Stupid Laws / Lawsuits / Rulings, -and other stupid legal related stuff

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I never understood why this guy has so many names.

I think this is insane. How can a court (this is in Britain) tell someone they cannot professionally use a nick name? How can someone have a monopoly on a name (I'm talking about personal names, not brand names such as Pepsi, Coca Cola, etc.)

Combs Must Get Riddy of Diddy

Sep 11, 2006, 10:30 AM PT

Sean Combs is the man of a thousand nicknames. Make that a thousand and one.

The rapper otherwise known as Diddy is going to have to dream up another moniker to use in Great Britain after agreeing to drop his current nickname in an out-of-court settlement with an English music producer named Richard "Diddy" Dearlove.

Britain's Diddy sued the American version after the latter changed his stage name four-plus years ago.

Combs, who called himself Puffy, then Puff Daddy, then P. Daddy and then P. Diddy before abandoning the P altogether, was targeted in a lawsuit by his namesame across the pond, who claimed the British music market wasn't big enough for two similarly named artists.

"Mr. Combs is an international star who has been known by several artist names over the years," a publicist for the rapper said Monday. "When he learned that Mr. Dearlove objected to him using the name 'Diddy' in the U.K, Mr. Combs agreed to continue to use 'P. Diddy' in that territory and the matter was amicably resolved.

click link to read the rest...

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Mans calls 911 after Burger King runs out of lemonade

By ANDREW MARRA and STEVEN BERGER
Palm Beach Post Staff Writers
Saturday, February 07, 2009

BOYNTON BEACH — A man was charged with misusing 911 today for a midnight complaint that a Boynton Beach Burger King had run out of lemonade, police say.

Jean Fortune, 66, dialed 911 and told dispatchers he was "unhappy with his order" at the Burger King at 1521 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., according to an arrest report.

When a Boynton Beach police officer arrived, the cashier told him she had informed Fortune at the drive-thru that the store no longer served lemonade. He became angry when he picked up his order at the window and threatened to call police.

The cashier told him to "Go ahead."

The officer noted in his report that Fortune could not explain why he resorted to calling 911 for a "civil dilemma."

He was issued a notice to appear in court.

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Victoria Principal sues former housekeeper

Excerpts:

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer
Tue May 5, 12:01 PM PDT

Victoria Principal is embroiled in a legal fight with a former housekeeper that's worthy of a prime-time soap opera. It involves allegations of a gun, a sick dog and extortion.

Maribel Banegas claims she was fired by the former "Dallas" star on Dec. 26, but instead of paying her, the actress threatened to shoot her.

Principal, in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, states she pulled the gun only after Banegas injured her dog and was acting aggressively toward the actress and another worker. She claims Banegas repeatedly demanded money during an argument and refused to leave her home.

...Principal's lawsuit claims Banegas took her dog on Dec. 26, and that when she returned with it an hour later, the dog was "visibly choking and shaking." The suit states she and Banegas got into a shouting match, and that it was the worker's aggressive behavior that compelled her to grab her gun.

Principal, 59, is suing for several claims including trespass, civil extortion and animal cruelty.

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12 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits

Excerpts (to see the full list, click link above):

Man sued Bud for not getting beautiful women

In 1991, Richard Overton sued Anheuser-Busch, creators of Budweiser, for $10,000. He claimed to have suffered emotional distress, mental injury, and financial loss because drinking beer did not make his fantasies of beautiful women in tropical settings come to life, as he claimed it had advertised, driving him to buy and drink more and more Bud Light. The case was dismissed.

Rapist sued employer for not preventing him from committing crime

In 2002, a Sandusky man serving a 10-year sentence for raping a patient at the former Providence Hospital sued the hospital for negligence. Edward Brewer sued the hospital for $2 million, claiming they were negligent by not preventing him from raping one of its patients. The judge ruled that any damage Brewer suffered due to his crime was his responsibility for choosing to commit the crime, and that the hospital had no legal duty to protect him from that choice.

Shop Owner sued a homeless for $1 Million

In 2007, a Manhattan antique shop owner's lawsuit against hobos who camped in front of his store generated debate about what to do with New York's homeless, many of whom spend winter nights on the street. Karl Kemp, owner of the posh Karl Kemp & Associates Antiques on Madison Avenue, sued three men and a woman for $1-million, alleging they scare away customers when they drink alcohol, urinate and warm themselves above a heating duct in front of his shop. Kemp's suit, filed in state Supreme Court, also seeked an order to keep them 30m away.

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Denny's Sued over salted food

Some meals contain more sodium than a person should eat in two whole days. The New Jersey lawsuit wants the restaurant chain to list sodium content on its menus and warn about health risks.

By Jerry Hirsch
July 24, 2009

Doctors recommend against eating more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day. Order a Denny's double cheeseburger and you'll consume 3,880 milligrams in one sitting, almost double the suggested daily allowance of salt.

Denny's meals "are dangerously high in sodium," according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by a New Jersey man with the support of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit group active in nutrition and food safety issues.

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Warning: The Wrong Tweet Can Get You Sued

Twitter post gets renter sued by landlord

She only had 15 Twitter followers.

And, according to CBS2 Chicago, Amanda Bonnen, a local resident, wanted those followers to know about her mold.

Well, not her mold exactly, but the mold she claimed had taken up residence in her residence.

So she reportedly tweeted: "Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it's okay."

Horizon Realty appears not to think it's OK, as the company has sued Bonnen for publishing false and defamatory information in her tweet. (Her Twitter account is now inactive.)

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Two different stories below.

Story #1:
Boy, two, is snatched by social workers after mother refused doctor's advice to feed him junk food

Story #2:
Man arrested for trespassing on his own property:

Easement dispute with Enbridge ends in arrest

Jeremy Engelking will appear in Douglas County court at 1:30 p.m. today to face a trespassing charge. Here’s the kicker: He was cited for the violation without ever leaving his own property in Superior.

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Jeremy Engelking will appear in Douglas County court at 1:30 p.m. today to face a trespassing charge. Here’s the kicker: He was cited for the violation without ever leaving his own property in Superior.

The 27-year-old man was going out to hunt deer last Wednesday morning when he noticed a work crew installing a new pipeline for Enbridge Energy Partners L.P. on his property. He rode his ATV over to the trench and shouted down to the workers about 10 a.m.

“I told them I didn’t want the pipe to be put in because I hadn’t been paid for an easement across my property,” Engelking said.

Workers told Engelking he was not standing in a safe place and asked him to come around to a staging area on the other side of the trench. He complied and continued his conversation in this designated area

Engelking said he talked to a right-of-way agent there, and at about 11 a.m. the Enbridge representative agreed to pull workers off the job until the easement issue could be resolved.

But just as Engelking said he was turning to leave, an officer from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene and approached with a Taser pointed directly at him.

“He ordered me to: Get down on the ground now! And he said that I was being arrested for trespassing,” Engelking said.

When Engelking protested, pointing out that he was on his own property, he said the officer told him: “It doesn’t matter. You’re going to jail. You can tell it to a judge tomorrow.”

Engelking said after placing him in handcuffs, Sgt. Robert Smith, chided him for “trying to stop a multi-million-dollar project.”

Engelking’s ATV was impounded following his arrest, and his cased rifle was seized as evidence. He was released later that afternoon, after posting a $200 bail bond. He reclaimed his rifle but had to pay about another $100 to recover his impounded ATV.

In a subsequent report, Sheriff’s Deputy Cory Knutson said Michael Bradburn, the lead right-of-way agent for Enbridge, told him that Engelking “had parked his ATV in front of their equipment, stopping workers.”

But Engelking said it was never his intent to physically block workers or their equipment. He pointed out that he came around to the area where the equipment was positioned at the company’s request.

Lorraine Grymala, a community affairs manager for Enbridge, said access to work sites is restricted in the interest of safety.

“We can’t have people in the right of way without an escort and the proper gear,” she said. “People could get hurt.”

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Who Dat Owns 'Who Dat'?
League Moves Against Vendors of T-Shirts with New Orleans Chant

By JENNIFER LEVITZ

For decades, even through a multitude of dismal seasons, New Orleans Saints fans have belted out a cheer they say is as much a part of the fabric of their city as jambalaya and jazz: "Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Saints? Who Dat? Who Dat?"

Now some are asking, "Who dat trying to spoil our fun?" The Saints' win last Sunday over the Minnesota Vikings vaulted the team into its first Super Bowl, lifting, at least temporarily, the long shadow of Hurricane Katrina over the city. But just as New Orleans is revving itself into a fever pitch about the Feb. 7 showdown in Miami against the Indianapolis Colts, the National Football League is claiming ownership of the phrase "Who Dat."

The NFL asserted rights to the phrase earlier this week through the Florida Department of State, and it has issued cease-and-desist orders against New Orleans vendors who sell Saints memorabilia adorned with the wording. It informed vendors that using the phrase is likely to "confuse the purchasing public into believing that your items" are sponsored by the NFL.

New Orleans locals are outraged and suspicious. The NFL, they contend, never cared about the quirky chant when the football team was dubbed the 'Aints a few decades ago, or after it was ousted from its home stadium in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina and finished 3-13.

"The Saints actually win something and go to the Super Bowl, and the NFL sees a way they can make a penny," complains Dan Frazier, general manager of local sports-talk radio station 690 WIST.

"It's terrible. It's ridiculous," scoffs self-proclaimed Saints "die-hard" Ray Dugas, a 46-year-old computer consultant, speaking by phone as he nursed a beer Friday at Cooter Brown's Tavern, a New Orleans bar. "What are they going to do—charge us if we cheer? Is that the next step?"

Saints Coach Sean Payton weighed in at his news conference Friday, saying "No one should own 'who dat,' " says team spokesman Greg Bensel.

New Orleans is known for its colorful dialect. You "make groceries," you don't buy them. You don't stop by for a visit, you "pass by." Dishes are washed in the "zink." Although its precise origin isn't known, it's clear that "who dat" is a part of local lingo that predates the rallying cry at Saints games.

St. Augustine High School, an all-boys Catholic school in the city, says it started the chant in 1972 at its own football games. "Who dat talking about beating them Knights? Nobody! Nobody!" recalls the Rev. John Raphael, the school's principal. "It didn't originate with the Saints or the NFL," he says.

The saying became the rallying cry for the Saints. In the 1980s, New Orleans singer Aaron Neville made a video, singing "who dat" alongside team members. The cry has become code for local pride as New Orleans unites in an excitement so infectious that many natives who live elsewhere plan to converge on New Orleans—not Miami—to watch the game.

"It's just permeated the city completely. People start their calls on the radio saying `who dat,' they end their calls on the radio that way. You walk down the street and say `Who dat!' and people you don't even know say `Who dat' back," says Jacques Berry, the spokesman for Louisiana's secretary of state. After the win over the Vikings, he says, "everyone loved everyone, and it's still going on."

But now, according to the NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, "If 'who dat' is used in a manner to refer to Saints football, then the Saints own the rights."

Mr. McCarthy says the enforcement isn't new. For two decades, the NFL has been "using and enforcing its rights in the 'who dat' mark to refer to Saints football," he says.

Local residents say they've never heard of any problems until now.

On Monday, the NFL registered a trademark for use of the phrase "who dat" on apparel with the Florida Department of State, according to state records.

Lauren Thom, 29 years old, who makes her living on a tiny New Orleans T-shirt shop called Fleurty Girl, is one of a half dozen Louisiana vendors who received cease-and-desist orders. She makes shirts with local sayings such as: "My-nez. It's not mayonnaise, or mayo, oh no, My-Nez is what you put on dat san-wich." Her black-and-gold "Who Dat" shirts had been selling like crawfish, she says. She says she is complying with the NFL order.

So is Elizabeth Harvey, whose family owns Storyville, a local shop that sells similar T-shirts. She says the NFL "asked us to remove everything from our Web site Saints related. That definitely hurt us." She says she is cooperating. "They are the NFL, and we are a small company," she says.

Ms. Harvey says her customers are upset. "I have old ladies calling me and telling me that they say 'Who dat at the door?' One woman said her dog is named `Who Dat.'"

The cause is drawing bipartisan support from elected officials. On Friday, Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, wrote to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, urging the league to "drop this obnoxious" position.

"Who Dat has become part of New Orleans and Louisiana popular culture," he wrote. "For the NFL to try to claim exclusive ownership of it would be like me registering and trying to claim exclusive ownership of the terms 'lagniappe' and `laissez les bons temps rouler!' "

"Please either drop your present ridiculous position or sue me," he wrote, signing his letter, "Junior Senator of Who Dat Nation."

Democratic Congressman Charlie Melancon, who is a candidate for Mr. Vitter's Senate seat, collected 1,800 signatures in just over 90 minutes for a petition he emailed to supporters and posted on Twitter. It urged the NFL to back off. "No one owns 'Who Dat' except for 'Who Dat Nation," he wrote.

Late Friday, the NFL responded to Sen. Vitter's letter, emphasizing that it doesn't want to entirely control the phrase "who dat"—only when it pertains to the Saints. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy also said that shirt vendors could use the phrase but not on shirts that in any way promote the Saints—such as the ubiquitous black and gold "who dat" shirts the vendors now sell outside games and in fan shops.

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Queens girl Alexa Gonzalez hauled out of school in handcuffs after getting caught doodling on desk

A 12-year-old Queens girl was hauled out of school in handcuffs for an artless offense - doodling her name on her desk in erasable marker, the Daily News has learned.

Alexa Gonzalez was scribbling a few words on her desk Monday while waiting for her Spanish teacher to pass out homework at Junior High School 190 in Forest Hills, she said.

"I love my friends Abby and Faith," the girl wrote, adding the phrases "Lex was here. 2/1/10" and a smiley face.

But instead of simply cleaning off the doodles after class, Alexa landed in some adult-sized trouble for using her lime-green magic marker.

She was led out of school in cuffs and walked to the precinct across the street, where she was detained for several hours, she and her mother said.

"I started crying, like, a lot," said Alexa. "I made two little doodles. ... It could be easily erased. To put handcuffs on me is unnecessary." Alexa, who had a stellar attendance record, hasn't been back to school since, adding, "I just thought I'd get a detention. I thought maybe I would have to clean [the desk]."

"She's been throwing up," said her mom, Moraima Camacho, 49, an accountant, who lives with her daughter in Kew Gardens. "The whole situation has been a nightmare."

City officials acknowledged Alexa's arrest was a mistake.

"We're looking at the facts," said City Education Department spokesman David Cantor. "Based on what we've seen so far, this shouldn't have happened."

"Even when we're asked to make an arrest, common sense should prevail, and discretion used in deciding whether an arrest or handcuffs are really necessary," said police spokesman Paul Browne.