# Man gets free cable for four years...so of course, he SUES!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 7, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283 "2004-01-07T20:29:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/21 "2004-01-08T06:59:37Z")
I had free cable my first few weeks in the place where I’m at now. Then one day it disappeared. Okay now who do I sue? 😃 Seriously, I’m in favor of moving this thread to the Pit so we can give this blankety-blank Dumouchel a piece of our minds. ---
**Author:** ![Extraneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/0ea827/32.png) [@Extraneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Extraneous)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/22 "2004-01-08T07:39:05Z")
Q for lawyers: Could, by any stretch of the imagination, a case be made under “adverse possession”? If the cable company had the ability, let alone USE it, to detect signal theives, but let the guy ride free for 7 years, does he get lifetime service free? Could he assign such a right to others, esp. heirs? I like this thought - I was hooked up for 20+ years (didn’t work, but the company eventually sent a guy out to remove some sort of connector). If I had the ability to prove it worked for those 20+ years, could I claim legal right to the signal? ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/23 "2004-01-08T08:39:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Macrophage \* > \*\*Non american here. I don’t mean to be rude to anyone but, guys, can anyone else see that such a lawsuit should never even get noticed by authorities. Kinda sad, no? \*\* If they don’t settle out of court, I’m sure the judge will dismiss the case as meritless. Once he filed the paperwork and paid his processing fee, though, they’re obligated to put it on the docket, even if it’s obviously going to be dismissed. My parents were once sued by a neighbor because he claimed our dog was crapping in his yard, fercryinoutloud. The judge not only dismissed the case, but gave the neighbor a royal reaming for wasting time and resources with his lawsuit. ---
**Author:** ![Tygr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@Tygr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tygr)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/24 "2004-01-08T13:48:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Larry Mudd \* > \*\*Are you kidding? Have you seen the sort of damage that $5,000 worth of Doritos can do? \*\* I hear the damage can be quite distressing, especially if he gets PPV movies. :eek:[sup]— “Doctor, doctor! My penis has turned yellow!!”[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/25 "2004-01-08T13:48:50Z")
Well, the three computers and the free internet access should be a big step in whipping this family into shape. ---
**Author:** ![Adjustable\_Beavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Adjustable\_Beavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adjustable_Beavis)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/26 "2004-01-08T13:51:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, the three computers and the free internet access should be a big step in whipping this family into shape. That depends on which sites he vists… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bobby\_Roberts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Bobby\_Roberts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobby_Roberts)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/27 "2004-01-08T14:38:27Z")
This claim for compensation is so ridiculous! Internet access from the cable company comes with a package for cable TV service. So giving into his demands leads to continued cable service, which goes directly against his claim. I hope the cable company files a counter-suit for this guy wasting their time and the attorney fees. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/28 "2004-01-08T15:22:19Z")
**Bobby** > [@](#): > > I hope the cable company files a counter-suit for this guy wasting their time and the attorney fees. …and theft of service, and for the service he admits he used for all those years, mental anguish, loss of sex drive, lower back pain, headache, hair loss, blurred vision, cramping, diarrhea … ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/29 "2004-01-08T15:51:25Z")
Darn it, I’m sick of these companies forcing people to use their unhealthful products! First, the tobacco companies put a gun to our heads and forced us to smoke, giving us lung cancer. Then, McDonald’s put a gun to our heads and forced us to eat Big Macs, causing us to become obese. Now cable companies are putting guns to people’s heads and forcing them to watch television! How much longer must we suffer the government to allow these companies to force us to harm ourselves? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/30 "2004-01-08T20:05:03Z")
If Charter is willing to give me the $5,000 instead, I would be willing to drive over to their house with a baseball bat, smash in the TV, and scream in their faces, “Get some exercise, you lazy bastards!” Hell, I might even do that for free. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/31 "2004-01-08T21:02:55Z")
Let’s say that the guy is mentally addicted. Let’s say that someone in the house keeps connecting the cable when it’s unscrewed. Let’s say that they want to have a tv to watch videos occasionally. Let’s say that next to the cable is the only reasonable place for the tv. Mr. Addict, meet Mr. Wire Cutters. Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/32 "2004-01-08T23:51:28Z")
> [@](#): > > He stated he “made a deal” with her that “she could watch TV as long as the cable worked.” Wow. I wonder if he _really_ has cable because the bills have been paid in cash from a post office box. ---
**Author:** ![Macrophage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/87869e/32.png) [@Macrophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macrophage)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/33 "2004-01-09T00:32:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CrazyCatLady \* > \*\*If they don’t settle out of court, I’m sure the judge will dismiss the case as meritless. Once he filed the paperwork and paid his processing fee, though, they’re obligated to put it on the docket, even if it’s obviously going to be dismissed. My parents were once sued by a neighbor because he claimed our dog was crapping in his yard, fercryinoutloud. The judge not only dismissed the case, but gave the neighbor a royal reaming for wasting time and resources with his lawsuit. \*\* I stand corrected. Don’t see many dismissal cases on CNN. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/34 "2004-01-09T00:49:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bobby Roberts \* > \*\*Internet access from the cable company comes with a package for cable TV service. So giving into his demands leads to continued cable \*\* Not necessarily. Most cable companies that offer internet access offer an internet-only package. Of course then the idiot will just sue them again cause he got even fatter sitting on his ass surfing the 'net. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/35 "2004-01-09T01:39:00Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by NutMagnet \* > \*\* …and theft of service, and for the service he admits he used for all those years…_\* Heh. They’d probably lose on that one. See, it’s alleged that Charter was [not disconnecting some customers who requested it or otherwise merited it](http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/moe/press%20releases/archived%20press%20releases/2003%20press%20release/july/charter_communications.html) so as to report higher subscriber numbers to the street. Given that, it’s nice to see that the folks there have a sense of humor about this: > [@](#): > > [“Perhaps Mr. Dumouchel needs to take better advantage of programming available on cable today? Charter is a veritable department store of home entertainment, with something on the shelf/in the lineup for everybody. His viewing habits need not be sedentary, rather he can make running miles on a treadmill a cultural experience while watching A&E. Learn about Lewis & Clark’s historic trek while on a Stairmaster. Or skip rope to the music of MTV. Cable television can be a very moving experience!”](http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=CHTR&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=483004) You can’t make this stuff up. Well, you can, but that takes expensive writers. This reality stuff is much more interesting and profitable. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/36 "2004-01-09T05:14:10Z")
I almost wish that there were some sort of test taken before reproduction can happen to weed these types of people and their parenting skills. ---
**Author:** ![prisoner6655321](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f8ce5/32.png) [@prisoner6655321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prisoner6655321)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/37 "2004-01-09T06:27:50Z")
To **Bobby Roberts**. My Dad got cable internet long before he got cable TV. To the OP. If I were the cable company and I wanted to settle I would offer a lifetime family gym membership. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/38 "2004-01-09T08:55:50Z")
I keep wondering if we should offer him and his family a couple of plane tickets to some other country. I keep thinking that maybe Exile should be considered some sort of punishment for wasting taxpayer money like this. Even if it isn’t a punishment, I’d feel a little people if these people were somewhere else(like Antartica). ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/39 "2004-01-09T08:58:12Z")
Actually, I take it back. Perhaps sending him to Marine Boot Camp will solve both problems at once. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283/40 "2004-01-09T13:09:06Z")
> [@](#): > > **Manhattan** > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally posted by NutMagnet > > …and theft of service, and for the service he admits he used for all those years… > > Heh. They’d probably lose on that one. Surely though, they’ll do OK on the _mental anguish, loss of sex drive, lower back pain, headache, hair loss, blurred vision, cramping, diarrhea …_ 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-gets-free-cable-for-four-years-so-of-course-he-sues/223283.md?page=3)