California has enacted the nation’s first “civil Gideon” law, providing free counsel to litigants in child custody and eviction cases. I’m quoted in the Wall Street Journal’s article, saying why that may not be such a good idea.
“No other driver permitted”
That clause means what it says, 
an Illinois appeals court decides in an insurance claim against Enterprise car rental [Madison County Record]
Gender-equity cops are after the sciences
Warns Stuart Taylor, Jr. Earlier here, etc.
“Italian politician sues 4000+ YouTube commenters”
Salvatore (“Toto”) Cuffaro, a senator from Sicily, doesn’t seem to take well to criticism. [BoingBoing]
Flying imams settlement
It “carries costs for air safety,” declares the headline of a USA Today editorial: “Payouts could chill crews from acting on reasonable suspicions.” Earlier here.
Court rejects printer ink cartridge class action
A California federal court granted summary judgment to Hewlett-Packard against a plaintiff who “brought a putative class action against HP because its laser jet printers shut down printer operations before the toner cartridges are really empty. … The User Manual did not disclose that toner would remain in the cartridges when they reached ’empty,’ but rather advised that the cartridges would yield up to 2,000 color pages.” [Russell Jackson; Baggett v. Hewlett-Packard, PDF]
California’s car conservation
If you thought Sacramento’s new curbs on big-screen TVs were bad, brace yourself. David Shepardson, Detroit News:
California’s latest requirement for the auto industry — advanced window glazing to keep vehicles cooler — could prevent drivers from making phone calls, listening to satellite radio or using garage door openers.
More: Carter Wood/ShopFloor, Jon Fleischman/Flash Report. And Aaron Renn at Urbanophile has a broader look at California’s decline.
Man’s “defective underwear” suit against Hanes
It’s among the most wince-makingly embarrassing ever (not for the squeamish or prudish). [Above the Law; Freed v. Hanes, decision in PDF]
Great moments in drug enforcement law
Counting the weight of water in reaching for maximum penalties: “The Minnesota Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, has now ruled that Bong Water (water which had been used in a water pipe) was a ‘mixture’ of ’25 grams or more’ supporting a criminal conviction for Controlled Substance crime in the first degree.” [Minneapolis Criminal Lawyer via Greenfield] More: Sullum.
“Quick Work: First Lawsuit Hits Over Friday’s Explosion in P.R.”
A plaintiff’s lawyer offers reasons (or rationalizations) for his ultra-speedy filing of a putative class action following an industrial explosion at the Caribbean Petroleum Corp. in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Only minor injuries were reported, but the blast blew out windows and forced evacuations. [WSJ Law Blog, New York Times]