# Uninjured man first in line for Batman shooting lawsuit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 27, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588 "2012-07-27T17:24:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/1 "2012-07-27T17:24:30Z")
Torrence Brown, Jr., who was in the theater during the shooting but escaped uninjured (while his friend was shot and killed), is suing Holmes’ doctor, the theater, and Warner Brothers because he was emotionally traumatized and they’re all apparently at fault somehow. Assuming [this article](http://www.christianpost.com/news/james-holmes-lawsuit-man-blames-theater-doctors-and-warner-bros-for-shootings-78760/) is correct, Jesus Christ, what a fucking tool. _Please_ tell me there’s no chance this douchebag sees a dime from this. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/2 "2012-07-27T17:32:27Z")
Did anyone sue the school after the Columbine shootings? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/3 "2012-07-27T17:37:27Z")
> [@](#): > > “Somebody has to be responsible for the rampant violence that is shown today,” Karpel said according to TMZ. Yes. The one responsible is the public that eats it up with a spoon. He should sue, as a representative of said people, one Torrence Brown, Jr. If people like him didn’t keep plunking the money down, WB would do someone else. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/4 "2012-07-27T17:43:03Z")
What a tool. Talk about being insensitive to the victims and their families! I do agree with one thing though: the emergency exit door should be equipped with a loud alarm. According to the article, they are claiming it wasn’t. IIRC Holmes propped open the emergency exit door from the inside after buying a ticket in order to let himself back in later is that correct? I’m pretty sure those kinds of doors are always locked from the outside. Had the door had an alarm, somebody would have shut that door after noticing it was propped open before Holmes could re-enter. Unless the alarm was disabled by the shooter. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/5 "2012-07-27T17:52:10Z")
I can’t hate this guy. If somebody came into a theater and shot up the place and I watched my best friend take one in the chest and die I might also be inclined to be pissed off at a number of people or institutions for what I believe was their failures. From his point of view - He went to enjoy toy time. He had some reasonable expectation of security. The theater’s security features were easily bypassed. The program itself had elements of surprise and violence in it so witnesses were first somewhat confused as to exactly what they were seeing. His best buddy was brutally murdered and he witnessed it. I don’t think that the guy is a scumbag opportunist. I just think his rage may be unfocused and a little out of control. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/6 "2012-07-27T17:55:11Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > What a tool. Talk about being insensitive to the victims and their families! [snip] How do you not include this guy as a victim? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/7 "2012-07-27T18:02:04Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I do agree with one thing though: the emergency exit door should be equipped with a loud alarm. According to the article, they are claiming it wasn’t. > > IIRC Holmes propped open the emergency exit door from the inside after buying a ticket in order to let himself back in later is that correct? I’m pretty sure those kinds of doors are always locked from the outside. Had the door had an alarm, somebody would have shut that door after noticing it was propped open before Holmes could re-enter. Unless the alarm was disabled by the shooter. I don’t know that I’ve ever been in a movie theater where the exits were alarmed. In most of them, the “emergency” exits are propped open by the theater staff when the credits start rolling, to encourage patrons to exit directly to the parking lot, instead of crowding up the lobby while other people are buying tickets for the next show. In other words, they’re not emergency exits at all. They’re just exits. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/8 "2012-07-27T18:02:57Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > I can’t hate this guy. It’s okay. You know all those times when you look back and only see one set of footprints? That’s when I was hating for you. I’m sure it was traumatic for everyone there. If you honestly don’t see this as a cash-grab, though, you have a much more gentle perspective on human nature than I ever will. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/9 "2012-07-27T18:07:29Z")
I’m trying to figure out why the lawyer isn’t going for a class action suit… ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/10 "2012-07-27T18:13:11Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > He had some reasonable expectation of security. > The theater’s security features were easily bypassed. Oh fuck this entire line of reasoning with a nail studded 2x4. We as a society are not going to pay to post guards at every motherfucking door on the planet, nor would that necessarily have stopped him. He’d have just shot the guard. And seriously, WTF? Who believes that back exits of theaters actually need guards or that the theater bears any responsibility because there wasn’t one? Morons, that’s who. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/11 "2012-07-27T18:18:21Z")
I have all the sympathy and empathy in the world for every single person in that theater and their families, friends, neighbors, employers, ex-girlfriends’ nephews’ wives, etc. But to me, this looks like a case of “Wah! My mother told me I was special, and I should never feel any pain or suffer at all! Somebody pay me!” Tragedies happen. You shouldn’t get rich just because you were present. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/12 "2012-07-27T18:22:21Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > He had some reasonable expectation of security. > The theater’s security features were easily bypassed. To be honest, i don’t expect that the vast majority of places that i visit in the course of a typical week will be secure against a maniac toting smoke bombs and multiple weapons. If someone wanted to storm my YMCA and shoot people up, he could do it very easily. The local Whole Foods and Vons would be very easy targets for a gun-wielding maniac. The university where i work is easy to access, and anyone can drive onto the campus and walk around without any problem. The fact is, we just have to hope that incidents like this remain rare, and hope also that it doesn’t happen to us. There is no way to be 100% secure all the time, and if there were it would probably make life miserable anyway. Do you really want to live in a society where you have to go through metal detectors to watch a movie? ---
**Author:** ![HansGrosse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@HansGrosse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HansGrosse)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/13 "2012-07-27T18:22:51Z")
As someone who has gone through the grieving process multiple times and understands that everyone reacts differently to death… I see this as a really disrespectful, selfish money-grab. Jesus fucking christ. Way to try to profit from your friend’s death. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/14 "2012-07-27T18:25:26Z")
At this point, I’d be satisfied with a society that doesn’t spell reminiscent remnant. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/15 "2012-07-27T18:26:20Z")
But his friend was one Dewey Cheatem Howe. He would have wanted it this way. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/16 "2012-07-27T18:33:07Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > What a tool. Talk about being insensitive to the victims and their families! > > I do agree with one thing though: the emergency exit door should be equipped with a loud alarm. According to the article, they are claiming it wasn’t. > > IIRC Holmes propped open the emergency exit door from the inside after buying a ticket in order to let himself back in later is that correct? I’m pretty sure those kinds of doors are always locked from the outside. Had the door had an alarm, somebody would have shut that door after noticing it was propped open before Holmes could re-enter. Unless the alarm was disabled by the shooter. I disagree: There’s no reason for this emergency door to be alarmed, and indeed emergency doors at theaters are rarely alarmed. There are two reasons why emergency doors are sometimes alarmed: First, if the door would allow a shoplifter to bypass the normal exit. Second if the exit route takes the escapee through an area normally off limits to him, for example a secured area of an airport. Neither apply in this case. The plaintiff seems to think that there’s a general need to know whenever an emergency door is opened. That’s not true. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/17 "2012-07-27T18:34:19Z")
I probably hate his lawyer more than I hate him. I am imagining that the guy is actually suffering real life trauma, (as are the vast majority of the patrons that night) sought out legal representation to see if he was due any compensation. He ended up with a lawyer with dollar signs for eyes who decided to fling law suits at anyone and everyone just to see what would stick. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/18 "2012-07-27T18:34:56Z")
I would pit the opportunist attorney that likely latched onto him and saw a big settlement fee. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/19 "2012-07-27T18:52:55Z")
Yeah, I think this guy is a douchenozzle. There is no way that a movie theater or Warner Bros. could reasonably anticipate an attack like that. I’m sorry if he is grieving and maybe - just maybe - this is his way of trying to control the event. But horrible shit just happens, for no reason at all, or for many reasons, and the blame really lies on no-one but the shooter. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588/20 "2012-07-27T19:12:31Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I do agree with one thing though: the emergency exit door should be equipped with a loud alarm. If the door said “Emergency Exit Only, Alarm Will Sound” and there was no alarm then I would agree with you. If, on the other hand, it was simply used as another exit from the theater and there was no requirement for a dedicated “Emergency Exit Only” at all (as I believe to be the case), then I strongly disagree with you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uninjured-man-first-in-line-for-batman-shooting-lawsuit/629588.md?page=2)