History Main / HilaritySues

* A dramatic example in ''FanFic/ConversationWithACryptid'' as Inko sues Yuuei for criminal negligence after Izuku is kidnapped while living in the dorms and Recovery Girl for medical malpractice for her unlicensed and uninformed medical treatment of Izuku. For the criminal negligence suit, Inko gets the backing of another woman whose child died in one of Yuuei's exam. For the medical malpractice suit, Inko has the backing of the Japanese Medical Association! The lawsuit brings Yuuei to its knees.

* In the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode featuring ''Film/{{Starcrash}}'', Tom Servo zips in as BB-Servo, an amalgam of himself and [[Film/TheForceAwakens BB-8]]. During a scene shift to Moon 13, Creator/{{Lucasfilm}} crashed the Satellite of Love and forced Tom to stop. When we revisit our heroes, Jonah's comforting Tom as he's putting him back together as we find out that they'd threaten to smash his dome if they didnt'.

* Reversed with ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated''. After the Headmaster commits GrandTheftMe with Sentinel Prime the police are all ready to arrest him -- until Powell arrives and points out that Autobots [[InhumanableAlienRights have no legal rights]], the "crime" was committed in international waters (Lake Erie), and any damage done was to his own company's boat. Therefore, the police couldn't charge him with anything. This did not endear him to Captain Fanzone in later episodes...
** [[FridgeLogic Note: Lake Erie has no international waters.]] It's all either U.S. or Canadian (ditto for Lake St. Clair). Of course, the show is set in the early 22nd century, so things may have changed.
** Powell's words were used against him in a later episode: After Optimus and Grimlock came to Sumdac Tower to get an old piece of equipment, he tried to have them arrested. Fanzone smugly responded by saying that, since they were aliens, they were not beholden to humanity's laws. This is another case of poor research as codified theft laws are not concerned with the gender/nationality/race of the perpetrator of the crime, only that said person committed the unlawful ''actions'' that make up the crime, namely the willing and unauthorized taking of another's property. As long as those conditions are met, then the law has been broken. The fact it was committed by a giant robot from another planet is immaterial as far as the legal system is concerned. The only possibility is that Transformers somehow don't meet the definition of "person" under the law, which, being sentient, they probably do.

* The ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode grail had a side gag where the great-grandson of a man who was dismissed as crazy for claiming to be an AlienAbduction victim found solid evidence in the historical archives of a race humans had recently entered diplomatic relations with... and then sued the ''abductors'' great-grandson for damages.

* The ''Series/BabylonFive''

* [[Comicbook/IronMan Tony Stark]] is renown for suing smaller, independent super teams over the use of the "Avengers" name. His victims include amongst others the ''Comicbook/GreatLakesAvengers'' and the ''Comicbook/MightyAvengers2013''. This bit him in the ass when through some convoluted events he lost the trade mark, which then reverted to the only other person ever applying for it... ''Flatman'' of the GLA, who was only willing to give it up if he and his team of SuperZeroes can be an official Avengers branch '''forever''', which leads to more hilarity suing as the Avengers[[TradeSnark ™]]' long suffering layer tried to minimized the embarrassment caused by them.

Occasionally, villains can get in trouble too, e.g. for [[KickTheDog attacking the president (assassination attempt), playing football with people's most prized possessions (destruction of property),]] and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalkingimitating Darth Vader's voice (copyright infringement)]], and HilarityEnsues.

Occasionally, villains can get in trouble too, e.g. for [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking attacking the president (assassination attempt), playing football with people's most prized possessions (destruction of property), and imitating Darth Vader's voice (copyright infringement)]], and HilarityEnsues.

[[IThoughtItMeant Not]] a comedic MarySue; for that, see ParodySue.

[[IThoughtItMeant Not]] a comedic MarySue, though [[ParodySue such things]] [[FanFic/MyImmortal do exist]].

* Probably the best episode of the live action adaptation of ''Series/TheTick'' involved the eponymous character having a nuclear weapon excluded as evidence against Destroyo because he took it without a warrant.

* [[Comicbook/IronMan Tony Stark]] is renown for suing smaller, independent super teams over the use of the "Avengers" name. His victims include amongst others the ''Comicbook/GreatLakesAvengers'' and the ''Comicbook/MightyAvengers'' (vol 3 team). This bit him in the ass when through some convoluted events he lost the trade mark, which then reverted to the only other person ever applying for it... ''Flatman'' of the GLA, who was only willing to give it up if he and his team of SuperZeroes can be an official Avengers branch '''forever''', which leads to more hilarity suing as the Avengers[[TradeSnark ™]]' long suffering layer tried to minimized the embarrassment caused by them.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', Harry is repeatedly being sued by talk show host Larry Fowler for allegedly damaging his studio during an interview. Fortunately, the suit never really gets anywhere, as not only does Harry have a good lawyer (thanks to the fact that he found the lawyer's daughter's lost pet), but the argument that "the wizard fried my studio's electronics via magic by being near them" likely earned a few stern glares from the judge. Sometimes, the ExtraStrengthMasquerade is ''useful.''
** ''Un''fortunately, Fowler just keeps trying, book after book. Even when Harry doesn't lose the case, all the court fees pile up.

* [[Comicbook/IronMan Tony Stark]] is renown for suing smaller, independent super teams over the use of the "Avengers" name. His victims include amongst others the ''Comicbook/GreatLakesAvengers'' and the ''Comicbook/MightyAvengers'' (vol 3 team). This bit him in the ass when through some convoluted events he lost the trade mark, which then reverted to the only other person ever applying for it... ''Flatman'' of the GLA, who was only willing to give it up if he and his team of SuperZeroes can be an official Avengers branch '''forever'''.

* ''[[Literature/KittyNorville Kitty Takes a Holiday]]'' has a dramatic example after Cormac, the resident BadassLongcoat, blows half of an evil [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent skinwalker's]] face off to [[ShootTheDog put it out of its misery]], after it was already mortally wounded. This saves the pretty heroine, her lover, a police officer, and a couple civilians. Traditional end to a werewolf story, right? [[SpoiledByTheFormat We're only two-thirds through the book]]; the {{Badass}} has just been arrested for murder because the final bullet constituted excessive force. (Not so much HollywoodLaw as a combination of DirtyCop, AmoralAttorney, and FantasticRacism, plus TheMasquerade only recently having been broken.)

[[folder: Live Action TV]]

* Part of the basic concept of ''HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw''.
* Reversed with ''TransformersAnimated''. After the Headmaster commits GrandTheftMe with Sentinel Prime the police are all ready to arrest him -- until Powell arrives and points out that Autobots [[InhumanableAlienRights have no legal rights]], the "crime" was committed in international waters (Lake Erie), and any damage done was to his own company's boat. Therefore, the police couldn't charge him with anything. This did not endear him to Captain Fanzone in later episodes...

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' episode "Krabs vs. Plankton", Plankton sues Mr. Krabs after Plankton slips on a wet floor without any signs to warn him. The reparation Plankton seeks? Everything Krabs owns, including the secret Krabby Patty formula. In Plankton's defense, instead of Krabs helping him up or offering to call 911, all he does is basically sit there and verbally abuse Plankton for getting injured. In Krabs' defense, Plankton has a history of attempted Krabby Patty theft. Plankton wasn't all that seriously injured anyway, he was just faking it to try to win the lawsuit.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/YinYangYo'', Carl The Evil Cockroach Wizard stages injuries received from Yin and Yang while the two were in the midst of training, which leads to a kangaroo court case; naturally, [[JokerJury the jury, witnesses and plantiff are all their past villains]].

* In ''GetFuzzy'', Bucky sues Fungo for knocking out two of his teeth. However, he was trying to catch Fungo in a snare trap at the time, so Judge Judy ruled in the favor of the defendant.

* In ''Film/{{Superman}}'', Supes trackes Lex Luthor's threat of a poison gas pellet to his lair under the streets of Metropolis. After he breaks down the door to see Lex sitting there calmly, Luthor tells him, "Come in. It's open. My attorney will be in touch with you about damage to the door."

* On a ''more'' humorous note, ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}} 2'': They saved the city from the apocalypse and [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished are shut down for it]].

* ''DarkmoonsSillyWebComic'' has lawsuits and courts of law in its comedic jumble concerning Dracula's public relations.

* ''VanVonHunter'' is arrested and put on trial early on for murdering a local vampire. The maiden Von Hunter tried to rescue is also arrested, as an accomplice. It is, of course, a KangarooCourt.

-->--'''WesternAnimation/TheTick''' has trouble in court

* In the Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/TheWeeFreeMen'', the eponymous tiny, blue people ("Pictsies! Feegle wha' hae!", and not tiny little [[BodyPaint woad-covered]] [[ViolentGlaswegian Glaswegians]] ''at all'') are afraid of nothing except for lawyers. They never give anyone their true names, in fear of getting arrested for their pranks and crimes. Near the end of the book, the villain uses lawyers to render them helpless. At this point, [[spoiler:the toad they carry around with them suddenly remembers his past and files a counterargument -- he was a lawyer himself. The Nac Mac Feegle are awed at the concept of defense attorneys: "We got a cheap lawyer, and we're no' afraid to use 'im!"]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics]]
* In ''GetFuzzy'', Bucky sues Fungo for knocking out two of his teeth. However, he was trying to catch Fungo in a snare trap at the time, so Judge Judy ruled in the favor of the defendant.
[[/folder]]

* In the same vein, the boys from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' have quite the rap sheet. Murder, grave desecration, theft, evading the law, breaking out of custody, assault, breaking and entering, etc. etc... All in the course of fighting the supernatural; demons don't mind dirty tricks, after all, making most of them cases of NotWhatItLooksLike. The credit card fraud, grave desecration and impersonating federal agents... OK, those they're actually guilty of. Although the grave desecration is often self defense or defense of another. Hard to argue that in court, though.

** Subverted by Windstriker's restraining order, however...

** [[FridgeLogic Note: Lake Erie has no international waters.]] It's all either U.S. or Canadian. (Ditto for Lake St. Clair.) Of course, the show is set in the early 22nd century, so things may have changed.