Comment by hymie0 on 28/03/2019 at 02:46 UTC

1746 upvotes, 12 direct replies (showing 12)

View submission: Legal professionals of Reddit: What’s the funniest way you’ve ever seen a lawyer or defendant blow a court case?

I was the respondent (not the lawyer) in a civil case where the county accused me of violating a rule that a house cannot have more than two parties in a month.

The county's prime witness admitted, on the stand, that

1 The rule was implemented specifically in response to a complaint against me.

2. The rule was not written in the county code.

3. The rule was not included in my warning letter nor in my citation.

4. The county had no expectation of ever applying this rule to any other resident in the future.

The judge declared the rule null and void.

Replies

Comment by SNRatio at 28/03/2019 at 03:52 UTC

1369 upvotes, 8 direct replies

A very rich neighborhood near me became a college town when a campus was added there. Residents were not happy to have neighboring houses rented out to packs of college kids, so they had a local ordinance passed saying that no more than three unrelated people could live together in the same house. Which caused quite a bit of consternation, and so was quickly and quietly amended to "no more than three unrelated people, *excepting maids and servants*" could live together in the same house.

So then the old money felt safe and happy again. And when a cop came to the door, the fourth college student in the house would say he was the butler, the fifth was the cook, etc.

Comment by ackme at 28/03/2019 at 05:10 UTC

243 upvotes, 5 direct replies

I hope, someday, to party hard enough the county tries to pass a law to make me stop.

Comment by cld8 at 28/03/2019 at 05:13 UTC

13 upvotes, 2 direct replies

What county implements a rule for one house? I can imagine maybe a small town/borough government doing that, but don't counties have better things to do?

Comment by SoTheyDontFindOut at 28/03/2019 at 05:46 UTC

12 upvotes, 0 direct replies

I hope you threw a victory party

Comment by [deleted] at 28/03/2019 at 05:04 UTC

14 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Malicious prosecution *and* a vexatious lawsuit. Wow....

Comment by I__am__That__Guy at 28/03/2019 at 10:37 UTC

7 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Judge had no choice. What you describe is called a "bill of attainder," and is specifically prohibited by the US Constitution

Comment by LgeHadronsCollide at 28/03/2019 at 13:57 UTC

3 upvotes, 0 direct replies

the county accused me of violating a rule that a house cannot have more than two parties in a month.

Dude. What kind of parties were you throwing? IAMAL and I must know. For the research.

Comment by flamiethedragon at 28/03/2019 at 17:51 UTC

3 upvotes, 0 direct replies

I hope the judge declared you to have the right to party and then surf music started playing and bikini ladies with beers ran into the court room