When the family of Sean Bell came to a $7.15 million settlement with the city, even though the police officers in the shooting were found not guilty of charges, it got a lot of people wondering just how willing the city is to pay out to make ugly cases go away. According to a new report by the AP, they are the most willing police department in the country: the city has paid nearly $1 billion in settlements over the last decade. more ›

Some Queens census workers are complaining that they haven't been paid for almost two months of work knocking on doors, and are threatening to stop counting if it continues for much longer. One worker told the Daily News, "They want us to keep going back and knocking on the doors. But there is no incentive because we are not getting paid," and at least one Census taker has stopped working until she gets paid. Census Bureau officials have admitted there was a problem, but insist the workers will be paid any minute now. more ›

State labor officials have recovered $2.3 million in back wages for more than 800 workers at nine restaurants, including the Ollie's noodle shop mini-chain, all owned by Tsu Yue Wang. After years of protests, the wages were recovered on behalf of cooks, delivery workers and waiters, and labor officials tell the AP that some were owed as much as $30,000. In a statement, Labor Commissioner Patricia Smith said, "These restaurants are known throughout the city for supplying Asian food for families at reasonable prices. But as families enjoyed quality food at a price they could afford, workers toiled under the weight of below-minimum wages, late paychecks and lack of overtime payments." So misery is the secret ingredient that makes Ollie's noodles so delicious! The payout comes on the heels of a Labor Department settlement with Amish Markets, whose owners cheated workers out of $1.5 million in overtime. Up next: the 21 Club is being sued by employees for withholding part of their tips. more ›

Raffaello Follieri, the disgraced Italian investor and ex-boyfriend of actress Anne Hathaway, has agreed to pay back $3.6 million he scammed from investors by boasting of inside connections to the Vatican. His victims include two Catholic priests, one of whom gave Follieri $110,000 from his inheritance to pay nuns supposedly working in Follieri's office. The Post says the priest will get $40,000 back...maybe someday? Follieri is serving a 4 1/2 year prison sentence and is reportedly broke; according to the Daily News he had to sell off two Andy Warhol prints for $21,000 to help pay his legal tab. Of course, Follieri's $13 million worth of fraud seems almost quaint compared to Bernard Madoff's alleged embezzlement, but then again Madoff's shenanigans lack the cachet of Anne Hathaway and priestly vestments. more ›

It seems that after months of threatening, chasing and punching passengers who insist on paying with plastic, some city cab drivers have come to love the new credit card devices, which will be in all taxis by the end of August. Their original objections were to the 5% transaction fee, but now drivers are reporting higher tips because of the way the machines display the tipping options. more ›

Picture it: You're not feeling well, so you go to your doctor's office, where you're told you're having a heart attack. And just as you're on an ambulance gurney, the receptionist asks you for a $5 co-pay! This is what happened to 76-year-old Staten Island resident Barbara Antonelli last month. more ›