December 2009

Final Post of 2009

I am busier than I expected today, mostly because I was apparently the only one stupid enough to actually come into the office on December 31.  But I did want to post one final post of the year, although, as you…


Mug Shots of the Year

The Smoking Gun, the nation's top source of remarkable mug shots (among other things), has posted its selections for the top 20 of 2009.     As you can see, that one is only #10. Link: The Smoking Gun


Woman Claims She Was Struck by Falling Moose Head

New York resident Raina Kumra has sued the White Slab Palace restaurant in Manhattan, alleging that she was hit by a 150-pound moose head that fell off the wall above her during a party.  The moose head, which sports antlers over…


Cat’s Relentless String Harassment Prompts Emergency Call

Given that Americans called 911 this year for emergencies that included missing shrimp, McNugget shortages, and (most recently) an unstoppable Playstation 3, it is somewhat reassuring to know that people in other countries are also defective. It may be that,…


Re: The Underpants Bomber

I was planning to write something like this Christopher Hitchens piece in Slate, and probably would have if anybody involved with my flight home yesterday had refused to let me go to the lavatory, to get up for any reason during…


Stalin’s Grandson Files Another Libel Case

Despite losing a similar case earlier this year against a different newspaper, Yevgeny Dzhugashvili has sued a second Russian media outlet for allegedly defaming his grandfather, Josef Vissionariovich Dzhugasvili, better known to some as Stalin. Everyone Stalin didn't kill marches…


No Christmas Pudding Without a Waiver, Restaurant Says

In olden times, finding a coin in a Christmas pudding was apparently a sign of good luck, but now it is more of a liability concern. Diners at the High Timber restaurant in central London who ordered the traditional Christmas…


Vatican Declares Papal Copyright

Because of what it referred to as a "great increase of affection and esteem for the person of the Holy Father" in recent years (I assume that's a rhetorical flourish, because I don't recall the public really dumping on John Paul…


911 Caller Declares Parenting Emergency

Police in Roxbury, Massachusetts, said that an exasperated mother called 911 on Saturday, saying she could not get her 14-year-old son to stop playing "Grand Theft Auto" and go to sleep.  Angela Mejia said she woke up at 2:30 a.m., hours…


One Possible Class-Action Defense Strategy: Disappear and Live in a Tent

In class-action cases we generally recommend removing to federal court if possible, moving to dismiss, and then swiftly taking class representatives' depositions if the motion is not successful.  There are other strategies, however.  Here's one that we could not officially recommend,…