Deeper Pockets

Obviously this camper never went to law school:

"While finding a place to relieve himself, plaintiff walked off the unguarded and unprotected cliff falling approximately 20 to 30 feet to the creek bed below," reads the complaint. And so Jerry Mersereau is suing the United States of America, which maintains the Mt. Hood National Forest in Oregon where the mishap occurred.

The very first thing they teach you in torts is to sue up the chain, go for the deepest pockets. Who has bigger pockets than the U.S. Treasury you ask? Why, the Creator of the universe, of course! If this guy is going to sue the U.S. Government (good luck!) for merely failing to put in a guard rail, why shouldn't he sue God for defective design in strict liability? After all, the Bible clearly states that riches in heaven cannot be imagined on this earth.

As my wife stated, I have already blogged about the result of litigation like this here. Click on the October 2004 archive of my old website and scroll down to see a series of pictures highlighting the most absurdly overlawyered state park I have seen. If Mr. Mersereau gets his way, Mt. Hood National Forest could soon look the same.