Jurors in some Lake County cases won't get free lunches while serving because budget cuts have forced judges to halt a practice of using public money to feed them.

The changes affect Lake Superior Civil Division Courts but not jurors serving in the better-funded Lake Circuit and Lake Criminal Courts.

Chief Superior Court Judge John Pera said he is frustrated and embarrassed by the move to end lunch payments, a change that is the result of 30 percent spending cuts over the last two years. The civil courts already are at a disadvantage with other courts that receive revenue from tax and user fees that aren't shared, The Times in Munster reported.

"We struggled long and hard over every penny in our budget to see where we can cut and still provide the same level of service the public expects," Pera said.

Legislators propose changes in state law to help protect school children from bullying.  Lawmakers held a news conference on Monday to outline House bills sponsored by Rep. Sue Allen, R-Town and Country, and Rep. Sara Lampe, D-Springfield.

Both measures lay out more details to be addressed in schools' bullying polices.  Allen's bill also would create a more specific definition of "cyberbullying" through such means as the Internet and cell phones.

Lampe's legislation also would list various factors such as race, religion and sexual orientation for which bullying would be prohibited.  Efforts to combat school bullying also are backed by the Safe Schools Coalition, which represents about 40 organizations across Missouri.
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A class action lawsuit is alleging that Fixodent denture cream may have caused serious problems.

ABC News reported that lawyers for two former denture cream users are accusing Proctor & Gamble of manufacturing a product that made their clients extremely ill.

Mark Jacoby, a 41-year-old construction worker who wore dentures for 20 years, told ABC News that he believes his debilitating neurological illness is due to the high zinc content in his Fixodent.

"I started getting tingling in my fingertips. And then it started happening in my toes," he told ABC News' 20/20 anchor Chris Cuomo, who is the Chief of the Law & Justice Unit. "I started getting weaker and, you know, I couldn't walk right, off balance and I'm at this point now."

He said his doctors searched for years for the cause of his debilitating neurological illness that robbed him of his independence.

Former Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh has picked up another new job as a partner with a Washington law firm.

The firm of McGuireWoods announced Monday that Bayh would be partner in its Washington office and would be a strategic advisor to domestic and international clients on public policy matters involving Congress, the executive branch and state governments. Bayh will also be a senior advisor to McGuireWoods Consulting, the firm's public affairs branch.

The 55-year-old Democrat's 12 years in the Senate ended in early January after he opted last year not to seek a third term.

Bayh has also joined the New York-based private equity firm Apollo Global Management as a senior public policy adviser.

Lawyers say a court-appointed trustee wants the owners of the New York Mets to give up $300 million — money he says is fake profit from Bernard Madoff's epic Ponzi scheme.

The demand is made in a complaint ordered unsealed Friday in federal bankruptcy court in Manhattan.

The complaint by trustee Irving Picard names Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon and others connected to the Mets and Sterling Equities as defendants. Lawyers agreed to make it public after settlement talks broke down.

The suit has cast a cloud over the Mets ownership, which has said it's exploring a partial sale of the team.

Madoff is serving a 150-year prison term.

A Texas appeals court threw out former coach Mike Leach's breach of contract claim against Texas Tech on Friday, though it said he could still pursue non-monetary claims against the school over his controversial 2009 firing.

Leach did not immediately respond to a text message and couldn't be reached by phone.

"We won," Texas Tech attorney Dicky Grigg said. "The court has held that he has no monetary claims against the school."

University attorneys had argued that Leach could not sue the school because Texas Tech is a state entity with sovereign immunity, meaning it can only be sued with permission from the state Legislature or a waiver based on a defendant's conduct.

A trial court ruling went against the school, but the latest decision from the 7th Court of Appeals upheld Texas Tech's assertion of immunity.

Leach's attorney, Paul Dobrowski, said he plans to appeal the issue to the Texas Supreme Court. He said the ruling noted that the state's highest court "is unclear regarding waiver of sovereign immunity" through conduct.