Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Daredevil sues Empire State Building owner

NEW YORK, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A daring parachute jumper sued the owners of the Empire State Building Tuesday because security guards prevented his leap from the New York structure in 2006.

Jeb Corliss, 31, of Malibu, Calif., told reporters security guards and police shouldn't have prevented him from making his leap from the skyscraper's observation deck on April 27, 2006, The New York Times reported.

"No one was in any danger of being injured except me," Corliss said, who said he could have been fatally injured if his chute had opened while he was shackled to a perimeter fence he had scaled.

Corliss, who had related criminal charges against him dismissed last year, is seeking $30 million in damages for defamation of character, unlawful imprisonment, emotional distress and lost income. His suit is a counterclaim to a $12 million lawsuit filed against him by the company last year, accusing him of endangering bystanders, the Times reported.

If he succeeds, it may be his greatest feat ever. Or maybe that will be if he achieves his next planned stunt, which involves jumping from an aircraft dressed in a flying-squirrel-like suit and gliding to Earth.

Selling Stradivarius cheap costly for Ohio

CINCINNATI, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Selling a Stradivarius violin for $20 turned out to be a really bad deal for the seller, an Ohio man who now faces up to two years in prison.

Anthony Jackson, 23, of North College Hill pleaded guilty Tuesday to receiving stolen property and could be sentenced to prison for a maximum of two years, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. He was convicted of breaking and entering previously, the newspaper said.

It turns out Jackson picked up a violin case off the floor of a Clifton business and left. Inside was University of Cincinnati student Bryan Hall's Stradivarius, valued at $3,000. Authorities said Jackson later sold it for $20 at Mike's Music Shop in Corryville.

Sentencing is set for Feb. 11.

American Express trying to recoup $3.85M

FOREST LAKE, Minn., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- American Express' credit card motto may be "Don't leave home without it," but a Minnesota car dealer may have gone too far, allegedly owing millions in charges.

The credit card company is suing Forest Lake Ford President John D. Berken in federal court for allegedly failing to pay back $3.85 million it says he took out in $90,000 increments throughout October and November, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Tuesday.

Berken, 39, said the civil lawsuit filed Friday caught him off guard.

"It's the first I've heard of it. As far as I know, we're up to date" in making payments, he said. "The last charge was for $200,000, and we made it like clockwork."

A search of public records showed no criminal charges against Berken, the newspaper said. However, the Pioneer Press said state records indicate a man named John D. Berken with the same birth date as the Forest Lake car dealer has several check-forgery and theft convictions on his record and served about 20 months in prison in the mid-1990s. Berken said that's not him.

An attorney for American Express said the company generally does not talk about pending litigation.

Student punished for Playboy pants

KISSIMMEE, Fla., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A Kissimmee, Fla., high school student says officials overreacted when they gave her a two-day detention for wearing sweats bearing the Playboy name and logo.

Elizabeth Johnson, a junior at Gateway High School, said a dean approached her at school and instructed her to change out of her black Playboy sweat pants, which she did. She was forced to stay for an hour after school for two days, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Tuesday.

Johnson said there was nothing inappropriate about her attire, despite Playboy's connection to soft-core pornography.

"The bunny is just a logo," she said. "There's nothing objectionable about that."

"They're black sweats," Johnson said. "They are thick, cotton, exercise pants... I was dressed tastefully."

The school district's dress code does not bar students from wearing any specific clothing brands, but allows officials to ban clothing with "offensive, suggestive, or indecent" messages or images.

District officials said dress code enforcement decisions are left up to individual schools.