Thompson sues Kotaku owner over comments, suit dismissed

by Kyle Orland { Apr 26th 2007 at 5:55PM }

[Update: The Kotaku suit has been dismissed by Federal District Court Judge Paul Huck, GamePolitics.com is now reporting. Apparently, Thompson "failed to follow the proper federal court procedure for amending a complaint." Thompson says he'll try it again though, so please, read on.]

The smoldering battle between Florida lawyer Jack Thompson and the gaming press has been taken to a new level. In a tersely worded post yesterday on Kotaku, Brian Crecente revealed that Thompson has added a complaint against Kotaku owner Gawker Media to a March 13 suit against the Florida Bar.

The childishly-worded complaint (He actually makes a "NOT!" joke on page 27) focuses on a few Kotaku commenters (which Thompson mistakenly refers to as "bloggers") that allegedly said Thompson "should be shot ... struck with a baseball bat, shot in the face by an irate gamer, [and] castrated and his testicles stuffed down his throat," among other things. To be fair, those are some strong, hateful words, and threats like these are not necessarily protected by the first amendment. Still, Gawker or Kotaku probably can't be held liable for them -- a federal judge ruled in June 2006 that "bloggers cannot be hit with libel suits on the basis of anonymous postings on their Web sites."

Perhaps knowing this, Thompson goes a different route in his complaint by alleging Kotaku is part of a "civil conspiracy ... to deprive Thompson of his various basic constitutional rights" and that the site is "attempt[ing] to intimidate a citizen for the exercise of his constitutional rights." Mark Methenitis goes into detail on what exactly is legally wrong with this overreach over at his Law of the Game blog. All we'll add is that we're sickened by this obvious attempt at legal intimidation and we support our blogging brothers at Gawker all the way.

Tags: blog, blogging, Jack Thompson, JackThompson, journalism, kotaku, law, lawsuit, legal, libel, suit, writing

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

hvnlysoldr @ Apr 26th 2007 6:00PM

Counter-sue and don't cop out like Take2.

Xizer @ Apr 26th 2007 6:05PM

Why are we still giving this attention whore attention? I think we all know that absolutely nothing will happen with this case. It will be dropped, or when it begins snowing in hell it will go to court, after which Thompson will lose it.

When is Jack Thompson NOT! suing someone and failing at it?

HotShotX @ Apr 26th 2007 6:08PM

"civil conspiracy ... to deprive Thompson of his various basic constitutional rights"

Massacre-chasing is not a constitutional right, go fuck yourself Jack Thompson.

~HotShotX

Justin @ Apr 26th 2007 6:09PM

F$%K Jack Thompson.

Tuatara @ Apr 26th 2007 6:12PM

If he wants people to stop making threats of violence against him, maybe he should stop talking so much shit. >.>

Neebs @ Apr 26th 2007 6:13PM

You've got to be shitting me. First a total bias on anything not Christian and now comments on a blog. What fucking country does Jack Thompson serve as a lawyer for again? Can't be America.

Dansk @ Apr 26th 2007 6:15PM

Can't Kotaku counter-sue and most probably win?

Mr Khan @ Apr 26th 2007 6:19PM

There is a distinct possibility that this could spread to other websites (look at comment 7), it would be interesting to see where he runs with this

and i agree with hvnlysoldier, though, Take Two's settlement was just shameful, especially when they could've taken him to the cleaners

And why exactly is he sueing the Florida Bar, again?

Neebs @ Apr 26th 2007 6:23PM

Oh my god. This IS my second comment, but this is the piece on Kotaku. Page 26...74. He says Kotaku is Stalinist.
He calls them knuckleheads...idiots...he even brings up his certification of sanity.

Joe Smith @ Apr 26th 2007 6:23PM

Thompson has gone form being infuriating to being irritating to now just being sad. Hard to believe he once had the intellectual guns to get through law school and pass the bar -- even in Florida.

SnesR0X @ Apr 26th 2007 6:24PM

Gawd I fucking hate you Jack Thompson, why don't you go fuck your mothers corpse? That would be swell.

Leonidas @ Apr 26th 2007 6:25PM

Seriously, Jack Thompson should be shot ... struck with a baseball bat, shot in the face by an irate gamer, [and] castrated and his testicles stuffed down his throat

lol, it would be the funniest shit ever if he tried to sue Joystiq now...

EvoAnubis @ Apr 26th 2007 6:32PM

Jack Thompson can take a sugar-frosted fuck off of the tip of my dick. Yeah, come on and sue me too, asshole.

Dansk @ Apr 26th 2007 6:36PM

This isnt Jack Thompsons's inbox, guys!

soultron @ Apr 26th 2007 6:37PM

Kotaku should lock comments on any articles related to Mr. Thompson. Noone has anything good to say about Thompson anymore; diabling commenting would save us from reading what we've read before.

urban @ Apr 26th 2007 6:39PM

Did you know Jack Thomspon's phone number starts with 666? No joke, I'm not religious, but some signs like that make me believe otherwise :P

Alex @ Apr 26th 2007 6:40PM

"the site is "attempt[ing] to intimidate a citizen for the exercise of his constitutional rights.""

irnoy. Free speech is a constitutional right, so why is he suing?

umm....hello??? @ Apr 26th 2007 6:42PM

...it cracked me up when I read in his declaration of the linked *.pdf file that he "...is in good standing..." with the Florida Bar Association...'cuz I could've sworn that some judge said he'd hold JT in contempt of court for comment's JT has made...but yes, personally the world would be a better place without his crusading...

Rubang B @ Apr 26th 2007 6:44PM

I have 2 things to say!

Thing 1: Massacre-chasing is a constitutional right. He can legally do all this. He will lose all his cases because he is insane and wrong (making not jokes in legal documents?) but he can still legally chase ambulances and shootings.

Thing 2: Anybody want to pitch in on an apartment in Florida? It seems pretty easy to become lawyers over there, and then we can make some fast scratch chasing ambulances. Anybody down?

soultron @ Apr 26th 2007 6:45PM

I see I missed the comments here, and mistakingly thought the readership of Joystiq would be more mature.

I say Joystiq disables commenting about Thompson, too. I don't want Thompson to mount Joystiq next.

Hart704 @ Apr 26th 2007 6:45PM

I really need to sue Thompson for being a hugely annoying gaming media hog.

Hey, Jack, bring me the gun. I'll fucking do it for you.

Kinjor @ Apr 26th 2007 6:46PM

This can't be a real complaint. If it is in fact a real complaint he could and should lose his bar license for abusing the justice system.

If this is true and a Judge reads 1/3 of the document he will be held in contempt and charged with a lack of respect for the justicial system.

Shagittarius @ Apr 26th 2007 6:51PM

I get the feeling that thompson is just trying to get himself killed by a gamer so that he can become a martyr and prove to people that video games are evil and make you kill.

but like a week fart that felt like it had so much potential on the inside I'm sure he'd be dissapointed by the worlds reaction to his death. The world might even collectively think, 'Did you feel that? I swear the earth just got a little lighter. Hey we just lost an idiot!'

Chris Lawrance @ Apr 26th 2007 7:00PM

So what does this bright individual do after realizing he can't chase after take two following the VT massacre? He finds a new victim.

Honestly at first this man helped to bring to light an interesting and ongoing debate. He then became funny. This turned to annoyance, and it has now gone to an entirely different level all together. The gaming community....hell the courts are beginning to get fed up with this. He is publicly abusing the system. This man needs to be disbarred period.

Jacky boy, you settled with take two despite the fact that you try to give the impression that your holy war is of moral intent. You truly are a massacre chaser

E.J. @ Apr 26th 2007 7:05PM

That complaint was a series of rants and ramblings. I've written case briefs in my Business Law class that make more sense and are more professional than this complaint.

It's hard to see any hope of victory for Mr. Thompson when he submits a complaint to the people(s) he is filing suit against.

Chris Lawrance @ Apr 26th 2007 7:05PM

I did forget to add that although I realize it is asking a hell of a lot, I would hope that Kotaku is not intimidated by such a frivolous suit, and takes the time to completely mop the floor and make an example out of this man. In fact I would suggest they form some type of donation fund via paypal to help afford the best damn lawyer that they can get truly show this man what a headshot is. This would give the entire gaming community a chance to really get back at this man. Strange isn't it.....instead of shooting and raping people in the Streets of Miami, were organizing on how to completely cripple your practice.
Cheers

Laura Palmer @ Apr 26th 2007 7:07PM

I think Jack's career has basically become the legal community's equivalent of a "Not! joke", anyway (tired and irrelevant), so I wouldn't worry about it.

It's just another chance to watch JT humiliate himself. In fact, that's why I have no problem with Jack getting so much attention on these blogs -- I really do want this guy's message to get to the mainstream so they can realize it's asinine and move on.

The quicker JT is acknowledged, the quicker he is irrelevant. I mean, have you ever seen this guy come across well in any medium? Every second he's on screen damages his bullshit cause.

SnesR0X @ Apr 26th 2007 7:08PM

Soultron, Jack isn't going to be able to do anything, he's just an asshole. The more he tries to sue everybody the less people will take him seriously. This is crazy, trying to sue a website that has poeple posting from all over the world, and it's not going to stop, he is simply making gamers everywhere hate him more and more. I bet that almost every website that posted this will have people saying this shit, and I aplaud you.

Brinstar @ Apr 26th 2007 7:08PM

"Still, Gawker or Kotaku probably can't be held liable for them -- a federal judge ruled in June 2006 that 'bloggers cannot be hit with libel suits on the basis of anonymous postings on their Web sites.'"

No wonder you people don't bother to moderate the abusive and offensive comments posted here. You don't care, because you won't be held liable. You're condoning the offensive comments from people like Jack of No Trades by not moderating them. Culture is, in part, shaped by what is permitted. Videogame culture and culture on the internet will continue to be a cesspool of misogyny and abuse if you continue to do nothing about it.

Donald @ Apr 26th 2007 7:08PM

I think Jack actually has a chance in this lawsuit.

Pause.

NOT!!

jack @ Apr 26th 2007 7:09PM

http://www.jackthompson.org/

andres @ Apr 26th 2007 7:22PM

Let me say something. You guys think you have it bad! this fucker WORKS in Coral Gables. Thats 4 minutes from where I live.

Rubang B @ Apr 26th 2007 7:25PM

I completely agree with Laura Palmer.

Meanwhile, OH CRAP IT'S LAURA PALMER!

Tom @ Apr 26th 2007 7:28PM

Some comedian: "This suit is winnable... NOT! Okay, now you try."

Jack Thompson: "Ok... this suit is NOT! winnable!"

Laura Palmer @ Apr 26th 2007 7:30PM

I only come back from the dead to talk about JT. Beyond that, I'm still in the Black Lodge, or the White Lodge, or... wait, what the fuck happened at the end of Twin Peaks again? It's hard for even me to keep it straight...

Dave @ Apr 26th 2007 7:53PM

Interesting. I wasn't aware he had testicles.

Lewis @ Apr 26th 2007 7:53PM

LMAO

waves @ Apr 26th 2007 8:05PM

HACK!

Dan Davis @ Apr 26th 2007 8:13PM

K, number one, just look at him. And B, we got all this evidence, of like, how this guy blames everything on video games. And... I heard he doesn't even play video games. [Crowd Boos]
I know! And I'm all, "you've gotta be shittin me!"
But check this out man, judge should be like, Not Guilty. Peace.

WhatIsThatThing @ Apr 26th 2007 8:21PM

I think we've all made some terrible mistake! This document is about John Thompson! Unless...could it be? Jack Thompson can't even spell his own name? Or have we all been talking about the wrong person this whole time? What is up with this? It clearly says "John B. Thompson" twice.

WhatIsThatThing @ Apr 26th 2007 8:24PM

Oops. My error. Disregard the previous posting by me. His real name IS John B. Thompson. But my question is, how do you get Jack from John?

Caffeinate @ Apr 26th 2007 8:32PM

I have to be sure; did he compare video game journalists unfavorably with Stalinists?

csc @ Apr 26th 2007 8:50PM

I like where he compares himself to jesus on page 15

orAngeMicro @ Apr 26th 2007 9:14PM

a week after old jack dies ill personally dig up his dumbass and rape him with plunger while adding super mario bros sound effects to the video ill upload to the internet see you then buddy!

Yourself @ Apr 26th 2007 9:15PM

How does the entire legal, social, and political community not mock him and treat him like a joke for writing a complaint like that?

Oh wait. It does.

REUYL @ Apr 26th 2007 9:19PM

Funny how he claims to be Christian and then compares himself to Jesus in the article. I believe that's called... wait for it... BLASPHEMY.

GG Jack.

Sid Icarus @ Apr 26th 2007 9:29PM

Its probably pure speculation, but I have heard one more then one occasion, Jack Thompson paid a male prostitute to dress up as Jesus Christ and shove soup ladles and baby bottles into his nether regions...

Rubang B @ Apr 26th 2007 10:14PM

Sorry guys, it's all my bad. I gave the whole gaming community a bad rap. Back in the 80's I had this whole rap-metal thing going on, and it was all about Stalinism, video games, and using murder simulators to practice for the revolution. You might not have heard of us, but we got pretty big in the Florida rap-metal underground for a while. And then when I got out of rehab and put my life back together I became a secretary at Take Two, and I think Jack's rage followed me here.