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Colorado Lawyer sues fantasy sports leagues and calls it illegal gambling.

biz.yahoo.com — Attorney Charles E. Humphrey Jr. claims that fantasy sports leagues run by ESPN cable network, CBS, and others are illegal gambling operations. He is in theory suing to recover losses, but if he wins leagues where you pay to compete for prizes would be shut down. Looks like another lawyer is on a mission to save the world from vice.

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  • ifrkr, on 10/12/2007, -4/+13butt buddies with jack thompson. self righteous assholes
    • bobbknight, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Seumas is right.
      But I like the loser pays thing.
      Also kill all the lawyers!!!!!
  • elebrio, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6I really wish someone would pass some meaningful legal reform. Unfortunately the American Trial Lawyer's Association is in bed bardcore with the Dems, and the Republicans are too inept to do anything except damage control over Iraq. I've read that in the UK if you lose a case you pay the other teams legal fees. That sounds like a good way to reduce the number of spurious lawsuits.
    • Chompy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"Unfortunately the American Trial Lawyer's Association is in bed bardcore with the Dems, and the Republicans are too inept to do anything except damage control over Iraq."

      Yeah you're right, those republicans *hate* lawyers.
    • pacetua, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"I've read that in the UK if you lose a case you pay the other teams legal fees."

      That's all we have to do, enact a law that states if you were to lose a court case you would be required to pay all court costs for both parties. Yet there are still those numbskull judges that still reward idiots for idiotic McDonald cases- "They made me fat!"

      It all comes down to ethics. Thats the only way things will change for good.
    • johndi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Dems and Repubs both have an overabundance of lawyers in Congress. Out of the 53 Senate members who are lawyers 23 are Repubs. I didn't feel like counting for the 158 in the house. The only difference between the two parties is how they want to control the people. One with money, the other with laws dictating behavior, and neither is afraid to borrow ideas from the other side if it's to their advantage.
    • RyeBrye, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Making it mandatory for the losing side to have to pay legal fees is a bad idea. It creates a legal "cold war" situation - where both sides spend as much as possible on lawyers in hopes that they will not have to be the one to pay for it.
    • Tebixan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Aye, corruption is the only non-partisian cause in Washington these days.

      We need to reform our judicial system, but just making the loser pay all the legal fees isn't the way to do it. When a normal person gets screwed by a larger company, they have few options for recourse. Huge corporations can afford to spend millions on lawyers, but you and I are left to our own devices.

      Making Joe Shmoe pay $500,000 in legal fees because he lost a fight with McDonalds would just mean the corporations could screw us rampantly and there would be absolutely nothing anyone could do to stop them. People would be to afraid to take a big corporation to court, because they would likely lose the case, their life savings, and be in debt for the rest of their life, even if they had a legit complaint. Only because they can't afford the same lawyers.
  • pintomp3, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9then we should ban the lottery and bingo too.
    • ImTheDarkcyde, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4keeno should definately be banned as well!
    • pintomp3, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6i agree, his acting totally sucks. woah
    • justncase80, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Yes we should ban them, they are unethical.
    • apollyon2021, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0lets just sue every time i don't win the new car from the raffle ticket.
  • cwill341, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2He must have had a rough loss.
  • sinfony, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Looks like somebody didn't get Larry Johnson in his fantasy draft.
    • FlaG8r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2He's from Colorado, so he's probably a Broncos' homer that's been the victim of Mike Shannahan's injury/starter misinformation one too many times.
  • wingnut21, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Lawyers contribute so much good to society.
  • Adoozie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Can someone please reply and explain how these lawyers can sue on behalf of people who didn't come to them and then keep most or all of the winnings?
    • JohnBoySligo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2simple put a self centered lawyer into a position where he can see a lawsuit and he will either find defendants or bring a company to court and if he wins claim legal costs ( which no doupt would be huge )
    • johndi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Sure, since lawyers are the writing laws they just vote themselves an easy ride.
  • Sagags, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3they really need to change the name of Fantasy Sports to something more manly, fantasy sounds so ummm... gay..
  • cheekybastard, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Blasphemy. Warning PDF http://techlawadvisor.com/images/Complaint%20as%20Filed.pdf#search=%22Attorney%20%22Charles%20E.%20Humphrey%20Jr.%22%22
  • boonesfarm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'd be better off if I pulled out of my fantasy league and placed a $25 bet that Attorney Charles E. Humphrey Jr. is a complete *****.
  • buddywong, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3This bastard got screwed by Priest Holmes last season and is a soar loser. He needs a beat down.
  • justncase80, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Gambling is a tax for those who are bad at math...
  • Seumas, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Um. How is this any different than gambling? You pay to get chips. Then you gamble the *chips*. Here, you pay into something online and risk/wager that stuff. Neither one are you directly wagering cash. You are wagering things that stand-in for cash (and are purchased for cash). So frankly, I think the guy is right.

    Think of it this way.

    Prostitution is not legal.
    So if you went to a chick on a corner and paid her $20 for a blowjob, that is prostitution. Solicitation. A crime.

    Now let's say she says, instead, she wants you to take her to dinner or buy her a nice shirt or you buy her a gift certificate worth $20. You give her one of these things and she repays you with sex. Just because it was an item of monetary value and not direct cash doesn't make it any less a solicitation and a crime.

    Oh wait... nevermind... that's called dating. Forget I said anything!
  • Egoist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1$10 says he loses this case.
  • tjlsmith, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5This is not a game of no chance - like chess.

    It's also not a game of total chance - like craps.

    Fantasy sports is a game of some chance, of smart chance, of educated guesses, a struggle that can be won with striving, learning, thinking and other virtues - like life. And this can never be changed by a court decision.

    People like Charles E. Humphrey Jr. have a brain problem - the truth of this drops through their brain without catching on anything.

    They want to keep us in a fluffy pink cradle all our lives because they will not acknowledge what i just said.

    It's like like they're pouting, really.
  • ScottG13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Morality has nothing to do with it. There are dozens of laws on the books in America that ban various types of gambling. This may be one of them. Maybe it is not. It's better to know what is and is not so that those who enjoy the sport can continue on. If there is a groundswell to ban it, your legislators can take action. That's how these things work. Don't be whiners. If you like fantasy sports, call your congressman and tell him you do.
  • Bloodwine, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Bingo and Raffles are banned in Arkansas.

    [sarcasm]As we all know, many people have lost their fortunes and homes playing bingo and buying raffle tickets!![/sarcasm]

    Oddly enough, we have a horse racing track and dog racing track in the state that is perfectly legal.

    The company I work for provides online fantasy sports software for radio stations. It is only legal because it is free to play, but there are prizes for the winners.
  • nathanstarr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1ESPN should file a counter suit agaisnt this guy for being an idiot.
  • NSMike, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Humphrey and Thompson - The Law Firm working to make this world a better place to live, for everyone. ...who doesn't like fun.
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