Suing the Devil

1971: Inmate Gerald Mayo made legal history by trying to sue "Satan and his staff" for violating his rights by "placing irresistible temptation in his path." The judge dismissed the case because Satan lived outside the court's jurisdiction, and federal marshals were unable to bring him to the court.

Pomona Progress Bulletin - Dec 9, 1971

Suing the Devil was also the theme of a 2010 film starring Malcolm McDowell as Satan.

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Posted By: Alex - Sat Feb 20, 2021
Category: Religion | Lawsuits

Comments

On the flip side, when Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers sued God, the court dismissed the suit because God could not be properly notified, not having a fixed address. EC appealed, saying: "The court itself acknowledges the existence of God. A consequence of that acknowledgement is a recognition of God's omniscience. Since God knows everything, God has notice of this lawsuit."

Posted by Phideaux on 02/20/21 at 09:05 AM

This was about the time of Flip Wilson as his "Geraldine" character, whining about how "The Devil made me do it!"

Posted by KDP on 02/20/21 at 12:35 PM

He should've pled the suit in Texas. Because, as the joke goes: a Californian and a Texan were talking about their telephone tariffs. The Californian complained about the money it took to call his family in Oregon. "Hell," said the Texan, "for that money, I could've called to Hell and back!". To which the Californian replied that that didn't count, because in Texas, that was a local call.

Posted by Richard Bos on 02/20/21 at 01:58 PM

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