Wait, What!?

• British forensic scientist Dr. Brooke Magnanti, 39, has written two best-selling books and inspired a TV series based on her life, but she recently filed a lawsuit accusing her ex-boyfriend of libeling her -- by telling people that she was NOT formerly a prostitute. A major part of Magnanti's biography is how she paid for university studies through prostitution -- which has supposedly enhanced her marketability. [The Independent (London), 3-13-2015]

• Murder "contracts" are ubiquitous in novels and movies, but an actual murder contract cannot be enforced in American courts. However, a recent "contract" case in Norway (according to the Norwegian newspaper Varden, as reported on Vice.com) came down hard on a hit man who got cold feet.

The hit man, who stalled repeatedly, was finally sued by the payer, who won a jury verdict (later set aside) for the unrequited killing.

Then, because the hit man had attempted to extort even more money from the payer (to find a substitute killer), the hit man was fined the equivalent of $1,200. [Vice.com, 1-15-2015]

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