The 99¢ Only Store was fined this week for illegally selling misbranded toxic products in violation of federal law. The 99¢ Only Store’s violations were discovered in multiple inspections by federal officials in California, Arizona and Nevada between 2004 and 2008. A federal judge ordered the retail chain to pay nearly $410,000 in penalties for…
A Beverly Hills, California business promising “tax relief” was finally shut down by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last week. Authorities say American Tax Relief LLC cheated consumers out of more than $60 million by promising clients that their tax bills could be settled for pennies on the dollar. Despite a criminal search warrant executed…
Ten people were injured on a rollercoaster ride in Buena Park, California at Knott’s Berry Farm when the Pony Express Ride malfunctioned last week. One car rolled back an on incline and crashed into a second stationary car in the loading area. Nine people on the first car and one person climbing into the stopped…
A Los Angeles Times investigation has found that PG&E has more “high consequence” gas line leaks in populated areas compared to other utilities. The report was in response to the San Bruno, California gas pipeline explosion in September that killed 8 people and caused an estimated $65 million in property losses. (The eighth death occurred…
A recent study published by the UC Davis Olive Center discovered that 69% of imported olive oils tested were not “extra virgin” as their labels claimed. Before this study, despite widespread rumors and media reports, there was no concrete evidence that extra virgin olive oil was being adulterated. The study offers the first accurate, scientific…
In the wake of the gas pipeline blast in San Bruno, California last month, citizens are asking some tough questions about where potentially dangerous pipelines are located and why they do not have access to the information. Before the September 11th, 2001 attacks it was relatiely easy to find out where pressurized gas lines were…
The sheer variety of olive oils on any given supermarket shelf can be overwhelming to the average shopper. Olive oils come in all shapes, sizes colors, and prices – and what do all those terms on the labels mean? Terms like “extra virgin,” “cold pressed,” and “unfiltered” are featured prominently on most olive oil labels…
According to the US Department of Transportation (US DOT), the number of bus crashes has climbed in recent years. In the United States as a whole, there were 13,195 accidents involving buses in 2007 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), up from 8,555 in 2003. In those same five years, 1,651 people…
In another nationwide precedent-setting case tried by Callahan & Blaine, Fonovisa v. Cherry Auction, swap meet owners were found liable for vicarious and contributory copyright and trademark infringement when counterfeit merchandise is sold by independent vendors at swap meets. The Ninth Circuit determined that swap meet owners sufficiently control their premises enough to know if…
A half a world away from Orange County, California, an Australian woman was killed in what can only be called a freak lawn mowing accident. The forty two year old Queensland native was walking past an empty lot that was being mowed by a private contractor on a commercial lawnmower. It appears that the mower…
