@@c.k.677 I have to admit these kinds of reactions are entirely off topic but I also absolutely love the fact that pretty much everyone who actually recognises the flag reacts positively, and it's a really nice feeling getting responses like this.
It wasn't a "piece of gutter", that went through the neighbors' window. The gutter had obviously been clogged, with standing water that froze. When the gutter broke loose at the end, the channel of ice slid out and went through the window. The end result lead the neighbors to wonder not only about how their electronics were damaged, but why there was water everywhere (the ice channel busted everything, and subsequently melted.) Peace
I'm thinking the gutter ice breaking the window and stereo was an accident, so subject to civil damages, but not criminal. Unless the tree was growing in the neighbor's yard same for that broken window. Eddie's dog, so not Clark's offence. She wasn't bleeding, I'm thinking she was just bowled over by the dog that was focused on chasing the squirrel. It's just a movie! Things get exaggerated. Between the breakers in Clark's power panel and the power company's breakers Clark would never be able to draw enough current to cause a blackout by himself or make additional generation necessary. Would have had to plug cords into outlets in multiple rooms to keep his own breakers from tripping. The cat chewed a power cord. Another accident, not animal cruelty. Current would be unlikely to flow through vital organs. Cat probably would have suffered a painful mouth burn. Another exaggeration. That was a power strip, not the home's load center. You can see it's adjacent to the side of a window in that clip. The waste tank was pretty much dumped by the time Clark even knew about it. Again, Eddie's offence, At worst Clark just didn't report it (might not have done any good on a holiday anyway) No sane person would think Clark was serious about wanting to kidnap his boss. Cousin Eddie is not a sane person. Probably should be in a V A hospital for service related disability.
Re: Randy Quaid being crazier than his character I have a theory that Randy Quaid was never cast in Independence Day, he just wondered on set and fully believed there was an alien invasion.
I like how everyone from this movie all look like they are billions of years old except Julia Louise-Dreyfus who barely looks five years older than she did in 1989.
13:32 OBJECTION! Aunt Bethany’s lawyer could plead insanity to the charges since any jury could see that she is obviously senile and not responsible for her actions of animal cruelty.
Also, the cat was inadvertently electrocuted when Clark plugged the lights back in. So, there would be no charge. Clark also didn't tell Eddie to kidnap his boss. He was mad that he didn't get a bonus and went on a rant.
I don't think legal eagle thought this through. There's no way in hell a jury is going to convict a senile old woman for accidentally wrapping up her cat. Actually worked at the veterans home in Boulder City. There is this old US Marine from the world war II era and the first thing he tried to do was annoy the parrot. He was completely senile the nurses had to get up and literally move him
If stink bombs or offensive smelling materials are illegal, I wonder if Mark Rober could get in trouble for his bait-boxes... 🤔 (Not that I want him to, but I just watched that, so it's on my mind.)
The only problem is, who is dumb enough to turn him in? You would be admitting that you trespassed and committed larceny in the off chance that the police would enforce this law, which it is a stretch since it dissipates so quickly
Objection: Clark Griswald was never specifically a *good* guy. He is the protagonist, but that's about it. From National Lampoon's Vacaction, he's already established as a person who slow burns off the deep end and is very willing to break all kinds of laws to *ahem* give his family the perfect experience, he could dream of, for them. We're talking about a guy who, before this movie even started, is already guilty of taking a hostage (first degree), and threatening that security guard under the pretense of keeping a loaded weapon trained on him, among other infractions that may be just as bad.
@@Patricio4Christ Sounds like the little fuckers who had me impaled. I'll get those skulls even if it takes me the rest of my life. And I just wanted to see if Masie was OK. Did Owen actually think I was gonna eat her?
Hey Legal Eagle, I just popped on the live action Grinch movie with Jim Carrey and it occurred to me this would be a GREAT movie to do "laws broken" on. Would love to see that in the future!
There is something I do wanna touch upon, in regards to Frank Shirley cutting out the Christmas Bonus Program, during the events of the movie. I’m not super knowledgeable about law, but I feel like a boss/superior cutting an established pay-system, without letting his employees know about it has some sort of legal ramifications.
Well if he was a mob boss saying he would like to see someone swimming with the fishes it's implied that it would please him if he swam with fish. Being stupid he probably would've booked a scuba diving trip. Assuming some brain activity occurred he'd weigh him down and throw him in a body of water.
@@jenniferstine8567 The difference, though, is that a mob boss musing about people "swimming with the fishes" reasonably believes that someone will take him up on his musings and their nefarious intent. It would be pretty hard to argue that Clark should expect that his speech is "likely to incite or produce such action," if I'm correctly applying the test from Brandenburg v. Ohio.
If he said to more people he could be accused of stochastic terrorism. Aka, you hint at something to enough people, the very low odds of one person taking you seriously and DOING IT rises, and it becomes likely someone WILL try it, based off of your offhand (or, sometimes, less than offhand, if it’s a dog whistle) comments.
Make sure first Clark Griswold is not a copyrighted name , like Swedish band Avalanche had to change its name and is since 2009 called , Amaranthe . Finnish band , Nightwish , has a song called Amaranth published 2007 , so bet they had to ask them before getting rights to use their current name . In this case there is no big problem , when you see these both bands lot in same concerts and vocalists are singing with each other Christmas carols , sadly not this Xmas .
You should definitely do a Laws Broken: 9 to 5! It stars Dolly Parton and it's a office comedy about women in the workplace, and it's got all them office 'laws broken' you'd be looking for! I would love to see you do an examination of that movie!
As a Master Electrician a power strip is not an electrical service panel. Most residential homes have a 100 or 200 amp service. Clark is plugging all his lights into a 120 volt outlet in his garage that is most cases on a 15 amp circuit. So the fuse or breaker would trip with more than 1800 watts on it. He is using c-9 lights that are 9 watts each, so his limit is 200 bulbs. This would not be a blip to the power company. To overload his 100 amp service he would need 2,667 bulbs or for a 200 amp service 5,333. Even this would not be a blip to the power company. The Nation Electrical Code is laws about who and how buildings can be wired. Overloading a circuit(s) while unwise is not illegal. The fuse would blow or the breaker would trip if it was wired correctly and maintained.
COVID-19 has created the first year during which "Jelly of the Month Club" actually seems like an appealing gift. I think subscription boxes are more popular now than they ever have been.
That's one that would rack up charges! The Grinch probably won't live long though with hypocardiomyapia or heart cancer. The walls of the heart become too thick to pump blood. Which means he doesn't get the strength of 10 grinches plus 2. Law isn't the only thing that ruins movies. I think Cinema Sins did this movie. It would mostly be plot holes than law.
Hmmmm. That Wrongful Tree Cutting Act specifies "cutting" a tree. He didn't cut that tree down though. He dug it up. He uprooted it. Totally different.
@@Clay3613 They live in the same upper-middle class neighborhood. I think it’s because, aside from snide comments they made mostly in private, they don’t infringe on the Griswalds the way the Griswalds infringe on them
@@Eraera1 Objection! Clark and the rest of the family were complicit once they didn't turn Eddie in for doing that. The only thing that MIGHT save them all is if the boss denies actually being kidnapped.
Objection, when a device is plugged in to an outlet it falls outside of electrical code. And that power strip is no considered a service panel as it is a power strip. The only actual violation of ULL code their is the fact that is an indoor rated strip mounted outside
Objection!: Clark never ordered Eddie to kidnap his boss. While he was ranting his wishes to the family, he never directly addressed Eddie nor ordered anyone to enact his wishes. Eddie acted autonomously to please his boss, er, Clark.
@@obarlao Trying to prove incompetence here is debatable at best. Here's why: Prosecutor: Mr (Eddie) Griswald, do you have a driver's license? Eddie: Yes Prosecutor: Can you present it to the court? Eddie: *does so* Prosecutor: A valid driver's license proves the defendant is deemed competent by a Government-sanctioned authority and is competent to stand trial. Or it can go like this: Prosecutor: Mr (Eddie) Griswald, do you have a driver's license? Eddie: No Prosecutor: Why is that? You know it is illegal to drive without a license, right? (a "dumb" question) Eddie: Yes I do. Prosecutor: How long have you been driving without a license? Eddie: 3 years? (answer doesn't really matter) Prosecutor: So you have chosen to drive for 3 years without a license? Eddie: Yes Prosecutor: This proves beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant is competent to stand trial. Legal Eagle details why it works in his video about My Cousin Vinny.
Objection: grandma had clearly demonstrable dementia which means she lacked any intent when wrapping the cat so she wouldn’t be arrested The grandfather did not know the sewer was full of gas when he lit the match, and was only intending to lite a cigar not cause an explosion so he lacked intent And Clark’s neighbors were married which means when she assaulted her husband it would be domestic battery
A prosecutor could still decide to try to indict them though. Prosecutors don't need the victim's consent to press charges, but it helps if the victim is cooperative, I believe.
That doesn't really matter at all. The whole "I'm (not) pressing charges" thing is moistly just movie stuff, the state decides whether or not to criminally charge someone. Victim cooperation can influence whether a prosecutor sees the case as winnable but that's about the limit of their influence.
The other comments are right, if the prosecution decides to go forward with the charges, they can. However the "victim" can choose to support the accused, in court, which is not great for the prosecutions case.
I mean, it is a serious law about conservation and preventing invasive species from taking root. It just also happens to have a name that sounds to a layman like it's about blazing pricey foreign kush. That's more on lawyers being very literal and, in many cases, no fun.
SO I have no legal recourse if Clark wants to cut down buckthorn or hemlock for his holiday decorations from my property. I guess I'll just have to set some traps for trespassers (oooops that's another video they already did). But on a serious note, the word "exotic" (non-native) means a harmless plant that's been introduced from outside its native range ("invasive" plants are the ones that are harmful to the ecosystem).
Note on gutter: It wasn't part of the gutter that flew off. It was a giant icicle that had formed inside the gutter. Hence why the neighbors were wondering why everything was wet when they got home. Kidnapping: Clark was just ranting, and didn't expect anyone to take him seriously. Additionally, when the cops heard why the boss was kidnapped, they wanted to beat the boss with rubber hoses. Tree cutting: They didn't cut the tree. They uprooted it.
I just started watching your videos and while I am not a lawyer in any stretch of the word, I do live in Illinois and I love that you cover laws from Illinois.
Sustained considering the fact that Clark had nothing to do with his own bosses kidnapping. Plus it wasn't even Clark's idea in the first place it was his cousin
Objection: It wasn't a piece of gutter that broke the window of Todd's-it was a huge piece of ice that collected and froze in the gutter. And not only did it break the window, but it also broke their stereo equipment (lucky he didn't start a fire when that happened) and then as she complained in the movie-Margo asks Todd why the carpet was all wet; which okay, it would have been melted water from the icicle-and that isn't necessarily damages. But they could have claimed it as such, since most people who hate their neighbors (and obviously they don't like Clark one bit)-probably would have gone as far as to say the carpet was damaged, even though clearly, a bit of wetness can't damage the carpet; unless it caused a mildew/mold issue.
I saw that too in the clip. He left a pretty big hole that means. Someone could easily break a leg now. Especially if it fills up with snow and/ or ice. That's if they don't crack their head open in the fall too.
I would say even on a tree farm or with a tree permit that tree far exceeds the height allowable. You can't take trees over x feet generally. Also there is no way hauling a 30ft tree on the wagon was legal, lol
Are you trying to plea bargain down to grand theft? Because assuming that the tree was worth more than $10,000 (based on LegalEagle's estimation that triple the tree's value was in the neighborhood of $50k), that constitutes a Class 2 Felony Theft, which in another 3 years and $25k of fines. If it was under $10k, you just have a second count of a Class 3 Felony Theft, but regardless, it's not like he's getting off there.
I almost posted about the moving violations but you just covered it. Pretty sure driving under a truck is a pretty substantial offense. Loved this. Got quite a few good laughs.
Is this what happens when a first year law student tries to tell us what is legal? First, it was ice and not a gutter that went through the window, and saying it was intentional would be a stretch. Most likely, that would be a simple insurance claim, possibly a civil case.
Hey if it's a wonderful life counts as a Christmas movie, than die hard definetly is. Their both crazy plots that use Christmas as a back drop, and the themes of the movie, getting back together with your family, is ultimately Christmas related even though they both really didn't have to be on Christmas. Oh yeah and the video was good.
At 2:38 Mr. Lawyer states that a piece of gutter goes through the neighbor's window. That is not a piece of Clark's gutter. The gutter was full of ice which explains why Todd and Margo can't find anything that broke the window and smashed the stereo; makes me wonder if the lawyer watched and/or understood the movie. He then talks about Illinois statues involving knowingly and intentionally doing different things; it is unclear that Clark Griswold was aware that ice launched itself nextdoor as he was swinging from the gutter and fearing for his life at the time.
I get the feeling that if you did a Laws Broken about the first Vacation, Clark's prison sentence would have precluded him from being out of prison by the time of Christmas Vacation...
Scrooged got Fox/Fox News down cold with gratuitious sexual content, violence, and sensationalism and greed. If only Rupert Murdoch got the treatment from those three ghosts.
OBJECTION!: Wouldn’t Clark be off the hook for the kidnapping charges since later in the scene his boss clearly states that he has no intention of pressing charges?
Good question. Iirc the state/crown is able to charge even if victim chooses not to. Default crown/state being the victim (funnily enough) is murder. I still think the family should sue in the case of murder. Opinion: Its not a crime against the state, its a crime against the person.
To counter what others have said, saying you refuse to press charges would imply intent to not issue statements or testify against the (alleged) perpetrator making prosecution difficult. However, as noted by the others, it is largely something done in fiction to wave away the consequences of actions the viewer knows would result in pretty serious charges.
Off hand I know the car dealership guy who swindles Clark could face a lawsuit for damage to Clarks car(given Clark didn’t legally sign it away at the time) Clark himself off hand with charges could face theft, reckless driving, given an underage child alcohol, killing of an animal, kidnapping, threatening someone with a deadly weapon, and possibly manslaughter with Ellen’s Aunt. Yeah if found guilty of all that I think he’d be in jail for well over 30 years.
Objection: No reasonable person would misconstrue Clark's ranting about his boss as anything other than hyperbole. The kidnapping charge should apply solely to cousin Eddie, whom no one has ever accused of being reasonable.
I’m not gonna lie, but this is the second TH-cam channel I have found where they have always punished Clark Griswold, despite the fact this was not his fault. I mean yeah he’s a silly guy who is a jinx in someways considering this is a comedy. but yeah, I feel like sentencing him along with many other stuff. Yeah that’s not right I don’t think legal Eagle watched the whole film or paid any close attention.
There's no such thing as auxiliary nuclear power by the way. Nuclear power is not used for peak times; it doesn't go up and down with demand, as it can't react quickly in a safe manner. Nuclear plants operate at a steady output for long periods of time, and other plants on that grid go up and down.
Hey LegalEagle - the thing that the ice spear hit is called a beocenter (or another variant) - and even today costs about 4k. The damages well exceeded that limit 500$ limit EASILY at the time.
Objection: It actually wasn't a piece of gutter that went through the window. It was ice that had frozen sitting in the gutter that shot out and through the window. That's why when the neighbors discover the damage they ask why it's all wet in there too (not sure the exact phrasing). There's no way he could have known there was a giant icicle in the gutter when it broke, which was clearly not intentional.
2:37 objection! it was not the gutter itself, it was a rod of ice flung out from the gutter. Thats why later Todd and Margo cant figure out what caused the damage and why the floor is so wet.
Objection! That was not a gutter, that was a chunk of ice in the gutter that turned into a missile. In reality, said "missile" would have just fallen to the ground upon exiting the gutter. The fact that it flew far enough to break a window and smash an appliance is pretty good proof that physics were on their own Christmas Vacation.
Objection: While it may be worth that much aesthetically, stumpage is pretty much the value in timber. In New York this year, the price of a spruce (which is the kind of tree from the movie) was about $100 per thousand board feet. I’m not a forester, but I think optimistically you could get about 50 board feet out of that tree, so the stumpage would be $5.
Technical Objection: This is of course a comedic film, but Clark overloading the city power grid in that way is probably physically/technically impossible, especially without first blowing out his local residential transformer (maybe that's what caused the power outage for the McAllisters in Home Alone?) and possibly burning down his own house. Electrical grids, home mains and individual home circuits are only designed to handle so much current, and overcurrent past a certain point is likely to cause a fault of some kind, which might result in a fire, though in general circuit breakers should kick in and shut off before that point, which is part of their purpose. Overcurrent of a level to shut down the city power grid from a lack of current, might well trip and/or blow something in the residential substation for Clark's neighborhood or area.
This is one of my favorite movies ... and this video just made it SO much better lol I cant wait to watch it while this video is roaming around in my brain haha Thank you very much. Happy holidays folks :)
Objection: you should have talked about police breaking down Todd and Margot's door. Police had no probable cause to enter her domicile and Margot's words to the cops did not give permission to break down the door.
👮♂️Should Clark go to jail?
🚀 LIMITED: Get CuriosityStream AND Nebula for 41% OFF! curiositystream.com/legaleagle
This was a fun video. Though it does confirm my suspicion that Chevy Chase's only good character was in Caddyshack.
A Turtle does think Clark should go to jail.
Yes
Nah, don’t let the HOA win. They’re the real criminals against holidays! Love ya!
do a legal episode on community trial or black clover anime trial
Laws Broken is hands down my favourite format on the channel and I'm so happy to see another episode.
I love Laws Broken its cool to look at the movies in a different light
Nice profile photo 😇
Bi pride!!!
@@c.k.677 I have to admit these kinds of reactions are entirely off topic but I also absolutely love the fact that pretty much everyone who actually recognises the flag reacts positively, and it's a really nice feeling getting responses like this.
I love the Laws Broken format as well, even though I'm a Police Detective
I appreciate the purity of leaving Eddie's "shitter was full!" line unedited in the midst of diligently censoring every other obscenity in this video.
Guess it didn’t count as a curse since it was referring to a toilet, lol
Objection: The ice that breaks the window also smashes the stereo, which would most definitely exceed $500 worth of damage.
Not to mention the wet carpet
@@rjz2 I was HOPING someone would know the model to confirm. Bless.
@@rjz2
Very precise. I just recognised it as an ancient device used for playing music.
SUSTAINED!
Would the prosecution explain why Mr Griswold not being charged with a felony?
@@CAP198462 Something’s wrong here, I can feel it
It wasn't a "piece of gutter", that went through the neighbors' window.
The gutter had obviously been clogged, with standing water that froze. When the gutter broke loose at the end, the channel of ice slid out and went through the window.
The end result lead the neighbors to wonder not only about how their electronics were damaged, but why there was water everywhere (the ice channel busted everything, and subsequently melted.)
Peace
THANK YOU. I wanted to reach through the screen and correct LE
Why is the floor wet, Todd?
@@tharivol123 "I don't know, MarGO!"
And with the damage to the electronics, it would exceed the $500 threshold.
I'm thinking the gutter ice breaking the window and stereo was an accident, so subject to civil damages, but not criminal. Unless the tree was growing in the neighbor's yard same for that broken window.
Eddie's dog, so not Clark's offence. She wasn't bleeding, I'm thinking she was just bowled over by the dog that was focused on chasing the squirrel.
It's just a movie! Things get exaggerated. Between the breakers in Clark's power panel and the power company's breakers Clark would never be able to draw enough current to cause a blackout by himself or make additional generation necessary. Would have had to plug cords into outlets in multiple rooms to keep his own breakers from tripping.
The cat chewed a power cord. Another accident, not animal cruelty. Current would be unlikely to flow through vital organs. Cat probably would have suffered a painful mouth burn. Another exaggeration.
That was a power strip, not the home's load center. You can see it's adjacent to the side of a window in that clip.
The waste tank was pretty much dumped by the time Clark even knew about it. Again, Eddie's offence, At worst Clark just didn't report it (might not have done any good on a holiday anyway)
No sane person would think Clark was serious about wanting to kidnap his boss. Cousin Eddie is not a sane person. Probably should be in a V A hospital for service related disability.
Re: Randy Quaid being crazier than his character
I have a theory that Randy Quaid was never cast in Independence Day, he just wondered on set and fully believed there was an alien invasion.
“Once Cousin Eddie comes to town, the pace of serious crimes escalates...”
My god that was beautiful
We all have that one family member
Shay Morcormick Yep.
In my case it's that one friend. He loves throwing gas tanks. I'm pretty sure he's technically a terrorist, but they can't arrest a 50 foot Indominus
You’ve ruined nothing. This movie has only gotten better with your laws broken 😂
We already knew they were breaking the law.
Does anyone really watch this movie and think for a second that Griswold is a law-abiding normal person?!?
I like how everyone from this movie all look like they are billions of years old except Julia Louise-Dreyfus who barely looks five years older than she did in 1989.
Being on Veep prevents aging. It's a proven fact.
Being filthy rich prevents aging. It's a proven fact.
Beverly DeAngelo has aged well
Making up garbage prevents aging. It's been well-tested on the internet.
I prevent aging. Give my money
13:32
OBJECTION!
Aunt Bethany’s lawyer could plead insanity to the charges since any jury could see that she is obviously senile and not responsible for her actions of animal cruelty.
Objection sustained.
Objection accepted
@@pz20jacobcouttsrogue It' sustained, not accepted.
Also, the cat was inadvertently electrocuted when Clark plugged the lights back in. So, there would be no charge. Clark also didn't tell Eddie to kidnap his boss. He was mad that he didn't get a bonus and went on a rant.
I don't think legal eagle thought this through. There's no way in hell a jury is going to convict a senile old woman for accidentally wrapping up her cat. Actually worked at the veterans home in Boulder City. There is this old US Marine from the world war II era and the first thing he tried to do was annoy the parrot. He was completely senile the nurses had to get up and literally move him
Objection: Die Hard takes place on Christmas Eve. Therefore Die Hard is an *Advent* movie.
Actually, Die Hard is a Metroidvania movie, revolutionary for it’s time in fact!
The first strand type movie
"Are we going to charge this old man with criminal mischief? Yes. Yes we are." I don't know why, but you had me rolling right me XD
Justice is blind and heartless. It is the way.
Same, i dunno why but that line and delivery really got me
@@Rune3100 it may be a misdemeanor but by adding mischief to the title makes it sound like they are being charged with trickery.
I literally just had to pause the video because that line has me laughing so hard I'm missing parts. _Deep breath_ Okay, back to it!
Objection! Merry Christmas.
Sustained.
Addendum: Happy Hanukkah!
Addendum: Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas, merry Christmas, kiss my 🍑, kiss his 🍑, happy Hanukkah 😋
Overruled ~ 2020
If stink bombs or offensive smelling materials are illegal, I wonder if Mark Rober could get in trouble for his bait-boxes... 🤔
(Not that I want him to, but I just watched that, so it's on my mind.)
Between him saying he worked with law enforcement and how big those have gotten I think he would've gotten in trouble by now if it were
Or Rudy Giuliani during Michigan voter fraud hearing
I don't think so, the porch pirates are the ones placing the device designed to emit the smells in their own homes, and then activating the device.
The only problem is, who is dumb enough to turn him in? You would be admitting that you trespassed and committed larceny in the off chance that the police would enforce this law, which it is a stretch since it dissipates so quickly
I don't think it would be illegal since the property owner was the one to place the trap
Objection: Clark Griswald was never specifically a *good* guy. He is the protagonist, but that's about it. From National Lampoon's Vacaction, he's already established as a person who slow burns off the deep end and is very willing to break all kinds of laws to *ahem* give his family the perfect experience, he could dream of, for them. We're talking about a guy who, before this movie even started, is already guilty of taking a hostage (first degree), and threatening that security guard under the pretense of keeping a loaded weapon trained on him, among other infractions that may be just as bad.
It makes sense that just because the person is a protagonist, he isn't necessarily a good guy.
Clark Griswold would better fit the Villain Protagonist archetype.
@@Patricio4Christ Sounds like the little fuckers who had me impaled. I'll get those skulls even if it takes me the rest of my life. And I just wanted to see if Masie was OK. Did Owen actually think I was gonna eat her?
Plus animal cruelty (albeit accidental).
And improper disposal of a dead body.
And stealing cash from a register.
Not to mention adultery (I know it's technically not a crime but it still doesn't make him look good)
Hey Legal Eagle, I just popped on the live action Grinch movie with Jim Carrey and it occurred to me this would be a GREAT movie to do "laws broken" on. Would love to see that in the future!
"The Griswold home is basically a walking fire hazard." - the Griswolds are secretly Baba Yagas, confirmed.
"Are we going to charge this old man with criminal mischief?"
*Yes*
*Yes we are*
Sorry to keep asking this, but I’d love to see a Laws Broken: The Simpson’s Movie.
I'll add it to the list.
Lol seeing him break down the legality of the giant dome alone would be amazing to watch.
@@galactic85 trapped in a dome, with more freedom than we have🤔
Any chance you can add Matilda to the list? 😊
@@LegalEagle did you put silicon into the iron apple????
There is something I do wanna touch upon, in regards to Frank Shirley cutting out the Christmas Bonus Program, during the events of the movie. I’m not super knowledgeable about law, but I feel like a boss/superior cutting an established pay-system, without letting his employees know about it has some sort of legal ramifications.
Funnily enough, Clark even mentions in the film that Cousin Eddy dumping into the city sewer system is illegal.
Ellen: "It's our family's first kidnapping"
John Candy from Vacation has entered the chat.
In all fairness, the original Vacation is chronologically later on than Christmas Vacation
He was technically a hostage.
@@stevefyfe1018 I think you might be right his kids look older in vacation
@@blankname6629 I think the kids fully change in every movie, as the age difference between them changes.
@@inquisitiveterrestrian you are correct, the kids change every movie and it is joked about within the movies lol
"Cats are above the law."-Legal Eagle 2020
They pretty much are in Common Law. If your dog, horse or pig damages someone's property, you are liable. But not cats.
@@Foolish188 Yes, cats can do what ever they want
I’ll use this in court
This confirms the ancient Egyptian theory that cats are in fact Gods.
"Thunder thunder thunder! Thundercats are above the law!"
-Lion-O
OBJECTION: Clark was clearly just blowing off steam when he said he wanted his boss kidnapped, he can’t be held liable for Eddie’s actions
But he stupidly falsely confesses to the crime in front of the police.
Well if he was a mob boss saying he would like to see someone swimming with the fishes it's implied that it would please him if he swam with fish. Being stupid he probably would've booked a scuba diving trip. Assuming some brain activity occurred he'd weigh him down and throw him in a body of water.
@@jenniferstine8567 The difference, though, is that a mob boss musing about people "swimming with the fishes" reasonably believes that someone will take him up on his musings and their nefarious intent. It would be pretty hard to argue that Clark should expect that his speech is "likely to incite or produce such action," if I'm correctly applying the test from Brandenburg v. Ohio.
If he said to more people he could be accused of stochastic terrorism. Aka, you hint at something to enough people, the very low odds of one person taking you seriously and DOING IT rises, and it becomes likely someone WILL try it, based off of your offhand (or, sometimes, less than offhand, if it’s a dog whistle) comments.
Clark actually can be convicted for solicitation to commit a felony.
FLETCH: What's the charge?
SHERIFF: Pissing me off.
FLETCH: Is that a felony or a misdemeanor?
In the U.S? Typically a death sentence.
"The Griswold home is essentially a walking fire hazard"
"Essentially a walking fire hazard"
"Walking fire hazard"
Walking house
What, you never seen the simpsons?
Walking fire hazard sounds like Indy the Indominus' little brother Opsin. He loves throwing gas tanks.
"The Darker Side of Clark Griswold" is going to be my Holiday Metal band's name
Make sure first Clark Griswold is not a copyrighted name , like Swedish band Avalanche had to change its name and is since 2009 called , Amaranthe .
Finnish band , Nightwish , has a song called Amaranth published 2007 , so bet they had to ask them before getting rights to use their current name .
In this case there is no big problem , when you see these both bands lot in same concerts and vocalists are singing with each other Christmas carols , sadly not this Xmas .
I want a copy of your first song mate :)
You should definitely do a Laws Broken: 9 to 5! It stars Dolly Parton and it's a office comedy about women in the workplace, and it's got all them office 'laws broken' you'd be looking for!
I would love to see you do an examination of that movie!
Haha he said “you AITA” instead of “you ATA”
Oh...i guess i really ATA
I thought he used it as a verb, i.e. you lurk and post there.
But this is truly funnier.
YTA
I noticed that. He essentially said “you am I the asshole” when he meant “you are the asshole” lol
As a Master Electrician a power strip is not an electrical service panel. Most residential homes have a 100 or 200 amp service. Clark is plugging all his lights into a 120 volt outlet in his garage that is most cases on a 15 amp circuit. So the fuse or breaker would trip with more than 1800 watts on it. He is using c-9 lights that are 9 watts each, so his limit is 200 bulbs. This would not be a blip to the power company.
To overload his 100 amp service he would need 2,667 bulbs or for a 200 amp service 5,333. Even this would not be a blip to the power company. The Nation Electrical Code is laws about who and how buildings can be wired. Overloading a circuit(s) while unwise is not illegal. The fuse would blow or the breaker would trip if it was wired correctly and maintained.
The line about him changing his name to Pierce Hawthorne was brilliant.
"Jelly of the Month Club" should be against the law.
Someone made it a real thing, too!
But it’s the gift that keeps giving all year!
Why you have to hate on jelly?
@@TheKennethECarper It leaves him in a jam.
COVID-19 has created the first year during which "Jelly of the Month Club" actually seems like an appealing gift. I think subscription boxes are more popular now than they ever have been.
What about “laws broken how the grinch stole Christmas” I’d LOVE to see that from the classic Boris Karloff version...that would be awesome
Yeesss
That's one that would rack up charges! The Grinch probably won't live long though with hypocardiomyapia or heart cancer. The walls of the heart become too thick to pump blood. Which means he doesn't get the strength of 10 grinches plus 2. Law isn't the only thing that ruins movies. I think Cinema Sins did this movie. It would mostly be plot holes than law.
Doesn’t matter that Grinch gave the presents back, either! Grinch, you still committed home invasion and burglary times every house you robbed.
Objection: couldn’t it it be argued that aunt Bethany isn’t of sound mind and therefore cannot be charged of any harm done to the cat?
Statement: A psychological evaluation of the Aunt would have to be carried out in order to determine if that objection holds water.
Plus, she had no knowledge that the cat was chewing on an electrical cord.
Hmmmm. That Wrongful Tree Cutting Act specifies "cutting" a tree. He didn't cut that tree down though. He dug it up. He uprooted it. Totally different.
I guess it grand theft Christmas tree then.... 😃
"This is our family's first kidnapping."
Probably not your last though.
I mean...not even their first kidnapping...
@@frocat5163 Definitely not. They keep napping kids to replace their previous children from the last movie.
You get older, and you really start to relate to poor Margo and Todd.
Thinking your better than everyone else cause you have money?
@@Clay3613 They live in the same upper-middle class neighborhood. I think it’s because, aside from snide comments they made mostly in private, they don’t infringe on the Griswalds the way the Griswalds infringe on them
It's kinda like as you get older, you relate more with the mom from The Santa Clause.
Tbh, as I've gotten older, I've related more with Clark lol
@@Cypresssina Scott was the worst
Objection: this was not their first kidnapping. They kidnapped two Walley World security guards while on vacation in 1983.
Objection! The Walley World incident would be more of a hostage situation, not kidnapping.
@@KorGarrot Objection! You're objection should have started "overruled"
😏
Objection: Clark kidnapped the wally world security guards. In Christmas vacation, cousin Eddie kidnapped the boss
@@Eraera1 Objection! Clark and the rest of the family were complicit once they didn't turn Eddie in for doing that. The only thing that MIGHT save them all is if the boss denies actually being kidnapped.
Judge Stella, could we get a ruling?
OBJECTION!: Clark would be immune to litigation due to legal plot armor.
H O L Y
Or he could just run for office. That seems to work for a lot of people.
It's the christmas magic that bails you out
I, for one, would watch the courtroom follow-up...
National Lampoon's Christmas Litigation 🎄
@@thunderflare59 well actually cousin Eddie would be the one who got elected and he would pardon Clark
The Christmas Tree scene was not illegal. The family went to one of those places where you can chop down your own tree.
Objection, when a device is plugged in to an outlet it falls outside of electrical code. And that power strip is no considered a service panel as it is a power strip. The only actual violation of ULL code their is the fact that is an indoor rated strip mounted outside
Objection!: Clark never ordered Eddie to kidnap his boss. While he was ranting his wishes to the family, he never directly addressed Eddie nor ordered anyone to enact his wishes. Eddie acted autonomously to please his boss, er, Clark.
Objection Sustained. Clark is not responsible for the actions of another adult competent to stand trial for said actions.
@@tsherwoodrzeroEddie being competent to stand trial is debatable
@@obarlao Trying to prove incompetence here is debatable at best. Here's why:
Prosecutor: Mr (Eddie) Griswald, do you have a driver's license?
Eddie: Yes
Prosecutor: Can you present it to the court?
Eddie: *does so*
Prosecutor: A valid driver's license proves the defendant is deemed competent by a Government-sanctioned authority and is competent to stand trial.
Or it can go like this:
Prosecutor: Mr (Eddie) Griswald, do you have a driver's license?
Eddie: No
Prosecutor: Why is that? You know it is illegal to drive without a license, right? (a "dumb" question)
Eddie: Yes I do.
Prosecutor: How long have you been driving without a license?
Eddie: 3 years? (answer doesn't really matter)
Prosecutor: So you have chosen to drive for 3 years without a license?
Eddie: Yes
Prosecutor: This proves beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant is competent to stand trial.
Legal Eagle details why it works in his video about My Cousin Vinny.
Lol, Clark is not a "good guy" in any of the Vacation movies.
He lusts after another woman in pretty much every Vacation movie.
@@JamesLatimer It's a movie.
@@Clay3613 You could have fooled me. I thought it was a play. Thank you for bringing it to my attention that this is in fact a movie.
@@Clay3613 it’s a what!
@@JamesLatimer Why do you have to make the holidays hooter than they already are?
Still have my finger’s crossed for Matilda
YESSS
The principal will have a long sentence
Yes please
Objection: grandma had clearly demonstrable dementia which means she lacked any intent when wrapping the cat so she wouldn’t be arrested
The grandfather did not know the sewer was full of gas when he lit the match, and was only intending to lite a cigar not cause an explosion so he lacked intent
And Clark’s neighbors were married which means when she assaulted her husband it would be domestic battery
I freaking ADORE the Pearce Hawthorne tie-in. Nicely done.
Objection! The boss and his wife said that they weren't going to press charges for the kidnapping.
A prosecutor could still decide to try to indict them though. Prosecutors don't need the victim's consent to press charges, but it helps if the victim is cooperative, I believe.
That doesn't really matter at all. The whole "I'm (not) pressing charges" thing is moistly just movie stuff, the state decides whether or not to criminally charge someone. Victim cooperation can influence whether a prosecutor sees the case as winnable but that's about the limit of their influence.
@@TheArtistKnownAsNooblet All I got from that was "moistly"
The other comments are right, if the prosecution decides to go forward with the charges, they can. However the "victim" can choose to support the accused, in court, which is not great for the prosecutions case.
Objection: no one is talking about the fact that someone thought that the “Illinois Exotic Weed Act” would be the name for a serious law.
I mean, it is a serious law about conservation and preventing invasive species from taking root. It just also happens to have a name that sounds to a layman like it's about blazing pricey foreign kush. That's more on lawyers being very literal and, in many cases, no fun.
SO I have no legal recourse if Clark wants to cut down buckthorn or hemlock for his holiday decorations from my property. I guess I'll just have to set some traps for trespassers (oooops that's another video they already did). But on a serious note, the word "exotic" (non-native) means a harmless plant that's been introduced from outside its native range ("invasive" plants are the ones that are harmful to the ecosystem).
Not all weed is exotic. Only the best kinds are.
🤣🤣🤣
"Exotic Weed Act" would be an amazing band name.
When are we gonna get "everything is illegal" merch?
Never. It would be illegal.
Very good idea. Contact local tshirt making company
@@megmcc9608 to have them commit an illegal act? oh shoot, even comments are illegal~
Note on gutter: It wasn't part of the gutter that flew off. It was a giant icicle that had formed inside the gutter. Hence why the neighbors were wondering why everything was wet when they got home.
Kidnapping: Clark was just ranting, and didn't expect anyone to take him seriously. Additionally, when the cops heard why the boss was kidnapped, they wanted to beat the boss with rubber hoses.
Tree cutting: They didn't cut the tree. They uprooted it.
I just started watching your videos and while I am not a lawyer in any stretch of the word, I do live in Illinois and I love that you cover laws from Illinois.
even when i saw this as a teenager i thought clark should go to jail lol
I love you
OMG, something that's NOT about the death of Democracy, it;s a Chirstmas Vacation Miracle!
Objection: @2:35 you state that it was "a piece of gutter" when in fact it was water that had become frozen in the gutter.
OBJECTION! The boss said he was not pressing charges. 10:55
Sustained considering the fact that Clark had nothing to do with his own bosses kidnapping. Plus it wasn't even Clark's idea in the first place it was his cousin
Objection: It wasn't a piece of gutter that broke the window of Todd's-it was a huge piece of ice that collected and froze in the gutter. And not only did it break the window, but it also broke their stereo equipment (lucky he didn't start a fire when that happened) and then as she complained in the movie-Margo asks Todd why the carpet was all wet; which okay, it would have been melted water from the icicle-and that isn't necessarily damages. But they could have claimed it as such, since most people who hate their neighbors (and obviously they don't like Clark one bit)-probably would have gone as far as to say the carpet was damaged, even though clearly, a bit of wetness can't damage the carpet; unless it caused a mildew/mold issue.
"Die Hard is....a Christmas song" the art of subversion lol
OBJECTION: He clearly did not CUT the tree down. He dug it up by the roots. This law does not apply.
He DID cut down his neighbors' tree tho
There’s no “stumpage value” if there’s no stump!
Objection: Clark didn’t cut down the tree, he dug it up 😝
I saw that too in the clip. He left a pretty big hole that means. Someone could easily break a leg now. Especially if it fills up with snow and/ or ice. That's if they don't crack their head open in the fall too.
I would say even on a tree farm or with a tree permit that tree far exceeds the height allowable. You can't take trees over x feet generally. Also there is no way hauling a 30ft tree on the wagon was legal, lol
Clark forgot to bring the chainsaw. If he had it with him, I'm sure he would have cut it down. His stubbornness led him to digging it out instead.
Are you trying to plea bargain down to grand theft? Because assuming that the tree was worth more than $10,000 (based on LegalEagle's estimation that triple the tree's value was in the neighborhood of $50k), that constitutes a Class 2 Felony Theft, which in another 3 years and $25k of fines. If it was under $10k, you just have a second count of a Class 3 Felony Theft, but regardless, it's not like he's getting off there.
I almost posted about the moving violations but you just covered it. Pretty sure driving under a truck is a pretty substantial offense.
Loved this. Got quite a few good laughs.
Is this what happens when a first year law student tries to tell us what is legal? First, it was ice and not a gutter that went through the window, and saying it was intentional would be a stretch. Most likely, that would be a simple insurance claim, possibly a civil case.
Hey if it's a wonderful life counts as a Christmas movie, than die hard definetly is. Their both crazy plots that use Christmas as a back drop, and the themes of the movie, getting back together with your family, is ultimately Christmas related even though they both really didn't have to be on Christmas.
Oh yeah and the video was good.
Die Hard Is definetly an Xmas movie.Actually it’s got more Christmassy stuff in it than IAWL
You forgot the theft committed by Cousin Eddie, because he stole this movie every scene he was in.
I feel like that sledding scene should be added in there too..there were cars on that highway, if I recall..
"Don't..."
--Michael Scott
"Don't..."
-Micheal Scott
-Wuphat
-MuttFitness
At 2:38 Mr. Lawyer states that a piece of gutter goes through the neighbor's window. That is not a piece of Clark's gutter. The gutter was full of ice which explains why Todd and Margo can't find anything that broke the window and smashed the stereo; makes me wonder if the lawyer watched and/or understood the movie. He then talks about Illinois statues involving knowingly and intentionally doing different things; it is unclear that Clark Griswold was aware that ice launched itself nextdoor as he was swinging from the gutter and fearing for his life at the time.
As a point of order it wasn't the gutter that broke the stereo, it was ice from the gutter.
I get the feeling that if you did a Laws Broken about the first Vacation, Clark's prison sentence would have precluded him from being out of prison by the time of Christmas Vacation...
You should definitely next do one of my other fav christmas movies... “Scrooged.” Please do that one. SO. MANY. FELONIES. LOL
Scrooged got Fox/Fox News down cold with gratuitious sexual content, violence, and sensationalism and greed. If only Rupert Murdoch got the treatment from those three ghosts.
OBJECTION!: Wouldn’t Clark be off the hook for the kidnapping charges since later in the scene his boss clearly states that he has no intention of pressing charges?
Good question. Iirc the state/crown is able to charge even if victim chooses not to. Default crown/state being the victim (funnily enough) is murder. I still think the family should sue in the case of murder. Opinion: Its not a crime against the state, its a crime against the person.
The victim deciding to "press charges", to a large degree, isn't a real thing. That's the (supposedly) impartial prosecutor's job.
To counter what others have said, saying you refuse to press charges would imply intent to not issue statements or testify against the (alleged) perpetrator making prosecution difficult.
However, as noted by the others, it is largely something done in fiction to wave away the consequences of actions the viewer knows would result in pretty serious charges.
The decision to charge is the prerogative of the state. They can charge regardless of what the victim wants.
You should review the court scenes in "Grandma got run over by a Reindeer"
YES!!!!
After watching all my childhood movies get lawyered one thing has become clear, if I ever need a lawyer, I’m calling Devin. 😆
I've never been this early, but now I understand why people think it's noteworthy to say how early they are.
Last time I was this early, peoples didn't question it.
You need to do a follow-up video listing the crimes in National Lampoon's Vacation. Pretty sure Clark gets at least 30 years.
Off hand I know the car dealership guy who swindles Clark could face a lawsuit for damage to Clarks car(given Clark didn’t legally sign it away at the time)
Clark himself off hand with charges could face theft, reckless driving, given an underage child alcohol, killing of an animal, kidnapping, threatening someone with a deadly weapon, and possibly manslaughter with Ellen’s Aunt. Yeah if found guilty of all that I think he’d be in jail for well over 30 years.
Loophole: He never cut down the tree.
Objection: No reasonable person would misconstrue Clark's ranting about his boss as anything other than hyperbole. The kidnapping charge should apply solely to cousin Eddie, whom no one has ever accused of being reasonable.
I’m not gonna lie, but this is the second TH-cam channel I have found where they have always punished Clark Griswold, despite the fact this was not his fault. I mean yeah he’s a silly guy who is a jinx in someways considering this is a comedy. but yeah, I feel like sentencing him along with many other stuff. Yeah that’s not right I don’t think legal Eagle watched the whole film or paid any close attention.
There's no such thing as auxiliary nuclear power by the way. Nuclear power is not used for peak times; it doesn't go up and down with demand, as it can't react quickly in a safe manner. Nuclear plants operate at a steady output for long periods of time, and other plants on that grid go up and down.
OBJECTION: They didn't kill the cat. The cat killed itself
Yeah he bit on the wiring, yknow, like a dumbass cat
Objection! Die Hard is most definitely a Christmas movie.
You can make a christmas ornament of John McClaine in the air duct with cardboard, aluminum foil, and a printed screenshot from that scene.
@@FreemanicParacusia brilliant!
The writer and director both say it's a Christmas movie.
You should totally do a Laws Broken for the true classic Christmas Movie: Die Hard. Edit: I totally left this comment before the video started XD
@@jwhite-1471 But then Christmas and New Year is over, and its back to the same old family rifts and struggles.
@@jwhite-1471 another reason Die Hard is a Christmas movie is that it takes place around Christmas.
Hey LegalEagle - the thing that the ice spear hit is called a beocenter (or another variant) - and even today costs about 4k. The damages well exceeded that limit 500$ limit EASILY at the time.
Objection: It actually wasn't a piece of gutter that went through the window. It was ice that had frozen sitting in the gutter that shot out and through the window. That's why when the neighbors discover the damage they ask why it's all wet in there too (not sure the exact phrasing). There's no way he could have known there was a giant icicle in the gutter when it broke, which was clearly not intentional.
will watch when back from errands, but all I can say is "Shitters full"
2:37 objection! it was not the gutter itself, it was a rod of ice flung out from the gutter. Thats why later Todd and Margo cant figure out what caused the damage and why the floor is so wet.
I think they figured out that Clark was responsible when they looked toward his house.
Thank you for the silliness.
And Die Hard is as much a Christmas movie as The Long Kiss Goodnight.
And Batman Returns
And Home Alone
Objection! That was not a gutter, that was a chunk of ice in the gutter that turned into a missile. In reality, said "missile" would have just fallen to the ground upon exiting the gutter. The fact that it flew far enough to break a window and smash an appliance is pretty good proof that physics were on their own Christmas Vacation.
The fact that Bruce Willis doesn't think die hard is a Christmas movie makes it more of a Christmas movie.
OBJECTION!
A Muppets Christmas Carol is the best Christmas movie!
It most certainly is! My sister and I use to watch it every year at Xmas
Last time I was this early I scored a membership to the Jelly of the Month Club. Great video LegalEagle!
4:17 That's not a service panel. That's a bunch of power strips.
Objection: While it may be worth that much aesthetically, stumpage is pretty much the value in timber. In New York this year, the price of a spruce (which is the kind of tree from the movie) was about $100 per thousand board feet. I’m not a forester, but I think optimistically you could get about 50 board feet out of that tree, so the stumpage would be $5.
Technical Objection: This is of course a comedic film, but Clark overloading the city power grid in that way is probably physically/technically impossible, especially without first blowing out his local residential transformer (maybe that's what caused the power outage for the McAllisters in Home Alone?) and possibly burning down his own house. Electrical grids, home mains and individual home circuits are only designed to handle so much current, and overcurrent past a certain point is likely to cause a fault of some kind, which might result in a fire, though in general circuit breakers should kick in and shut off before that point, which is part of their purpose. Overcurrent of a level to shut down the city power grid from a lack of current, might well trip and/or blow something in the residential substation for Clark's neighborhood or area.
Let’s be honest. Chevy Chase isn’t that great of a person either
One of my favourite “Christmas movies”...
Trading Places with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd.
Now I want to see a laws broken segment on that movie
Objection! Die Hard is a Christmas movie, because the Christmas season is critical to the movie’s plot.
You could make the same argument for Harry Potter, since some of the Christmas gifts have an effect on the plot.
Because the Christmas party? It could have just as easily been a birthday party
@@AdaptiveApeHybrid You could say that about many Christmas movies though. Elf could have been about a birthday clown (intentionally stupid example).
@@hillkillr the god father was a Christmas movie ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Does that mean Child’s Play and Gremlins are Christmas movies?
Clark didn’t tell Eddie to kidnap his boss. He just ranted and Eddie took him seriously.
This guys law knowledge is as deep as a puddle. Skips over the whole intent element. Also with the dog, Margo is on his property uninvited.
This is one of my favorite movies ... and this video just made it SO much better lol I cant wait to watch it while this video is roaming around in my brain haha Thank you very much. Happy holidays folks :)
"... Because everything is illegal." Beautiful, thank you.
I've actually never seen any of the vacation movies. When they've been covered on this channel is the extent of my knowledge of them.
Objection: you should have talked about police breaking down Todd and Margot's door. Police had no probable cause to enter her domicile and Margot's words to the cops did not give permission to break down the door.