The Supreme Court of Florida approved on Thursday an earlier
recommendation filed by Judge Dava Tunis
and has permanently disbarred Florida
anti-video game attorney Jack Thompson.
Mr. Thompson has been an outspoken opponent against what he
deems as inappropriate games such as the Grand Theft Auto series or Bully.
The complaint against
Mr. Thompson credits his disbarment to cases such as “respondent made false
statements of material fact to courts and repeatedly violated a court order,”
“respondent publicized and sent hundreds of pages of vitriolic and disparaging
missives, letters, faxes, and press releases,” and “respondent sent courts
inappropriate and offensive sexual materials.” And the list goes on.
Mr. Thompson’s behavior in and out of court has led to a
less-than-stellar reputation among video gamers and judges alike. His actions
have even led to Take-Two (whose subsidiary, Rockstar, is responsible for GTA
and Bully) suing him last year, citing violation of the company’s First
Amendment rights (ironic, considering that Fox News labeled Mr. Thompson as a
“First Amendment Attorney”).
As such, Judge Tunis
recommended disbarment because she felt that Mr. Thompson had “repeatedly
stated…that he will not change his conduct” and that she “finds no evidence whatsoever
to indicate that [r]espondent is amenable to rehabilitation.”
The ruling dictates that Mr. Thompson be permanently
disbarred 30 days from today, and that he pays the Court for “recovery of
costs” in the sum of $43,675.35.