9. Law Student Filed Lawsuit Against Lawyer Who Issued Challenge On TV
It all started when attorney James Cheney Mason agreed to defend Nelson Serrano, in a national case where he was on trial for killing four people in Bartow, Florida in 1997. The prosecution's entire case hinged on the fact that Serrano allegedly got off an airplane at Harsfield-Jackson International Airport and made it to a La Quina Inn, three miles away, in under 28 minutes. Serrano was convicted and sentenced to death. 10 years later, while discussing the case on Dateline NBC, James Cheney Mason said that he thought that it was impossible for Serrano to travel the distance from the airport to the hotel in 28 minutes. "I challenge anybody to show me. I'll pay them a million dollars if they can do it," Mason said during the 2006 interview with Dateline NBC. Dustin Kolodziej, a Texas law student at the time, took Mason's words literally. He set out to complete the exact route that Serrano was alleged to have traveled, all while filming himself and continuously looking at the clock. Dustin completed the trip in 19 minutes, and then tried to claim $1 million from Mason. Mason argued that his words on television were more of a joke and expression than a literal challenge. Dustin disagreed, and after a long, almost 8 year legal battle, the lawsuit was settled. It was revealed in court that Dateline NBC had edited James Mason's actual comment on the show. Instead of openly challenging the public to complete the route, James Mason was actually challenging the crown attorney. His original statement, the decided factor in this case, is as follows: "I challenge anybody to show me, and guess what? Did they bring in any evidence to say that somebody made that route, did so? States burden of proof. If they can do it, Ill challenge em. Ill pay them a million dollars if they can do it."
Loves writing anything from humor driven articles, to serious short stories. The only thing Owen doesn't like to write are biographies. Those are kind of awkward.
