February 6, 2008...4:18 pm
Inmate Lawsuits Can be Comical…
In celebration of the Giants beating the Patriots, I wanted to share the following article. Enjoy!
Giants’ Burress latest defendant in litigious inmate’s lawsuit glut
Star-Ledger Staff
He has sued Jeff Gordon, claiming the NASCAR star had secret plans to put wings on his car and fly into Fort Knox.
Other lawsuits have targeted disgraced former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, baseball’s Barry Bonds and the Cavaliers’ LeBron James.
Now, Jonathan Lee Riches — a federal inmate with apparently plenty of time on his hands — has his sights set on New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress.
In a hand-written complaint filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court in West Virginia, Riches is seeking a restraining order and $75 million from the Super Bowl-bound player.
The prolific litigator claims that Burress “knows guards” who would do him harm at the Williamsburg federal prison in South Carolina, where he is serving more than 10 years for his involvement in an identity-theft ring.
“Burress does not practice, he fakes a angle injury to collect insurance policys (sic),” stated Riches in his suit. “Burress also hates me because I’m a Philadelphia Eagles fan.”
A federal judge has already recommended the action be dismissed, and that no further actions by the inmate be filed with the court without the express written order.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James E. Seibert noted that Riches has filed 377 actions since February 2007, and in his five most recent cases, had not paid the required $350 filing fee. At least seven prior suits were dismissed prior to even being served, after being ruled as “frivolous.”
“Not only do the plaintiff’s assertions not qualify as a claim of imminent danger of serious physical injury, they are irrational and wholly incredible,” Seibert wrote.
A week after Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s home run record, Riches filed suit in Indiana claiming Bonds sold steroids to nuns. Gordon, he claimed, had a trap door in his car to “drop Tic Tacs and oil” on the racetrack.
Burress, meanwhile, is not the only player in this year’s Super Bowl who has been the subject of the inmate’s unwanted attention.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss both were sued by Riches on Sept. 20, along with Patriots coach Bill Belichick, for “illegally spying on his life.”
He asked for $5 million in damages.
That case was dismissed just 20 days later.
Leave a Reply