Legal Humour News - April 28, 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.

Marcel's blawg, Good Week, Bad Week, discusses a number of current legal events ranging from the guillotine to rectal exams.

And have you wondered whether the Pillsbury Doughboy eventually got fed up getting tickled in every commercial?  Check out  Pillsbury Doughboy v. John and Jane Dough  to see what he has done about it. 

Finally, enjoy this week's feast of weird legal happenings from around the world.

Odd or Amusing Legal Stories from the Past Week:

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1 - See You In Court!

300-Pound Inmate Sues, Complains Arkansas Jail Doesn't Feed Him Well
An inmate awaiting trial on a murder charge in Arkansas is suing the county, complaining he has lost more than 100 pounds because of the jailhouse menu. The disgruntled inmate says he isn't happy that he's down to 308 pounds after eight months in the Benton County jail. He has filed a federal lawsuit complaining the jail doesn't provide inmates with enough food.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_jail_diet

Court Terminates 8-Year-Old Girl's Marriage
A Yemeni court ordered the marriage of an eight-year-old girl terminated because she had not reached puberty. The court also ordered the child's family to pay about $250 in compensation to the 30-year-old ex-husband.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1515757520080415

2 - Crime and Punishment

Garbage Truck Nabbed For Street Racing
It's likely a first under Ontario's new street racing legislation. An Ontario Provincial Police officer pulled over a fast-moving vehicle just east of Goderich near Lake Huron. It was a garbage truck and it was caught on radar doing 112 km/hr in a 60-kilometre zone.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/04/24/5375401-cp.html

Lawyer Slaps Cop With Illegal Parking Complaint
A lawyer in Oregon who watched a police officer park illegally in front of a restaurant, then wait around while his meal was prepared, issued the officer a series of citizen-initiated violations. The cop was issued a summons to appear in traffic court in May.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_ticketed_officer

Penis Theft Panic Hits City
Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2319603620080424

Italian Convicted For Staring At Woman On Train
An Italian man was given a suspended jail sentence for staring too intensely at a woman sitting in front of him on a train. A judge sentenced the man in his 30s to 10 days in prison and a 40 euro fine after a 55-year old woman filed a complaint for sexual harassment.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/oukoe_uk_italy_staring

3 - Politics, Law, and Governance

Fla. Lawmakers May Ban Ornamental Testicles
They're proudly displayed by any self-respecting bull, but dangling big metal ones on the back end of a truck could be banned in Florida.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN4O32105020080425

LA. Panel Blocks Anti-Droopy Pants Bill
A bill that would have made it a crime for people to wear their pants too low has been rejected by a panel of the Louisiana state senate. State Senator Derrick Shepherd's bill would have made it illegal to wear in public clothing that "intentionally exposes undergarments or intentionally exposes any portion of the pubic hair, cleft of the buttocks or genitals." Violators would have faced a fine of up to $175 and eight days of community service. Critics of the bill said they disliked the look of baggy pants but wanted to defend the public's right to wear their clothes as they wish.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/04/22/5358846-ap.html

Fed Up With Politics, Man Eats Vote
Ballot stuffing took on a new meaning in Italy's parliamentary election when a man ate his ballot paper in protest at the country's politicians.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL1313250820080414

Texas Strip Clubs Must Pay 'Pole Tax' During Appeal
Texas still expects strip clubs to pay its so-called “pole tax” while the state appeals a ruling that declared the fee unconstitutional. Last year, the Legislature overwhelmingly approved a $5 cover fee on strip club patrons and designated the $40 million to be collected annually to sexual assault services and health insurance to the poor.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/04/18/5325186-ap.html

Psychics See Big Trouble Over New Laws
Fortune-tellers, mediums and spiritual healers marched on the home of the British prime minister at Downing Street to protest against new laws they fear will lead to them being "persecuted and prosecuted". Organizers say that replacing the Fraudulent Mediums Act of 1951 with new consumer protection rules will remove key legal protection for "genuine" mediums.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL18258720080418

4 - And Now for Something Completely Different

James Caan Exits Movie Over Cookie Controversy
James Caan has left the political comedy "Nailed" after a dispute led him to storm off the set, and it all seems to have centred on a cookie. The trouble started on the first of Caan's two days of shooting the role of a U.S. speaker of the house who chokes to death on a cookie. Director David O. Russell asked him to cough as he choked, but Caan argued that the character couldn't cough and choke to death at the same time. Russell suggested that they shoot it both ways, but the veteran "Godfather" actor expressed distrust that his version would be considered and left the South Carolina set.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/oukoe_uk_caan

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