Legal Humour News - February 11, 2008

Hello and welcome to this week's installment of Legal Humour News. Our newsletter contains an eclectic collection of humourous and often bizarre news stories having a slant in the world of the law.

Here is this week's serving of amusing legal stories. Enjoy Marcel's most recent blawg, "Mr. Chair, You're Unconstitutional", about the court ruling in Nebraska declaring execution by electric chair unconstitutional.

And please visit our vast Legal Humour Collection. For example you'll find the answer to what happened to the roof at Stonehenge when you read The Druid Temple v. Jock the Mover.

And please go out of your way to give us your Comments and/or your Legal Humour Moments. You all have always wanted to contribute to the world of legal humour and here is your opportunity. Worst case scenario -- we’ll sue you.

Odd or Amusing Legal Stories from the Past Week:

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1 - See You In Court!

Mom Can't Sue Over Circumcision
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled that a mother who didn't like the way her baby's circumcision looked cannot sue a hospital for medical malpractice. The plaintiff sued the hospital and the doctor, claiming the doctor removed "the most erogenous tissue" after the boy was born on Jan. 21, 2000 — without consulting either parent. The Appeals Court noted in its decision that the mother indicated on a prenatal form that the baby should be circumcised.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_court_circumcision

Prisoner Punches Attorney
A public defender who was punched in court by a disgruntled client said he doesn’t blame the man who gave him with two black eyes. The disorder in the court, captured on video, happened at Scott County Circuit Court in Kentucky, after the judge refused the defendants request for a new attorney.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/02/07/4832429-ap.html

2 - Crime and Punishment

Man Nagged For Years Over Twin's Tickets
A judge in Philadelphia has apologized to a man who was hounded for 17 years by officials trying to get his twin brother to resolve $1,800 in unpaid tickets and fines.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/08/twin.tickets.ap/index.html

Wife's Vandalism Complaint Leads To Husband's Burglary Arrest
They say problem gamblers never quit while they’re ahead, and one properly insured Oregon man apparently didn’t, either. Authorities recovered a stolen antique slot machine worth $4,000 and arrested the 30-year-old, who they said asked his wife to help file an insurance claim to cover damage done to his van during the heist.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/02/07/4832426-ap.html

Beer Gets Seatbelt. Child Doesn't
Police in Florida have arrested a motorist they say had a 24-pack of beer strapped in with a seat belt but had a 16-month-old girl unrestrained in the back seat with the toddler's mother.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_secured_beer

Senior Charged Under Racing Law
A 76-year-old Pembroke, Ontario-area man doesn't see himself as a street racer, but the law clearly does. The Septuagenarian was charged going 50 km/h over the speed limit on Jan. 17. As a result, his car was impounded, his licence was suspended for seven days, and he was fined $2,000.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/02/07/4832492-sun.html

Man Convicted Of Sending Penis Photo By Phone
A 21-year-old German man has been convicted of sending a photograph of his penis to an unknown woman via mobile phone. "We all had a bit of a laugh when we saw the thing," said Christian Kropp, presiding judge at the court in the eastern town of Sondershausen.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080206/od_nm/germany_penis1_dc

3 - Politics, Law, and Governance

Miss. May Ban Restaurants From Serving The Obese
A Mississippi legislator wants to ban restaurants from serving food to obese customers - but please, don't be offended. He says he never even expected his plan to become law. Representative John Read says he was "trying to shed a little light on the number one problem in Mississippi." Read, a Republican, acknowledges that at 5-foot-11 and 230 pounds, he'd probably have a tough time under his own bill.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_no_serve_law

Too Many Roosters In Riverside, Calif.
Rooster owners in the Southern California city of Riverside may be about to get their feathers ruffled. Measure A on a ballot this week seeks to muffle incessant cock-a-doodle-dooing and crack down on illegal cockfighting by limiting the number of roosters residents can own in rural areas within the city limits.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/02/06/4830311-ap.html

Ireland Debates Switch To Right-Hand Driving
A senior politician says Ireland should consider giving up driving on the left to reduce accidents by foreigners accustomed to right side motoring. Donie Cassidy, the leader of Ireland's upper chamber Senate, cited Sweden -- which moved to the right in 1967 -- as an example of a country that switched decades after most of Europe did.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/ireland_driving_dc

Spanish Mayor Offers Kids $1.50 An Hour To Read
The mayor of a small town in Spain figures he knows how to keep children in school: pay them. Agustin Jimenez, Socialist mayor of the agricultural town of Noblejas in central Spain, is recommending the town's children be given a euro - the equivalent of $1.50 - for every hour they spend reading in the local library.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2008/02/04/4825492-ap.html

Mexican City Mulls Paying Police To Lose Weight
The central Mexican city of Aguascalientes is considering paying a cash bonus to local police who slim down, amid the increasingly common sight of overweight officers in Mexico.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/oukoe_uk_mexico_police

PETA Opposes Tribute To Fried Chicken
Animals rights advocates are squawking at a measure that would make fried chicken Kentucky's official picnic food. State Rep. Charles Siler is sponsoring legislation to assign the designation to KFC's "finger lickin' good" chicken, first served by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1940.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080209/ap_on_fe_st/odd_picnic_squawk

Have You Heard? Hospitals To Ban Gossiping
A ban on grumpiness, gossiping, mini-skirts, and rudeness is what the doctor orders to improve patient care in Serbia's hospitals, according to new rules issued by the country's Health Ministry. The rules say staff are not allowed to criticize their hospital or their superiors, and should not accept gifts for their services.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080207/od_nm/skirts_dc

School Pulls Student Paper Over Recipe With Schnapps
Officials at a junior high school in Iowa spiked an edition of the student newspaper because it contained a recipe for hot chocolate that included peppermint schnapps.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/MediaNews/2008/02/08/4835437-ap.html

4 - And Now for Something Completely Different

Quarter Of Brits Think Churchill Was Myth
Britons are losing their grip on reality, according to a new poll which showed that nearly a quarter think Winston Churchill was a myth while the majority reckon Sherlock Holmes was real.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/britainpeoplehistoryoffbeat

Clowns Gather For Annual Church Tribute
The men and women in white face-paint and polka-dot bow-ties sang hymns and said prayers as one of their number rode a unicycle down the aisle of an austere east London church. The group was gathered for a memorial service Sunday, but since it was for one of Britain's best-known clowns, the attendees kept things bright, cheery, and more than a little unorthodox.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_britain_clown_church

 

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