This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays, we look at Lenny Dykstra. Baseball superstar; legal sufferer. We also look at the case of one young man who spent twenty two hours on a real passion project, in a very interesting set of circumstances. And finally, we have a little chuckle at a pickle that one Massachusetts resident found himself in.
Follow the jump to read more of this week’s weirdest and wackiest legal cases from around the globe!
A Busy Day
During the COVID19 pandemic, most people have felt a lot less busy than they normally were. Businesses are closed, or business has slowed down. And that has left some people feeling, well, purposeless.
But for men in Florida, this has been their time to shine.
And this week’s Weird and Wacky Wednesdays Florida Man is no exception to that rule. Not only did he spend an entire day on what can only be described as a passion project of vandalism, but he also did it nude.
Yes, Florida police are on the hunt for an as-yet-unidentified man who broke into a high school, completely trashed it, and did so in the buff. There is surveillance video of him doing this, taking an entire day to systematically destroy the school. Talk about holding a grudge.
For the 22-hour long, $100,000 vandalism spree, the Florida police are offering what seems like a paltry $3000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Assault and Vinegar
When you think of some of the stranger, and more hilarious, objects that could be used in an assault what comes to mind? A rubber chicken. A ball of yarn. An inflatable doll.
Sure, those are all funny and weird, but this assault in Vermont really made me giggle. Which is shouldn’t – assault is wrong – but, well, read on.
Apparently a highway worker caught the ire of Massachusetts resident Christoph Herrmannsdoerfer. Because to take out some unknown rage, Christoph decided to lob a pickle at the Agency of Transportation employee. Even more strange than a pickle-throwing attack, the pickle apparently caused the victim pain.
I’ve eaten a lot of pickles in my day and… that doesn’t make a ton of sense.
Christoph, for his part, was located after the incident, arrested, and is now facing a misdemeanour charge. For throwing a pickle.
Imagine Being This Guy
Imagine being someone of such poor repute, such well-known bad character, that publishing a lengthy allegation that you hurled racist slurs at a person of a different ethnicity could not damage your reputation.
Now, imagination meet the reality for Lenny Dykstra. For those that do not know, Lenny Dykstra is a Weird and Wacky Wednesday in and of himself. Of the numerous legal troubles Dykstra, the former New York Mets centre field player has had, a few come to mind: $100 million in bankruptcy fraud, grand theft auto, private jet frauds, steroid scandals… if there’s trouble it finds Lenny Dykstra.
So when Dykstra was accused of hurling racist insults – an allegation that would tarnish the reputation of most – he did what any logical person would do. He sued for defamation.
Unfortunately for Lenny, the lawsuit was dismissed on the basis that Dykstra’s reputation was so tarnished by his lifetime of being a troublemaker, that the allegation of yet another abhorrent incident could do no harm. Essentially, you can’t hurt a reputation that’s damaged beyond repair.
Now, that’s a defence to defamation!