Trey Burke sued despite apology
Trey Burke has been named in a Macomb County lawsuit seeking over $25,000 in damages (minimum that has to be mentioned in the complaint).
This arises out of unfortunate joking about the guy on Twitter, that Shaq mocked, who turned out to have a rare disease. Shaq and Waka Flocka were also named as defendants. It is unknown if any of the other, non-wealthy, re-twetters were also named, but for some reason I doubt it.
While I feel bad for the guy, I do not think the actions were intended to be hostile AND all three apologized to him privately and publicly. In my opinion, this should not be a viable cause of action.
The defendants are wealthy and they made a social media mistake.
Law firms are businesses that need money and publicity.
If you have strong feeling about this and you are a recoverable potential party, please watch your comments.
I think we've got the brains to make up for it.
I don't think you have an accurate picture of 50 years ago. And defemation suits have been around in the US before the US was even a country. But yeah, brawling in the streets is totally better for society.
Labeling two guys settling there differences with a few punches as a brawl is probably a little over dramatic.
Isn't it at dawn?
but that was the Germans' theory in WWII. Americans were soft, privileged, effete wimps who would never stand up to the battle-hardened Germans.
Scoreboard.
Love the scoreboard reference.
While I can't disagree with History, it seems our country has taken far more of a whiners mentality as of late. Your kid loses badly at football? Sue the school for bullying. Celebrities make fun of you on the internet? Sue them. It really is becoming pathetic.
Before it was the whiny millenials, it was the free-loving hippies, or the beatniks, or the flappers, or any number of other perceived cultural shifts away from "traditional hard-working values" and towards namby-pamby weakness.
Some current trends seem ridiculous (often because they are), but society itself keeps plugging along.
I will drink to the hopes that you are right and I am wrong.
Maybe I'm missing something, but how can he claim invasion of privacy when Shaq got the picture off of social media? Did he hack the plantiff's account or something? But either way, it's a pretty asshole move to mock anybody, even if they don't have a rare medical condition. If he's really only seeking like 25K, they should just pay it and apologize again.
I don't think $25,000 is a huge sum of money for Shaq. When I was in high school and trying to 'fit in', I made fun of a kid for something he had no control over. I felt really, really bad afterward. I apologized and I bought him Taco Bell. That's kind of what the plantiff seems to be asking for. Still, doubt he actually wins; probably hard to prove actual damages. The idealist in me wishes Shaq/Burke would have donated the money to charity or research for that condition without asking. Maybe they'll just settle it out of court with some money being donated or something.
Right. There's a difference between expecting an apology, which is reasonable, and going to court for a payday after you get the apology, which looks pretty self serving. Definitely turns your high horse into a legless pony. I won't feel bad for Shaq and Trey if they have to pay up, but I still think it's pretty frivolous (and pretty petty) for the guy to try and cash in. It was mean twitter comments fer crissake. What happened to "be the bigger person"?
To file a suit in Circuit Court in Michigan, unless state law mandates the action be in Circuit Court (i.e. a divorce) then you must alledge an amount over $25,000.
You typically do not need to alledge specific damages in a complaint filed in Michigan.
Not necessarily. But bullies should realize their wrong doing and make amends. And actions speak a lot louder than words. But bullies don't usually realize their wrong doings. Which is why we have other avenues available in society, such as the courts.
Everything you say is either incorrect, deplorable, or both. Why you are still here and what purpose it serves I will never know. Since you are here, is there any possible way you could maybe be less of a douche canoe?
Calling someone born with a disorder ugly as hell is unseemly and in very poor character. He cannot help the way he looks, but you could help the way you act. You are acting like an asshole.
As I mentioned in another thread, it's pretty clear to me now that your assurances that the act would clean up after the previous ban were not in earnest and that this is, in the end, the sort of person that you are - gratuitously mean and not in the least sensitive, not to mention seeming to revel in the negative attention. Let me put it another way, you will not be able to reply to this post as Clark Griswold.
kill the lawyers canard. Can we add everyone on Wall Street, doctors, dentists, insurance agents, car salesmen, auto repairmen and I suspect a few hundred other professions where there are bad apples who put a stain on their profession? The legal system will play out. Suing ain't winning. And most lawyers don't like filing frivolous suits--if for no other reason than not wanting to waste time and money when there is little hope of success.
A whole lot of these garbage suits would disappear if a "Loser pays" system were instituted. Especially if the plaintiff is indigent and the plaintiff's attorney were then on the hook.
Yet another reason to avoid 'social media' on a personal level. Fine for my firm, and the work we do, but on an individual level I have a hard time seeing the upside. And an easy time seeing the downside.
Something tells me there will soon be a settlement with a nice donation to the foundation that promotes research into that young man's genetic disorder, which probably should have happened at the time of the apologies. And probably some swag for the young man, too. They could easily afford it, could write it off, and the resulting good will would have helped offset the sting of embarassment. That's supposed to be why you cut big checks to agents and other 'advisors'.
He will never, ever be nearly as ugly as you have been in this thread. He has a disorder, what is your excuse? I would like to cordially invite you to play a game of hide and go fuck yourself.
Says the guy making fun of someone with a disorder. Good for you buddy.
Either that or Brian dreamed him up to prevent me from ever reaching 10,000 points.
You're really on fire in this thread.
That's the last straw, calling a disabled person ugly and stupid.
You win the award for ugliest human being today, congratulations sir !
All money collected in relation to this lawsuit should go to support a charity related to his condition... including the Plaintiff's attorney's 33%.
There are no actual, tangible, damages to this guy... but any "suffering" and embarrassment he endured was due to a lack of understanding and knowledge of the condition.
The "celebrities" should all offer to pay $50,000 a piece to fund benefiting research for his condition. It is the only win-win outcome for this.
Any other outcome is a complete money-grab
I'm sorry for this guy becoming an Instagram joke. But I do side with the "$25,000 for an insult and an apology is ridiculous" crowd
Exactly^^^, what's next, the "oh my gerd goosebumps" girl will start suing everyone who has posted that meme for the last few years. Trey and the others appologized and realized that it was a dumb joke and that should be that. I hope the guy looses the lawsuit, truly petty in my book.
The messed up thing is the apology is because he is disabled, not because trey and shaq were assholes. If this guy had legitimately just been unfortunate looking nobody would ever have apologized but trey and shaq would still be assholes. (in this situation in particular, I have no idea if trey or shaq are nice people or assholes on the whole)