The Russian creator of a computer program that American law enforcement claim drained bank accounts in a variety of countries was sent to federal prison for 9.5 years. Known online as “Gribodemon” and “Harderman,” Aleksandr Panin was sentenced in Atlanta after being accused of creating the malware program SpyEye. Panin sold the software through a […]
READ MOREThe Ambien Angle in Heath Ledger’s Death
The foreign press is starting to jump on the idea that Ambien contributed somehow to the death of actor Heath Ledger. See, for example, this Sydney Morning Herald article suggesting that “hundreds have had bizarre and potentially dangerous reactions to the drug” in Australia. I have little to add to this, other than to note […]
READ MOREFor Female Inmates Dignity is Elusive
People laughter when Piper Chapman came out of the showers during Orange is the New Black’s first season. She used maxi pads to created shoes. It was a scene based in reality. At New York’s Rikers Island, female inmates use tampons as scrubbing pads — not as sponges. Prison issued tampons are waterproof. Humiliating in […]
READ MORESome Legal Experts See Bausch & Lomb Moving Toward Quick Settlement in ReNu Cases
A subscription-only article that ran this week on the website Lawyers USA quotes several legal experts who say they think Bausch & Lomb will settle quickly in lawsuits related to ReNu with MoistureLoc, the now-withdrawn contact lens solution that had been causing serious fungal infections in some users. The article quotes Paul J. Pennock, a […]
READ MOREVioxx, ReNu and Ortho Evra: A Look at Three Responses to Problematic Drugs
The comment in the recent post about Johnson & Johnson’s approach to Ortho Evra litigation — specifically, the suggestion that the company was “the anti-Merck” in terms of its legal strategy because of its willingness to settle — got my wheels turning about the different ways that corporations respond to the legal fallout of drugs that […]
READ MOREBrian Nichols avoids the death penalty – what now?
Today Judgeithout parole, seven life sentences plus 485 years all running consecutive to one another. Brian Nichols will never see the outside world again. The Judge suggested that the Feds house him at the Federal Supermax prison in Colorado, although he has been convicted of State crimes. I don’t know if this is the last […]
READ MORERepeater
I was joking with another attorney the other day that I learned political theory from Fugazi, and it’s at least partly true. It was actually sort of a cross between Fugazi and the Frankfurt School. Anyway, this old video won’t mean much to anybody who isn’t already a fan of this band — in fact, […]
READ MOREFriday Art + Music
Because one can only spend so much time bemoaning the state of the world, policies that don’t work, and problems that are Very Very Large, it’s nice to take a second to recharge the soul. And besides which, it’s Friday. Therefore: Here’s a Mates of States video that sort of fits the theme, with lyrics […]
READ MORECan You Be Barred from Employment Because of Your Criminal History?
The hardest thing people convicted of a crime have found is to simply get a job. A process that thousands of New Yorkers go through every day has been closed to anyone convicted of a felony. What is a person supposed to do? How is someone to get their life on track if every employer […]
READ MORE“Don’t Take Me For Granted”
One of the tricky things about writing this blog is that I get a lot of emails and comments from folks who have had drug problems — either problems with addiction or problems trying to get medication to get their addiction in check. I get these emails and hear these stories, but I don’t really […]
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