Jack Thompson might face jail-time

[zeptron]

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/bully/jack-faces-jail-over-bully-209583.php

He had it coming.

 

[Fran]

x 1,000,000

Finally... JUSTICE.

 

[zeptron]

Oh crap. I messed up the title. I meant to put jail-time. Could a mod please edit it?

 

[bored]

Just PM Dew and ask her to do it.

 

[hippie_hunter]

From GamePolitics.com

GamePolitics has confirmed that lawyers representing Take-Two Interactive, publisher of Bully, are seeking to have Jack Thompson declared in contempt of court.

Although we haven’t yet seen the motion, the request would appear to relate to Thompson’s angry comments in the wake of Miami District Court Judge Ronald Friedman’s refusal to block sales of Bully.

In a worst-case scenario for Thompson, the outspoken attorney could be jailed by Judge Friedman if he were ruled in contempt.

However, a knowledgeable legal source has told GamePolitics that options such as fines, judicial admonishment or censure are more likely.

Attorneys for Philadelphia law firm Blank-Rome, long a target of Thompson’s ire, filed what is known as a “Petition for Order to Show Cause.” The motion requests that Judge Friedman order Thompson to appear in court and show cause as to why he should not be held in contempt.

For his part, Thompson has reacted to the motion with typical bluster, directing his comments towards opposing counsel as well as the judge. Here are excerpts from recent e-mails cc’d to GamePolitics:

‘You want to play hardball…? You want to try to throw me in jail? You have no idea what you are unleashing in doing this. You’re at the brink…”

“If this court in any fashion proceeds toward issuing a show cause order, given its utter baselessness and the bad faith goo in which it slithers, then Thompson will add whatever judge should do so as a defendant in the aforementioned federal civil rights action…”

UPDATE: A number of sites have linked to this story today, but not all of them have gotten it right. Thompson has NOT been found in contempt. Take-Two’s attorneys are requesting that Judge Friedman hold a hearing on the matter to see whether he should be held in contempt.

 

[Man-Thing]

so what did this guy do?

 

[zeptron]

For an example of how Thompson normally acts:

Originally Posted by Jack Thompson
"Dear Ms. Vance,We just found gay sexual content in Bully, as Jimmy Hopkins makes out with another male student. Good luck with your 'Teen' rating now, Patty."

And why he's a trouble:

Thompson to be accused of contempt?
Take-Two lawyers reportedly ask that the incendiary anti-game attorney be brought up on charges related to his outburst following a judge's ruling on Bully.
By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot
Posted Oct 23, 2006 1:08 pm PT
For years, Jack Thompson has been famous--and infamous--for his own personal brand of heated rhetoric. Often using biblical references and the odd bit of apocalyptic language, the Miami-area Attorney has called for the banning of numerous games, including The Sims 2 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

The latest game to earn Thompson's ire is Bully, Rockstar Games' critically acclaimed adventure game that follows a teenage troublemaker through the travails of boarding school. Earlier this month, Thompson tried to have sales of the game--which has sparked controversy for its depictions of teenager-on-teenager violence and boy-on-boy liplocks--halted on legal grounds.

As part of his efforts to halt sales of Bully, Thompson petitioned Miami Judge Ronald Friedman to view the game before it went on sale last week. However, when the judge approved the game for sale, Thompson became angry, accusing the judge of "smiling" as he approved the sale of a game that would inspire teenagers to commit acts of violence as extreme as murder.

Now, it appears Thompson's sharp words to Judge Friedman may land him in hot legal water. According to the blog GamePolitics.com, lawyers for Rockstar Games parent Take-Two Interactive are asking that Thompson be held in contempt of court for his comments to Judge Friedman.

Lawyers from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, law firm Blank Rome, which Thompson has publicly accused of organizing a conspiracy against him personally, have reportedly filed a "Petition for Order to Show Cause" against Thompson. If granted, the petition would compel Thompson to appear in Friedman's court to explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt of court--a charge that could carry a hefty fine and imprisonment of several months if Thompson were convicted.

While potentially serious, no contempt charges have yet been leveled at Thompson. However, that has not stopped the attorney from attacking Take-Two in a flurry of e-mails sent out to media outlets. "The motion to show cause filed by defendant Take-Two is a transparent, panicked attempt to cover up the misconduct, including the fraudulent misrepresentations to the public and to this Court, by its employees and its counsel, Blank Rome," Thompson said in an e-mail.

"If this court in any fashion proceeds toward issuing a show cause order, given its utter baselessness and the bad faith goo in which it slithers, then Thompson will add whatever judge should do so as a defendant in the aforementioned federal civil rights action," he said, referring to the case he brought to halt Bully's sale. (Emphasis in the original.) "Plaintiff has seen arbitrariness from judges before in his thirty years of practicing law, but nothing close to this. If the federal judiciary must restrain this Court and punish it, then so be it."

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6160347.html

I mean come on now Bully wasn't even rated M.

 

[Man-Thing]

who is he?

 

[zeptron]

Jack Thompson: The Tipper Gore of video gaming.

 

[Dangerous]

I thought he died long time ago.

 

[Shuley]

This guy belongs in jail and his "War on video games" is a losing battle and he knows it.

 

[XwolverineX]

LOL.. Yes.

 

[blind_fury]

That guy is a *****ebag. I hope he dies of terrible ball cancer.

 

[Shuley]

Jack Thompson is stupid...throw PS2 controllers at him.

 

[kane9321]

i hate this guy

 

[Conan Stevens]

Crikey. I thought you meant Jack Thompson the Australian actor - I worked with him and his son on "Manthing" and they were great guys - now I am happy it is some idiot who makes up crap to gain funding and live on other peoples fears.

 

[SoulManX]

Jack is going down... people like him make me sick. Any form of entertainment comes along and people like him just live to tear it down.

 

[blind_fury]

I hope after he gets raped in prison he blames it on videogames.

 

[C. Lee]

Crikey. I thought you meant Jack Thompson the Australian actor -

That's what I thought when I read the title too.

 

[Clerk]

I'd rather have Thompson be the video game enemy instead of someone who can actually do damage.

 

[Wilhelm-Scream]

"bad faith goo in which it slithers"???
Cuckoo-Cuckoo

Well, I hope they ban that reprehensible highschool simulator.

 

[Ronny Shade]

Too Bad it's not Jack Johnson. He should go to jail for publishing his music.

 

[Erzengel]

I think he should be imprisioned for only releasing that Bully game on PS2.

 

[SoulManX]

"bad faith goo in which it slithers"???
Cuckoo-Cuckoo

Well, I hope they ban that reprehensible highschool simulator.

Then should they ban every movie with bullies in them....it just a freakin video game.

 

[Wilhelm-Scream]

Then should they ban every movie with bullies in them....it just a freakin video game.

Yes. I want all video games banned. They're destroying our nation. Murder rates would plummet if kids weren't being trained to go for head shots and to blow up hookers.