Lawsuit Mania
January 12, 2004
I Could Be Sued!
Yes, really. Heather the former music major (trumpet - betcha didn't know that) has made some serious noise in her band career. At the expense of others! Just look what Walter from Overlawyered has to bring us today.
Not so in the European Union, where a newly promulgated rule "reduces the allowable sound exposure in the European orchestral workplace from the present 90 decibels to 85. The problem is, a symphony orchestra playing full-out can easily reach 96 to 98 decibels, and certain brass and percussion instruments have registered 130 to 140 at close range."
So, there you have it. No fortissimo for you, audience. The clarinetists might unionize and the oboeists refuse to tune.
hln
November 12, 2003
GTA IV - The Courtroom
And in entertainment news:
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The creators of the video game series "Grand Theft Auto" want a federal judge to dismiss a $246 million lawsuit filed by the families of two people shot by teenagers.
Rockstar Games and its New York City-based parent, Take-Two Interactive Software, said the victims' families were trying to hold them liable "based on the expressive content of the video game."
Retailer Wal-Mart and marketer Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., are also named in the lawsuit.
Aaron Hamel, 45, was killed and Kimberly Bede, 19, was seriously wounded when their cars were hit June 25 by .22-caliber bullets while driving along Interstate 40.
Stepbrothers William Buckner, 16, and Joshua Buckner, 14, were sentenced in August to an indefinite term after pleading guilty in juvenile court to reckless homicide, endangerment and assault.
The boys told investigators they got the rifles from a locked room in their home and decided to randomly shoot at tractor-trailer rigs, just like in the video game "Grand Theft Auto III."
No, parents, I think the problem is YOU. You sense money. You make the cha-ching sound and scurry off to your lawyers. And I'm ashamed of you - your progeny did something terrible, and while they are minors, I'm afraid it's fairly simple at any age above 8 or 10 to know that you DO NOT KILL PEOPLE.
Your lawsuit is a disgrace, and it should not prevail. GTA III gave your murderous children only the idea of HOW; any media - a book, a TV show, a magazine - could've done that. A friend in the lunchroom TALKING about shooting at people driving down the interstate could have fulfilled the same function.
That "M" rating on the game? That stands for mature. But you wouldn't understand that. Blame always lies with "someone else," and there's no horrific realization on your part that your sons behaved like something less than animals.
hln
September 23, 2003
Waaaaa
Waaaaa
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The American Civil Liberties Union asked the federal
courts Tuesday to prevent the U.S. Secret Service from keeping anti-Bush
protesters far away from presidential appearances while allowing supporters
to display their messages up close.
The civil liberties group filed the lawsuit in federal court in Pennsylvania
on behalf of four advocacy organizations that claimed that the Secret
Service forced them into protest zones or other areas where they could not
be seen by President Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney or be noticed by the
media covering their visits.
Forced them into "protest zones." Gee, isn't that where they
belong?
hln
September 18, 2003
Monsanto: Taking Yourself TOO Seriously
Yesterday, Overlawyered posted Monsanto vs. Free Speech and has this to say about its
title.
The giant chemical and agribusiness company is suing the Oakhurst Dairy in
Maine "for promoting its products as containing milk from cows who are not
treated with artificial growth hormones. Monsanto, which makes the leading
artificial hormone for cows, said the marketing implies that there's
something wrong with milk from treated cows, even though studies show the
milk is no different than milk from untreated cows." (Edward D. Murphy, "On
the front lines of free speech", Portland Press Herald, Aug. 31; Kristen
Philipkosky, "Sour Grapes over Milk Labeling", Wired News, Sept. 16). As the
Press-Herald's Murphy suggests, this kind of suit can work very similarly to
one like Nike v. Kasky in chilling controversial business speech, the
difference being that in this case one business is doing it to another.
Wow. The marketing IMPLIES there's something wrong with milk from treated
cows.
I've posted about Monsanto before. I also regularly consume soybean products from a
company named GeniSoy, and GeniSoy labels everything it produces (at
least the things I consume) as GMO free.
Monsanto, where's this going to end, buddy? What do you hope to prove? Your
brand is not attacked by the growth hormone statement. If labels were
mandatory, this information would automatically be shown on the
product.
hln
I Could Be Sued!
Yes, really. Heather the former music major (trumpet - betcha didn't know that) has made some serious noise in her band career. At the expense of others! Just look what Walter from Overlawyered has to bring us today.
-
Not so in the European Union, where a newly promulgated rule "reduces the allowable sound exposure in the European orchestral workplace from the present 90 decibels to 85. The problem is, a symphony orchestra playing full-out can easily reach 96 to 98 decibels, and certain brass and percussion instruments have registered 130 to 140 at close range."
hln
GTA IV - The Courtroom
And in entertainment news:
-
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The creators of the video game series "Grand Theft Auto" want a federal judge to dismiss a $246 million lawsuit filed by the families of two people shot by teenagers.
Rockstar Games and its New York City-based parent, Take-Two Interactive Software, said the victims' families were trying to hold them liable "based on the expressive content of the video game."
Retailer Wal-Mart and marketer Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., are also named in the lawsuit.
Aaron Hamel, 45, was killed and Kimberly Bede, 19, was seriously wounded when their cars were hit June 25 by .22-caliber bullets while driving along Interstate 40.
Stepbrothers William Buckner, 16, and Joshua Buckner, 14, were sentenced in August to an indefinite term after pleading guilty in juvenile court to reckless homicide, endangerment and assault.
The boys told investigators they got the rifles from a locked room in their home and decided to randomly shoot at tractor-trailer rigs, just like in the video game "Grand Theft Auto III."
Your lawsuit is a disgrace, and it should not prevail. GTA III gave your murderous children only the idea of HOW; any media - a book, a TV show, a magazine - could've done that. A friend in the lunchroom TALKING about shooting at people driving down the interstate could have fulfilled the same function.
That "M" rating on the game? That stands for mature. But you wouldn't understand that. Blame always lies with "someone else," and there's no horrific realization on your part that your sons behaved like something less than animals.
hln
Waaaaa
Waaaaa
-
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The American Civil Liberties Union asked the federal
courts Tuesday to prevent the U.S. Secret Service from keeping anti-Bush
protesters far away from presidential appearances while allowing supporters
to display their messages up close.
The civil liberties group filed the lawsuit in federal court in Pennsylvania on behalf of four advocacy organizations that claimed that the Secret Service forced them into protest zones or other areas where they could not be seen by President Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney or be noticed by the media covering their visits.
hln
Monsanto: Taking Yourself TOO Seriously
Yesterday, Overlawyered posted Monsanto vs. Free Speech and has this to say about its title.
-
The giant chemical and agribusiness company is suing the Oakhurst Dairy in
Maine "for promoting its products as containing milk from cows who are not
treated with artificial growth hormones. Monsanto, which makes the leading
artificial hormone for cows, said the marketing implies that there's
something wrong with milk from treated cows, even though studies show the
milk is no different than milk from untreated cows." (Edward D. Murphy, "On
the front lines of free speech", Portland Press Herald, Aug. 31; Kristen
Philipkosky, "Sour Grapes over Milk Labeling", Wired News, Sept. 16). As the
Press-Herald's Murphy suggests, this kind of suit can work very similarly to
one like Nike v. Kasky in chilling controversial business speech, the
difference being that in this case one business is doing it to another.
I've posted about Monsanto before. I also regularly consume soybean products from a company named GeniSoy, and GeniSoy labels everything it produces (at least the things I consume) as GMO free.
Monsanto, where's this going to end, buddy? What do you hope to prove? Your brand is not attacked by the growth hormone statement. If labels were mandatory, this information would automatically be shown on the product.
hln
