A lawsuit against rapper Rick Ross and other defendants for allegedly profiting off a name and image was dismissed earlier this month in Los Angeles by a judge in the United States District Court for Southern California.   According to news reports, the plaintiff, "Freeway" Ricky Ross, was convicted of running a drug empire that covered…

A Northwest Florida man was arrested a day after he robbed a bank at gunpoint.   Jorman Sampaio, 26, walked into the Union State Bank carrying a silver handgun.  After making the employees get on the floor, Sampaio left with about $6,000.  On his way out the door, he dropped a surgical-style glove on the bank floor.  While the…

A mom is suing "The Tyra Banks Show" after her daughter falsified documents to appear on the show.   Last October, 15-year-old Jewel (last name withheld), responded to a solicitation on the talk show's website searching for guests for an upcoming show about sex addicts.  After signing her mother's name to the consent and release…

A Long Island (NY) woman is suing a New York concert hall after being denied access to the restroom.   Lindsay Ekizian was 35 weeks pregnant when she begged the Hammerstein Ballroom building supervisor to allow her to use the ladies room after a comedy show at the Midtown venue.  According to her lawsuit, management didn't care that she…

A transgender woman is suing the LPGA over a requirement which states all competitors must be "female at birth."   Lana Lawless, a 57-year-old who underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2005, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco claiming the policy violates California civil rights laws. Lawless, a retired police…

Sarah Jones, a Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader and school teacher by day, filed a complaint late last year regarding an article published on TheDirty.com that included a quote from a commenter who alleged that Jones had slept with all the members of the Bengals team and had sexually transmitted diseases.  Jones, claiming that her school and some…

An Escambia County (FL) man was arrested after falling through the ceiling of a local pharmacy.  The suspect claimed he broke into the building in search of a place to take a nap.   Deputies responding to the burglar alarm at the Ensley Pharmacy found a hole in the ceiling, a tile on the floor and Bennett Ervin Turner, 38, hiding in a locked…

The parents of a little league baseball player are suing one of the opposing team's coaches after their son was hit with an errant pitch while attempting to punt the ball at bat. Michael Connick, a 13-year-old player, was given the signal for a suicide squeeze and squared to bunt.  After the first pitch was high and inside, he pulled back. …

A would-be bank robber left with a polite "thank you" after a teller told him she didn't have any money in her drawer.   North Charleston, South Carolina police said Melvin Jesse Blain, 31, visited a Wachovia Bank branch and passed a note to the teller saying he was robbing the bank and asking for $30,000.  After the teller told…

American Airlines is being sued by a Washington State woman who claims she was traumatized when an American plane ran off the runaway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.   In a federal lawsuit, passenger Jewel Thomas claims she suffered severe mental and emotional problems after the New York bound plane skidded onto the grass next to…

In the wake of a $75,000 fine levied against SeaWorld Orlando for safety violations related to a trainer's death, a New Hampshire couple is suing the theme park, claiming their 10-year-old son suffered emotional distress from witnessing the tragedy.   In February, the killer whale named Tilikium grabbed Dawn Brancheau's long hair as she lay…

A federal judge is allowing a negligence lawsuit to proceed against the publishers of an online virtual-world video game after the plaintiff alleged that he became psychologically dependent and addicted to playing Lineage II.   In a complaint filed on his own behalf, plaintiff Craig Smallwood of Hawaii sought unspecified monetary damages against…

A New York City cafe was sued by a Manhattan mom who claims she was traumatized when the restaurant manager ordered her to stop breastfeeding her child.   Julia Acevedo-Taylor claims she and a friend were being as discreet as possible when they were nursing their "hungry and tired" babies.  In the lawsuit filed against Lily O'…

A Portland, Oregon business was shut down recently by the Multnomah County Health Department for failure to purchase a license.  The business owner was 7-year-old Julie Murphy; the business was a lemonade stand at the monthly art fair in a Northeast Portland neighborhood.   According to news reports, shortly after selling her first 50-cent…

A Florida inmate is suing the man whose bicycle he stole, claiming the victim and two of his friends roughed him up during a citizen's arrest after they caught him red-handed with the bike.   Michael Dupree, who is serving a 12-year sentence for burglary and cocaine possession, filed the civil lawsuit on his own, without the help of an attorney…

A Washington, D.C. lawyer has filed suit in federal court challenging the results of a paternity test that he claims should have proven him to be the father of basketball superstar LeBron James.   In a complaint filed last month, Leicester Bryce Stovell claims that the results of the test were falsified by James and his mother, Gloria, and that…

A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by a retired Los Angeles police officer who sued a gun maker after his 3-year-old son shot him. Anaheim, California resident Enrique Chavez was off-duty when he was shot in the back by his son, who was not in a car seat when he fired his father's nearby .45-caliber Glock.  …

A New York woman sued General Mills, Inc. for allegedly misleading consumers about the nutritional and health qualities of its Fruit Roll-Ups and other fruit snacks popular with children. Self-proclaimed “life-long consumer” of General Mills products and plaintiff Payton McClure filed a complaint in Manhattan federal court alleging that…

A Southern Connecticut State University graduate was awarded $47,000 in damages after she sued her father to force him to fulfill their agreement to pay for her college education.   Dana Soderberg filed a breach of contract lawsuit against her father, Howard Soderberg, a property developer, after he stopped paying her tuition just before her…

The skies were dark over San Diego Bay after the Coast Law Group, on behalf of an organization called the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation, sent a notice of intent to sue the Port of San Diego over a planned fireworks display over the bay. Citing pollution concerns and violation of the Clean Water Act, the notice stated that the firework displays…

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (“CSPI”), a self-proclaimed public health watchdog group, has issued an ultimatum to McDonald’s:  Remove the toys from McDonald’s Happy Meals or risk a lawsuit. In a letter to the fast food giant, CSPI said that the toys lure children to McDonald’s restaurants where they…

A woman who sued actor Sacha Baron Cohen for allegedly ruining her bingo game while filming Bruno lost her case. Richelle Olson sued Cohen and NBC for $25,000, claiming the Bruno star deliberately sabotaged her bingo game, causing her emotional distress.  Olson further claimed she was physically damaged with magical, non-medical ailments after…

A U.S. federal court of appeals ruled that Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food," did not plagiarize author Missy Chase Lapines' rival cookbook, "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals."   In a lawsuit Seinfeld's…

A Los Angeles County resident is suing Google Inc. claiming it supplied unsafe directions that caused her to be injured by a motorist.   Lauren Rosenberg is seeking more than $100,000 in U.S. District Court in Utah after she used her phone to download walking directions from one end of Park City to the other.  According to the lawsuit,…

A couple has been sued by their tenants for installing an “ugly” kitchen, unsuitable for the exclusive Manhattan neighborhood of Gramercy Park. Tenant Paramount Realty Group of America is suing the owners of the $10 million pad, Viking retail mogul Jon Asegir Johannesson and his designer bride, Ingibjorg Palmadottir, for installing a kitchen…

A county health department has put an end to a 15-year tradition of offering free donuts and coffee at a local mom-and-pop hardware store.  Following an anonymous customer complaint to the county, health inspectors notified the store that the coffee pot must be put away and the doughnut boxes closed, absent applicable permits.   The owners…

A retired businessman from New Jersey is suing Goldman Sachs after losing $15 million in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, claiming Goldman Sachs should have insisted that he follow its advice and remove money from the Madoff Fund. In a lawsuit filed in federal court, Jerome Goodman claims that Goldman Sachs had a fiduciary duty to insist that Goodman…

A Seattle-area woman who said her daughter was injured by a glass shard in a bottle of water has been sentenced to jail for carrying out a hoax. Kelsey Macom was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three months of home detention after demanding $3,000 from Coca-Cola to settle her 2008 claim that her 7-year-old daughter was injured by a piece of glass…

A recent Virginia Supreme Court ruling upheld sanctions imposed by the state bar against a plaintiff’s lawyer who filed a medical liability lawsuit against the wrong physician.  The lawsuit began when attorney Michael P. Weatherbee filed a liability action on behalf of his client alleging that ob-gyn Ward P. Vaughan, M.D. and others had…

A Virginia man is suing his local PetSmart store claiming that while shopping he slipped on a pile of dog feces and badly hurt his back, struck his head and knocked out four of his false teeth.   Robert Holloway is suing the Newport News (VA) PetSmart for $1 million, alleging that the store and its manager were negligent the day of the accident…