If I'd hit him there'd have been nothing left of him to sue me...
Jack Dempsey was cleared of walloping and injuring a bootblack by a New York jury #OnThisDay in 1939 after mounting a simple but compelling defence to the allegation. The plaintiff, a 135lb man named Charles McFarland, sought $3,000 in damages after claiming that Dempsey socked him in the stomach when he tickled the former heavyweight king while helping him put on his coat at a barber shop opposite Dempsey's restaurant on West 50th Street. Dempsey insisted he had responded to the tickle by nudging McFarland with his elbow "all in good fun". He told jurors: "Listen, if I had socked this little guy he wouldn't be here to tell the story. And if I have to pay him $3,000 I feel I should be entitled to at least one punch at him." The jury threw out the lawsuit after accepting the logic of Dempsey's argument.
@McFaul The media is so unconcerned the White House didn't even feel the need to make an official statement about why he showed up in public like this.
There are 6 days to go in this Kickstarter and a $10k gap to close. I am genuinely wondering if we get there. If you have thought about backing this project, now is the time. https://t.co/XecbTl8iQq
@atrupar Could be fun. Put him on the screen all the time so people boo. Hold a halftime promotion challenging him to make a halfcourt shot. Make all the trivia questions about Obama.