Boja Kragulj, an accomplished clarinetist who once performed with orchestras in New York, Philadelphia, and Jacksonville, Florida, has already lost four teeth. And she expects to lose at least a dozen more. Five years ago, seeking to correct her bite and improve her breathing, Kragulj tried a dental device that she was told would put pressure on her upper palate, lengthening her jawbone to fix her issues without surgery, according to an ongoing lawsuit she has filed in federa

A young mother who was the victim of a widely publicized gang-rape on a tavern pool table in New Bedford, Mass., died in a car accident in Miami, the Florida Highway Patrol reported today. Cheryl Araujo, 25, living in Miami since the 1984 rape trial, died Sunday night after losing control of her car and smashing into a light pole, Florida Highway Patrol officials said. Her two children, ages 4 and 6, were injured in the crash, but were released from Miami Children’s Hospital

Jurors in the first military earplug lawsuit returned a $7 million verdict that included more than $6 million in punitive damages against 3M for selling the military faulty earplugs. Hundreds of military veterans are expected to file lawsuits against the manufacturing company 3M, claiming it knowingly sold defective earplugs. These complaints come after the Justice Department settled a lawsuit with the company in July over allegations the company defrauded the government by

A pretend pirate-ship captain with hearing damage from a dummy rifle fired next to his head is suing the Johnny Depp look-alike buccaneer who broadsided him at a beloved annual Milford, Conn., event.Walter Micks, 61, was playing his part at Pirate Day when volunteer swashbuckler Tucker Reynolds, 52, “walked over . . .  and shot off a black powder rifle directly next to the plaintiff’s ear,” injuring him with an “excessively explosive sound,” according to the lawsuit filed in

Scott Charnas was interviewed by CBS News in a national television segment examining the use of a dental appliance linked to severe oral and auditory injuries. The report focused on claims by patients—including musicians—who alleged lasting damage, and featured Scott’s legal perspective on accountability, patient safety, and emerging litigation surrounding the device. Watch here: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/a-dental-device-was-sold-to-fix-jaws-but-some-patients-claim-it-wre

Scott Charnas was featured in The New York Times for his work advocating for cyclists’ rights in New York City, highlighting his role in bringing complex bike-law issues from the streets into the courtroom. The article examined his legal challenges to enforcement practices involving so-called “phantom violations,” as well as broader questions surrounding cyclist safety, roadway design, and fair application of the law. The coverage underscored Scott’s early and sustained invol

Scott Charnas’s work on the “Big Dan’s” case was later examined in Trial by Media, a Netflix documentary series exploring the intersection of high-profile litigation and public perception. Episode 5 revisits the case through archival footage and contemporary analysis, including multiple appearances by Scott discussing the legal issues and broader implications surrounding victim advocacy and media ethics. Watch here: https://www.netflix.com/title/80198329#episodes

Piles of urine-stained clothes on the floor. A bed stripped of sheets and bowed and broken in the middle. A cup of liquid filled with dead ants. That was the condition of Wally Lassiter’s bedroom at a Schenectady group home in 2017. On July 4, as the region was in the midst of a heat wave, the 26-year-old developmentally disabled man was  found dead in his bed while wearing multiple layers of shirts. A former employee who provided photographs to the Times Union that showed t

Seven months after her son died suddenly inside a group home in Rochester, the mother of Luis Minllety still can't get anyone to tell her how and why he died. She and her new lawyer reached out to Messenger Post's news partner, News10NBC's Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean for help. Luis Minllety was the second person to die in a state-regulated group home in Monroe County last year. Luis died just before Christmas. After News10NBC started digging into this case las

A Queens home belonging to a Little League coach who sexually abused young boys will go up for auction this week, with the proceeds benefiting his victims. “There is some psychic satisfaction in selling the only asset that this man has,’’ the boys’ lawyer, Scott Charnas, said of convicted pedophile David Hartshorn. “The boys will never get enough money, but maybe this will help give them a little bit of a start in life.” Hartshorn, 59, who was once named Coach of the Year at