Update: court nixes “Deal or No Deal” lawsuit

Updating a Feb. 28 post:

The Supreme Court of Georgia has said “no deal” to a team of Columbus lawyers representing a proposed class of people seeking to recover money they spent participating in a feature of the NBC hit show “Deal or No Deal.”

The suit filed in federal court had contended that the Lucky Case Game — in which viewers, like the contestants on “Deal or No Deal,” try to pick a lucky suitcase — ran afoul of Georgia law because participants were charged 99 cents to play through their cell phones. The plaintiffs based their suit on a colonial-era Georgia statute that allows gamblers to recover their losses through lawsuits.

(Alyson M. Palmer, “Luck Runs Dry for ‘Deal’ Plaintiffs in Lawsuit Against NBC”, Fulton County Daily Report, Apr. 22).

Filed under: broadcasters, class actions, Deal or No Deal, gambling, Georgia

The Jonathan Lee Riches docket

We’ve covered the litigious inmate fantasist before, but this is still a striking statistic: “Thirty-nine percent of the 491 cases filed so far this month in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia have been filed by one man: Jonathan Lee Riches. …Some of Riches’ prior complaints have been dismissed, including a $662 trillion suit filed in the Northern District last summer against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. The suit alleged that Vick was attempting to ‘kidnap’ Riches’ mind and to force him to lose weight, and demanded that the $662 trillion be delivered — in ‘British gold’ shipped via truck — to the front gates of the prison where Riches is incarcerated.” (Janet L. Conley, “Inmate’s Frequent Filings Take On Targets Ranging From Spitzer to Van Halen”, Fulton County Daily Report, Mar. 25).

Filed under: Atlanta, Georgia, Jonathan Lee Riches, prisoners

The Steve Malzberg show

I’m scheduled to be a guest this morning (Wed.) on the Steve Malzberg show on Atlanta’s WGST at 10:05 a.m. Eastern, 640 AM on the dial, to discuss the John Roberts nomination.

Filed under: Atlanta, Georgia, on TV and radio

Georgia: Watch what you say on the phone

A Georgia prosecutor is arguing to the state supreme court that the state has the right to regulate and prosecute “lascivious” talk on the telephone–even between spouses. The justices seem appropriately skeptical. (Jonathan Ringel, “No X-Rated Phone Talk, Justice Told, Not Even on Valentine’s Day”, Fulton County Daily Report, Feb. 16).

Filed under: crime and punishment, free speech, Georgia