Popsquire

A quick update to yesterday’s post about Susan Atkins, the Charles Manson follower/murderer who requested a “compassionate release” from jail…Denied!

Is Popsquire the only one who can’t get the Interpol hit, “Evil,” out of his head?

Technorati Tags: brain cancer, charles manson, compassionate release, jail, pop culture law, steve cooley, susan atkins

Convicted murderer and Charles Manson follower, Susan Atkins, is asking for a “compassionate release” from state prison because she is suffering from brain cancer and may not have long to live. Since her diagnosis in March, it has cost California more than $1.2 million to provide medical care and security for Atkins, according to the LA Times.

Los Angeles Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said Atkins’ “horrific crimes alone warrant a denial of her request” to be released because she is dying. If the parole board approves the request tomorrow, the matter will go to a Los Angeles County judge.

Popsquire’s perspective…

Popsquire always wants to be compassionate, but this woman was part of the brutal 1969 cult murders of actress Sharon Tate and six other people. If she had private health insurance and the taxpayers might benefit from releasing her, then supporting her release might be an option.

However, we likely will be footing the bill either way!

Technorati Tags: charles manson, compassionate release, cult, murder, pop culture law, sharon tate, steve cooley, susan atkins

Popsquire contributed to the $51.1 million opening of Angelina Jolie’s new film, “Wanted.” Exploring an ancient and secret organization of assassins, Wanted is a must see collision between pop culture and law!

Check out what Popsquire previously said about Wanted — and other summer movies — on the TV Guide Network below.

Technorati Tags: angelina jolie, assassins, box office, james mcavoy, law, morgan freeman, pop culture, summer movies, tv guide, wanted

Witnesses say the darndest things…

The NY Post reports that during the trial of Abubakr Raheem, a notorious (and alleged) Brooklyn drug gang member, a witness testified that Mike Tyson put up $50,000 for a “hit” on members of the gang who allegedly shot and killed Tyson’s former bodyguard in June 2000.  The witness also clarified that nothing ever came of the “contract.”

Mike: Instead of hiring a hit man to honor your bodyguard’s death, maybe you simply should have dedicated this Whitney Houston hit to him.  Music heals.

Technorati Tags: abubakr raheem, bodyguard, drugs, gangs, law, mike tyson, murder, pop culture

Popsquire has sad news.  18-year-old Rob Knox, aka student Marcus Belby in the upcoming Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, was stabbed to death in Southeast London over the weekend.  The BBC reported that Knox allegedly was defending his younger brother Jamie from a man armed with knives.

Technorati Tags: half-blood prince, harry potter, knife, law, london, murder, pop culture, rob knox, stab

Location, location, location. Knowing that the Olympics often have provided major pop culture/law collisions, Popsquire has decided to take a look at the upcoming 2008 Beijing games.

Did you know…

1. Nearly 500 people were subject to the death penalty in China last year.
2. More than 60 crimes can carry the death penalty in China, including tax fraud, stealing VAT receipts, damaging electric power facilities, selling counterfeit medicine, embezzlement, accepting bribes and drug offenses.

Yikes! Rob Lowe’s chef is lucky he can face only civil liability for at least two of these alleged offenses in the USA!

Technorati Tags: beijing, capital punishment, china, death penalty, law, olympics, pop culture

In a 9-3 decision, the jury in the John Ritter wrongful death trial has determined that Ritter’s doctors were not negligent – clearing them of more than $67 million in potential damages sought by Ritter’s family.

Popsquire is confident these doc are singing along to Alanis Morissette’s hit, “Thank U!”

Technorati Tags: amy yasbeck, dr. lee, jack tripper, john ritter, law, medical, pop culture, Wrongful Death

Jurors in the John Ritter wrongful death trial have begun their deliberations.   They must determine: (1) whether the two doctor defendants should be held liable for Ritter’s death; and (2) if so, how much money will compensate Ritter’s family for their loss.

Because you are a faithful Popsquire reader, you previously studied as part of this cram session and analyzed this email submission defending the doctors.  While you await the jury’s decision, check out the “wrongful death” category to the right for additional John Ritter entries.

Stay tuned!

Technorati Tags: amy yasbeck, dr. lee, jack tripper, john ritter, law, medical, pop culture, Wrongful Death

According to People, Billy Ray Cyrus is apologizing for failure to buckle up while filming the movie, “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour.” During a scene in the film in which Miley Cyrus and her dad are riding in the back seat of a Range Rover on the way to rehearsal for the concert tour, neither was wearing a seat belt.

Faithful Popsquire readers know that Billy Ray and Miley join Paris Hilton in the list of celebs caught on camera without buckling up. As a reminder, there are consequences for failing to click it!

The maximum fine in California for a seat-belt violation for individuals 16 and older is $87 for the first offense and the citation more then doubles for the second offense.

Drivers who are cited for not properly securing children under 16 in a vehicle are subject to a maximum fine of $340 for a first offense and up to $871 for a second offense.

Popsquire also wants to remind everyone that failing to wear a seatbelt can kill! Just like this 30 Seconds To Mars video…

Technorati Tags: billy ray cyrus, car crash, hannah montana, law, miley cyrus, paris hilton, pop culture, range rover, seatbelts

In the interests of creating an interactive and open forum in which everyone can discuss the collision between pop culture and law, Popsquire has decided to share with you an email he received yesterday from a woman named “Florence Lee.”

Notably, one of the defendant’s in the John Ritter wrongful death trial is Dr. Joseph Lee. Popsquire responded to the email to ask if Florence was related to the defendant, but the email bounced back as undeliverable. Nonetheless, Popsquire thinks you will find the email very interesting, especially the opinions expressed at the end.

Before you read the email, you may want to study up with this Popsquire cram session first.

What you might also be interested in, is finding out the facts. According to the LA Times:

1) Ritter was turned down for life insurance 3 years prior to the incident for “incredibly abnormal” blood flows.

2) Ritter’s triglyceride levels were 7 X’s the normal person’s.

3) Ritter was advised by Dr. Lotysch to seek the care of a cardiologist. He did not.

4) THREE YEARS LATER when the cardiologist (Dr. Lee) was called to the situation, Ritter was in a AMI - acute myocardial infarction - an acute heart attack. He immediately started trying to treat the heart attack. One does not stop to order an x-ray while a patient is having a heart attack.

Yasbeck is trying to ruin two doctor’s lives because her own husband was negligent about his health and they could not get life insurance.

You can even see by the pictures that are plastered all over the place of Ritter and Henry Winkler, that Ritter was decidedly overweight, too.

$14 million is enough. If celebrity does sway the jury, then two fine doctors will be forced out of their calling because their insurance will never cover the outrageous $67 million and they would never be able to make that much money in their lifetimes. Sad, but true. Doctors do not make as much money as sitcom actors.

What do you think?

Is John Ritter to blame for his own death, as this Popsquire patron asserts?

Also, is $14 million enough?

Technorati Tags: amy yasbeck, florence lee, henry winkler, john ritter, joseph lee, law, Medical Malpractice, pop culture, three's company, Wrongful Death

As Popsquire previously informed you would happen, Henry Winkler testified in the John Ritter wrongful death trial today. According to KNBC, the Fonz described his last interaction with Ritter as follows:

“We were talking in the middle of the sound stage…He was sweating, and told me, `You know, I really need to get some water.’ I went one direction and he went the other, and that was the last time I ever saw him.”

“At 9 o’clock, I was called and told he was in the hospital…at 11:30, I was called to say we had lost John.”

Technorati Tags: amy yasbeck, henry winkler, john ritter, law, Medical Malpractice, pop culture, three's company, Wrongful Death

According to KNBC news, Henry Wrinkler (aka, the Fonz) is set to testify today in the John Ritter wrongful death trial.  The attorneys’ opening arguments are over, and Popsquire is confident you need a cram session:

1. Death: On September 11, 2003, Ritter died of a tear in the aorta — aka, an aortic dissection — at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank;
2. Cause: Ritter’s relatives say he was instead mistakenly treated for a heart attack, and they are suing two doctors for $67 million.
3. Settlements: The lawsuit follows settlements with the hospital and eight other medical personnel for about $14 million.
4. The Doctors: The Ritter family claims that a radiologist, Dr. Matthew Lotysch, failed to give Ritter warning of his purportedly enlarged aorta two years before he died, and that Dr. Joseph Lee, the cardiologist called to Ritter’s side the night of his death, failed to order the proper tests to diagnose his condition.
5. The Issue: Central to the case is the claim that Lee failed to have a chest X-ray done before treating Ritter for what appeared to be a heart attack.
6. The Defense: In opening arguments, defense attorney, Stephen C. Fraser, argued that nothing could have been done to prevent Ritter’s death, because body scans showed his aorta was of normal size and showed no sign that it would tear.  He said,  “Dr. Lee did not save John Ritter’s life, but he did not kill him…There was nothing that could have been done to save Mr. Ritter’s life.”

Popsquire suggests notecards to help with understanding and memorization.  Pop quiz tomorrow!

Technorati Tags: amy yasbeck, henry winkler, john ritter, law, Medical Malpractice, pop culture, three's company, Wrongful Death

Although Popsquire previously assumed that, like most civil litgation, the John Ritter wrongful death case would settle, the trial remains on calendar to start jury selection today. In this interview with Meredith Viera on Today this morning, Amy Yasbeck (Ritter’s widow) explained that she is pushing forward because she wants the doctors to take responsibility.

The Ritter family already has received more than $14 million in previous settlements, including $9.4 million from the hospital where he died. The remaining defendants are two doctors — one who interpreted the results of a body scan Ritter received in 2001 and another who treated him the night he died.

Popsquire’s perspective…

If Popsquire were counsel for the Ritter family, he’d look for jurors who might sympathize with the Ritter family. The might be people who, among other things: (1) have been in the hospital for an emergency procedure; (2) have experienced the loss of a family member, particularly a spouse; and (3) are open to making the rich richer.

Given the potential $67 million collision between pop culture and law at stake in this trial, Popsquire is keenly interested in the outcome of this trial. Stay tuned!

Technorati Tags: amy yasbeck, john ritter, juror selection, jury, law, Medical Malpractice, meredith vieira, pop culture, settlement, today show, trial, Wrongful Death

According to People, John Ritter’s family is heading to trial in February in their wrongful death lawsuit, seeking $67 million in damages.  Popsquire finds it hard to believe that the parties can’t reach a settlement — there is plenty of time between now and a February trial.

In the meantime, enjoy this quote from one of the physician defendant’s attorneys, Stephen C. Fraser:  “I really, really believe that for whatever reason, John Ritter’s time was up.”

Well….if you “really, really believe” your client was not at fault, then you must be right.  In fact, Popsquire suggests playing the George Michael hit, “Faith,” in the background during your opening argument. 

That should lock in the jury votes!

Technorati Tags: attorney, john ritter, lawsuit, stephen fraser, Wrongful Death

If you’re just tuning in, welcome to Popsquire’s ongoing countdown to the non-Golden Globes.  Each day, Popsquire examines at least one GG nominee’s collision with the law.

Popsquire’s pick of the day: Sweeney Todd.  If you haven’t seen this movie, shame on you, but here’s what you need to know…

This Tim Burton film is a dark musical about a man seeking to avenge his unjust imprisonment and his wife’s death.  Amid the singing, the main characters played by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter kill numerous people, chop them up, and make minced meat out of them — literally.

Popsquire assumes every sees the obvious crime of endless murder, but what other unlawful activity do you see in this movie?  Below is Popsquire’s list.  If you have any to add, let me know!

1. False Advertising
2. False Imprisonment
3. Kidnapping
4. Unlicensed Barber
5. Cannibalism
6. Numerous Healthy and Safety Code Violations

Technorati Tags: golden globes, helena bonham carter, johnny depp, sweeney todd