Best Kept Trial Secrets: What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas | February 20-21 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. Don't gamble with your cases. 48 hours in Vegas can change your practice forever! Join some of TTLA's battle-tested veterans and emerging superstars in Las Vegas for a CLE experience that'll change your luck in the courtroom. Click on the headline to learn more. | Retailers Face Lawsuit over Spam Texts and Emails | | Two lawsuits have been filed alleging that national retailers violated state and federal laws by bombarding people with unwanted text messages and emails. The two lawsuits, filed in Lackawanna County, Pa., allege "the companies sent email solicitations to cellphones without permission, veiling the source of the messages through third parties that made it difficult to block, opt out or unsubscribe." Plaintiffs claim that the unwanted marketing ran up their cell phone bills and violated their privacy. The suit is seeking class action status and "could include hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians." David Falchek , The Scranton Time-Tribune 01/10/2014 | Read Article: The Scranton Time-Tribune | WA Lawsuit Filed Over False Arrests for Human Trafficking | | Four residents of the Spokane Valley in Washington have filed a lawsuit over their arrest after a woman falsely accused them of human trafficking. The plaintiffs were taken from their home in the middle of the night by a tactical team and brought in to be questioned by detectives after an acquaintance claimed they had held her and others captive. After the accusations were proven false, the four people were released and did not face any charges. The lawsuit names Spokane County and two sheriff's deputies alleging unlawful arrest, false arrest, defamation and negligence. Nina Culver, The Spokesman-Review 01/10/2014 | Read Article: The Spokesman-Review | Target: Data Breach Caught Up to 70M Customers | | Target says that personal information — including phone numbers and email and mailing addresses — was stolen from as many as 70 million customers in its pre-Christmas data breach. That was substantially more customers than Target had previously said were affected. The company told customers Friday that its ongoing investigation of the breach has shown that more personal information had been stolen than it was aware of before and more customers were affected. It previously disclosed to customers that names, credit and debit card numbers, card expiration dates, debit-card PINs and the embedded code on the magnetic strip on the back of cards had been stolen. Associated Press, Houston Chronicle 01/10/2014 | Read Article: Houston Chronicle | West Virginia Chemical Spill Cuts Water to 300,000, State of Emergency Declared | | A chemical spill into a West Virginia river has led to a tap water ban for up to 300,000 people, shut down bars and restaurants and led to a run on bottled water in some stores as people looked to stock up. The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources told NBC affiliate WSAZ symptoms include: severe burning in throat, severe eye irritation, non-stop vomiting, trouble breathing or severe skin irritation such as skin blistering. Residents were told not to drink the tap water, bathe in it or cook with the water and only use it for flushing and fire emergencies. Boiling it will not remove the chemicals. NBC affiliate WSAZ said the leaked product is 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, which is used in the froth flotation process of coal washing and preparation. Becky Bratu and Henry Austin, NBC News, US News and World Report 01/10/2014 | Read Article: US News and World Report | Wrongful Death Suit Filed Over Fatal Traffic Stop Shooting | | The family of a man who was shot and killed by a Brooklyn, N.Y. police officer has filed a wrongful death lawsuit which alleges the officer used excessive force. The 24-year-old victim was shot during a traffic stop in August. An attorney for the police officer reports that the man was wanted for kidnapping, resisted police and attempted to take the officer's Taser and gun before he was killed. A grand jury recently decided against charges for the police officer. Wire Report, San Francisco Chronicle 01/09/2014 | Read Article: San Francisco Chronicle | | |