Sunday, May 22, 2011

Can Harold Camping Be Sued?

This question seems to be being asked a lot since yesterday's non-rapture events unfolded. While I'm no lawyer, my first instinct is to say, no. Not that I wouldn't like Camping to be held responsible in some way for what he's done, it's just that I don't see the legal case being made.

John W. Loftus wrote: "Someone ought to press criminal charges against him for fraud." (Where Oh Where is Harold Camping?)

Here's the thing - to prove fraud, you'd have to show that was Camping's intent and that he wasn't sincere in his belief (I think he really had convinced himself that he had cracked the Bible's end times code, however delusional that belief was) and unless there is some such documentation or paper/email trail where it can be shown that his true purpose was to rip people off intentionally, and he just devised the May 21 thing as a scam from the beginning, you can't show any criminal conduct on his part. I think the same would hold for a civil suit as well. Again, I'm not an attorney and I'm not trying to state the law here, but I just don't see any such attempt against Harold Camping or Family Radio being successful.


And anyway, Camping could always say something like, Well, God changed his mind and had mercy and all the prayers around the world have been heard and he has postponed the Day of Judgment so that many more can be saved.


In the following video, I have to agree with the attorney who said: "There's no offer and acceptance, there's no privity of contract. It's absolutely not actionable." Naturally, the "civil attorney" disagrees, but his type make their living filing lawsuits, so that's expected.


8 comments:

  1. Every false profit should be sued!

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  2. As an MBA student and has studied Business Law, if money was exchanged for an event to be executed and it didnt happen. I would suggest a reimbursement, otherwise it's a breach of a verbal contract

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  3. I think the main issue will be establishing who could sue. I'm pretty sure the people who spent all their money based on his claims could potentially claim tort, especially any who knew him personally.

    Still, I think it would end up being thrown out on the grounds of freedom of speech and religion. I don't have any problem with people just bringing the case against him as a form of at least temporarily harrassing him for what he's done, but that's another issue.

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  4. I just saw on the news some poor guy who spent his life savings on billboards and ads and such. It made me very sad, not just because he lost a small fortune but also because he legitimately thought he was heading for heaven ... I am disgusted by Camping.

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  5. If you were enough of an idiot to believe him you deserve whatever you got. If you spent money because you believed his lunacy, that's not really his fault. Don't be an idiot and people won't be able to scam you.

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  6. Joyful_Momma: The problem is... it's not just the "idiot" who believed him who suffers. The children of these people are affected, as are spouses or other family. If these people are then in dire financial straits, it will be society who has to take care of them... or not.

    What's disgusting is how unforgiving the Christians are being about all of this. Being stupid just exempts you from any sympathy? Even if that stupidity is the direct result of taking Christianity too seriously?

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  7. While I do not harbor any anger or resentment towards Mr. Camping, I believe it is imperative that he resign immediately.

    I also believe that the entire Board of Directors/Trustees of Family Stations, Inc. --- whose job it was to supervise Mr. Camping and oversee the ministry as a whole --- needs to resign over time, one by one, in a manner that does not further disrupt the ministry. In my opinion, the Board failed miserably in its legal and spiritual oversight responsibilities.

    Finally, I believe that Family Stations, Inc., as an organization, needs to accept full legal liability for any and all financial and/or other harm it has caused those who acted, to their detriment, in reliance upon the false and misleading information disseminated by Family Stations, Inc. and/or its affiliates.

    STEPHEN PAUL BLIVEN
    Attorney & Counselor At Law
    Suite 206
    300 West State Street
    Media, PA 19063-2639
    Tel. (610) 565-9260
    Web Address: www.familyradioclaims.com

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  8. I am no law student, or bible thumper. However if you believe in the bible like these people do and you take the written word as the word of God. It says in the bible that no mortal/man will know that date of the end times. I would think based on this that Yes you could sue Mr. Harold Camping.

    Although I have to agree with Ginx that the people who donated the money to this farce are absolutely dumb. Moreover, the people who have donated money where it affects their family putting them further into financial dire straits. People are sheep and very dumb. There is a percentage of people, I wanna say somewhere in the ballpark of 26%, will believe in their leaders political or otherwise to the death or their own death no matter what. Disgusting.

    I wish it were illegal to use the bible in the fundamentalist ways that they do on a daily basis: the way preachers, and doom-believers use it. They promote fear, guilt, death, brimstone, fire, and so on then wrap it up with hope, calm, beauty and Heaven.

    My thoughts are unravelling: This Harold Camping guy is an ASS. The people who donated money in the name of the lord and Harold Camping sad and stupid. Thanks Harold....you fuck!

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