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Lawyer Offers $1M For Proof His Client Could Have Done It; Oops

Posted by samzenpus on from the choose-your-words-carefully dept.

A Florida attorney, Cheney Mason, made the mistake of offering a million dollars on a TV show to anyone who could prove that his client, Nelson Ivan Serrano, was able to travel across two states and kill four people in the time that prosecutors had alleged. Having a lot of free time, South Texas College of Law graduate Dustin Kolodziej decided to take Mason up on his dare. Dustin traveled the route prosecutors say Serrano took, completed the trip under the time allowed, and videotaped the whole process. He is now suing Mason in the federal district court — because the attorney doesn't want to pay, saying that his statement was just a joke.

13 of 362 comments (clear)

  1. sanctions? by Lehk228 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He should be disbarred for offering a reward to anyone who helps strengthen the case AGAINST his client.

    --
    Snowden and Manning are heroes.
    1. Re:sanctions? by kilfarsnar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "The idea of legal representation is to ESTABLISH THE TRUTH. It's a very strange notion that proving some truth is not helping the client. Justice is supposed to be based on the notion that ethical behaviour benefits all, and that if a person steps off that path, they should be helped or even forced back onto it, since they will become harmful to others AS WELL AS themselves."

      I disagree. The idea of legal representation is to have your client's side represented. A lawyer does not establish the truth; he defends his client.

      I know it's nice to think that our justice system tries to get to the truth. But really there are two sides, each trying to make a better argument than the other to convince the jury of their case. The only thing established is guilt, or not-guilt.

      --
      "What the American public doesn't know is what makes them the American public." -Ray Zalinsky (Tommy Boy)
  2. Laywers. Ugh! by longbot · · Score: 2, Insightful

    As a lawyer, shouldn't this douchebag know better than to grandstand and make promises like that?

    --
    I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it! --Longbottle
    1. Re:Laywers. Ugh! by thej1nx · · Score: 4, Insightful
      The guy making the statement was an idiot, but the guy who took him up on an obviously idiotic and ridiculous claim is the douchebag. Indeed.

      And similarly who would believe that any idiot would offer 10 million dollars as reward to the first non-government organization completing a challenge to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansari_X_Prize. The guys http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaled_Composites who took them up on an obviously idiotic and ridiculous claim, must be total douchebags!

      And what is with all the awards for information on kidnapping crimes and criminals? Police and parents trying to provide profit for providing such info is really disgusting too, isn't it?

      What is *most* disgusting is the idea that people should be actually expected to keep their promises, and really honor any unilateral contracts they make. Right?

  3. Re:Contracat ? by gnick · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Proof of performance? From my intimate knowledge of this case based on the headline, the necessary performance was to prove guilt - Not to accomplish a road race. Making stops to kill people takes much longer than stopping for potty breaks or tossing Gatorade bottles out of the car.

    Of course, I could be putting too much faith into the headline...

    --
    He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  4. Re:Technically.. by SuperDre · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Well, the student didn't kill 4 people along the way, so he actually didn't fullfil what was asked.... If he would have killed 4 people then and only then would he get the million dollars... but ofcourse if he did that he wouldn't enjoy the million dollars as he was going straight to Jail.. hehe..

  5. Re:Dishonest lawyer by LuvlyOvipositor · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The idea is to say a little bit of the truth, not too much cause then you'll be trolling.

    --
    Where do we go from here?
  6. Re:Technically.. by chadplusplus · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If the defense's primary theory was that it is simply impossible to drive that distance in that time, then the law grad becomes one hell of a rebuttal witness. Until that argument is made it court though, the law grad's journey is irrelevant (to the murder case).

  7. Re:Pepsi points by Sj0 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I wish the tactic of making false 'contests' by lawyers was ended.

    I recall when Jack Thompson offered $100,000 to the first person to make a FPS where game company executives were the enemies, then he refused to follow through when someone actually did it.

    They say "Put your money where your mouth is". It seems wrong that they can put monopoly money where their mouth is and act as if they're not full of shit.

    --
    It's been a long time.
  8. Re:Technically.. by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Not if you're from NYC. Most NYC residents see "upstate" New York as practically being Connecticut.

    --
    My blog
  9. Re:Not the first time either by bigbigbison · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Jacko was my first thought when I read this. Thompson is from Florida too. Must be something in the water down there...

    --
    http://www.popularculturegaming.com -- my blog about the culture of videogame players
  10. Re:Bozo Reveals Own Stupidity! More at 11. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Well, come on, it worked for Jack Thompson, didn't it? He made a public claim that he would give a bunch of money to charity if someone went and made his sick, twisted video game for him. When someone did, he reneged and claimed it was a joke, and he didn't have to pay up at all! And look, he's still a respected lawyer who...

    ...oh.

  11. You're Right by aardwolf64 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You're absolutely right... You know, he WAS convicted of "gunning down" four people, and we all know how long it takes to pull a freaking trigger...