Shotgun Boobytrap that got House Owners SUED by Burglars

So your family home gets broken into. You call your local sheriff for help. He advises to put up some 'No Trespassing' signs. Your home gets broken into again. Your dresser gets stolen.

This time, you call a different local sheriff. He advises to barricade the windows. You're home gets broken into again, but now your windows have also been smashed. What do you do next?

Watch as an elderly couple took the law into their own hands in 1967, shaped the law into a shotgun, and attached it to a bedroom door.
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Credit:
Show Created by Daniel Turner (B.A. (Hons) in History, University College London)

Script: Natasha Martell

Narrator: Jared Sager

"Boobytrap in Empty House Wounds Man." Cedar Rapids Gazette, July 17, 1967.

Google Scholar. Text of Katko v. Briney, 183 NW 2d 657 - Iowa: Supreme Court 1971. Accessed February 10, 2023.

Lawts. 'Katko v. Briney.' Last modified July 13, 2011.

Maniloff, Randy. "Meet the Lawyer, 93, Who Tried the Torts Spring-Gun Case." Last modified January 30, 2017. Law.

"What about self-defence." Washington Evening Journal, January 22, 1970.

[Simplehistory]

So what do you guys think? was this a fair or not verdict

[cloud]

I remember studying this case. I think Mr. Britney was interviewed after the trial and he was asked if he would’ve done anything different. His response: I’d aim the gun a few feet higher.

[theknight]

Pirates say "dead men tell no tales."

In America we say "dead burglars file no lawsuits."

[jinpachibobochan]

I had a classmate in school. Someone broke into her family house, moving in through the window on the upper lever floor. As he entered through the window, the robber slipped and broke his leg. He sued her family and won 10.000€ injury money. He was charged with breaking in, but his punishment was a joke.
Mad world.

[Lajos_Kelemen]

I never understood these kind of laws.
If a person breaks into someone’s home to steal or even harm the owner, they forfeit all their legal rights I say.

[Matt.P.]

The burglars should have had to pay for the ammo used.

[nottius]

Moral of the story: If someone robs your home, leave no survivors

[zulkifligumilang]

The lion, the witch, and the audacity of this thief

[chrislaurent]

Way I see it when it comes to burglars, if you value someone's stuff over your own life, don't be complaining should this robbery end up being your last one.

You’re aware of the risks, you know you’re not supposed to be there even if abandoned so word of advice in three words; Don’t Get Caught

[somerandom]

As a cop once told me.... if someone breaks into your house shoot to kill dead men cant talk🤷‍♂️

[ReikerForge]

If a single shotgun trap cost this much in legal damage, imagine how much The McCallister family is paying

[Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

Those burglars trying to make an argument to sue the homeowners had no leg to stand on. Metaphorically and physically.

[zecorezecron]

There definitely needs to be a law that explicitly states that you cannot sue for injuries you sustain while comitting a crime.

[evil_wizard]

I am an Iowan, I don't work in law or anything but I grew up hearing about this case, and I never realized the impact it had on not only the legal system but also our attitudes towards self defense, that attitude is make sure they are dead.

[typickoopakid]

Getting sued for defending your own home is utterly ridiculous.

[corruptuser]

The real reason that the law doesn't like booby-traps is that sometimes, people do have a legitimate reason to enter your property without permission. Maybe it's a paramedic answering a call, a fireman entering a burning building, or perhaps a police officer needs to investigate. The trap can't tell an honest person from a criminal.

[Jaeger_Bishop]

So note, make sure the traps kill the people breaking in so they can't sue later.

Seriously, what kind of crackhead judges thought it was the correct decision to award someone money for getting injured while committing a crime?

[MarcoAntonio-uvuc]

It is super hard for me, as a police officer, to hear the word “victim” every time a scumbag gets shot.

[finnkraus]

Bro ofc the female jury’s abandoned all morals just because the guy looked nice 💀. WTH has happened to this world

[coyotefang]

This reminds me of the series "Married with Children" when a robber enters the house, Al knocks him out, and then sues Al