Legal Affairs

We enjoy a complex love-hate relationship with the law: While we expect it to protect our interests, we don’t want to see ourselves held accountable to it. We therefore cheer the wrongdoers who put one over on the legal system, while lamenting the real crooks who slip away.

Did a French Man Win Compensation Over His ‘Boring’ Job? An old Parisian court case prompted guffaws in January 2022, but the details are even...

Mostly True

Is the Plaid Settlement Email a Scam or Legit? Readers began receiving a "notice of class action settlement" for a company named Plaid in...

True

Yes, IRS Asked Taxpayers To Claim Stolen Items and Illegal Income But there's a loophole to get out of declaring on stolen goods.

True

Has Switzerland Approved 3D-Printed Pods for Assisted Suicide? The Sarco capsules will reportedly be ready for use in 2022.

False

No the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking trial cannot be listened to by dialing (844) 721-7237 and entering access code 9991787.

Is Audio of the Ghislaine Maxwell Trial Available by Phone? A phone number and access code were widely shared in late 2021.

False

No, the Rittenhouses Haven’t Sued Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg for Defamation It's always prudent to check the source of a claim before sharing online "news."

Labeled Satire

Does the Lawless Yellowstone ‘Zone of Death’ Exist? Reports speculate that “murder is legal” in this area.

Mixture

Did the Company That Makes McFlurry Machines Get Hit with a Restraining Order? Gizmodo captured a development in a "right to repair" lawsuit with the McHeadline "McFlurry Machine...

True

The state of New York has repealed an archaic law that banned the act of barbering on Sundays. It is now technically legal to operate barber shops on that day of the week.

Is It No Longer Illegal for Barbershops to Cut Hair on Sundays in New York? An archaic law may have been long overdue for a cut.

True

Are You Deemed Legally Insane If You’ve Taken LSD Seven Times? Determinations on whether or not to commit a person are based on the subject's current...

False

newspaper headline from 1978 showing dan white charged

The Twinkie Defense: Debunking the Myths and Misinformation Did Dan White, Harvey Milk's killer, successfully argue in court that his judgement had been...

False

James Brown and wife Adrienne Rodriegues at the 34th Grammy Awards ceremony.

Is the ‘Ambassador’ of Soul Music Entitled to Diplomatic Immunity? Diplomatic immunity does not extend to American citizens who commit crimes in the U.S., ambassadors...

True