Legal Humour News - June 30, 2008

Hi and welcome to this week's newsletter. If it's in the news and it's got a legal slant, we'll do a blawg on it.

British authorities have denied Martha Stewart entry into the UK for a business trip.  As expected the authorities are most concerned about the best interest of the public.  Enjoy Marcel's blawg, Martha Stewart - No Tea For You, where you read about how banning Martha Stewart will protect England.
 
And on the topic of honesty, have you ever noticed how many expressions there are for the term, "honesty."  And how many of these find their way into our courts?  Read the whole truth about honesty in, The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but...
 
All of this is in addition to a selection of weird legal news happenings from around the world.

Odd or Amusing Legal Stories from the Past Week:

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1 - See You In Court!

Woman Sues Victoria's Secret Claiming Thong Injury
A 52-year-old Los Angeles traffic officer, who says she was hurt by her thong panties when a metal clip flew off and hit her in the eye, has sued Victoria's Secret. The woman said she suffered cuts to her cornea from the small piece of metal that had been used to secure a rhinestone heart onto the blue thong.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSKUA04469620080620

Court Rules Against Woman Who Claimed Phobia Of Official Letters
A German court has ruled against a woman who cited an unusual phobia in asking that her child support benefits be restored. The phobia: fear of the contents of official letters. Evidence in the case before a court in western Rhineland-Palatinate state said the woman was sent a letter in May 2007 asking that she supply evidence to support continued payments for her daughter. After she failed to respond, she was notified in July 2007 that the money was being cut off and that she was being given one month to appeal. Only in September did she reply and supply the requested documents, telling authorities she had a phobia of official correspondence.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/06/18/5912881-ap.html

Naked Cowboy Lawsuit Vs. M&Ms Maker To Go Forward
The $6 million lawsuit filed by the New York City street performer known as The Naked Cowboy against M&Ms candy maker Mars Inc. can go forward on grounds of trademark infringement. A U.S. District Court judge denied a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, ruling that Robert Burck may proceed with his false endorsement claim, "for he plausibly alleges that consumers seeing defendants' advertisements would conclude -- incorrectly -- that he had endorsed M&M candy."
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSEIC36046820080623

N.M. Court Refuses Obscene Name Change
A New Mexico appeals court has ruled against a Los Alamos man who wanted to change his name to a phrase containing a popular four-letter obscenity. The man appealed after a state district judge in Bernalillo County refused his request to change his name to "F-Censorship!" Judge Nan Nash ruled that the proposed name change was "obscene, offensive and would not comport with common decency."
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/06/27/6010751-ap.html

Toronto Firm Taking Legal Action Against Liberal Party
An environmental consulting and supply company in Toronto is firing off a legal "cease and desist" order to stop the Liberal party from using the firm's trademark name - Green Shift - for its new carbon-tax plan. In what could become an embarrassing confrontation for Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, the owner of Green Shift says she is taking the legal step after earlier attempts failed to get the Liberals to drop the name from their environmental plan.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/06/23/5966136-cp.html

2 - Crime and Punishment

Aussie In Wheelchair Charged With Drunk Rolling
A man found asleep in a motorized wheelchair on a highway in northern Australia has been charged with drunk driving. Police noticed the man slumped in the stationary chair on an exit lane near the tourist city Cairns. The officers breath-tested the 64-year-old man, who registered a blood alcohol reading of 0.301 - more than six times the legal driving limit.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSEIC36032520080623

Inmate Escapes Jail, Leaves Toilet Paper Rose
Authorities in Arkansas say an inmate escaped a county jail and left behind a rose fashioned out of toilet paper because he felt sorry for breaking out.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/27/flower.escapee.ap/index.html

Traffic-Accident Suspect Crashes Into Police Garage
A man being sought by police for questioning in a series of traffic accidents was arrested after crashing his truck in a state police garage in Connecticut. Police said the man broke through the access arm at the front gate of state police headquarters in Bridgeport on Thursday, drove his pickup into an open garage door and then crashed into a vehicle lift.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/27/police.crash.ap/index.html

3 - Politics, Law, and Governance

Swedish School Cites Discrimination In Seizing Birthday Party Invitations
Officials at a school in Sweden have confiscated birthday invitations handed out in class by an eight-year-old boy. The reason: they see it as a matter of discrimination. A Swedish newspaper says the school in Lund, southern Sweden, seized the invitations because the boy failed to invite two boys because they were not his friends.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/06/29/6020926-ap.html

U.S. Officials Try Faux Speed Bumps To Slow Drivers
Cathy did a double-take and tapped the brakes when she spotted what appeared to be a pointy-edged box lying in the road just ahead. She had gotten fooled. It was a fake speed bump, a flat piece of blue, white, and orange plastic that is designed to look like a 3-D pyramid from afar when applied to the pavement. The optical illusion is one of the latest innovations being tested around the U.S. to discourage speeding.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/06/27/6008206-ap.html

4 - And Now for Something Completely Different

Pilots In India Often Fail Alcohol Tests
Around 50 pilots each year in India are being grounded because they had consumed alcohol before taking a flight. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), a body controlling airline operations in India, said dozens of pilots are found to have consumed alcohol during routine pre-medical tests every year.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080625/od_nm/pilots_dc

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