Rejecting expert-witness testimony on the subject of lap dances, a court in New York has held that a strip club is liable for $125,000 in unpaid sales taxes. The expert failed to convince the court that a lap dance qualifies…
An Australian woman described as "a marriage celebrant, self-styled witch and alternative therapies practitioner" was sentenced to two months in jail this week for an incident in which she drove away from a traffic stop with a policeman's arm caught…
Well, this is quite remarkable. In this commentary (via Salon), the lawyer who argued that waterboarding does not constitute "torture" now harshly criticizes another lawyer for arguing that bombing does not constitute "hostilities." The making of "utterly farcical" arguments of this kind undermines…
A few days ago, as you may have heard, a college football player was arrested at San Francisco International Airport for wearing sagging pants. This was already well within my zone of interest because it involves (1) the continuing and stupid…
In considering whether something could be the "worst legal brief" ever filed, we have to recognize that there are different kinds of badness. Many briefs are filed every year by people who are, evidently, insane. If it is fair to…
Oregon has joined those jurisdictions holding that teeth are not "dangerous weapons" for purposes of a statute that enhances punishment for crimes in which they are employed. The defendant had employed said teeth Mike-Tyson-style to detach part of his neighbor's…
Please be advised that certain new shoes may pose a tripping hazard, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday against Adidas. The Chicago Sun-Times reports (via the ABA Journal) that a woman is alleging she was injured in 2010 because her…
If I remember correctly, Joe Francis, the "brains" behind "Girls Gone Wild" and sleazemaster extraordinaire, has been mentioned here before. <Google search> "Girls Gone Wild" Founder Says Judge Has Gone Wild in Suit Filed by Girls Who Had Previously Gone…
Here's another argument people can probably stop trying. The California Court of Appeal ruled on February 25 that a drunken passenger who caused a car to crash could be convicted of "driving under the influence." The defendant had argued that the…
A Pennsylvania statute provides: Whoever intentionally throws, shoots, drops or causes to be propelled any solid object, from an overpass or any other location adjacent to or on a roadway, onto or toward said roadway shall be guilty of a…