Law News

Vermont's highest court is being asked to decide what a dog's love is worth. The court will hear a case Thursday that began in 2003, when a dog belonging to Denis and Sarah Scheele was accidentally shot. The Scheeles are asking the court to carve out a new legal doctrine, which would allow a pet's owners to sue for emotional distress and loss of companionship.

Security guards working for Blackwater USA participated in clandestine CIA raids in Iraq and Afghanistan, says The New York Times. Blackwater's role points to a much deeper connection between the company and the spy agency, and raises concerns over the legalities of private contractors taking part in such sensitive operations.

A man who lost $127 million at two Las Vegas casinos after a two-day, vodka fueled gambling binge is now suing. Terrance Watanabe's lawyers say the casinos enticed their client with rewards and free liquor to bilk him of his fortune. Harrah's Entertainment says the suit by Watanabe, who still owes nearly $15 million, lacks merit.

An attorney for a Georgia high school teacher on trial for allegedly having sex with a student says the affair was consensual, and they were in love.

A Connecticut man who's serving life in prison for the 1984 murder of a 15-year-old seeks a new trial with DNA testing. But he doesn't want to test his own DNA. He wants the DNA of the murder victim tested.