Nicholas Needham was accused of being a sexually violent predator (SVP) in 2016. The California Department of State Hospitals (DSH) appointed two doctors to evaluate him prior to trial. Each determined that Needham had a mental illness that made him likely to engage in sexual violence. They suggested he be... Read More »
On Friday (July 12), U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall dismissed a New York state trooper’s retaliation claim portion of a lawsuit against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo while keeping the sexual harassment claim against him untouched. The basis of her ruling was that the alleged retaliatory action had... Read More »
The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Tennessee statute that prohibits transgender individuals from changing the sex listed on their birth certificates. The ruling, delivered on Friday, dismissed constitutional challenges based on equal protection and due process grounds. A group of transgender women born in Tennessee brought the... Read More »
A New Mexico judge has dismissed involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin, citing prosecutorial misconduct and the withholding of critical evidence. The decision brings an unexpected and dramatic end to the high-profile case stemming from the tragic on-set shooting that killed "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021. On Friday,... Read More »
Thursday (July 11), the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that college players in Division I revenue-generating sports, such as football and basketball, cannot be categorically excluded from U.S. labor protections. This ruling challenges the NCAA's longstanding stance that athletes are "student-athletes, " not employees. The decision came in... Read More »
The Beastie Boys have initiated legal action against Brinker International, the parent company of Chili’s, alleging the unauthorized use of their 1994 hit “Sabotage” in a social media advertisement. Filed in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, the lawsuit contends that Brinker International infringed on the group’s copyrights by using the... Read More »
Kevin Hart is facing a $12 million lawsuit filed by his former friend Jonathan "J.T." Jackson over an alleged breach of contract related to the 2017 sex-tape scandal that involved Hart. The legal dispute, brought to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, centers on Hart's failure to adhere to the... Read More »
A federal judge in Texas has declared a 156-year-old ban on at-home distilling unconstitutional, siding with a group advocating for the legalization of personal spirit production. This ruling marks a shift in the regulation of homemade alcoholic beverages, potentially paving the way for hobbyists to distill spirits like whiskey and... Read More »
The family of Harris Wolobah, a 14-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit following his tragic death after participating in a social media trend, the "One Chip Challenge." The lawsuit, filed on Thursday (July 11), alleges that the Paqui brand, owned by the Hershey Co., and Walgreens,... Read More »
The U.S. Copyright Office has finalized a new rule to guarantee that songwriters who exercise their termination rights to regain control of their music will receive streaming royalties. This ruling addresses concerns that previous policies would have continued to send royalties to former owners, even after songwriters reclaimed their rights.... Read More »
Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is facing a wrongful death lawsuit following an incident in which he allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian in Alhambra, California. The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday (July 10) by Ashley Sanchez, the daughter of Israel Sanchez, who was 47 years old... Read More »
Elon Musk secured a legal victory with the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging he failed to pay $500 million in severance to thousands of Twitter employees laid off following his acquisition of the social media company, now rebranded as X. U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson in San Francisco ruled on... Read More »
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (PCUCPA) is a bill in Congress that would ban abortions after 20 weeks gestation. The bill says that fetuses in the womb are able to react “to stimuli that would be recognized as painful if applied to an adult human, for example, by recoiling.”... Read More »
California law, not a federal statute, governs whether carjacking qualifies as an aggravated felony that justifies a deportation penalty. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on July 2 that a man convicted of carjacking without force may remain in the United States. This ruling partially denied the defendant’s... Read More »
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office have banned the anonymous messaging app "NGL: ask me anything" from being used by anyone under 18. This decisive action follows allegations that the app was inappropriately marketed to minors and facilitated cyberbullying and harassment. The settlement, announced... Read More »
