A San Jose, Calif., couple has filed a lawsuit against the city after a rotting maple tree fell onto their truck, killing their 2-year-old son and injuring them. According to the lawsuit, the tree was stricken with root rot that was not visible from above ground and, since the tree was on public property and owned by the city, the city was responsible for maintaining it and making sure it was safe for residents. The suit is seeking damages to cover the funeral, the couple’s medical and legal bills, loss of earnings and damage to the truck.

Cub Cadet has announced it will recall 4,300 riding lawn mowers with potential fuel leak problems that pose a fire hazard. The recall covers 10 different 2011 models. The mowers were sold nationwide from February through March for between $3,600 and $7,000.

Fast food giant McDonald’s is fighting back against a lawsuit seeking to stop the company from offering toys with children’s meals because it “lures children” into their restaurants and contributes to the rising childhood obesity rate. McDonald’s, however, claims parents are to blame, saying that they could always not buy the meals for their children. The lawsuit, filed in California, alleges the marketing strategy geared toward children violates California consumer protection laws.

A California jury awarded $3.2 million to a family whose children were “illegally” taken from them in 2005 by police. According to the lawsuit, San Jose police broke into the family’s home without a warrant and took their two young boys, placing them into protective custody, and then their 8-year-old daughter a day later. The department claimed it was acting on suspicion of sexual abuse of the young girl, but the suit stated no abuse was ever discovered, and the officers still should have procured a warrant to enter the home. It was a year before the children were returned to their parents.

The city of Oakland has agreed to a $412,500 settlement in a lawsuit filed against the city by a man whose arm was broken during a police crackdown at an Oakland Raiders game. According to the suit, a fight broke out in the stands during a Raiders-49ers game in 2008 a few rows from the plaintiff. One of the police officers who responded tackled the plaintiff, bending his arm back and snapping his elbow, even though he was not involved in the fight.

A lawsuit has been filed against the city of San Jose over the fatal police shooting of a mentally ill man in his own backyard in May 2009. The suit alleges police used a Taser to stun Daniel Pham and then they shot him 10 times after responding to a report that he had cut his brother with a knife. The suit claims police were aware Pham was a mentally ill patient, and should have used “nonlethal measures” to subdue him or brought in a specialized officer to diffuse the situation. Both officers involved in the shooting have been cleared of any wrongdoing, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

A discrimination lawsuit has been filed against the Fresno, Calif., police chief. The plaintiffs, two police deputies, claim in their suit that Chief Jerry Dyer made racist remarks about African-Americans and also inappropriately commented on women’s clothing and cleavage. The suit is seeking unspecified damages