Okay, so we’ve all seen “clickbait” titles like the one for this column, and maybe we’ve even clicked on a few in our eagerness to be wowed by “revelations” about our favorite celebrities, or perhaps just to see photos of that Internet staple—adorable kittens. But surely lawyers wouldn’t stoop to such “clickbait” would they? Well, maybe if they were trying to make a lighthearted point, like the Boston lawyer suing the website Buzzfeed in a Miami federal court recently did. Responding to Buzzfeed’s motion to dismiss a defamation suit brought by a Russian technology executive for lack of jurisdiction, lawyer Evan Fay-Witzer filed a tongue-in-cheek pleading entitled “Six Ways Buzzfeed Has Misled the Court (Number Two Will Amaze You) … and a Picture of a Kitten.” Taking this cue from the breezy style the defendant’s own site is known for, Fay-Witzer decided “to inject a little levity” into his response, and yes he also decided to include a picture of his own kitten as Exhibit 41. The folks at Buzzfeed were not amused, and expressed surprise “by the plaintiff’s desire to make light of this matter.”
But maybe a healthy sense of humor is a handy trait to have for those investigating the legal system. A judge and jury in County Donegal, Ireland recently had a good laugh over one juror’s handwriting. It seems that just before trial was about to begin, the prosecutor looked at the juror’s sign-in sheet and noticed that one juror had listed her occupation as “barrister.” Since lawyers aren’t allowed to serve on juries under Irish law, the prosecutor alerted Judge Terence O’Sullivan and he began to question the juror. The woman, confused by the fuss, explained that she worked in a coffeehouse as a barista. Those in the courtroom burst into laughter over the handwriting misunderstanding, and the judge and prosecutor relaxed—having finally smelled the coffee, so to speak.
