A California woman who was bitten by a German shepherd is suing the rescue organization that adopted out the toothy dog.

Angela Otero is suing the German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California, and the owner of the dog who adopted it from the rescue organization, alleging that the organization and the owner should have known the dog was dangerous, and therefore acted negligently by failing to make sure the German shepherd would be kept in a safe manner.  The lawsuit asks for damages, including punitive, and court costs.

According to the allegations, Otero was at a local dog park with her dog Ollie, a Golden Retriever-poodle mix, when the owner defendant Laurie Furman arrived with her German shepherd, proceeded to place it within the fenced area and then stood outside of that area talking on the phone. Otero claims she was bitten on her right hand and lost part of her middle finger as she tried to stop Furman's German shepherd from biting her dog Ollie around the throat.

According to news reports, the rescue organization's website notes that many of the dogs come from unknown backgrounds and "cannot warrant or guarantee any dog's future behavior" as a result.

—Source:  Paloaltoonline.com

Actress Kirstie Alley is being sued for reportedly lying about how she lost 100 pounds.

California resident Marina Abramyan has filed a class action lawsuit against 61-year-old Alley and the weight loss program she helped develop, Organic Liaison.  Abramyan contends that Alley did not lose the weight using the program, rather the weight came off through grueling dance practices leading up to Alley's appearance on "Dancing with the Stars" and by following a strict low calorie diet.

"In peddling the Organic Liaison Program, Ms. Alley attributes her weight loss to the program, but in reality, Ms. Alley's weight loss is due to nothing more than the tried and true concept of diet and exercise," Abramyan states in her complaint. "It is commonly known, and indeed a scientific fact, that if you are increasing exercise while decreasing caloric intake, you will lose weight. There is no magic pill or supplement that causes weight loss."

Alley credits her weight loss to Organic Liaison, which alleges to help clients shed weight by "liaising" dieters from their daily eating habits to a healthier organic diet.  Alley is the chief spokeswoman for the program

"I can assure you that if you follow this program, you'll get healthier, lose weight, and not be 'annoyingly' hungry," Alley claims in her QVC promotion.

Abramyan, who did not lose any weight on the program, claims the products "are nothing more than run-of-the-mill fiber and calcium supplements," according to news reports. Abramyan claims Alley is guilty of false advertising.

—Source: Huffingtonpost.com

A restaurant owner and phone book company have settled a lawsuit over the placement of a listing for the Montana restaurant in the "Animal Carcass Removal" section of the yellow pages.

Restaurant owner Hunter Lacey's lawsuit claims the Dex Media Inc. phone book salesman deliberately published the free listing under the "Animal Carcass Removal" section after he refused to buy an advertisement in the phone book. According to the plaintiff, Big Sky Beverage Inc., parent company of Bar 3 Bar-B-Q, the inaccurate listing cost the restaurant owner some of his customers and made him the butt of a Jay Leno joke.

The lawsuit sought damages for alleged negligence, defamation and slander, among other charges. The case ultimately settled, with the phone book company agreeing to make a payment to the restaurant owner of an undisclosed amount.

The salesman no longer works for the company.

—Source: missoulian.com

A Chicago (IL) woman is suing the City of Chicago, United Airlines and her ex-boyfriend after being levied more than $105,000 in parking fees.

Jennifer Fitzgerald claims she doesn't owe a dime for the parking tickets incurred by her ex-boyfriend on a vehicle he abandoned at O'Hare International Airport three years ago. According to her lawsuit, she doesn't believe she is responsible for the 678 parking-related tickets and she is contesting the fees.

Fitzgerald claims that her ex-boyfriend, Brandon Preveau, bought the car from her uncle and, without her knowledge, put her name on the registration.  She said he then drove the car to the airport to board a plane (he worked for United Airlines), abandoning the car in the parking lot.  She further claims she did not have keys and Preveau refused to move the vehicle after she started receiving notices from the Department of Revenue about the fines.  Fitzgerald is suing the City of Chicago to contest the fees on grounds that she was not the vehicle's true owner. She also claims that under the City's laws, the car should have been towed a long time ago.  

“If they (police) go back and look at the law, I think they'll realize that they’re the ones who made the biggest mistake and should really in my opinion let this young woman off the hook for the vast majority of these tickets,” Mike Brockway, who runs the blog The Expired Meter, told local news reporters.

—Source: nydailynews.com