parresia

interesting cases

interesting cases

The study of law has proven to be extremely interesting in many ways. One of the ways I least expected to be intriqued was from the reading that I am required to do. Case after case after case. Yet, to my grateful surprise most of the cases that we have read up to this point are actually quite interesting to read.

I thought I'd share some of the more dynamic cases I've come across thus far.

Four survivors of a shipwreck were adrift in an open boat, a thousand miles from land, and dying of hunger. Three of them killed the fourth, a boy, and ate him. They were held criminally liable for his death.

Plaintiff, a 15-year-old girl, consents to intercourse with a 50-year-old man. Most courts have held plaintiff's consent to be ineffective as far as a defense was concerned on the man's part

A competent adult woman claimed in court that through the "overpowering personality" and "extraordinary powers of persuasion" she was seduced and then consented to sex with the defendant. The court found that such a defense was bogus.

Defendant calls on plaintiff, a woman with an artificial leg, in her house. Representing himself to be a doctor, he induces her to remover her dress, expose her person, and to permit him to touch her. He is in fact a doctor, but of theology.

Plaintiff is in a bar, so intoxicated that he does not know what he is doing when he agrees to "Indian Wrestle" with defendant [he presumably gets beat up pretty bad]. Court found that even though he consented to wrestle, his consent was ineffective because he was incapable of expressing his will.

Defendant hugs a co-worker who suffered a sharp pain in the back of her neck and ear, and sharp pains into the base of her skull. As a result she was paralyzed on the left side of her face and mouth. She sued for battery. She lost because the court found that the man could not have reasonably forseen that such bizarre results would happen from his hug.

When a creditor came to the house of a woman seven months pregnant and screamed profanity, abuse and accusations of dishonesty in the presence of others and she suffered severe emotional disturbance which resulted in a miscarriage. She was allowed to recover damages.

During a regular season NFL game, Denver Broncos' defensive back, Dale Hackbart, was the recipient of an injury from a blow by Bengals' offensive back, Charles Clark. Hackbart sued for battery. Court found that Hackbart, the Bronco, was a wimp, and told him to go home and cry to his momma.

*All of the above are actual cases...only the final sentence was a result of my creativity. The case itself was real however. Hackbart did sue for the reasons given. You decide for yourself. Was my creativity unfair?

I think not. Any self-respecting man would agree.

Posted by jeremystock at September 26, 2003 03:10 AM | TrackBack