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[Solved] What are the reasons behind the “no booby-traps” laws in the US? Are there similar laws in Canada? (lemmy.ca)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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It just seems so backwards that making a concrete mailbox can get you sued by a jerk that intentionally drove into it. I can understand banning pitfalls and other actual traps, but why passive defensive deterrents? After all, it's not like a bystander accidentally wandering onto your property is going to be injured by a random bolder you placed between your garden and the street.

(Edit): It seems I had a fundamental misunderstanding of US law. Thanks for indulging my curiosity!

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[–] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

There's a viral video of a person creating booby-trapped parcels for porch-pirates. They steal the parcel which creates mayhem at their house (stink spray, glitter). Can the thief sue the person?

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    In the States, anyone can attempt to sue anyone for anything. Doesn’t mean you’ll win, or that you won’t be countersued, or that you won’t be penalized for wasting the court’s time, all of which should apply to those two examples.

    Our Great Pumpkin President once sued a journalist for a billion dollars because he hurt his feelings. That was not the stated purpose, but his argument was the journalist caused grievous emotional harm. To be clear, much like Trump at the time, the journalist did not have a billion dollars, and the case was thrown out. https://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=8100467&page=1

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