Legal news, some illegal. All of it interesting
1. Cereal Killers? Snoop Dogg & Master P Sue Walmart
The breakfast cereal market’s clearly a dog eat Doggy Dog world, but rappers Snoop Dogg and Master P say the failure of their A.M. offerings was sabotage on aisle nine. Their lawsuit says they contracted with Post to distribute Snoop Cereal products to retailers after the conglomerate tried to buy them out. The rappers claim Post for shizzzle ensured Snoop Cereal would never be available to consumers and that there’d be no profits. They also allege Walmart – the largest seller of Post products – stopped putting Snoop Cereal on the shelves after a successful launch or sold it at exorbitant prices in clearance aisles and next to diapers.
2. Squishmallows Plush Back at Build-A-Bear
Oh, it’s on. The makers of Squishmallows say cuddle time is over – they’re suing Build-A-Bear. Gen Alpha’s version of Beanie Babies are hugely popular and Kelly Toys claims Build-A-Bear built-a-copycat to capitalize on the success. The lawsuit says BAB’s “Skoosherz” copy the look and feel of their Squishmallows – furreal. And in the hard-core competitive world of plush toys, that toy don’t snuggle. Build-A-Bear responded with its own lawsuit, saying stuff it – Skoosherz are based on products it has sold for years and that when plush comes to shove, Squishmallows’ trade dress rights are invalid and unenforceable. Someone missed nappy time.
3. Airbnb Review: Stunning Views of Marriage Mayhem
An unhappy Airbnb guest left a less-than-satisfied review of a house he rented in Memphis and even requested money back. His lawsuit against Airbnb and the host claims he got much, much more than he bargained for but no refund. He says the host, who accused him of having extra guests and violating house rules, pushed him to take down the review and pay an extra $960. When he refused, she allegedly emailed a photograph of him with another woman to his wife. Now he’s in a secluded 1BR doghouse with dire views. The host denies sending the email and Airbnb’s filed a motion to compel arbitration.
Contemporary saga perfect for the curious here…
4. Dog Owners Do It. Now Climbers Must Buy Poop Bags
Authorities at the world’s tallest mountain are raising a figurative stink about a literal one at Mount Everest. Waste and trash have long been major issues at higher altitude camps. A new regulation requires climbers to buy poop bags and bring everything back for proper disposal. Officials say Everest’s extreme cold prevents even the most biological of biological materials from degrading so the view from the top of the world increasingly includes perfectly preserved piles of – you get the idea. Experts say that between Camp One at the bottom and Camp Four at 26K feet, there are three tons of twos. The song’s “Climb Every Mountain” not “Watch Every Step.”
Off the bucket list and into the bucket here
5. Bad Love: Singers Gotta Sing, Lawyers Gotta Sue
Your broken heart has legal standing. Not everyone can write a hit song about the one who done them wrong (a la Taylor Swift). But who needs hit albums and a world tour when you’ve got a lawyer? The heartbalm tort was made for the romantically tortured. Originally only husbands could seek a heartbalm action though it eventually expanded to include any involuntary ex. To be fair – though everything in love and war already is – most states have abolished heartbalm actions. But it’s still primetime for shattered valentines in Hawaii, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah.
