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Rennol
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 3741
Location: Charleston, IL
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 Posted: 10/22/03 - 13:33 Post subject: $246 million dollar lawsuit filed against makers of GTA3
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lol
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/22/videogame.lawsuit.ap/index.html
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KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- A $246 million lawsuit was filed against the designer, marketer and a retailer of the video game series "Grand Theft Auto" by the families of two people shot by teenagers apparently inspired by the game.
The suit claims marketer Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., designers Take-Two Interactive Software and Rockstar Games, and Wal-Mart, are liable for $46 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages.
Aaron Hamel, 45, a registered nurse, was killed and Kimberly Bede, 19, of Moneta, Virginia, was seriously wounded when their cars were hit June 25 by .22-caliber bullets as they passed through the Great Smoky Mountains.
Stepbrothers William Buckner, 16, and Joshua Buckner, 14, of Newport, were sentenced in August to an indefinite term in state custody 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."
In a suit filed Monday in Cocke County Circuit Court on behalf of the victims, Miami lawyer Jack Thompson and local lawyer Richard Talley alleged the game "inspires and trains players to shoot at vehicles and persons."
"These kids simply decided to take the thrill of that game out to Interstate 40 and started pointing at cars," Thompson said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
Thompson, who said he sent letters to Sony and Wal-Mart to drop the game before the shootings, said, "It's not like this is coming out of the blue, they chose to ignore this danger."
San Mateo, California-based Sony and Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart did not return calls for comment Tuesday. The lawsuit alleges the retail giant sold the game to the Buckners about a year before the shootings.
Douglas Lowenstein, president of the industry Entertainment Software Association, called the shootings "an unspeakable tragedy" but said blaming a game played by millions for the boys' actions was "misguided and counterproductive."
"There is no credible evidence that violent games lead to violent behavior," he said. "While video games may provide a simple excuse for the teenagers involved in this incident, responsibility for violent acts belongs to those who commit them."
Thompson has made similar claims in the past and lost, notably a $33 million lawsuit against video game makers stemming from the 1997 school shooting near Paducah, Kentucky, by a 14-year-old boy.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the case last year that it was "simply to far a leap from shooting characters on a video screen to shooting people in a classroom."
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Clevinger
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 3765
Location: Austin
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 13:35 Post subject:
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Another example of why the world has too many lawyers.
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Occulis
RealPoor Jedi
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 13293
Location: Moral Relativity Central
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 13:37 Post subject:
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| Quote: | If a ruler abides by its principles,
then her people will willingly follow.
Heaven would then reign on earth,
like sweet rain falling on paradise.
People would have no need for laws,
because the law would be written on their hearts. |
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Tav
Toomuchtimeonhands
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 894
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 13:37 Post subject:
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lame
If they start letting these lawyers win these cases, society is totally in trouble.
They'll be outlawing all kinds of creative works from books to movies and everything in between.
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Syke
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 12 Oct 2002
Posts: 2976
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 13:39 Post subject:
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I like how they say blaming a video game is counterproductive, when the whole video game itself is based on being counterproductive. 
EDIT: And not only is it based on being counterproductive, the fact that it's a VIDEO GAME means it's counterproductive altogether, even without the counterproductive story line and game schematics.
Last edited by Syke on 10/22/03 - 13:40; edited 1 time in total
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Frax
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 8489
Location: Fuck yoiu fucking fuckers
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 13:40 Post subject:
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This is an example of parents not controlling what their children are exposed to at that age, I'm pretty certain that GTA3 is marked "Mature", meaning it's for adults and not children. WTG MOM AND DAD!
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Janoth
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 17 Nov 2002
Posts: 3135
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 13:51 Post subject:
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I am gonna start going around randomly beating the shit out of old people, then blame it on Pedro.... And sue major league baseball for causing my psychological problems! I WAS NEVER WARNED I WAS GOING 2 BE EXPOSED TO PEDRO LAYING OUT SOME FAT OLD GUY SO I DID NOT NO HOW 2 REACT UR HONER
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Clevinger
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 3765
Location: Austin
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 13:53 Post subject:
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| Janothhhh wrote: | | I am gonna start going around randomly beating the shit out of old people, then blame it on Pedro.... And sue major league baseball for causing my psychological problems! I WAS NEVER WARNED I WAS GOING 2 BE EXPOSED TO PEDRO LAYING OUT SOME FAT OLD GUY SO I DID NOT NO HOW 2 REACT UR HONER |
hahha
zimm never saw it coming
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Clevinger
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 3765
Location: Austin
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Paco
RealPoor Jedi
Joined: 13 Oct 2002
Posts: 12939
Location: Jacksonville, FL
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 13:57 Post subject:
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| Frax wrote: | | This is an example of parents not controlling what their children are exposed to at that age, I'm pretty certain that GTA3 is marked "Mature", meaning it's for adults and not children. WTG MOM AND DAD! |
/agree
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Brash
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 20 Oct 2002
Posts: 3958
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 14:25 Post subject:
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i swear noone can take responsabilty for thier own actions anymore
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NickPSH
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 5680
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 14:29 Post subject:
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10/1 says those kids never got punished with spankings
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Haphasto
RealPoor Sensei
Joined: 10 Nov 2002
Posts: 1800
Location: St. Louis, MO
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 14:33 Post subject:
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HEY!!! I pull off GTA stunts all the time 
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Jinu
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 2396
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 14:36 Post subject:
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My boss use to work at Rock Star and he is so proud of his little GTA baby. Too bad he doesn't still work there or I'd be laughing at his ass all day 
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Nictathan
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 5531
Location: here... where I am... not with you
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 14:37 Post subject:
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What a f*****g joke...
Here is the process that has lead video games to the point they are at now...
1) mom sees demons on Doom, doesn't like it, flips out on child, takes game away from child. Child then performs some violent act and the mother is all like I think it was Doom that did it! He played that!
2) Another incident where the perp of the crime played Doom and people think they are seeing a connection.
3) Mortal Kombat is considered too violent and it among other games go to the senate hearings (maybe it was just congressional)
4) little Jimmy kills someone and wants to try and place the blame somewhere else so he says "The video game made me do it"
And we're where we are. The media has put into these kids' head that they can blame it on something else and not only will they not be in nearly as much trouble as they would have been had they taken responsibility, but they get all sorts of attention...
If GTA3 were inspired by every-minute acts of LA, could TakeTwo/Sony/Walmart now just sue LA for giving them inspiration for a video game?
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Banzai
Guest
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 15:40 Post subject:
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I want to sue the makers of "Office Space" for makeing a job sitting on my ass all day in IT look reomtely entertaineing.
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Eduin
Sir Postalot
Joined: 14 Oct 2002
Posts: 1046
Location: Glasgow
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 17:26 Post subject:
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See, here is the thing I don't understand.
America has a first ammendment right to freedom of speech. that entails being able to diseminate *any* information. At all. So why the f**k hasn't the first ammendment right been used to create precedent in cases such as these (and if it has, why haven't counter claims led to lawyer bankruptcy).
It just doesn't add up.
Regards,
Eduin
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Nictathan
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 5531
Location: here... where I am... not with you
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 17:30 Post subject:
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Because Ed... at the same time these people have a right to fight against what they feel is wrong. That's why the judge is to see it. I agree with you in every way, I'm just saying that it is also they're right to take silly legal battles to court and waste taxpayer money...
McDonalds made me fat whhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaa
Cigarettes gave me lung cancer whaaaaaaaaaaaaa
etc...
I mean really these are things that should be known to people but their stupidity causes issues like these.
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WheresNWS
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 19 Nov 2002
Posts: 6448
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 17:35 Post subject:
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Why would a nurse or a 19 year old girl be worth $123 million?
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Eduin
Sir Postalot
Joined: 14 Oct 2002
Posts: 1046
Location: Glasgow
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 17:40 Post subject:
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| Nictathan wrote: | Because Ed... at the same time these people have a right to fight against what they feel is wrong. That's why the judge is to see it. I agree with you in every way, I'm just saying that it is also they're right to take silly legal battles to court and waste taxpayer money...
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No, I still don't get it. Launching unconstitutional lawsuits is *actionable*, against the lawyer and the Pursuer (you call it something else - funny latin based word that means opposite of the Defender). A single win at second level (state circuit court, AFAIK) would mean any further actions would be, in themselves, automatically invalid and actionable. Yet the defendants in all these cases have not called on constitutional law. That's what I don't understand.
Regards,
Eduin
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r00typooh
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 5178
Location: Miami, FL
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 18:25 Post subject:
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**** harassment ... panda
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Docter
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 21 Oct 2002
Posts: 3420
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 18:52 Post subject:
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I still remember when they were blaming Dungeons & Dragons for teenagers going on a killing spree. 
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Occulis
RealPoor Jedi
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 13293
Location: Moral Relativity Central
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 19:05 Post subject:
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Tolanin
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 16 Oct 2002
Posts: 3551
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 19:07 Post subject:
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god made me lazy and good for nothing i am gonna sue him.
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Xarpolis
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 15 Oct 2002
Posts: 2884
Location: Philly, PA
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 19:31 Post subject:
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Ok, I got another one for you
Remember how there was that nasty accident with the ferry thing in NYC the other day?
Well, a guy aboard sued the ferry for 30 mil. Aparantly he "thought" that the accident was a terrorist attack so he dove under a seat instead of trying to help others. He feels ashamed of his cowardace now and wants to sue the boat company for fooling him, and making him feel bad about himself...
How f*****g pathetic is that?
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Tiluvas
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 19 Oct 2002
Posts: 2355
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 19:33 Post subject:
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| Quote: | | This is an example of parents not controlling what their children are exposed to at that age, I'm pretty certain that GTA3 is marked "Mature", meaning it's for adults and not children. WTG MOM AND DAD! |
Ok, then they should sue WALMART or BESTBUY or whatever store sold the kids the video games. Make *THEM* responsible. Or perhaps they should sue the owner of the FTP site the kids probably pirated it from. Somebody *must* pay!
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hitachi
RealPoor Sensei
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 1507
Location: Maryland
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 19:45 Post subject:
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they bought it at walmart, and yea sue them if they can prove they didnt card the kids. (it didnt say if the parents bought it for them)
a friend of mine works at walmart, and says their carding policy is extremely strict, he works there and gets carded when buying mature shit.
of course that just means their policy is strict, doesnt mean its not possible for the kids to have bought the game themselves.
id definately like to hear that part of the story.
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TASB
Sir Postalot
Joined: 12 Oct 2002
Posts: 1104
Location: The Outback
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 19:57 Post subject:
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The problem is also that the parents buy these games for the kids.
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Tolanin
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 16 Oct 2002
Posts: 3551
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 20:03 Post subject:
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you guys are acting like a 14 year old and a 16 year old dont know GTA is fake.. I am sorry but their own stupidty doesnt mean anyone is wrong, the game didnt make them shoot people they just decided in some twisted mental depressive state to do so.. and conviently blamed it on a game
regardless of if walmart carded it dont matter cause it wasnt the games fault.
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r00typooh
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 5178
Location: Miami, FL
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Posted: 10/22/03 - 20:52 Post subject:
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| Quote: | | In a suit filed Monday in Cocke County Circuit Court on behalf of the victims, Miami lawyer Jack Thompson and local lawyer Richard Talley alleged the game "inspires and trains players to shoot at vehicles and persons." |
lol, living in miami inspires me to shoot at vehicles and people.. f*****g immigrants
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