New York Paralegal Blog

In the high-profile sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, the prosecution has taken the controversial step of showing the jury explicit videos of Combs and his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, engaged in what has been termed "freak offs." While the prosecution argues these tapes are crucial evidence of a pattern of coercion and criminal enterprise, a critical question arises: Was subjecting the jury to what is essentially pornography truly necessary for a just verdict, or was it a calculated gamble that could backfire? The defense has not denied the existence of these sexual encounters. Their argument, in fact, hinges on the assertion that these acts were entirely consensual. This key point raises a significant legal and ethical dilemma regarding the introduction of such graphic evidence. If the defense's core argument is about consent, not the act itself, then what is the true legal benefit of forcing a jury to watch these sexually explicit videos? Fr...

NEW YORK- Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced New York is part of a 46-state settlement with a Bankruptcy Trustee charged with overseeing the collection of late fees and other charges allegedly owed by approximately 3.3. million former customers of Hollywood Video and its parent company, Movie Gallery, both of which have filed for bankruptcy and are in the process of being liquidated. As many as 200,000 New Yorkers could be impacted by the settlement. "Imagine applying for a mortgage only to find your credit report is tarnished because of a video rental late fee you didn't even owe," said Attorney General Schneiderman .  "This settlement will provide important safeguards to protect consumers against abusive debt collection practices and will ensure that consumers will not have their credit harmed as a result of any outstanding fees claimed to be owed to Hollywood Video or Movie Gallery." New York and the other settl...

Judgments Entered Against All But One Defendant The Federal Trade Commission has recovered more than $3 million that will be refunded to investors who were duped in an alleged scam that promoted video rental machines as a business opportunity. The FTC’s law enforcement action against American Entertainment Distributors, Inc., was filed in 2005, naming 10 defendants. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has now entered final orders against nine of them, prohibiting further illegal conduct and requiring payments for refunds. The FTC alleged that the defendants tricked investors into paying $28,000 to $37,500 apiece for video rental vending machines, telling them they could expect to earn between $60,000 and $80,000 a year, or recoup their initial investment in six to 14 months. The FTC’s case was halted for three years while the Department of Justice pursued parallel criminal proceedings.