Legal Challenge: Chances of suing Harold Camping and winning

[FaithlessThinker]

So this might be put in Religion forum, but I feel it better fits here.

So basically, the flopped media star Harold Camping predicted that Rapture will occur on May 21st, which didn't really occur on the date. However, during the weeks and months before that date, a whole lot of people spent their money and resources on "spreading the message" which included putting up billboard, printing posters and flyers, renting advertisement space, driving around the country in a vehicle adorned with the message, etc. Many have also donated substantial amounts of money to rapture-promoting organizations including Harold Camping's Family Radio.

One man even spent almost his entire life savings on spreading the message.

Question 1: How many of these people (probably embarrassed by their folly and angered by Harold's lies) would decide to sue Harold Camping for the damages he caused them through his rapture prediction?

Question 2: If a person sues Harold Camping, what are his chances of winning this legal battle and having Camping pay compensation money to this person?

Discuss.

 

[Demojen]

Re: Legal Challenge: Chances of suing Harold Camping and win

Sue someone for your being a moron? If he asked for your money sure...But people are told stupid shit all the time. Like, "THIS IS YOUR LUCKY DAY!"....and they don't spend their life savings on that suggestion.

 

[Squawk]

Re: Legal Challenge: Chances of suing Harold Camping and win

Can we sue him for time spent helping to free people from the devotion to myth based doctrine? Actually, can we sue the church (any church) for that?

 

[Demojen]

Re: Legal Challenge: Chances of suing Harold Camping and win

Just to clarify, my comments above were not directed at OP specifically, rather to the theoretical plaintiff.

 

[SleepingDragon]

Re: Legal Challenge: Chances of suing Harold Camping and win

It's hard to say either way. While it can be established that Harold Camping did deliberately mislead his followers, the courts aren't necessarily in the business of helping people undo stupid mistakes. On a related note, getting his victims their money back doesn't keep them from throwing it out the window at the next ludicrous event. I'd wait for someone to file suit and wait to see what happens-- those who lost the most money (in some cases, life savings) are probably the best candidates.

 

[Demojen]

Re: Legal Challenge: Chances of suing Harold Camping and win

It's hard to say either way. While it can be established that Harold Camping did deliberately mislead his followers, the courts aren't necessarily in the business of helping people undo stupid mistakes. On a related note, getting his victims their money back doesn't keep them from throwing it out the window at the next ludicrous event. I'd wait for someone to file suit and wait to see what happens-- those who lost the most money (in some cases, life savings) are probably the best candidates.

It can not be established that Harold Camping did deliberately mislead his followers.

On faith based assertions, a court in America can not decide that your faith based beliefs are fundamentally flawed, for to do so undermines the constitution. The origins for the mathematics Harold Camping used were rooted in faith alone. On the faith based belief that the bible was correct.

 

[FaithlessThinker]

Re: Legal Challenge: Chances of suing Harold Camping and win

So I'm guessing this will not be a strong case for the prosecutor of Harold. Is there anyone here who studied law in detail or is a lawyer?

 

[ArthurWilborn]

Re: Legal Challenge: Chances of suing Harold Camping and win

So I'm guessing this will not be a strong case for the prosecutor of Harold. Is there anyone here who studied law in detail or is a lawyer?

Yo.

I can think of two possibilities here, but neither is really likely.

Camping could be sued if he reneged on a contract somehow; but that contract would have to be for something tangible. A contract for the dispensation of the soul is invalid on its face.

He can be sued for fraud if he knowingly and deliberately misled people. Of course, it's difficult for a court to determine what a person knows. There would basically have to be a recorded statement from Camping himself that he knew the things he said would not come to pass; and you can guess how likely that is.

edit: The problem with suing Camping is that basically your argument has to be "I'm incompetent"; and if you're too incompetent to spend your money, how could you be competent to file a lawsuit? The only way around this is if you were a member of a class which is assumed to be incompetent which you have now left (probably being a minor); and even then you'd have to prove that there was undue inducement.