Author Archives: Kristen Povolny

Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Four NYC Chimpanzees

Quit monkeying around

An activist group in New York recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of four chimpanzees currently living in captivity in various locations around the state. The suit is asking the courts to realize that these complex animals deserve “the right to bodily liberty” as any human has. Steven M. Wise, founder and president of the Nonhuman Rights Project states, “When we go to court on behalf of the first chimpanzee plaintiffs, we’ll be asking judges to recognize, for the first time, that these cognitively complex, autonomous beings have the basic legal right to not be imprisoned”. The group will be taking the stand in court for chimps Tommy, Kiko, Hercules, and Leo who are being wrongfully caged by their owners. They state that this will be the first of many lawsuits across the country fighting for the rights of captive creatures.

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McDonalds Hit with Another Hot Coffee Lawsuit

Hot coffee

The controversy over scalding hot coffee temperatures at McDonald’s continues. The fast food chain was recently hit with another lawsuit by a customer who was severely burned by their coffee. Joan Fino, a 74-year old California resident, is the latest to sue McDonalds for burns she sustained from hot coffee spilling in her lap. Nicholas Wagner, Fino’s attorney states, “Despite over 1,000 complaints from customers about being burned by the coffee, McDonald’s still continues to brew the coffee at such an exceptionally high temperature”. Fino claims she receive her coffee and the lid was not secure, causing her to spill the coffee, and she continues to suffer from the aftermath of her injuries. Read More

Chad Hurley Faced With Lawsuit Over Kimye Proposal Video

Don’t Mess With Kimye

Crashing their “private” proposal party is one way to get on Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s bad side, as Chad Hurley has learned the hard way. The Kimye legal team has served Hurley with a lawsuit stating he violated a non-disclosure agreement he signed by posting a video of the proposal on his new venture, MixBit. Hurley reportedly was not invited to the private party, but tagged along with a friend who was invited, and was only allowed to stay after signing this non-disclosure agreement. The suit seeks damages of an unspecified amount depending on the cost estimate to the video rights. The rights to the proposal video were only to go to MC Cable Television, which is associated with E!.

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Dr. Oz Beats Lawsuit Over Burned Feet

Burned feet

In April of 2012, Dr. Oz shared a home remedy for insomnia with his many TV viewers, called the “Knapsack Heated Rice Footsie”. You pour uncooked rice into the toes of a pair of socks, heat them in the microwave, then put the socks on and go to sleep.  New Jersey resident, Frank Dietl was watching the show and decided to try the well-known doctor’s at-home remedy. Dietl suffered from neuropathy of the lower extremities as a result of his Diabetes, and sustained second and third degree burns to his feet as a result of Dr. Oz’s advice. Frank Dietl sued the doctor for neglecting his duty to warn viewers of the possible effects of attempting this alternative cure for insomnia. Read More