Jack Thompson goes to COURT!!!!

[Dragonair]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6139206.html

Thompson gets his day in court
Civil suit against game companies kicks off, but Florida attorney's behavior has to stand trial first.

Before Florida attorney Jack Thompson's can argue that companies that made or sold Grand Theft Auto III are responsible for a June 2003 triple murder, Thompson first has to convince a circuit court judge that he should be allowed to practice law in Alabama.

Thompson is representing the families of two police officers and a dispatcher killed by then-18-year-old Devin Moore in a suit against Sony, Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games, Wal-Mart, and GameStop. But according to a report in The Tuscaloosa News (registration required), the defendants have turned the tables with a motion to have Thompson dismissed from the case, as well as have his privilege to practice law in Alabama revoked for violations of legal ethics.

The motion was based on Thompson's many press releases and their frequent attacks on the law firm that represents some of his favorite targets (and one with ties to some of this case's defandants)Z: Blank Rome. A lawyer with Blank Rome said Thompson was incapable of proceeding with civility and said he would "turn the courtroom into a circus."

To which Thompson responded, "I didn't start this food fight. They started it and I have a right to respond because, believe it or not, I have a life outside of this case."

The defense also motioned to have the entire case dismissed, saying that games were protected under the First Amendment and that Moore's actions could not have been foreseen by the defendants.

Fayette County Circuit Judge James Moore asked both sides to draft arguments for how he should decide on the motion to dismiss the trial, in addition to saying he would make a decision on both motions at a later date.

For the all the ugly details and blow-by-blow exchanges of each side's lawyers, check out the full story (registration required) on The Tuscaloosa News site.

 

[Wes]

Wow....Jack is really pushing his luck now. I can see more reasons to hate the guy...interesting indeed. Wonders who's gonna win court?

 

[Glowstick_cult]

Man, this guy is funny. He makes me laugh. An insane-cackle-assasin-darkness-killer laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.

 

[Controller of Flames]

About time he put his money where his mouth is. He has actually botherd to go to court, which he should have done a long time ago.

Plus comparing this to a food fight is stupid, and just cause they atarted it doesn't mean you must join in Jacky.

 

[Controller of Flames]

Who's going to win? Jack. Reason? The same reason that guy who ate at McD's sued the company for making him fat.

I think our country has reached a point where we can't blame each other, we have to blame the entity, which undoubtedly is made by people. What a fine country we live in!

But I believe Jack Thompson doesn't want violent video games banned, why? Because he will stop making money, and he will have to find some else that is "corrupting" our youth.

It is lucky that this man is ot a man of research, and common sense. If he had these quality's he might actualy have a chance.

 

[Chris]

You'd figure someone with a brain in their head would say that video games don't have mind control waves in them, so anyone acting out on behalf of what they see in games are acting ON THEIR OWN. Have people already forgotten that video games and TV are not the reason for violence considering violence has been around way long before television was invented?

 

[Poke Freak]

You'd figure someone with a brain in their head would say that video games don't have mind control waves in them, so anyone acting out on behalf of what they see in games are acting ON THEIR OWN. Have people already forgotten that video games and TV are not the reason for violence considering violence has been around way long before television was invented?

Oh, but someone secretly invented a time machine and used it to go to the past! After going to the past they forced certain people to play all these violent video games of evil which caused these people to go violent and cause all these evil acts! They were also told to keep them playing video games a secret, OR ELSE! So it is clear what we must do, to make the world a perfect peaceful place we must get banish all video games AND all time machines, OR ELSE!

No, I don't honestly think that. But do you think that Jack's answer to violence before video games would be far from that?

 

[TyraniRay]

If America has a decent legal system, he'll lose. I know he would in Australia, because we don't tolerate crap in our courts.

I think he should lose, because the point of a court is to present true evidence of why the other is guilty/responsible for something. Really, no one but some very uninformed people believe him.

The Penny Acade thing was funny enough, but this goes through the roof!

 

[DJ-Will]

Jack Thompson loses argument against 14 year-old girl

 

[Poke Freak]

If America has a decent legal system, he'll lose.

That's the problem, it doesn't. One time someone tried breaking into someone else's house to steal from them but tripped on a knife one of the people living in that house left on the ground. The thief then sued the people that he tried to steal from AND WON. He was the thief but he WON. It would not surprize me if Jack won this.

 

[TranscendentWarrior]

Controversial lawyer exits GTA case

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6139347.html

Game Politics is reporting tonight that Florida attorney Jack Thompson has voluntarily removed himself from an Alabama court case against high profile gaming industry defendants.

Thompson had been representing the families of two police officers and a dispatcher killed in June 2003 by then-18-year-old Devin Moore in a suit against Sony, Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games, Wal-Mart, and GameStop. Last week the defense put forth a pair of motions that Fayette County Circuit Judge James Moore had yet to rule on: one asking for the case to be thrown out entirely, and another asking that Thompson be dismissed from the case for violations of legal ethics. The defense in particular pointed to Thompson's numerous press releases and open letters on the subject of violence in games.

One such instance occurred just days before the defense filed those motions. In a press release, Thompson characterized Japanese electronics giant Sony's willingness to allow a game as violent as Grand Theft Auto III to be distributed in the US as "Pearl Harbor 2."

"He can’t proceed with the civility the rules require," attorney for the defense Jim Smith said. "All lawyers have to conduct themselves with honesty, integrity and civility. This isn’t a street fight."

But before the judge could decide one way or the other, Thompson stepped aside, telling Game Politics, "The other side wants to make me the issue. The important thing is that the clients be served." Thompson also said it was his idea to step down, and that he wasn't being pressured to do so by the judge.

The suit will go forward for now, although the judge hasn't yet ruled on the motion to dismiss the case. Game Politics also reports that Thompson said his departure from the case was inevitable, as he would likely have to take the stand in the case.

Thompson did not immediately return GameSpot's attempts to contact him for comment.

By Brendan Sinclair -- GameSpot

 

[Wes]

Hmm...things now even get more interesting.

 

[Willow's Tara]

What an idiot, i have been playing GTA 3 for half a week and i am finre, sure on the verge of sanity, only one thing keeping me here, but that has nothing to do with the game as my problem been going on longer then that.
i hope he loses the case

 

[gregjammer]

What an idiot, i have been playing GTA 3 for half a week and i am finre, sure on the verge of sanity, only one thing keeping me here, but that has nothing to do with the game as my problem been going on longer then that.
i hope he loses the case

Hmm... Looks like we have the correct outcome...

And by the way, GTA3 is a game that sorta crosses the "reality-fantasy line", but just like any video game, it doesn't get past that line. Sure, it may look realistic, but don't get retarded: A violent video games's like gambling, only w/o the minimum age: you gotta be mature enough to realize that the stuff contained in video games is not real, because if you're immature, then you've likely got a date in court for choosing to commit some sort of crime... That's why I think that there should be age limits to violent video games, not because they're causing violence, when they really aren't, but because I think people do unfair stuff just because they think they're going to get away w/ it just because they live in a free country, however, what they don't know is, that these days, in order to be more aware of their surroundings, they need to learn the rules of the adults in order to show that they can take the violence in violent video games w/o any worries from others, and that means classifying the playing of violent video games as gambling, and to gamble, you must be 21 or older to do so...

But look at him: He makes racial remarks, he cusses, and what a person he is that's got another thing coming...

 

[TyraniRay]

Ooooooh, now I definetly have to write a letter to him because according to my ES teacher if I still had a copy of the replies I got from my last few e-mails to him I could sue him. This guy is going down. I won't sue him mind you 'cause one, he's a lawyer, and two, I couldn't afford it.

I play GTA3 still because I like Chatterbox (one of the radio stations). The guy on it talks like an American version of me. With the sarcasm and humiliating people and being surrounded by idiots.

 

[TyraniRay]

Another thing to do with me playing GTA is that not long after I started playing San Andreas, my writing skills improved. If you know why please tell me. Probably nothing to do with playing GTA, but I thought playing a game that has 'nigga' (exaggeration) in every line of the script would make my vocaburary worse.

EDIT: About the 'beaten by a fourteen-year-old girl' thing. That was really, really, really, really funny. No seriously, I mean other than that he got beaten in arguement by a 14 year old girl his replies were worse than the ones I got! And I thought they were short!

 

[Chris]

I'm 20 years old, okay? I've been playing games since I was 4. You don't see me running around, jumping on turtles while eating mushrooms and rolling into people while breaking into stores and grabbing as many rings and emeralds I can.

Jack's arguments of games causing kids to do things are completely off and fail.

 

[Willow's Tara]

gregjammar- Me confused, what do you mean correct outcome, you mean in the good way or the bad way?

 

[gregjammer]

gregjammar- Me confused, what do you mean correct outcome, you mean in the good way or the bad way?

What do I mean by "correct outcome"? This is what I mean: He should lose this case, because if he wins, then that shows our stupidity as Americans: too lazy to obey one of the rules of the mature adult, and that rule is: don't obey the intentions of a stupid person, because a stupid person makes no sense at all, and make the right choice based on how logical your thoughts look, not on how stupid you really are, and don't rush and make the wrong choice, because that shows your laziness, and all this is shown by the fact that people get so carried away w/ their freedom, that they make the wrong choice thinking they can get away w/ it because their home's a free country, and that's not true: Even if their country's free, they're only asking for theirselves to be proven guilty of thinking illogically enough to likely be found guilty of choosing to commit a mortal sin, like murder, rape, etc. And stupidty is the 1st sign of a possible criminal "in the works". And criminals "in the works" are not truly criminals as of yet, but they could become one in the future if they don't watch it(The antidote to that "1st sign of stupidity" is education. The "2nd sign of stupidity"'s antidote goes to the local police department and their jails. The 3rd, if not the worst, sign of stupidity, goes to the mental hospitals. However,t hese anotidotes don't work on all people, but it does work on most people. There is no foolproof antidote for any symptom.)... And that's why I also think that people that think logically the right way don't act in a stupid way, and won't commit any crimes at all... And if he/she does, yet that same person denies it and thinks logically to try and trick you, or if you're not sure if he/she commited the crime, then you can prove it by either taking the DNA of the person using a DNA test, or use an MRI to examine his memory while he's sleeping in order to determine if he/she commited the crime, but that should only be used as a last resort...

 

[Willow's Tara]

Oh right, sorry I thought you were talking about when I mentioned I was on the verge of sanity. I have just been tired so I don't read things correctly, This entire thing with Kirsten is really starting to burn me out, aleast I only have two weeks left before I go on a 8 week christmas hoildays.
But yeah, that is right, he should lose, if he did well it shoiws ya how easily stupid people can get away witgh things.