Collection of Insane and Fun Facts
In 2001, Kenny Waters, a man who was wrongly imprisoned 18 years for murder, was finally freed after his high-school dropout sister went to law school to prove his innocence. Tragically, Kenny Waters died in an accident 6 months after his release from prison.
Conviction is a 2010 biographical legal drama film based on this story.
An autistic man, who was called “stupid” by a gym instructor, taught himself law and won a discrimination lawsuit against the gym.
In 1508, Autun, France pressed charges on rats for destroying barley crops. The lawyer representing the rats argued that the court’s summons wasn’t specific enough to his clients, and that Autun’s cat population made it unsafe for his clients to come to court. The rats were acquitted.
Farmer who studied law himself for 16 years to sue a chemical firm for polluting his land won the first round.
A Chinese farmer studied law for 16 years’ to defeat a corporation dumping hazardous chemical waste near his land.
The “bar” in Law, isn’t just the name of the exam. It refers to the physical gated wall in a courtroom dividing the lawyers and judges from the general viewing public. “Passing the bar” gains you admittance to work on the other side of the wall.
A lawyer tried to settle a civil suit by invoking his right to trial by combat. In New York. In 2015.
In 1971, a woman petitioned a Judge for permission to sterilize her “somewhat retarded” daughter. Without a hearing, evidence, or representation for the daughter, the judge granted permission. The daughter later tried to sue the judge, but the Supreme Court voted 5-3 to grant the judge immunity.
In 1818, an Englishman accused of murder demanded a trial by combat. Surprisingly, the law that allowed for trial by combat was still valid, and the man was acquitted when his accuser declined the offer of battle. Trial by combat was abolished the following year.
In 1906, a three-year-old Swiss toddler was convicted to three and a half months’ imprisonment for “theft.”
