Anti-videogame crusader and candidate for disbarment Jack Thompson has filed suit to have the upcoming Halo 3 declared a public nuisance in Florida.
Thompson names Best Buy and Microsoft as defendants in his complaint, stating that the companies are “presently selling, for delivery commencing on October 25, 2007 [sic], the violent, interactive video game entitled Halo 3.” The complaint cites Florida statutes 823.01, which refers to nuisances that “annoy the community, injure the health of the citizens in general, or corrupt the public morals,” and 823.05, which addresses individuals and businesses who maintain “any building, booth, tent or place which tends to annoy the community or injury the health of the community.”
“Halo 3 is a video game that allows the virtual reality player to rehearse violent acts resulting in the death of one’s virtual victims,” Thompson says in his complaint. “Lee Boyd Malvo, the younger of the two ‘DC Beltway Snipers‘ was trained on Halo to kill residents within Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. His “mentor,” John Muhammad, knew the efficiency of the first Halo video game in this regard, because the Army in which he served used this same murder simulator to trainer snipers to kill. Malvo learned well on Halo.”
This is not Thompson’s first attempt at misusing Florida law to pursue his vendetta against the videogame industry. In 2006, Thompson filed a public nuisance complaint against Rockstar’s Bully which was denied, and also led to a Bar complaint from the presiding judge over Thompson’s behavior before the court.
The full text of Thompson’s complaint is available here (DOC). Halo 3 is actually slated for release September 25.
