Legal Juice

Sure, you might wield a gun. You might scream. How about barking like a dog? From The Athens Banner-Herald:

A Simmons Street woman scared off a would-be burglar about 11 p.m. Saturday by acting like a dog, an Athens-Clarke police report said.

When a suspicious man tried turning the woman's door knob, she got on the floor and began scratching at the door and acting like a large dog, police said, though what dog-like behaviors she specifically mimicked remains unknown.

The man, who wore an olive jacket and appeared to be homeless, quickly ran from the porch, according to the report. Police searched the neighborhood for him, but to no avail.

Most of us have had a few too many a few times. But this dude sets a new standard for public intoxication (of some sort).

UFB right? I'd really like like to know the backstory (and the frontstory [?]) on this guy.

The name police, in addition to residing in Sweden, also reside in Australia. Today's installment involves a couple who wanted to name their child "Ned Kelly." If you're wondering why that name would be a problem, click here for more information on this notorious Australian. Per The Daily Telegraph:

The [New South Wales] Registry [of Births, Deaths and Marriages] can reject a name for a number of reasons under the Registration Act 1995. Reasons include that the name might be obscene or offensive, is too long or includes ``symbols without phonetic significance.''

The Act also bans ... names ``contrary to the public interest for some other reason.''

- Post Master General

- Chief Maximus

- Jesus Christ

- a blank space

- the child's Medicare number

- the number seven

- God Bless

- Metallica

- Fully Hektik Sik

Maybe McDonald's has sold over 100 billion burgers, but McCurry (Malaysian Chicken Curry) wouldn't be intimidated. As reported by the BBC News:

The American fast-food giant McDonald's has lost an eight-year legal battle to prevent a Malaysian restaurant calling itself McCurry.

McCurry opened for business in Kuala Lumpur in 1999, and serves Indian dishes, including fish head curry and breads including tandoori naan.

"We can now go ahead with whatever we plan to do such as opening new branches," [McCurry owner P Suppiah] said.

Great. Just what the world needs - another reason for iPhone users to brag about their beloved phones. You can bet that Carnegie Mellon University student Can Duruk will be talking it up. He was mugged the other day in Pittsburgh. Per ThePittsburghChannel.com:

Police said two men flashed what looked like a gun at Can Duruk and demanded his wallet, PIN and iPhone early Saturday morning in the 400 block of Amberson Avenue.

He got on his computer and tracked his iPhone using its global positioning satellite chip. The feature allows users to pinpoint the location of their phone if it's ever lost or stolen.

Police officers tracked the three suspects to an Eat N' Park in North Versailles, where police arrested the men.

Police said Brent Potter and Bryant Rather will be charged with robbery, and Myron Knox Jr. will also face charges related to using stolen credit cards.

Duruk got most of his belongings back.

No nude sculptures or paintings were hauled away, but 26-year-old model KC Neill was. As reported by NBCNewYork.com:

Police arrested a woman at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for stripping naked in the middle of the Arms and Armour exhibit.

The model was posing yesterday for photographer Zach Hyman who has gained recent notoriety for his photos of nude models posing at New York landmarks, snapping shots of naked New Yorkers (all volunteers) from Times Square to Chinatown for his portrait series.

Hyman gives himself just 30 seconds to take 10 shots of nude models with his Hasselblad 500 C/M film camera and conducts his shoots in all natural light. The pictures typically can sell for anywhere from $2,000 to $9,500.

A 21-year-old woman in Sioux Falls, South Dakota was not arrested for anything she did to her 3-year-old charge. Actually, it's what she didn't do - WATCH THE CHILD - that led to her arrest. As reported in the Rapid City Journal:

Police were called to an apartment building after a woman reported finding a 3-year-old girl wandering the complex about 1 a.m. Wednesday. When officers took the girl to the apartment number she gave them, they detected the smell of marijuana.

Police arrested a 21-year-old woman on drug charges. The woman had been baby-sitting the 3-year-old for a friend.

The good news: Ontario resident Barry Shell won the lottery, hauling in $4,377,298. The bad news? Per The Toronto Star:

... after a smiling Shell, 45, had posed for an OLG [Ontario Lottery and Gaming] photo holding his cheque for $4,377,298, he was arrested outside the building on outstanding criminal charges and taken into police custody.

... failing to appear, theft under $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime.

Before the potheads among you get too excited, or the wingnuts blow a gasket, this new iPhone application won't direct you to your neighborhood dealer. Here's what it will do, as reported by The Sun:

Simply named Cannabis, the £1.79 [$2.99 US] app lets users search by city for their nearest medical cannabis suppliers, doctors, clinics, lawyers and other relevant organisations.

It currently covers 13 US states which have passed laws allowing medical cannabis use, legal cannabis "coffee shops" across Europe and uses Google Maps for directions.

Makers [sic] the campaign group Ajnag.com hope to add cannabis related news, menus, reviews and videos soon.

It is available from the Apple iTunes App Store now, and requires the iPhone 3.0 Software Update.

Worthless in the state of Colorado ...

Want my money back ...

How can a judge's clerk make himself immortal? By cleverly inserting his name in an opinion. Props to the Southeast Texas Record's John Browning for sharing this story. And speaking of the story, here's how law clerk Bob Bragalone put his name in Judge Belew's published opinion: He started each paragraph of the opinion with a letter in his name. From Meridian Savings Assocation v. Sadler, et al., 759 F. Supp. 336 (USDC ND Tex 1990):

Before the Court is Defendant Sadler's Motion to Reconsider ...

On November 2, 1989, Intervenor, Resolution Trust Corporation ...

By this Court's Order entered February 20, 1990 ...

Before the RTC filed its Motion ...

Realizing the importance of the judgment ...

Arguing that the Court's February 20, 1990 Order ...

Given these facts, it is this Court's responsibility ...

As stated by the Fifth Circuit ...

Like many other areas of the law ...

Of these eight factors ...

No suggestion has been made that ...

Essentially, the Court's new order ...

There are folks who garden in more traditional garb (clothes), and then there are the Pierces of Boulder, Colorado. They were spotted gardening in front of their rental unit with very little on - Ms. Pierce was sporting pasties and a thong; Mr. Pierce was was just wearing a thong. Some uptight neighbors called the cops. As reported by the Daily Camera:

... the officers who responded confirmed what the Pierces already believed to be true: Their dress, though scanty, was legal.

As long as a person's genitalia are covered, no law has been broken, Boulder police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said.

... the Pierces received a letter form Annie Mount at Boulder Housing Partners, their landlord, warning that the behavior was a "nuisance" to the community and needed to be changed. A clause in the Pierces' lease prohibits "nuisance" behavior, and violating the lease agreement can be grounds for eviction.

Betsy Martens, executive director of the Boulder Housing Partners, which administers Boulder's affordable housing program, acknowledged that defining the word nuisance is one of the "most difficult concepts in the law."

"We want our freedom," Robert Pierce said. "We want exactly what the law gives you, and we don't want to be harassed about it."

Criminals don't always make the best decisions. Here's an excellent example, as reported by the South Asian Post:

Angry villagers in eastern India [Jharkhand] burned eight robbers and beat four others to death, police said. About 20 robbers raided a remote village in Jharkhand state, but were surrounded by hundreds of villagers, who began chasing them, the police said. “Four were beaten to death, while eight took shelter in a house, which was set on fire by the villagers,” Mohamed Nehal, a senior police officer, said. Armed villagers stood guard to ensure none of the robbers escaped.

Tired of the same old billboards? You wouldn't be, if you were in Sweden. Some Swedish legislators were upset by mobile billboard ads for strip joints. Per The Local:

“It’s degrading to continually be confronted with cars whose main purpose is to drive around Stockholm’s streets in the evenings – with naked women as the focal point – serving as advertisements for strip clubs,” wrote Sylvia Lindgren and Veronica Palm ....

“Motor-borne advertisements for strip clubs are definitely not in line with an egalitarian view of people. It’s a degrading view of women and sends the wrong signals, especially to children, young people, tourists, and others who find themselves in the public spaces of our streets and city squares.”

As a result, Stockholm’s strip clubs are free to continue sending trucks and trailers rolling down the city’s streets featuring scantily clad women in seductive poses in an attempt to lure customers to their clubs.

It's been a slow few days in Lake Oswego, Oregon, a town where, apparently, folks will call the police for just about anything. Here are a few highlights from the police department's records, as reported by the Lake Oswego Review:

3/16/09 3:21 p.m. A rusted out van has been parked in a driveway for the past few years. [The ... rust ... must ... be ... stopped ...]

3/16/09 7:39 p.m. A girlfriend was yelled at by her boyfriend and attacked by his dog at George Rogers Park.[It seems like it sorted itself out. Why call the police?]

3/16/09 11:08 p.m. Odd-looking furniture was seen inside a house.[Words escape me.]

3/17/09 5:44 a.m. An elderly man in a wheelchair at a convenience store kept asking people for a ride. He had somehow gotten out of his adult care home. ["Somehow?" Maybe by using his wheelchair?]

3/17/09 10:07 a.m. A shoeless man was seen walking on Highway 43. [No! The shoeless man is back!]

3/17/09 2:53 p.m. A man with a possibly stolen shopping cart was stopped and questioned. He claimed to have permission to use the cart. [Hey, I think that guy was in my town too.]

3/18/09 12:46 a.m. A female neighbor banged on her own door. [Damn you door banger!]

3/18/09 12:25 p.m. A woman has been followed while out walking for the past five years and is getting worried. [She's just now getting worried?]

3/18/09 7:16 p.m. Five cars were parked for more than five minutes in a timed parking area.[The ... fives ... are ... everywhere...]

3/18/09 9:43 p.m. A possible juvenile delinquent threw a ball of mushy paper at a person’s car. ["Possible?" Why is this kid still at large?]

3/21/09 10:31 p.m. A strange, slinking man was seen lurking around a neighborhood.[I was not "slinking." I mean, I was home watching TV.]

3/21/09 11:20 p.m. A man was seen walking in circles and talking to himself. [Still at home, watching TV. Not much going on here.]

No offense (really) to the kid who started all of this "no cussing" stuff (notice I didn't say "shit" - doh!), but really, are words in and of themselves "bad?" Has the word "shit," by itself, ever hurt anyone? What about "You're fat" or "You're ugly" or "You're stupid?"

Off my soapbox, and on to Mr. Anthony Ruano, who probably wishes I were King. Seems that young Mr. Ruano (age 18) had an argument with his dad, then headed across the street, spray paint in hand. On the wall of the building facing his dad's house, he wrote a 7-foot-long message - "Fuck You." Unfortunately for Mr. Ruano, that building WAS AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

As luck (bad) would have it, Mr. Ruano chose to do this during Los Angeles County's "No Cussing Week." Per The Contra Costa Times,

Ruano finds himself prosecuted under a City Attorney's Office plan to work to improve safety and security at the city's school campuses....

[He] was charged with one count of vandalism and could go to jail for a year and pay up to $10,000 in fines if convicted.

Check out these fellas, as reported by The Arkansas Times:

Worst dillweeds

Several people were arrested in April and charged in a series of burglaries in the Hillcrest section of west Little Rock after they pawned a digital camera that contained pictures of them displaying and bragging about all the loot they'd stolen, including the camera.

For service of court papers. For real. As reported by the BBC:

Mark McCormack, a lawyer in Canberra, persuaded a court to allow him to use the unusual method after other attempts to reach them failed.

The couple's home is being repossessed after they reportedly missed payments on a loan of over A$100,000 ($67,000; £44,000).

Mr McCormack says he resorted to Facebook to trace the couple after unsuccessful attempts to contact them at their home address and via email, and they failed to attend a court appearance on 3 October.

In granting permission to use the social networking site, the judge stipulated that the papers be sent via a private email so that other people visiting the page could not read their contents.

Minnesota man Scott Wagar had enough. His house had been getting hit for 7 years. Per wcco.com:

Wagar never used to have a problem with homecoming traditions, until he became one. Years ago he caught a group of Willmar High School students trying to cover his house in toilet paper and he made them clean it up. Since then, the pranksters have been coming back for more.

"They come with ketchup, and peanut butter, and eggs and toilet paper," said Wagar.

This year, Wagar borrowed a pair of night vision goggles from his son and waited outside. It wasn't long before he saw a group of about 20 kids approaching his house from the east, through a soybean field. He confronted them and asked them to leave. They refused and began throwing eggs at him. That's when Scott unleashed his secret weapon.

"I figured that fox urine against eggs was probably equal force, and so I should be okay," said Wagar.

Using a Super Soaker squirt gun, Wagar sprayed the teens with fox urine. One teen grabbed him around the neck, and when he wouldn't let go, Wagar bent his finger back.

Maybe this won't help Johns everywhere, but 9 Johns in Pennsylvania had a real good day. The "Johns" I am referring to are the customers of prostitutes. What's the cause for celebration? As reported by lehighvalleylive.com,

Riegelsville's Craig Cardone and 8 others, accused of soliciting prostitutes, are getting their cars back. The should never have been seized in the first place. Easton's childish and petty ordinance only added insult to injury.

Ojai, California's loss is Ashland, Oregon's gain? Ms. Jennifer Moss, as reported by The Oregonian ...

...often pedaled a bicycle around Ojai in a hemp G-string and flower-shaped pasties to promote Earth-friendliness.

Her most recent misdemeanor arrest was for removing everything but her G-string and pasties in front of parishioners leaving an Easter Sunday Mass outside a Catholic church in Ojai. Stunned parishioners thought she was naked, police said.

"Police attention was part of the reason I left ...But the number one reason I left Ojai is they are not conscious enough about the air, the soil and the water. Either you get it or you don't."

Moss said she confirmed with police that Ashland's laws do not prohibit public nudity. She celebrated by stripping off all of her clothes and doing a headstand right outside the police station. Then she rode her bike naked through the center of Ashland.

Australian Christian Marchesani has unambiguous contempt for speed cameras. Well, aside from the above photo, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

... in January Marchesani sat on the fuel tank of his motorbike and rode past a speed camera twice with his thumbs up, reaching speeds of up to 130 kilometres an hour in a 70 zone.

In March, he rode past another camera at 117 kilometres an hour while kneeling on his fuel tank and making obscene gestures [think middle fingers].

At the time of the offences he was riding under suspension and serving a suspended prison sentence for similar driving offences.

I'm sure you've heard that the California Supreme Court overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriages. So June 17 is the first day that same-sex couples can legally marry in California. Well, as reported by the Los Angeles Times,

... the Kern County [California] clerk will stop performing all civil marriages before June 17 ...

The clerk, Ann Barnett, cited financial concerns and space limitations. But e-mails and other records obtained by the Bakersfield Californian suggest that the decision stems from her personal discomfort with gay and lesbian unions.

Vietnam veteran and court reporter Ronald Tolkin was in the right place at the right time. That place was a courtroom in Brooklyn, New York. Others present: prosecutor Carolyn Pokorny, defendant Victor Wright, Judge Block, and U.S. Marshal Alvarez. As reported by nymag.com, after lunging at Ms. Pokorny with a contraband razor, "[Wright] was tackled first by ... Tolkin, who later reconstructed the incident based on digital recordings. His unofficial transcript, first leaked to AbovetheLaw.com, is excerpted below."

(Time noted: 3:30 p.m.)
(Whereupon Judge Block takes the bench.)
Ms. Pokorny: Hello.
Court Reporter: Good afternoon, Your Honor.
Mr. Rabkin: How are you? How are you, Judge?
The Court: Fine, and you?
…
The Court: Is [defense attorney] Mr. Batchelder here?
Courtroom Deputy Clerk: Yes. He is in with Mr. Wright.
The Court: All right.
(Whereupon Mr. Batchelder, the defendant, and Deputy U.S. Marshal Alvarez and Deputy U.S. Marshal Vavasis enter the courtroom.)
Courtroom Deputy Clerk: Well, Mr. Wright looks better today. He looked like he was depressed and a broken man the last time.
(Whereupon the defendant turns toward Ms. Pokorny and attacks her.) (Whereupon there is screaming.)
Court Reporter: You cocksucker, get off of her. Get off of her. Get off of her. You cocksucker, get off of her.
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Get off of her.
Court Reporter: I will beat the shit out of you, you motherfucker. You cocksucker. Who the fuck do you think you are?
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Get off.
Court Reporter: Try it on me, man. I’ll kick you in the fuckin’ balls.
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Get off her.
The Defendant: I apologize.
Court Reporter: You apologize, you piece of shit.
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Get off of her.
The Defendant: They are choking me.
Court Reporter: You fuckin’ put your hands behind your back, you cocksucker.
…
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Move your hands behind your back. Move them now.
Court Reporter: I got one. I got one hand. I got one. I got one.
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Put your hands behind your back.
Court Reporter: Get the other one. Cuff from the other.
U.S. Marshal Vavasis: You fuckin’ asshole. You motherfucker.
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Leave him there now.
Court Reporter:: You cocksucker.
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Leave him there.
Court Reporter: Fuckin’ shit. Son of a bitch. I’m all right. Where is Carolyn?
Courtroom Deputy Clerk: I told her to leave.
…
Female Court Security Officer: 10-4 control, we need an ambulance. 10-4. In 10-C we need an ambulance to be called, please.
Control: 10-4.
Court Reporter: Is she all right, Carolyn?
Female Court Security Officer: She wants an ambulance.
Court Reporter: Good. All right. You will have to put this over.
Courtroom Deputy Clerk: No shit, Sherlock.
Court Reporter: Yeah.
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: She is feeling okay but she got like some bruises.
Court Reporter: You better get an ambulance.
U.S. Marshal Vavasis: We are just going to take this guy in the back—
Control: 10-4.
Court Reporter: This is going to be put over anyway.
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Yeah, I know.
Court Reporter: It can be put over because we are not doing nothing today. I have it on audio. I have it all on audio. That fuckin’—
(Telephone ringing.)
The Court: The Marshals are here?
Court Reporter: Two Marshals are here. They took him down. They took him down, Judge. Carolyn is going to have an ambulance to go to the hospital.
The Court: What happened to her?
Court Reporter: She got all bruised, Your Honor. She wants to go to the hospital. I guess we are going to put this over?
The Court: Yes, it is going to be put over.
Court Reporter: Yes.
The Court: But why didn’t the Marshals respond? [The panic button] did not work, Mike? I am terribly concerned about this.
Courtroom Deputy Clerk: All right. In the old building we had to press it in.
(Telephone ringing.)
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: Look what I found.
(Whereupon the Marshal picks up a razor blade.)
Court Reporter: What is that, a razor?
U.S. Marshal Alvarez: It is a razor blade. He was going to cut her.
Court Reporter: Great.
...
Court Reporter: Let me turn this off.

Here's the source.

Can you say that on TV in Australia? Hell yes. Chef Gordon Ramsay, of "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" in Australia (and "Hell's Kitchen" in the U.S.) drops some serious f-bombs. Per The Daily Telegraph,

... celebrity chef Ramsay slipp[ed] in the f-word more than 80 times in one episode.

[Australian] Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi said the dropping of the "c-bomb" during a recent 9.30pm episode had gone too far.

Channel 9 hit back yesterday, saying 1.5 million viewers would know better than "one person in Parliament" about what they wanted to watch on TV.

For those of you in the United States who are worried about the steady erosion of privacy rights (count me in), transplant yourself to the United Kingdom for a moment. As reported in The Guardian, here's a suggestion from Britain's most senior police forensics expert:

Primary school children should be eligible for the DNA database if they exhibit behaviour indicating they may become criminals in later life.

Gary Pugh, director of forensic sciences at Scotland Yard and the new DNA spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said a debate was needed on how far Britain should go in identifying potential offenders, given that some experts believe it is possible to identify future offending traits in children as young as five.

Last week it emerged that the number of 10 to 18-year-olds placed on the DNA database after being arrested will have reached around 1.5 million this time next year. Since 2004 police have had the power to take DNA samples from anyone over the age of 10 who is arrested, regardless of whether they are later charged, convicted, or found to be innocent.

Concern over the issue of civil liberties will be further amplified by news yesterday that commuters using Oyster smart cards could have their movements around cities secretly monitored under new counter-terrorism powers being sought by the security services.

.

Yes, "right to dry," not "right to die," though some people may jump off their condo balconies if, heaven forfend, Project Laundry List, and some New England legislators get their wish. What do they want? Per The Boston Globe:

If successful, the measures in Vermont and Connecticut would be the first in New England, and among the first in the country, to protect the age-old custom of air-drying laundry. (The proposal in New Hampshire died in committee, but proponents say they plan to try again next session.)

"People think it's silly, but what's silly is to worry so much about having to look at your neighbors' undies that you would prevent them from conserving energy," said Vermont state Senator Dick McCormack, a sponsor of "right to dry" legislation. "We're not making a big deal over clotheslines; we're making a big deal over global warming."

"If you imagine driving into a community where the yards have clothes hanging all over the place, I think the aesthetics, the curb appeal, and probably the home values would be affected by that, because you can't let one homeowner do it and say no to the next," said Frank Rathbun, a spokesman for the Community Associations Institute, a national group based in Virginia that represents thousands of homeowner and condominium associations, many of which restrict clotheslines.

For real - this defense was really used in court. The charge against Japanese pin-up Serena Kozakura was kicking a hole in a door, and then crawling through it to enter an apartment. She was convicted. On appeal, Serena's lawyer argued that, with a 44-inch chest, she could not possibly have fit through the hole in the door! The Judge agreed, and tossed the case. Said Serena,

“I used to hate my body so much, but it was my breasts that won in court.”

Just ask Vern Potter. Seems old Vern was wanted for insurance fraud relating to a personal injury claim from an automobile accident. Obviously he didn't get enough to retire on, because he took a job with a roofing company. Just recently, he was up on the roof of an elementary school, shoveling snow off, when a photographer from the New Hampshire Union Leader took his picture. Well sir, it made the papers, and was seen by a Corcord, New Hampshire policman, who recognized Vern. So the police went to the school and got their man.

Pubes! "According to the [police] complaint, a second kitchen worker told police [the cook] put a slit in the steak and pushed something inside, then stated, "These are my pubes," referring to pubic hair." (The cook said they were facial hairs. Huh?)

Why would a cook do this? He was pissed that the customer said the first steak was "medium," not "rare" per his order. What happened to Ryan Kropp, the cook?

Kropp, 24, of West Bend, was charged Wednesday with a felony of placing foreign objects in edibles, carrying up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He was released on a signature bond.

Over the 14 years Noel "Nutsy" Campbell and Miss Jasmine were involved (I can't say "together" because at one point, she left him for 4 years!), she left him 13 times. He always took her back. So why did he finally decide he'd had enough? He was tired of the beatings Miss Jasmine inflicted on him, among other things.

She used a machete to beat me all over my body. I ran into my van to get away from her. I managed to get into the van. Nicholas and Noel Jr (his sons) ran me down ... and began beating me in my head. I drive away and left them.

She attacked me with a machete that gave me a cut to my right finger on my right hand. I ran out of the house. I went into the van and was reversing. (She) used a stone to hit out the windshield and she also broke my rear view mirror.

"The court makes a protection order or interim protection order forbidding the respondent from entering or remaining in the (applicant's) residence." The order, among other clauses, forbids Miss Jasmine from entering Nutsy's place of work or education, and from molesting the (applicant) by using abusive language to or behaving towards (the applicant) in any manner which is of such nature and degree as to cause annoyance to or result in ill-treatment of the (applicant)".

... men who are being physically abused by their partners must do the honourable thing and seek legal protection and, if they "can do better, leave the woman, nuh kill har, cause life hard, but it sweet".

So the husband, Ravi, wanted an omelette for dinner. And he's not real flexible (at least he wasn't at the time). Wife Kavitha, a school teacher, didn't feel like cooking no stinkin' omelette. After an argument, she began chopping onions for the omelette. After another argument ensued, she took that old knife and planted it right in Ravi's chest. Do NOT mess with Ravi! (And, generally speaking, don't argue with a knife-wielder.) The fuzz took Kavitha away, while neighbors took Ravi to the hospital. Here's the article. (Trust me, my write-up is better.)

Precisely what Illinois attorney Marvin Gerstein should have asked himself. He had helped his union-member client obtain an arbitration hearing with the client's employer, Kraft Foods. Although the union had a lawyer at the arbitration representing the client, Gerstein was there too in a "nonrepresentative capacity." When the arbitrator asked if anyone objected to Gerstein sitting in, Kraft's attorney, Ms. Nimz, said that she did. She stated that the union's agreement with Kraft "provided that employees who filed grievances were to be represented by the union's attorney and did not have an independent right to be represented by private counsel." The arbitrator agreed, and Mr. Gerstein was booted out. Ten days later, he sent Ms. Nimz a letter including the following paragraph:

More importantly, as far as I am concerned, in the twenty-six years that I have practiced law, I have never met, in a limited basis, a more despicable self-made piece of dog shit than you. You are a fucking slime-ball and a fucking slime-bag and I piss on your existence. What I want to tell you specifically is to take this letter and jam it up your asshole, resulting in severe paper cuts. You are a used condom of the highest order.

(If you have seen this entry before, SORRY! The site gets a lot of new visitors.) The American Bar Association selected Legal Juice as one of the 100 best websites by lawyers, for lawyers (though Legal Juice is really for regular folks, which obviously excludes most lawyers.) If you want to vote for Legal Juice (in other words, PLEASE VOTE FOR LEGAL JUICE), click on the link below, scroll down 7 blawgs, and vote! (The shameless plugging does take its toll. Make my whoring worthwhile.)

If you're a neighbor of 15-year-old Ryan Bowen, you could always move. (One poor family did.) So what do you have to do to get the court to issue an ASBO (Anti-Social Behavior Order) against you? And to take the unusual step of naming you? (The ASBO imposes a curfew, prevents Ryan from associating with certain people, and imposes other restrictions on his behavior.) As reported in The Herald Express, here are some of the allegations the court heard before imposing the ASBO:

Police legal adviser Mr Quinn told the court that Ryan was a 'complete thug - and that's putting it mildly'. He added: "He may not yet be 16 years, but in his short life he has terrorised the people of Teignmouth and the surrounding area. He seems to have no redeeming features.

He targeted vulnerable neighbours, subjecting them to obscene and racial abuse, threatening their children and attacking their cars and homes.

Ryan went to one woman neighbour's workplace and subjected her to an abusive attack there.

Ryan fired a BB gun at people, pushed used condoms through their doors, walked over their cars, and jumped up and down on them.

One family had finally moved because they could no longer take the abuse and intimidation meted out by Ryan and his friends - only to be subjected to more abuse when they ran into the teenager in a Tesco store. "He was not satisfied to drive them out of their home. He still approached them and abused them," said PC Colley.

Ryan would ride a mini motorbike around the area until 11.30pm and midnight - kicking out at parked cars as he went.

Straight from the ABA's "Sample Press Release" - "Editors of the ABA Journal today announced they have selected [blawg name] as one of the top 100 best websites by lawyers, for lawyers." If you want to vote for Legal Juice, click on the link below, scroll down 7 blawgs, and vote!

It looks like she made a damn good decision. Mergers and acquisitions lawyer Laura Saperstein (pictured above) was making $200,000 per year in London when she decided to give up the law. (She also owns 12 flats in London, and runs a building business.) The 36 year-old took up boxing only three years ago, and won all of her amateur bouts, including winning the British amateur lightweight championship. She is so dominating that she has yet to be knocked down, or even hurt. So she went pro. Her first fight was November 18th. Think she won? She did. You can read more about her here.

The German "Hugh Hefner" is suing a 19-year-old girl for age discrimination BECAUSE SHE WOULD NOT HAVE SEX WITH HIM! Read it here.

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As reported in The Huffington Post, Patrick Syring, who "apparently" is a former State Department foreign service officer, really, really dislikes Arabs and the Arab American Institute. (He's been indicted for threatening the staff at the Arab American Institute.) Here are a few voice-mails and e-mails:

[Voice mail to the Institute:] Hello, I'm Patrick I'm in Arlington VA, and I think James Zogby is worse than Osama bin Laden. Since he supports Hezballah, he's an anti-Semitic motherfucker, and the only good Arab is a dead Arab.

[Voice mail to an Institute employee:] Hello Valerie, you fucking Arab American shit. James Zogby and you are all Hezballah supporters. The only good Arab is a dead Arab... You God [inaudible] bitch.

[E-mail to two Institute employees; all e-mails sent to work addresses:] Zogby's anti-Semitic, anti-American statements (and those of the AAI in general) are abhorrent, repulsive and disgusting. The only good Lebanese is a dead Lebanese (as the IDF knows and is carrying out in its security operations, God bless them.) Fuck the Arabs and Fuck James Zogby and his wicked Hizbollah brothers. They will burn in hellfire on this earth and in the hereafter.

Due to popular demand (okay, by me), Legal Juice now features an e-mail subscription option. On the home page, on the right, just enter your e-mail address in the "Subscribe by Email" box. You'll then get an e-mail each day with a few sentences about (and a link to) each day's entry.

Submissions! If you have a submission for Legal Juice, please send it to me via the "Suggest A Story" box on the right side of the home page. Let me know if you want props in the post, or if you wish to remain anonymous.

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Unless you're a shut-in, at some point in your life, you've probably been frustrated over an airport baggage issue. It is unlikely, though, that you reacted as Congressman Bob Filner allegedly did at Dulles Airport a couple days ago. Per the airport police, Filner, an 8-term Congressman who is Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, allegedly

attempted to enter an area authorized for airline employees only, pushed aside the employee’s outstretched arm and refused to leave the area when asked by an airline employee.

Congressman Bob Filner is on his way to Iraq, visiting our troops, and will have a full statement when he returns. Suffice it to say now, that the story that has appeared in the press is factually incorrect _ and the charges are ridiculous.

Former NFL superstar wide receiver Andre Rison, most recently of the Raiders, is a real "bad boy." Here are some of his off-the-field accomplishments:

He wrote bad checks totaling $167,627.46 to Elif Jewelry in Atlanta for a Rolex watch, diamond jewelry, and a gold necklace.

He owes his ex-wife $236,949.96 in child support (and legal fees).

He owes about $70,000 to three ex-girlfriends with whom he had a child.

In 1994, he must have really pissed off singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, because she burned his house down.

And why has all of this come up? Because the Raiders owe Rison $100,000, which they want to pay him, but are reluctant to because of all of his creditors. So they have asked the court to determine how the money should be paid. To read more, click here.

Deborah Rouvalis told the police that her boyfriend, Steven Pagels, got mad at her for leaving pizza crumbs on their motel room bed. (Apparently he would kick her out of bed for eating crackers. Sorry!) Then things got ugly. Pagels jammed his thumb down her throat [Who would think of that? I'm having trouble visualizing it.] He then dragged her down the hall, and tried to throw her from the motel balcony.

At his assault and battery trial, though, Deborah denied the whole thing. Unfortunately for Pagels, they record those phone conversations during jailhouse visits. Yup, and two of them caught Pagels ripping Deborah, and threatening her. So a charge of intimidating a witness was tacked on. The verdict? Guilty of the assault and battery, and the intimidation. Pagels is in jail now, and I'm sure he's much more careful when he talks to his visitors. You can read more here.

So Kevin Costner was getting a massage at a hotel in Scotland. According to the masseuse, who later filed a claim of unfair dismissal and sexual discrimination, here's a highlight:

Throughout the massage he kept putting his hand underneath his towel but never kept it there long enough for me to suspect anything.” However, as she went to massage his head, he whipped off his towel and “performed a sex act to climax”.

They can in Lake County, Florida. I was just kidding about Jackass. It was Jackass Number Two that a kid who appeared to be about 11 rented! And the issue was born.

Last week, the library board voted 9-0 against a policy that would prohibit kids under 17 from renting R-rated movies. Lake County commissioners are set to discuss the board's recommendation today.

So what's the reasoning behind the unanimous vote? Movie ratings are set by a private group, the Motion Picture Association of America. According to Assistant County Attorney Kimberly Williams, "It's an unconstitutional delegation of authority for the county to use those MPAA ratings as a guideline for obscenity." Her opinion is supported by several court decisions, including one by a federal judge in Minnesota last year.

Student Justin Layshock, apparently not to fond of his former principal, Erick Trosch, create a MySpace profile that was, as Judge McVerry described it, "lewd, profane and sexually inappropriate." The Hermitage School District suspended Justin and moved him to an Alternative Education Program. The Layshock's filed suit in federal court, claiming that Justin's MySpace profile is constitutionally protected speech. The school district claimed that it has the authority to discipline Justin because his acitivities, even though not done on school grounds, were disruptive of the school environment. So who do you think won? (See below.)

Justin! Because the school district did not show “a sufficient nexus between Justin’s speech and a substantial disruption of the school environment.” Next up, a trial to determine the amount of damages Justin is entitled to. Oh, one other little thing. Principal Trosch filed a defamation suit against Justin (and the alleged creators of 2 other less than flattering profiles).
To read more, click here.

Although we seem to live in a time where the law is routinely ignored (warrantless wiretapping anyone?), Vermont? Yes, the state of lawlessness has hit Vermont. Seems the Health Commissioner is required by law to be a doctor. Not surprisingly, there is an exception for an "acting" Commissioner, as in "the person is only occupying the position temporarily, to ensure continuity" until so

Well sir, Nurse Sharon Moffat, a/k/a Health Commissioner Sharon Moffat, has been "acting" the part since June 2006! Nothing against Ms. Moffat, but certainly the law was enacted for a reason. (By the way, a bill introduced to change it did not even make it out of committee!) No sweat, said Vermont's attorney general, who stated that he doesn't know of any time limit on how long someone can retain the "acting" title. So much for the law, at least the spirit of it anyway.

A good friend sent this to me. Hopefully it hasn't been around the world too many times, without finding it's way into my inbox. Anyway, there's a town in Austria called "Fucking." Seems people keep stealing the signs. Go figure. Enjoy the article!

In a recent case from Australia, two 20-year-old men, Robert Karaca and Jarred Royce Price, were charged with attempted murder. Their “victim” was a 32-year-old friend of theirs named Bruce Levin, who was intent on killing himself, and convinced them to help.

Levin spoke of overdosing on sleeping tablets. If that failed, he wanted to be hit on the back of the head with a steel bar. Oh, and he threw in more than $5,000. (That’d be a little less than $5,000 U.S., but, still, nothing that a couple of broke 20-year-olds would scoff at.)

When Levin’s sleeping pills appeared not to work, Karaca couldn’t bring himself to hit Levin with the pole, so Price was asked to do it. Apparently, Levin thanked them profusely before he was hit and then suddenly had a change of heart – after he was hit twice, he laid still and played dead to avoid being hit again.

Thinking Levin was dead, his pals took off. A bloodied Levin got his wounds stitched at the hospital. A remorseful Karaca told the police what they had done.

So, what happened to them?

Continue reading "If The Sleeping Pills Don't Kill Me, Please Hit Me On The Head With A Pole - And Here's $5k For Your Troubles" »

In the past three years, trains on which Lee Shuang-chuan and his wife Chen Shi Shen-hong rode derailed three times! After the most recent derailment, on March 17, 2006, authorities thought the death of Lee’s wife was a tragic accident. They had been traveling on a train bound for Vietnam to visit Chen’s relatives. Suddenly, the train violently derailed, and Lee became a widower soon after the crash.

It wasn’t long, though before authorities began to uncover the following bizarre series of circumstances surrounding Chen’s death:

The 2 prior derailments!

Lee was a railway worker, and had worked as a railway inspector 2 years ago.

An autopsy of Chen’s body revealed the presence of Eutimine (a strong sedative mainly administered to patients with mental illnesses) and traces of a poisonous substance that was either rat poison or snake venom.

Lee had lost more than NT $33 million (roughly US $1,030,000) in the stock market between 2001 and 2004 (a tidy sum for a railway worker, no?)

Several days before the derailment, Lee took out a NT $20 million (US $625,000) insurance policy on his wife covering “accidental death.”

Lee’s previous wife died under “mysterious circumstances” four years ago. And what did Lee claim was the cause of his previous wife’s death? A snake bite. Do you think he collected on her insurance policy? He did.

Oh, and witnesses saw Lee giving Chen injections after dragging her to a bathroom near the scene of the derailment!

Continue reading "You Would Not Want To Be On A Train With This Man!" »

Last time it was a doctor, this time a former police officer and school resource officer - allegedly. (Though it shouldn't be too hard to prove!)

David Wayne Coburn has been charged with taking pictures of his genitals and sending them to the cell phones of a 15-year-old girl, and a 19-year-old woman. Oh, and the 19-year-old is the daughter of the police chief, Coburn's former boss. Brilliant! And the 15-year-old is the daughter of one of Coburn's "friends!" And what was Coburn's job this year? He was the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer at a middle school! Now he's looking at three felonies for disseminating obscenities. You can read the rest of the article here.

The Juice applauds this church for its openmindedness. But this is what the Juice has a problem with:

While not having a policy for transgendered clergy, the United Methodist Church does prohibit sexually active gay clergy!

That's the allegation, anyway. The plaintiffs allege that certain sodas contain unsafe levels of benzene, which can form in drinks containing vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, and either sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate. (Scientists say factors such as heat or light exposure can trigger a reaction that forms benzene in the beverages.)

So what did the judge do when the soda folks asked him to toss the suit? She declined, and the case moves forward. (Coca Cola settled with the plaintiffs, and agreed to reforumlate the sodas in questions.

Defendant Richard Glawson can forget about jury sympathy. After the judge refused the prosecutor's request to have Glawson shackled, he sucker-punched an elderly juror, then had to be pulled off of him. Sure, hindsight is 20/20. In this case, though, foresight should have been easy enough.

Here's what Glawson (see photo) is accused of doing during a two-day crime spree: robbing a house, starting a shootout at a mall, carjacking a woman, breaking into another home, shooting a disabled man’s dog, carjacking two more vehicles, and shooting a police officer in the hand. What the hell do you have to be accused of to warrant shackles?

Petty Officer Second Glass Jason Knight, a trained Hebrew linguist, is gay. So, under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the Navy booted him in 2005. He even had to give back his $13,000 signing bonus. Then, just 9 months later, the Navy called him up for a one-year tour in Kuwait. He gladly accepted, hoping to return to active duty full-time, perhaps entering officers candidate school.

Now, just weeks before the end of his one-year tour, the Navy discharged him again because ... he is gay! Apparently they were not pleased with an interview he did with Stars & Stripes and other media. Here's what Knight had to say in a letter to Stars & Stripes before this latest discharge:

I spent four years in the Navy, buried fallen service members as part of the Ceremonial Guard, served as a Hebrew Linguist in Navy Intelligence, and received awards for exemplary service. However, because I was gay, the Navy discharged me and recouped my $13,000 sign-on bonus. Nine months later, the Navy recalled me to active duty. Did I accept despite everything that happened? Of course I did, and I would do it again. Because I love the Navy and I love my country. And . . . my shipmates support me.

He’s better than the average sailor at his job. It’s not at all a strange situation. As open as he is now, it was under wraps for quite a while. It wasn’t an issue at work.

Things must be going awfully well in the Collier County, Florida school system. Why else would they spend so much time and so many resources doing battle over a harmless prank? Here's what happened:

Senior Nick Sofos was asked to co-host a fundraiser for the school's drama club.

Just before intermission, Nick faked an accidental pants-drop and turned his back on the crowd, mooning them. (Hmmm. I wonder where he got that idea?) For the occasion, he wore a thong, so that the crowd would not be exposed to anything other than his butt. After about 10 seconds of mock befuddlement, Nick pulled up his pants, apologized and exited the stage.

The following day, Nick was ordered to leave the school's football game. (Fear the buttocks!)

He was then suspended for 10 days, after telling the principal that it was an accident.

Soon thereafter, per the principal, Nick sent him an e-mail admitting that it was not an accident.

After the suspension, Nick was required to spend 10 more days in the Phoenix Program, an alternative school.

That was too much for Nick's parents, who went to court and asked the judge to force the school board to allow Nick to return to his high school. They won.

The school board appealed! They lost.

Now they want to expel Nick for violating .... Rule 11! No, not Rule 11! Anything but Rule 11! Anyone have the Rule book? Sorry. Here it is. Rule 11 provides that “a student shall not use any method of communication, including electronic communication, that is obscene or profane, that causes personal humiliation or is likely to disrupt the school education, extracurricular or administrative process.”

Continue reading "Should This Boy Be Expelled?" »

Janet Campbell did - once. The man was her husband, Desmond. They pitched their tent 20 yards from a cliff! Per Mr. Campbell, his wife left the tent to go to the bathroom. He heard a sound, and found her body at the bottom of the cliff, 55 yards below. Without anything further, you'd have to take a hard look at Mr. Campbell, no? But there's more. Here's what has been put into evidence at the Coroner's inquest:

Just days after his wife died, he went on vacation with one of the women he was dating while he was married!

He was in significant relationships with at least 3 other women while he was dating or married to Ms. Campbell (and none of them knew he was married).

He didn't go to her funeral.

He had not contributed significantly to the $660,000 property he and Ms. Campbell had recently purchased.

He resigned from the police department in 1994 after being suspended without pay following a number of disciplinary actions against him.

Mr. Campbell was overheard telling colleagues that Ms. Campbell was stalking and harassing him, and that they weren't together anymore.

Mr. Campbell has a reputation as a rogue and a gold-digger.

Many folks who are wondering about the meaning of life, or what happens after death, turn to religion for answers. But if you’re wondering how to get out of a traffic ticket, you're on your own.

Take the case of Mr. Robert G. Loudon, a god-fearing resident of Memphis, Tennessee. On a sunny day in June, 1990, Mr. Loudon was stopped by police for making an illegal left turn. When asked for his license, Mr. Loudon replied that it had expired. The officer then prepared a citation for the illegal turn, and for driving without a license, and presented it to Mr. Loudon for his signature. Mr. Loudon refused to sign, because (as the court explains):

[Mr. Loudon] advised [the officer] that he could not be arrested because her God was not as big as his God. He referred to her as “an agent of the socialistic government and he felt that it was that type of government that was trying to brand him with this mark.”

[I]t is illegal for you or anyone else to deny me a renewal of my operator license because I neither have nor will get a Socialist Surveillance Number; and so to do will be a violation of Federal laws both civil and criminal, regardless of any “Laws” you claim to be acting under color of. ...

I do not have a SSN because that number is now becoming the mark of the beast against which we are warned in the Bible at Revelation 13:16-18, 14:11, and other places. I have committed my life to follow the Lord Jesus, Christ, and I cannot permit myself to be defiled with your number, as it would surely defile me.

The case is Tennessee v. Loudon, 857 S.W.2d 878 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1993).

Don Bolles, drummer for the legendary punk rock band The Germs, was on his way to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting when he was pulled over by Newport Beach, California's finest. For whatever reason (they hate punk?), they decide to search his car. I'm sure Bolles now wishes he hadn't consented. He probably thought he had nothing to hide. Ah, but he forget about ....... the soap! Yes, soap. For some odd reason, the police field-tested Bolles' bottle of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. Using the handy-dandy Narcopouch 928, the police determined that Bolles had GHB (gamma hydroxyl butyrate - the "date rape" drug) in his soap!

Never doubting for a second that the results could be erroneous, the Newport Beach police charged Bolles with a felony and took him to jail, where he spent the next 3 1/2 days. The soaps maker came to his defense. Ten days after being bailed out, a confirmation test done by the police crime lab came back negative, and the charges were dropped.

But that's not the end of it. The soap's manufacturer has been using the Narcopouch 928 GHB test kit to test a variety of products. So far, products from the following companies have produced false-positives: Neutrogena, Tom's of Maine, Johnson & Johnson, Palmolive! Concerned about all of these false positives, Dr. Bronner's is calling for police departments across the United States to stop using the Narcopouch 928.

I lack the imagination to make these stories up. Seems that young Ms. Marin (age 18) was recently picked up for trying to pinch a pair of shoes at a London store called Lizard. While the police were detaining her, she managed to secure her weapon - her right breast - and let loose with a stream of milk at the officer. For this, she was charged with assault!

Update: Ms. Marin appeared in court and pleaded "not guilty." The matter was continued.

I don't think retired teacher Margaret Lieder (age 58) or her partner, lawyer Larry Pierce (age 60) will be dialing either 411 or 911 anytime soon. When Ms. Lieder accidentally dialed "911" and promptly hung up, the police called back. Even though she told them it was a mistake, they told her officers were being dispatched anyway.

When the police arrived, Ms. Lieder would not let them in, and again told them that everything was fine. When their guest left, three more police officers arrived. (Things must be good in British Columbia if this is all the police have to do!) Then things got really crazy. The police broke down the door and arrested both Ms. Lieder and Mr. Pierce. In the process Mr. Pierce suffered cracked ribs, among other injuries. These incredibly dangerous suspects (Margaret "Crazy Fingers" Lieder and Larry "Judo Lawyer" Pierce) were handcuffed and taken to the station. They were kept in jail overnight! When they were taken to court the next day, they were let go before they even got to a judge, without ever being charged! Well, I guess they had learned their lesson! (or the police realized they couldn't come up with any charges!)

Now maybe the police will learn their lesson, as they have been sued for assault, battery, trespassing, false arrest, false imprisonment, illegal search and abuse of authority.

A Chinese company called "Beijing Lunar Village Aeronautics and Technology Co Ltd," but operating as the "Lunar Embassy to China," offered land on the moon at the low, low price of 298 yuan (about $40) per acre. And just in case you need to check up on your plot, this ambitious company also registered to engage in space travel.

According to the company's CEO, Li Jie, they sold 49 acres to 34 clients in the first 3 days of operations! Unfortunately for the Lunar Embassy, a Beijing court shut it down, citing a 1983 treated signed by China. The treaty provides that

outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by other means... The exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries.

And how is it that trial lawyers get so much bad press?

Psychiatrist Juan Ernest Tejeda Rosario was charged with sexual abuse, sexual impropriety, and "disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional conduct. The allegation made by two patients (of 15 and 16 years) include:

Tying a rope around the patient's genitals and leading him around the office;

Penetrating the patient with objects, including a riding whip and a toilet brush;

Piercing the patient's penis and genitals with a needle;

Engaging in intercourse with a patient while the man put his head in the toilet;

Having the patients perform oral sex on him and masturbate him;

Having the patients masturbate in front of him;

Paying $3,000 to one of the patient's girlfriend (who was also his patient!) to keep her quiet.

So what do you think happened at the disciplinary proceeding, scheduled to last 16 days?

Continue reading "You Would NOT Want This Man As Your Doctor" »

The contest put on by Sacramento radio station KDND was called "Hold your wee for a Wii." Eighteen contestants drank lots of water over a 4-hour period. They would be disqualified if they urinated. Contestant Jennifer Strange drank almost 2 gallons of water, then began to experience headaches and disorientation. So she dropped out of the contest and went home.

SHE DIED THAT DAY - from water intoxication. Her family has sued the radio station, among others (Click here to see the lawsuit on The Smoking Gun).

What about criminal responsibility? Do you think anyone involved is being prosecuted for this? Nope. The District Attorney decided not to charge anyone at the station because Ms. Strange could have stopped anytime, and because "there were no observable indications or symptoms that [she] was experiencing a serious medical emergency..."

Winnipeg attorney Ingrid Chen was caught on tape telling the head of a biker gang that she wanted her clients attacked or even "dead." He also told Ms. Chen that "the first visit is a nice visit. After that, if I have to break legs, I break legs." Ms. Chen's lawyer said that she just made a "few stupid mistakes."

Queen's Bench Justice Greenberg disagreed, stating that Ms. Chen "took professional misconduct to a whole new level." Said the Justice, "Not surprisingly, there is no case law on how to deal with a lawyer who hires a thug to collect money from her clients."

Ms. Chen was convicted of extortion, sentenced to 18 months in jail, and taken away in handcuffs. Quite a disappointment for her, as she was seeking to avoid jail altogether. Click here for more details of Ms. Chen's collection methods.

American Airlines Pilot James Yates showed up at the Manchester, England airport for the Manchester- to-Chicago flight. Yes he was a little late, and DRUNK! Almost 8 times the legal limit.

It seems that Mr. Yates had been out drinking with his two co-pilots the night before. He visited at least 4 pubs before returning to his hotel. He then took a sedative around midnight. He was awakened at 9:00 a.m. the next morning by his captain's banging on the door. But what about that bottle of Irish whiskey he had purchased the day before? One-third of it was gone! Mr. Yates said he had no memory of drinking it.

When he arrived at the airport, Yates could not find his security pass. He smelled strongly of alcohol and had a red face. Hmmmmm. He was charged with carrying out an activity ancillary to an aviation function while over the drink limit.

HIs trial lasted three days. Testifying for Mr. Yates were senior American Airlines executives, and Brigadier General Thomas Botchie, who was a fighter pilot with Mr. Yates. The defense theory was a good one - he never intended to fly. He went to the airport (in full uniform) to tell his captain that he was unable to fly. Did the jury believe him?

Continue reading "Drunk Pilot Claims Sleep-Drinking" »

Ms. Eunice Spry may be the worst foster mother ever. Over the course of 20 years, here is some of the abuse she subjected three foster children to:

She forced sticks down their throats.

She starved the kids for a month, keeping them in a locked room, with no clothes.

She made them eat their own vomit, and rat droppings.

She beat them with metal bars and sticks.

She made them drink bleach.

She used sandpaper on one child's face.

She force-fed one child so much "washing-up" liquid that he could differentiate brands by taste.

She forced one child to remain in a wheelchair for 4 years after a car crash just so she could collect more money from the government.

She held one child's hand on a hot light bulb until it turned into a "gooey mess."

And what did Ms. Spry have to say about this?

Continue reading "The Worst Foster Mother EVER!" »

A California (you were thinking Idaho?) patrolman attended a transvestite party where he paid an entrance fee of between $50-$100 with the expectation of receiving sexual gratification. Damned if he wasn’t getting his money’s worth - participating in sexual acts – when the police raided the party and caught him in the act!

When the party was raided, what do you think happened to Patrolman Warren?

Continue reading "Mercy! Police Officer Goes To Transvestite Money-For-Sex Party, Worries About His Machismo" »

Ms. Kirkland works at Morton's of Chicago as the catering manager, where her boss is Mr. Hickey, the restaurant manager. According to the court, there is no genuine dispute as to the following (in other words, "it's true"):

that Hickey told Kirkland that she "needed to get laid"; that Hickey told Kirkland to "blow me"; that Hickey asked Kirkland out on a date, which she rejected, the most benign of Hickey's acts; that Hickey called Kirkland a "fat pig"; that he placed his hand inside of Kirkland's blouse; that he asked Kirkland about the color of her bra and whether it matched her panties; that he pulled up Kirkland's dress; that he pulled his pants down and exposed his buttocks to Kirkland; that he put his hand all the way up Kirkland's dress; and that he waved a vibrator at Kirkland and other women.

whether a reasonable woman would find that Hickey's conduct was sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of employment and create an abusive work environment.

Continue reading "Sexaul Harassment Or Not? You Make The Call." »

You would think this is not something any parent needs to be told. You would be wrong. A Staten Island, New York woman put her 3-year-old son in a running dryer. Prosecutors said that the child suffered burns and bruises on his nose, neck, forehead, ears, back and buttocks. As part of the plea deal, the woman was required to attend parenting-skills classes. She failed to attend them! So the judge sentenced her to 90 days in jail. You can read the entire story here.