been made.” They also made sure to note that both Robson and Safechuck said that Jackson did not act inappropriately towards them or molest them during… Read More

Decorated Green Beret Urges Military to Dismiss Murder Case

UPDATED 2019/01/25 3:00PM Decorated Green Beret Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn, who is charged with committing premeditated murder while deployed in Afghanistan, has asked the Army to dismiss his case. Golsteyn said in a letter Friday, January 25th, that the handling of his case has been a “miscarriage of justice” and insisted that the military’s justice system has been manipulating evidence against him. Golsteyn is accused of fatally shooting an Afghan man on February 22nd, 2010 because he suspected that he was a bomb maker. According to military documents, the man had been taken into custody on suspicions that he made explosives that killed two Marines days earlier. He was released, but was killed sometimes afterward. Golsteyn was charged with premeditated murder almost nine years later in December 2018. He says that it was a polygraph test that he took in 2011 that he took while applying to be in the CIA that prompted the investigation. In 2014, he was reprimanded for his actions and no formal charges were brought against… Read More

Middle School Basketball Game Devolves Into Chaos As Fans Break Out Into Brawl

UPDATED: 2019/01/24 1:00PM So much for sportsmanlike conduct! A middle school basketball game in New Jersey ended with a brawl in the stands. In a surveillance video released by police, a woman gets up from her seat and begins to yell at fans from the opposing team. That’s when fists begin to fly and a player can even be seen running into the stands. The police suspect that the young man was going into the stands to defend his mother. In the truly chaotic video, a woman hand a baby to another player on the court before joining the brawl herself. The fight was eventually broken up and the four women involved are all facing charges. 22-year-old Asis Martin was charged with three counts of simple assault and one count of disorderly conduct, 20-year-old Kamya Kibler and 18-year-old T’Kyah Dowe were charged with one count of simple assault and one count of disorderly conduct. Additionally, 34-year-old Wanda Rivera and 52-year old Wanda Rios were each charged with disorderly conduct. The… Read More

NFL Facing First Lawsuit Over Blown Call in NFC Championship Game

UPDATED: 2019/01/23 12:30PM The New Orleans Saints lost their NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams and a New Orleans attorney wants the NFL to be held responsible. Attorney Frank D’Amico, JR. filed a lawsuit in Civil District Court of Orleans Parish to ask courts to take action over the outcome of the game after a missed call by referees. With 1:49 left in the game, Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman tackled Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis. The tackle, however, came about a second before the ball was even close to the reciever, which should have resulted in a pass interference penalty. Fans, players and coaches believe that, had the penalty been called at the time, the Saints would have been able to run out the clock and kick the game-winning field goal. Sean Payton, the Saints’ Head Coach, said in a post-game conference that the NFL league office even admitted to blowing two calls during the game: One for pass interference and one for helmet-to-helmet contact. This lawsuit is… Read More

Nurse Accused of Impregnating a Woman in a Vegetative State

UPDATED: 2019/01/23 12:30PM 36-year-old Nathan Sutherland has been arrested on suspicion of impregnating a woman under his care who was in a vegetative state. According to the Phoenix, Arizona Police Chief, the woman gave birth last month at Hacienda HealthCare facility in Phoenix. The woman, who is 29 years old, is a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and had been in her vegetative state at the center since 1992. Caretakers were shocked when the woman gave birth on December 29th, 2018 and had no idea that she was pregnant. The baby, according to reports, is doing well. Sutherland’s DNA was a match against the baby’s DNA after crime lab technicians tested it on Tuesday, January 22nd. The Phoenix Police Department had been carrying out a sexual assault investigation and had gathered DNA from the men who work at the facility when they found Sutherland’s was a match. A former prosecutor is reviewing what happened at the center and the company is turning over all records of the woman’s… Read More

Fox & Friends Had to Apologize After Airing a Graphic that Suggested Ruth Bader Ginsburg Died

Updated: 2019/01/22 2:00PM For a network that likes to talk about “fake news” Fox & Friends found themselves apologizing on Monday, January 21st, after airing a graphic on their show that implied Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died. The 85-year-old is, in fact, alive. The network is calling the mix up a “technical error” after an image of Ginsburg shows the dates “1933-2019,” flashed on the screen for a few moments before cutting to host Ainsley Earhardt’s interview about campus culture. The hosts acknowledged the mistake later in the show with Steve Doocy saying, “We need to apologize. A technical error in the control room triggered a graphic of Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a date on it. We don’t want to make it seem anything other than–that was a mistake. That was an accident. We believe she is still at home recovering from surgery. Big mistake.” Earhardt echoed his apology saying, “We apologize. Big mistake.”

3 People Arrested After Utah Real Estate Agent Allegedly Shot and Killed While Trying to Evict Tenants

Updated: 2019/01/21 11:00AM Three people have been arrested for the homicide of real estate agent David Stokoe. 31-year-old Manuel Velasquez was booked for murder and other charges while 30-year-old Diana Hernandez and 38-year-old Jessica Miller were accused of interfering with the investigation. Velasquez admitted to shooting Stokoe with a handgun after the real estate agent attempted to evict the tenants in the apartment. According to Velasquez’s statement, Stokoe kicked in the door to the apartment and put him into a choke hold, which is when Velasquez claimed to grab a gun from his fanny pack and shot the victim. After shooting Stokoe, Velasquez, Hernandez and Miller then hid the body in a crawlspace, where is was overlooked in the initial search. According to Stokoe’s half-brother, the description of events sounds out of character for his brother.

‘To Catch a Predator’ Host Chris Hansen Caught Bouncing Checks

Updated: 2019/01/16 4:00PM Usually Chris Hansen is the one catching perps in the act, but this time he was the one getting caught. Hansen was arrested on Monday, January 14th, 2019 for larceny after he failed to pay a local vendor for $12,998.05 worth of stuff in 2017. Allegedly Hansen gave the man two bounced checks instead. And what was all this stuff? According to Stamford Police Department, Hansen bought 355 mugs, 288 tee shirts, and 650 vinyl decals from a shop in Stamford for marketing events. After all of the merchandise was delivered, Hansen didn’t make good on the bill. According to the owner of the story, he threatened to go to the police the first time that the check bounced, but Hansen offered to make four payments towards his balance. The owner didn’t like that deal, so Hansen wrote him another check. He allegedly told the owner that he was selling his boat to make good on the payment, but it never happened. He turned himself in on… Read More

Tinder Co-Founder Sued By Parent Company for Theft

Updated: 2019/01/16 4:00PM I guess this wasn’t a match made in heaven. Match Group, and online dating company and it’s owner IAC/InterActiveCorp., filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, January 15th assuming Sean Rad, one of the founders of the popular dating app Tinder, of stealing company files and other proprietary information. The lawsuit comes 6 months after Rad and the other Tinder co-founders sued IAC/InterActiveCorp, accusing the company of deflating Tinder’s valuation in order to avoid paying them for their work. Now Match Group and IAC are hitting back with a $250 million lawsuit states that “Rad surreptitiously copied a large volume of documents belonging to his employers in order to advance his personal interests. Rad then violated his obligations to his employers by retaining those copies after his employment was terminated, again, so that he could use them for his personal gain.” For his part, Rad is calling this a “desperate act of retaliation.”

Texas Court Stops First Execution of 2019 Following Changes in Bite-Mark Science

Updated: 2019/01/15 4:00PM The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stopped what would have been the state’s first execution of the year, instead calling for a lower court to take another look at the case because of changes in bite-mark science since the accused’s initial trial. 29-year-old Blaine Milam was convicted of the brutal death of his girlfriend’s 13-month-old baby girl in 2008. At the time of her death, the 13-month-old had 24 human bite marks on her body and found evidence of blunt force trauma and sexual assault. At his trial Milam was linked to the murder through bite marks, but his attorneys are arguing that the science has been largely discredited. The prosecutors in this case argued that the state had more than enough evidence to convict Milam without the bite marks citing testimony that Milam told his sister to find a hidden pipe wrench that was believed to be used in the baby’s assault and his confession to a jailhouse nurse. In addition to the bite mark evidence… Read More

Parents Charged With Manslaughter After Autopsy of Toddler Reveals Untreated 17-Pound Tumor

Parents of a 3-year-old girl who died earlier this year are being charged with manslaughter after an autopsy showed that their daughter died from an aggressive cancer that had produced a 17-pound tumor. Henry Clarence Lilly III, 49, and Bonnie Beth Mills-Lilly, 42, are accused of not providing medical care for the child, who was one of 7 other children living in their camper vehicle/home. The Comanche County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma reportedly started investigating the couple after they received a call that the 3-year-old was unconscious but still breathing on January 3rd, 2019. The toddler was taken to the hospital where she later died. According to a police affidavit authorities noted “severe signs” of malnutrition and potential abuse.” After being taken in for an autopsy, it was discovered that the young girl had long suffered from cancer and had a 17-pound tumor in her stomach. The six other children were taken into custody by social services and are currently allowed to visit their parents, who are being held on… Read More

Gloria Allred Compares R. Kelly’s Response to Sexual Abuse Allegations to None Other Than Donald Trump

Famed attorney Gloria Allred held a press conference on Monday, January 14th with Faith Rogers, one of the women who claims R. Kelly abused her, engaged in sexual battery and gave her a sexually transmitted disease without disclosing he had one. At the press conference, Allred said that R. Kelly is retaliating against Rogers in response to those allegations. A Facebook page called “Surviving Lies” allegedly posted photos of Rogers after the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly aired. Previously to the photos being posted, Rogers said that the photos had been sent to her with the threat of being released to the public. Allred said that the Facebook page (which was quickly taken down) was the doing of someone on Kelly’s team. Allred stated that Kelly also threatened to sue Lifetime before the network aired the series and that he threatened to sue those involved in the project. Then, she delivered a low blow: “It seems that Mr. Kelly is taking his playbook from Donald Trump, who threatened to sue the… Read More

13-Year-Old Wisconsin Girl Found Alive After Months Missing

13-year-old Jayme Closs was found alive on Thursday, January 10th, 2019 after being declared missing on October 15th, 2018. A suspect is already in custody. Back in October, Jayme’s parents, James and Denise Closs, were found dead and the young girl was declared missing. The police were conducting a search based on very little information, but determined that she was in danger and not a suspect in the deaths of her parents. On Thursday a woman was approached by Kloss while walking her dog and notified a neighbor who called 911. Jayme was described as skinny with unkempt hair and oversized shoes. She was taken to a local hospital and evaluated. The man who was suspected of her kidnapping was arrested after police pulled over a vehicle matching the description Closs gave. Closs reappeared in Gordon, Wisconsin, which is 70 miles north of where she was last seen. Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, is facing two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the murder of Closs’ parents and one count of… Read More

Woman Arrested After Being Accused of Running Over Manicurist

Updated: 01/11/2019 4:00PM The Las Vegas Metro Police Department in Las Vegas announced on Friday, January 11th, 2019 that Krystal Whipple, a woman accused of running over Nhu “Annie” Nguyen in a parking lot, has been arrested. Whipple allegedly ran over Nguyen, who owned a nail salon that Whipple frequented, on December 29th, 2018 in an attempt to flee after being unable to pay. Reports say that Whipple first attempted to pay with a credit card what was fraudulent and therefore did not work, and then told Nguyen that she would go grab money from her car. Instead of getting money, Whipple attempted to drive off and, when Nguyen and her husband tried to stop her, Whipple ran over the women. Nguyuen’s husband Sonny Chung told reporters, “She ran off for $35 and killed my wife–$35 to run my wife over.” The victim was 53-years-old and leaves behind 3 daughters and several grandchildren. Whipple is now in police custody after a two-week-long manhunt. Among those calling for her to turn… Read More

Woman Dressed as a Disney Princess Gets Busted for Aggressive Panhandling

01/11/2019 4:00PM And she lived…not so happily ever after? A woman was arrested on Hollywood Boulevard yesterday, January 10th, 2019 after cops day she was too belligerent begging for money from tourists. In a video taken of the incident, the man filming says, “Who did they get? Oh they got Snow White? Snow white?! He asked the cops, “You guys locked up Snow White? Man, for what?” The cops did not respond as the man taunted them and called them “haters” because they didn’t want the beautiful Disney princess walking down the street. That’s a tough break for Snow White. Probably not the fairytale ending she was hoping for!

Lifetime Sued for Using Family’s Christmas Card Without Permission, Calling a Family Ugly

UPDATED: 01/10/2019 4:15PM Looks like Lifetime was on one family’s naughty list this holiday season. The network, which is known for its heartwarming holiday movies apparently wasn’t feeling so holly and jolly when it aired a film that showed a real-life family’s holiday card in one of its scenes and made fun of their appearances. According to Setiam and Katherine Allah, a scene in the film Christmas Harmony shows one of their family photos as a prop without their permission. To make matters worse, the main character, Harmony, allegedly pins up the family photo to the wall and her love interest says to take it down. “They’re festive,” she protests! He replies, “They’re ugly!” Yikes! The Allahs were allegedly embarrassed when family and friends started calling to tell them that they saw the scene and that the family was easily recognizable. According to their lawsuit, the Allah’s aren’t sure how the photo got to Lifetime in the first place; they only sent out about 50 of them. The Allahs are… Read More

Judge Throws Out Ashley Judd’s Sexual Harassment Claim Against Harvey Weinstein

UPDATED: 01/10/2019 4:15PM Ashley Judd was one of dozens of women to come forward and accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, but the actress suffered a loss in California federal court on January 9th, 2019 when U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez dismissed her sexual harassment claim against Weinstein. The claim is part of Judd’s April 2018 lawsuit that claims that Weinstein ruined her career after she refused his unwelcome sexual advances. The claim was also dismissed in September by Gutierrez who said that, because Judd was not an employee of Weinsteins but just taking a meeting with him, California’s sexual harassment statute did not apply. Judd had filed to restore the claim after the state’s harassment laws were amended to include directors and producers. Though Gutierrez stuck to his initial ruling, he did say that Judd could pursue her accusation that Weinstein tried to ruin her career after she rejected his advances by bad mouthing her to directors of projects like Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films. Gutierrez… Read More

DNA Evidence Clears Alleged “Golden State Killer” of a Murder

UPDATED: 01/10/2019 4:15PM Joseph DeAngelo, the man accused of being California’s infamous Golden State Killer has been cleared of involvement in the murder of 14-year-old Donna Jo Richmond in the Central Valley in 1975. On December 26th, 1975 Richmond was riding her bike from a friend’s home when she disappeared. She was later found in an orange grove having been strangled, beaten and stabbed 17 times. DNA testing excludes DeAngelo as a suspect in the murder and affirms that Oscar Clifton, the convicted sex offender who was convicted of the crime but died in prison in 2013, is the perpetrator. Clifton had been serving a life sentence for kidnapping, attempted rape and murder. DeAngelo still stands charged with 26 counts of murder and kidnapping after being tracked down with the help of a DNA testing service on an ancestry website. Prosecutors believe that DeAngelo has killed 13 people and raped dozens of others across 6 California counties in the 70s and 80s. Though the rape cases are not able to… Read More

Georgia Man Allegedly Kills Wife at Hair Salon, Shoots Himself With Daughter Nearby

Updated: 01/09/19 1:00PM A Georgia man who was described as a 59-year-old Korean male by a news outlet, murdered his wife at a hair salon in Duluth, Georgia and then shot himself in the head. The shooting occured around 10AM on Monday, January 7th, 2019. According to the police, the couple’s daughter was in the salon at the time of the shooting, but did not sustain any injuries. Police reported that the shooter kicked everyone out of the Edge Total Hair salon, shooting the victim, an employee of the salon, as she was trying to exit the shop. He allegedly shot her three to four times. According to reports, the final shot to the victim was an execution-style shot in the parking lot. The suspect was found having shot himself in the head. It is suspected that the shooter was upset about the couple’s divorce. The suspect was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center for treatment and neither the victim nor the alleged killer were publicly identified by the police.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Divorce Could Be Costliest Divorce Settlement In History

Updated: 01/09/19 1:00PM Jeff Bezos and his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie, have filed for divorce and the settlement could be a historic one. Bezos is the richest man in the world, owning Amazon and The Washington Post, and is worth a reported $137 billion. The couple met in 1993, four years before Bezos started Amazon. The two are parents to four children–3 sons and one daughter adopted from China. He made the divorce announcement on Wednesday, January 9th, 2019, on his Twitter. In the joint statement, the couple said. “We want to make people aware of a development in our lives. As our family and close friends know, after a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends.” There are no reports that indicate the couple signed a prenuptial agreement, which means that the wealth accumulated during their marriage would be split evenly. Even if the couple doesn’t divide the money equally, the split could lead to… Read More

Florida Stripper Arrested After Allegedly Threatening Mass Shooting

UPDATED: 01/08/19 1:30PM Brein Basarich, a 31-year-old exotic dancer from Lakeland, Florida, was charged with threatening to commit a mass murder on January 2nd, 2019.   Basarich was posting on social media under the user name “taking lives” about alleged urges to commit homicide and chilling threats to commit a mass murder in particular. According to an arrest affidavit, Basarich was arrested at her home last week after police showed her screenshots of her social media. Basarich allegedly posted to her Tumblr account saying, “I had a vision…of a very public place, only one way in and one way out. Preferably a bar/club on a busy night. 2019 has a lot in store if my plans go according!” She also stated that she planned to buy a semi-automatic rifle. Basarich allegedly told an officer that she posted the messages because she is an admirer of true crime and is a fan of serial killers and mass murderers.” The 31-year-old was arrested and charged with written threats to kill, do bodily… Read More

Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting 8, Killing 6 In Between Uber Pick Ups

UPDATED: 01/08/19 1:15PM A 48-year-old Michigan man who was charged with willing fix strangers in between Uber pick ups pleaded guilty to murder on Monday, January 7th, 2019. Jason Dalton’s decision to plead guilty comes three years after the shooting occured in Kalamazoo, Michigan and just before attorneys were set to interview jurors for his murder trial. Dalton admitted that he shot eight people in three locations throughout Kalamazoo, killing four women in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel. Abigail Kopf, 14, was also shot in the restaurant’s parking lot, but the teen survived. Two more men who were looking at a pickup truck at a car dealership were also killed. Another woman was injured in a residential area. Police said that Dalton blamed his actions on a “devil figure” on Uber’s app that was controlling him. Dalton did not say why he randomly shot 8 people when he plead guilty. Despite his attorney’s objections, Dalton pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder. His attorney said that Dalton allegedly… Read More

Kevin Spacey Appears in Court to Face Sexual Assault Charge

UPDATED: 01/07/18, 4:15PM

Kevin Spacey appeared in a Nantucket court to face a charge of felony indecent assault after an 18-year-old alleged that the actor assaulted him at a bar in 2016. The young man is the song of a Boston news anchor Heather Unruh, who, in the midst of the allegations against Spacey last year, accused the actor of groping her son.

Spacey’s lawyers attempted to get the case thrown out for lack of evidence by insisting that the situation was entirely consensual and that there is a Snapchat video proving just that. His lawyer also said that it was the alleged victim who approached Spacey and that he also lied about his age. The young man also never objected to the groping according to Spacey’s lawyers. READ MORE

NFL’s Reuben Foster Domestic Violence Charge Dropped

UPDATED: 01/04/18, 10:15AM The State Attorney’s Office in Florida has dropped the misdemeanor domestic violence charge against Reuben Foster, a linebacker for the Washington Redskins. The charge stemmed from an incident between Foster and his ex-girlfriend Elissa Ennis on November 24th, 2018 After the incident, Reuben was released from the San Francisco 49ers and was quickly picked up by the Washington Redskins, who took heat for picking up the 24-year-old. The team vowed that he would not suit up for the team until the legal process played out. If that’s true, the linebacker will be on the field soon. Prosecutors for the case determined that there was insufficient evidence to file charges against Foster. They did not elaborate any further on the incident or their decision. This was not the first time that Ennis and Foster had a domestic violence incident. Foster had been arrested in February of 2018 and charged with domestic violence and possession of an assault rifle after getting into an altercation with Ennis. The domestic violence… Read More

You Can’t Have It Your Way: Man Who Was Trapped in Burger King Bathroom Sues Over Rescinded Food-For-Life Deal

UPDATED: 01/04/18, 10:15AM Though their slogan would beg to differ, it looks like Burger King doesn’t always let their customers have it their way and this time an Oregon man is suing because of it. Here’s the breakdown: 50-year-old Curtis Brooner went to wash his hands in a Burger King bathroom and ended up stuck in there for over an hour while employees, he alleges, laughed at him and tried to use a fly swatter to pry the door open. Upon his release, Brooner’s attorney Michael Fuller says that his client was offered free food for the rest of his life at that location for his bathroom troubles. This, however, only lasted a few weeks before management rescinded the offer. Now Brooner is looking for cash equivalency for whatever the cost of free Whoppers for the rest of his life would be. No, really, he and his lawyer did the math. Because of the nature of his fast food diet, they determined that he’d live 5 years less than the… Read More

Fugitive Bo Dukes Charged With Raping Two Women at Gunpoint, Ordered to Federal Prison

UPDATED: 01/04/18, 10:15AM Police in Georgia are looking for 34-year-old Bo Dukes, who is wanted for allegedly holding two women at gunpoint and raping them, but the police aren’t the only ones looking for him. Federal authorities are also looking to bring him to justice. Dukes has a criminal history that makes many wonder how he was not in jail to begin with. Dukes was one of two men who were charged with the murder of Tara Grinstead, his former high school teacher in 2005. The case has not yet gone to trial, but essentially Duke is accused of helping the alleged murderer, Ryan Alexander Duke, with covering up the crime. Then there’s the federal charges against Duke for conspiring with his wife to steal over $150,000 worth of property from the United States Army. He had been let go on the condition of supervised release but failed to pay his restitution or perform community service. For this he was ordered to six months in prison but was not given… Read More

Trump Says He Will Personally Review Murder Charges Against Decorated Soldier

UPDATED 5:32 PM, PT; December 16, 2018

President Donald Trump has made clear that he will review the murder charges against Army Major Matt Golsteyn. Goldsteyn is a Special Forces soldier and Afghanistan veteran charged with pre-meditated murder. He reportedly admitted the shooting while applying for a job with the CIA. Goldsteyn contends that he at no point violated the applicable rules of engagement, and his counsel, Phil Stackhouse, stated that he would be “relentless” in defending the charges. Mr Stackhouse further stated that “Major Golsteyn is a humble servant-leader who saved countless lives, both American and Afghan, and has been recognized repeatedly for his various actions.” President Trump issued a statement indicating that he will be reviewing the case because “Goldsteyn “could face the death penalty from our own government after he admitted to killing a Terrorist bomb maker while overseas.”

Man Who Injured a Woman on NYC Subway in Hate Crime Assault Has Been Arrested

Gamer Assaults Pregnant Partner and Live Streams It