Jack Thompson disbarred

The long and twisting saga of Jack Thompson's legal career appears to be drawing to a close. Earlier this year, a Florida judge recommended the inflammatory lawyer be permanently disbarred for a prolonged pattern of misconduct and multiple violations of Florida Bar rules. The Florida Supreme Court...

The long and twisting saga of Jack Thompson's legal career appears to be drawing to a close.

Earlier this year, a Florida judge recommended the inflammatory lawyer be permanently disbarred for a prolonged pattern of misconduct and multiple violations of Florida Bar rules. The Florida Supreme Court today embraced that recommendation, permanently disbarring on Thompson.

"Based on the record before it, the Court agrees that respondent is not amenable to rehabilitation," the Justices' decision read. "Further, the Court approves the referee's recommendation that permanent disbarment is the appropriate sanction."

Thompson will be given 30 days during which he must close out his practice and make arrangements for existing clients. He may file a motion to have his case reheard, but due to a sanction already placed on Thompson, he needs another member of the Florida Bar in good standing to sign off on the motion before the court will consider it.

In a prepared statement sent to media outlets, Thompson claimed the disbarment was an act of retaliation for a number of actions, the most recent of which being a civil lawsuit Friday naming more than 70 defendants (and one late defendant's estate) including the Florida Bar and all seven of the state's Supreme Court Justices for alleged violations of his civil rights.

"The timing of this disbarment transparently reveals its motivation," Thompson wrote, adding, "This rush to disbarment is in retribution for the filing of that federal suit. With enemies this foolish, Thompson needs only the loyal friends he has."

Over the course of Thompson's legal career, he has sought and gained notoriety for taking on abrasive elements of pop culture. He led the charge against 2 Live Crew over lyrical content in that group's 1989 album As Nasty as They Wanna Be (and it's hit single, "Me So Horny"). Radio shock-jock Howard Stern was another target of Thompson's ire before he turned his eye to the gaming industry and id Software's Doom in 1996, which he blasted as a "murder simulator" and eventually blamed for the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre.

However, Thompson's most notable target has been the Grand Theft Auto series from Take-Two Interactive, which he accused of "mentally molesting minors for money." After three police officers were killed by a professed Grand Theft Auto: Vice City player in Alabama, Thompson represented their families in a civil lawsuit to hold Take-Two responsible.

Thompson has made eye-opening headlines frequently over the last three years, notably when he sicced the police after the creators of webcomic Penny Arcade for harassment after they made a charitable donation in his name. In addition, he has been publicly disavowed by the president of the National Institute on Media and the Family, and helped draft game-related legislation in the wake of the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas "Hot Coffee" scandal.

Perhaps more than any of that, his most notable accomplishment may have come in a lawsuit to prevent the release of Take-Two Interactive's Bully in Florida under public nuisance laws. While a judge eventually approved Bully's release, he did so only after taking the unprecedented step of requiring Take-Two to produce the T-for-Teen-rated game for his review before it could hit store shelves. His behavior during the proceedings helped begin the course of events which led to his disbarment.

874 Comments

  • Akthalian

    Posted Mar 26, 2009 10:21 am PT

    HIs main goal is going to be trying to raise public awareness about the "graphic nature of game media".

    God forbid that parents would be responsible enough to monitor their own children and impose their own morality instead of leaving that up to the government. But hey, why be a parent if the government can do it for you?

  • Naedeslus

    Posted Feb 11, 2009 3:00 pm PT

    Best

    villain

    ever.

  • guilty_spork

    Posted Dec 17, 2008 10:23 pm PT

    I can see Thompson attempting to use this to elevate himself to martyr status. He will never quit, just change tactics. I trully believe however, that his equally ambitious, politically motivated ex-associates will continue to disavow him and his half-cocked scheming. He has done irreparable harm to his "cause" and when you combine this fact with the ever increasing age and maturity of gamers, he and his ilk will become silly caricatures, much like the anti-communist crusaders of the McCarthy era. Time will see the game industry win the same war that, film, comics and rock n roll have fought in their own time under the gun of the right-wing conservatives. We dont need to argue our point of view when we have incompetent boobs like Jack Thompson to argue his side so incompetently. Thank you Mr. Thompson, for the best laugh I've had since Jerry Falwell died.

  • MattGPA78

    Posted Nov 26, 2008 9:01 am PT

    This is a completely appropriate move by the Florida Supreme Court. Setting aside for a moment Mr. Thompson's activism against the video game industry: if you're an attorney, and a judge's ruling in a case does not go in your favor, you're harming no one but yourself if you raise an almighty, indignant stink about it. Mr. Thompson's subsequent behavior was petty and unprofessional, and he deserved to have his law license taken away.

    Regarding his "crusade" against the video game industry: I can agree that violent M-rated video games should not be played by young children. It is, however, self-righteous and misguided for Jack Thompson and those like him to lay all the blame for the issue on video game developers & publishers (who submit their work to an impartial ratings board), and on retailers (who enforce that ratings system by not selling M-rated games to minors without parental consent), but never on the parents who buy those games for their children under 17 despite the warning labels and advice from retailers.

  • adamchuff

    Posted Nov 4, 2008 7:59 pm PT

    this guy is a douche, has been and always will be, he obviously plays the games since he knows so much about them, he is probably just sad that he isn't able to live a game, so he bashes them.

  • warcraft36321

    Posted Oct 28, 2008 8:08 am PT

    M. Bison:YES! YES!

  • never-named

    Posted Oct 3, 2008 2:32 pm PT

    With nothing to do maybe Thompson will be gamer himself...NAH!

  • Jbentkowski2

    Posted Oct 2, 2008 2:52 pm PT

    I agree, it's good to see this jackass go. lol, spuzzy, reminds me of when i got a warning for posting the word "moron". Some people need to grow up.

  • Spuzzy77

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 8:18 am PT

    S'about time. I had posted this earlier but because either I got warned or someone didn't like an asterisked 'bad word' (watch any network tv and you'll hear worse) my message got deleted. *sigh* censorship. how wonderful. wonder if it was JT himself who complained...

  • sandyqbg

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 4:35 am PT

    Good news for gamers. But he'll still be trying to attract publicity without the use of legal means

  • bigmikeOK

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 5:01 pm PT

    Mr. Thompson shall always be remembered as one of the industry's greatest rivals. It must have been difficult for him to watch as the industry he so detested was rising to great and even greater economic success with only limited regulations as he tried to level some of the most respectable developers/publishers to their knees. My how the mighty have fallen. The tool he sought to use on the gaming industry has instead turned its attention on him. Mr. Thompson, thanks for the memories and good bye you hypicrtical tyrant.

  • Link_Destined_1

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 2:55 pm PT

    There's only one thing bad that could come of this: now Rockstar lost its main source of publicity...oh, wait. They're big enough that they don't need him anymore.

    Well, as some of have said, we probably haven't heard the last of him. It's just that his ability to actually act on his rants and raves has been severally reduced.

  • GhostyMcboo

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 11:07 am PT

    LOL he refers to himself in the third person. WHAT A DOUCHE!

  • necronaux

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 9:28 am PT

    Don't let him off this easy, toss his butt in jail.

  • mitsman

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 8:28 am PT

    He he 'tis joyous tidings indeed

    I've got to say though... I am kind of surprised to see a character like this get ditched by the system. Hasn't he always been a faithful bowing little pawn after all? Nevertheless, a sincerely good riddance to him and his absurdly puritanical rantings. It's not that we don't appreciate a voice of opposition. It's that we want such voices to speak reasonably - not just blurt out self-righteous propaganda "in the name of American squeamishness" (to quote Chief Wiggum from Simpsons). Cautioning parents to watch out when their kids play an overly bloody and violent game is reasonable, keeping in mind that "overly" is always relative to each kid's age. Blaming a bunch of animated pixels for the homicidal rage of a clearly deranged person who could be set off by anything, is NOT reasonable.

    There was a documentary on TV the other day, about the Scottsboro case (NOT about video games). Jack Thompson is like the negative opposite of Sam Leibowitz, in every aspect. Some lawyers are a credit to their practice, while others give the practice a bad name. So let Jack take his personal agendas of political and professional ascension, and go home to fade away in infamy. If anyone involved in gaming, be they producers or gamers, can finally get impartial legal representation by people who know what they're talking about, that would be ideal. The first "one small step" has already been taken!

  • Aizou

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 8:22 am PT

    And with that, Florida has become a good deal less senile. His biggest mistake was not in just sounding like a raving loon but in being a raving loon as well.

  • Viralmessiah666

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 6:09 am PT

    I'd also like to add that to be an embarrassment to other LAWYERS is a pretty impressive thing. thats like smelling so bad,you can't even drive a cab.....

  • Viralmessiah666

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 6:00 am PT

    now,lets hope what happens is that all of the companies he harassed with the help of the civil courts decide to sue him back,and he eventually dies alone and penniless,on the streets,giving handjobs for crack...Jack,if you're reading this,i hope you almost survive the worlds longest,and most painful bout of colon cancer,theres a special place in hell waiting for you

  • Payback7

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 3:33 am PT

    hehe, took longer then I thought! But I'm happy to hear the Thompson saga should be finally over

  • grifter_tm

    Posted Sep 28, 2008 11:32 pm PT

    If only we could deal with the other nuts in that sensationalize the connection with video games with every violent crime done by anyone below 30 the same way. Those folks (the media and politicians) scare all the other folks and marginalize gamers into geeky, socially inept, homicidal maniacs.

  • EPaul

    Posted Sep 28, 2008 6:41 pm PT

    lol, i wonder how he make his living now probably going on Fox News campaigning against violent games...

  • janderdarkmoon

    Posted Sep 28, 2008 2:41 pm PT

    Just because he is disbarred it doesn't necessarily mean we have heard the last from him. He could still spearhead these self righteous campaigns, just lacking even more credibility. Not that a political figure really needs credibility in America these days.

  • forhekset

    Posted Sep 28, 2008 11:02 am PT

    Did he seriously refer to himself in the third person?

    Finally, his reign of terror and amusement is over. Whos next?

    JJpenguin: Youre full of ****

  • Silent_Raven92

    Posted Sep 28, 2008 6:32 am PT

    Thank God. I couldn't stand him. But he was a good laugh sometimes... for the wrong reasons XD

  • lew_0911

    Posted Sep 28, 2008 5:30 am PT

    In other you-saw-it-coming news, we will all die.

  • toadman682000

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 9:05 pm PT

    hooray!

  • JJpenguin

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 5:26 pm PT

    Exposure to violent media (especially in adolescents) leads to more violent behaviour. FACT. But that doesn't mean everyone who plays GTA 4 is a serial rapist/kller.

    Take the manhunt incident, a boy who was apprently 'obsessed' with manhunt killed his friend. 1 person out of the hundreds of thousands of people who bought the game. That's like suing Martin luther king because one protester turned violent.

    In addition, if this game was really having effects, wouldn't you know? anyone remember clockwork orange, inspired by gangs, who subsequently emulated it. There were gangs who clearly took their inspiration (the image, the ideology) from that film, as you could see them in the streets. It got so bad that the director himself pulled the movie.

    Just because one a$$hole decides killing is fun, doesn't mean we're all serial killers, just a little more agressive

  • raptorlead1

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 4:50 pm PT

    so long and thanks for all the fish....

  • bukejit

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 4:09 pm PT

    The people who control how gaming is censored should know what theyre talking about ie actually be gamers.

    Not an old man who hasnt actually picked up a game in his life. How could he possibly know how good or bad games are? How can he possibly understand how these things affect your mind if he hasnt actually played the thing?

    The whole thing just sounds ridiculous to me. Goodbye and good riddance.

  • vengeance00

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 3:35 pm PT

    thank God! hes finally gone, 2K must be having a party right now. i know i am.

  • the_sorrow_MGS_

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 12:01 pm PT

    sometimes I think he must be joking with his theories, its hard to believe someone could be that rediculous.

  • zolloz89

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 11:46 am PT

    if a game drives a person to violence, then its obviously a mental problem. parents should be able to control their kids enough so that they play games that the parents deem appropriate. i love my gta 4, but i doubt id let my 14 yr old son play it.

  • timlovesrugby

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 11:37 am PT

    Maybe there wasn't a direct impact from his work on our gaming but the ideals and intent were still there. Censorship at the level Thompson fought for is detrimental to entertainment and art in any liberal society, hence his reputation among gamers who care about the wellbeing of the industry is just.

  • lightning_kf

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 11:32 am PT

    rockstar_88: Yeah. Amazing, huh?

    Still, anyone who says that games bring about violence really need to shut up. After all, aren't parents the one who should taken most of the blame?

  • Ravi_1900

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 11:31 am PT

    Although I do believe he was a wise guy ( in a bad way).

  • Ravi_1900

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 11:28 am PT

    "Jack never done anything to hurt me or my gaming fun. You people need to find a real villan to throw your rotten veg and lolz at. Start with your leaders who invade other countries and kill its innocent population for money.

    But you probably think that's ok, go on hating Jack then, the man who done a lot of barking but never actually done anything to hurt you or gaming." Well said

  • timlovesrugby

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 10:20 am PT

    @ _Donnelly_ First l2grammar, "jack never done" makes you sound like the uneducated hick you most likely are considering your institutionalised and short sighted view. Thompson had a significant effect on gaming censorship, looking at San An and stuff like that, but primarily he represented censorship which makes him the devil for anyone who enjoys their civil liberties.

  • UDarkling

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 10:09 am PT

    I knew that alot of gamers were wanting something like this to happen but I neve knew that this would happen, I always thought that the couts and whatever neverminded Jack Thompson's views against video games.

  • sStyle

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 9:42 am PT

    ouch, that's gotta sting Jack's ego. ah well. shouldn't play with fire when you soaked the matches in petrol, that's what I say.

    @_Donnelly_: Have you read about HB1381, the Thompson Bill? Just imagine if that bill passed, who do you think would suffer from that? there would have been a lot of angry gamers out there without a daily fix of rated M games. im sure i can speak for most people when I say I have a fair share of rated M games in my collection and I would be more than just pissed off if I couldnt get my hands on them because of one guy's petty crusade against the gaming industry.

  • _Donnelly_

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 9:17 am PT

    Jack never done anything to hurt me or my gaming fun. You people need to find a real villan to throw your rotten veg and lolz at. Start with your leaders who invade other countries and kill its innocent population for money.

    But you probably think that's ok, go on hating Jack then, the man who done a lot of barking but never actually done anything to hurt you or gaming.

  • bennytazz

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 9:17 am PT

    Haha - whilst very likely what he deserved, isn't it a bit disappointing that gaming has lost it's arch nemesis?? I mean, I actually quite enjoyed reading about him practically self destructing with each new ludicrous case he brought to the courts.....

  • HHHulk121

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 9:12 am PT

    We should make a game about him lol, that'll really drive the nailin the coffin

  • pete_merlin

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 8:53 am PT

    i feel happy

  • urborn2die

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 8:52 am PT

    Headshot!

  • Immortal_Zarok

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 8:28 am PT

    It's about time.

  • megatomm_

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 7:15 am PT

    ahaha, owned lol

  • Paladin_King

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 6:48 am PT

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. f*ck you Jack, f*ck you. Guess it's back to sending your kid into Best Buy on "sting operations."

  • combatsoldier

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 6:40 am PT

    very good and nice indeed.

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