Rebuttal
Comedy, case law, chaos. Practicing attorney and TikTok gal @rebmasel breaks down bizarre, chaotic, and intriguing cases and anecdotes from the legal field you've (probably) never heard of. Listen to Reb's hilarious and informative takes on the weird, the awesome, the horrifying, the inspiring, and the everything-in-between happening inside and outside the courtroom.
Episodes
78: The Man Who Scared a Woman to Death
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) On the morning of September 26, 2008, Larry Whitfield and Quanterrious McCoy—armed with a .357 handgun and an AK–47 assault rifle—entered the front door of the Fort Financial Credit Union in Gastonia, North Carolina. Only one of these would-be bank robbers would be sentenced to life in prison for it.
Reb teaches you how not to rob a bank (but if you do, ask if an
77: America Has A Guilty Plea Problem
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Today, 98% of all federal criminal cases are resolved with a guilty plea. Why?
"Half a loaf is better than none. . . . When we have a weak case for any reason, we'll reduce to almost anything rather than lose."
In modern America, "beyond a reasonable doubt" as determined by a jury has largely been replaced by the discretion of prosecutors to punish defendants for
76: The Bloody Telephone Booth (Legal Urban Legends pt. 2)
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) In 1986, President Ronald Reagan gave a speech describing this plaintiff as "outrageous," "absurd," and "loony". His name was Charles Bigbee, and his leg had been torn from his body.
This is Bigbee v. Pacific Telephone & Telegraph, Co., et al. (1983)—the story of a drunk woman, a telephone booth, and the most famous "frivolous" lawsuit of the 1980s.
Enjoy.
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75: The McDonald's Hot Coffee Case (Legal Urban Legends pt. 1)
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) “I am astonished how successful these urban legends have been in influencing policy. . . .The people that created these stories did so with remarkable skill.”
The Grazinski case, the Carson case, and the Walton case, to name a few. They've all been cited as true by a wide range of major media outlets, including CNN and U.S. News & World Report.
There's just one p
74: 14 Cases That Shouldn't Be Real (They Are)
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) This is our fourth **Reb's Round-Up** episode—A rapid-fire (or as rapid as Reb can make it) list of cases that deserve to be included in the Rebuttal Podcast universe but are too short to devote a full episode to.
For this Round-Up, Reb gives you *14 bonus cases* for you to tell unsuspecting friends and strangers all about, including:
Drones delivering package
73: The Thief and The Psych Ward
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) "By all appearances, a man who went by William Woods had turned his life around. . . .There was just one problem: Although William Woods is a real person, the man is not that person." –Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
Reb visits a really messed up hot dog cart from 1988 and a saga that'll make you question everybody's last name. Just to be sure.
This is United
72: The Shark Arm Case (The Unluckiest Murderer in History)
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) "You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from." –Cormac McCarthy, No Country For Old Men.
Two tiger sharks, a tattoo, and a richocheted bullet off a man's skull.
Reb dives into the Shark Arm Case (1935), the Confrontation Clause, and the Dead Witness Dilemma.
Enjoy.
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71: The Cockroach Conspiracy
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) One August day in 2019, Ina and David Steiner, a married couple in their late 50s and early 60s respectively, were in their offices at their Natick, Massachusetts home when they each noticed an email pop into their inboxes. The message was bizarre. It said their “wet specimen” was ready and asked, Did they want to accept delivery? . . . .
Reb explains the (very
70: The Fortune Teller
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) A psychic, a bitcoin influencer, a 70 year-old bank robber, and a University faculty p*rn star walk into a bar....
Case #1 - Fortune teller Rose Marks and her eight family members swindle $25 million out of vulnerable (rich) people who just want to curse a few people, is all. Unfortunately, one of those victims was a famous author with a lot of ex-husbands.
69: It's Raining Meat
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) On a cloudless day in Kentucky in 1876, enough raw meat to cover a football field fell from the sky out of nowhere. No one knows where it came from, but there are theories and (unfortunately) jelly beans.
Reb covers the 1876 Kentucky Meat Shower and Raising Cane's most recent 2026 lawsuit against people who were surprised to learn that a chicken store smells lik
68: The Cows and Their Doctor
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) A doctor tries to escape a lawsuit over his cows and a cow tries to escape a slaughterhouse over her flesh.
Two cases, one theme. This is Tunnell v. Archer, et al. (2016) and Emily the Cow.
Kamoo.
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Links:
The Peace Abbey—https://www.peaceabbey.org/animal-rights-emily-the-cow/
Book | The Story of Emily the Cow: Bovine Bodhisattva (2008): https://
67: 17 MORE Cases That Shouldn't Be Real (They Are)
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) This is our third Reb's Round-Up episode—A rapid-fire (or as rapid as Reb can make it) laundry list of cases that deserve to be included in the Rebuttal Podcast universe but are too short to devote a full episode to.
For this Round-Up, Reb gives you **17 bonus cases** to giggle, scoff, and yell about, including:
A Bar Mitzvah "from hell";
The judge who swor
66: The Medieval Catapult Case
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE). On November 24, 2002, a medieval catapult violently hurled willing human beings several stories high and into a net 100 feet away. Those who built the catapult and organized the stunt were inspired by a notorious group of misfits from the 1970s.
This is the story of the Dangerous Sports Club and the 2004 manslaughter trial following the tragic killing of Kostyd
65: 18 Cases That Shouldn't Be Real (They Are)
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) This is our second Reb's Round-Up episode—A rapid-fire (or as rapid as Reb can make it) laundry list of cases that deserve to be included in the Rebuttal Podcast universe but are too short to devote a full episode to.
For this Round-Up, Reb gives you **18 bonus cases** to giggle, scoff, and yell about, including:
A 236-page manifesto some local librarians were
64: The Zookeeper Love Triangle
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) A zookeeper love triangle leads to a Christmas party brawl....An Australian man straps raw pork chops to his feet ...A defendant claims caffeine made him do it...Oh, and a Texas mayor resigns over a dog.
Just another day in the Rebuttal Podcast universe. Enjoy!
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63: "Yes, I took acid, but that is NOT my painting..." | The Bizarre Trial of Peter Doig
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) "Everybody in the art world thinks he's telling the truth, and thinks I'm crazy, but people outside of the art world are skeptical… I know why he [disavowed the painting]. He did it because he can’t draw. Everything he does is projected, and he sketches it from the picture…This painting we have proves it."
Described as one of the "most bizarre art authentication
62: The Louisiana Arson Family
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) "Deadly spiked booby traps, dozens of hunting lodge arsons, a double suicide and now attempted murder of an officer — cops in Louisiana say one family is largely responsible for it all..."
5th Circuit Opinion (2022): https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca5/20-30731/20-30731-2022-03-15.html
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61: Where Do Supreme Court Justices Watch Dirty Movies?
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Two cases this episode!
Case #1: Where do Supreme Court Justices watch dirty movies?
Case #2: Rick Springfield's Buttocks of Mass Destruction.
Enjoy!
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60: The Motorcycle Kidnappers Fight Club
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) A motorcycle club. A fight club. A kidnappers club. Three men, one victim. But only one of them is convicted.
Reb breaks out her DIY whiteboard for a very helpful visual aid of this very absurd kidnapping story. Spoiler alert: A Hail Mary motion is filed and...wins?!?!
This is United States v. Cornelius Green (2024).
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59: The Casual Workplace Pipe Bomb
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) An IED blowing up your truck and feces in your lunchbox. It’s a workplace of nightmares, and that’s not even the half of it: Add in BB guns, potato guns, and more feces. I’m sure the boss did something about it, right….Right?…..RIGHT....?!?!?!?!
This is our first Reb's Round-Up episode—A rapid-fire (or as rapid as Reb can make it) laundry list of cases that deser
58: Call Your Judge 60+ Times To Cuss Her Out (And Other Legal Tips!)
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Pro-tip: If you're planning to leave 60+ threatening, profanity-laced voicemails for the Franklin County, Ohio judge presiding over your drunk-driving case, be *sure* to identify yourself by name, leave your phone number, and let her know you're *also* calling in bomb threats to a local bar, a Home Depot, a Best Western, and two nearby schools. AN
57: The Forgotten Battle of Ni'ihau, Hawaii
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) On December 7, 1941, pilots from the Imperial Japanese Navy bombed Pearl Harbor in a surprise attack on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. After strafing Pearl Harbor in the second wave of the attack, Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service pilot Shigenori Nishikaichi was in dire straits—his plane was too damaged to make it back to his aircraft carrier.
If necessary, all Impe
56: The First Crime Ever Committed In Space Was...A Lie?
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Before 2019, no crimes had been committed in space (that we know of). After poring over records, the New York Times could only come up with three things: (1) damage to a Russian satellite that was allegedly China’s fault; (2) a lawsuit seeking to recover a deposit somebody put down for a space-tourism trip; and (3) a U.S.-government sting operation aimed at recoveri
55: The Lawyers Who Raised Killer Dogs For The Aryan Brotherhood
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) ***CONTENT WARNING: GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF VIOLENT DEATH*** By the time police arrived, there was little that could be done for her. A medical examiner testified that the only parts of her body that were spared were the "top of her head" and the "soles of her feet." ...
This is the story of two lawyers.
But more importantly, this is Diane Whipple's story.
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RE
54: Helicopter Prison Escapes—WAY More Common Than You Think?!
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) The record for most helicopter escapes goes to convicted murderer Pascal Payet, who has used helicopters to escape from prisons in 2001, 2003, and most recently 2007....
Reb goes down a Wikipedia rabbit hole for this Thanksgiving episode.
Happy holidays! See you next week!!!!
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53: Inmate Uses Piece of Paper to Escape From Prison
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) “We walked straight into (Arizona Department of Corrections). We handed it to them. [S]he was kind of confused at first ... Two days later, instead of serving 22 more years, David Cramer walked out of Lewis Prison..."
This is State of Arizona v. Cramer (2015), but mostly every bizarre twist that came after it.
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52: The Prisons You Pay For
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) The State of Connecticut charged Teresa Beatty $249 per day, every day, while she was in prison for a minor drug offense from 2000 to 2002—But she wouldn't discover this until 20 years later. When her mother died in 2020, the State of Connecticut filed a notice in probate court demanding approximately 35%—over $83,000—of Beatty’s inheritance. And it was perfectly le
51: The "I'm From Alabama" Defense
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) “You’ve got an impressive slate of candidates,” Brian Manookian said to a panel considering applications for a Tennessee Supreme Court seat. “Judge [Kelvin] Jones is not one of them.”
Why? Check his backyard. And his divorce transcripts.
Reb reminds you to keep your mouth shut in Jones v. Jones (Ten. Ct. App. 2022).
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50: The Parma Police Department Hates Good Jokes
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) BREAKING: If you arrest AND charge a man over a few (really funny) jokes, The Onion will probably file a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to let you know how stupid you are.
And yes, they'll call the Justices "total Latin dorks" on Page 4.
This is Anthony Novak v. City of Parma, Ohio (2022).
>>LINK TO THE ONION'S BRIEF
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49: Egos That Kill–Hell on the Set of "Twilight Zone: The Movie"
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) **LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED, GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF TRAUMATIC DEATH INVOLVING CHILDREN** Shortly after 2:00 A.M. on July 23, 1982, actor Vic Morrow paced nervously in front of a mock Vietnamese village at the Indian Dunes park just north of Los Angeles. Morrow could not help but feel uneasy as he watched the Huey helicopter approach the village for a final rehear
48: The $54 Million Pants
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) How far would you go for your wardrobe? 16 years of litigation, perhaps?
Witness the unraveling of Judge Roy Pearson in Pearson v. Chung (2007).
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47: The Bigfoot Cases
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) “His statement was that [the other man] had summoned ‘Bigfoot’ to come and kill him. That’s why he had to kill [him first]. . . "
Sasquatch is (somehow) always in court. Let's go hunting. These are the Bigfoot cases.
*Reb's reference to an incomplete (but larger) list of Bigfoot case law: Click here
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46: A Raccoon Is A Deadly Weapon
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Do all 50 States (and their courts) agree on what IS and IS NOT a deadly weapon? Of course not. Ask the raccoons, honeybees, alligators, plastic chairs, ladles, shoes, bare hands, dogs, toy guns, teeth, and .....eggs.
Reb tells you why the difference between simple assault and felony assault with a deadly weapon as a matter of law can get.....very confusing.
45: The Scariest Law Enforcement Agency You've Never Heard Of
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Thinking of dabbling in a bit of crime? Annoying your neighbor? Getting back at a crazy ex? Scamming people? Couponing? Pulling a prank? Putting a piece of paper inside a mailbox? Dressing up as a USPS postal worker for fun?
Wherever your criminal exploits may take you, try your very best to adhere to one not-so-simple rule: DO NOT MESS WITH THE MAIL.
These a
44: Hatred Has No Legal Remedy
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) "Here, a husband and wife have been marinating in a mutual hatred so intense as to surely amount to a personality disorder requiring treatment." –Judge Joseph W. Quinn
Divorce is messy. Bruni v. Bruni (2010) is messier. Listen to Reb raise a glass to the unholiest of matrimonies.
(***You can find an extremely helpful diagram of the people involved in this ca
43: The Parrot Who Saw Too Much
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) In 1870, a dog named Old Drum is shot and killed by his owner’s neighbor in Missouri. In 1457, a sow and her piglets are put on trial for the murder of a child. In 2016, a parrot repeats the words “Don’t shoot!” in his murdered owner’s voice, and many more...Humans aren't the only ones contributing to chaos in our courtrooms.
Animal (Court)House. Let’s get into it.
42: The Venezuela Deportations (Trump's Worst Kept "Secrets")
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) **CONTENT WARNING: GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF TORTURE** On March 15, 2025, President Trump announced the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua was conducting "irregular warfare" against the United States and that members would be deported under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The Trump Administration quickly began deporting people allegedly affiliated with the gang—wi
41: The Weyerhaeuser Kidnapping
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) An Alcatraz Island kidnapper is hired by the child he kidnapped 30 years later.
Listen to Reb snatch the (kinda heartwarming but mostly traumatizing?) details of Waley v. United States (9th Cir. 1949).
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40: The Talking Cat Case
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Do cats have free speech rights? How did Blackie the Talking Cat cause this much (legal) trouble?
Reb finds out in Miles v. City Council of Augusta, Georgia (11th Cir. 1983).
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Huge shoutout to Alyssa, our new Rebuttal Podcast editor!
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0:00 - Intro
2:35 - CASE BEGI
39: The No Fly List Is A Nightmare
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) The FBI threatens to put innocent people on the No Fly List unless they agree to become unpaid FBI informants spying on their (also innocent) communities. Why? Because the FBI pretty much guarantees that random, erroneous, overinclusive, islamophobic nominations to the No Fly List will be approved, and since the process is cloaked in secrecy, there wasn't a clear wa
38: How To Steal A Plane Without Breaking The Law
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) What do Henry Ford's Model-T car, banning alcohol in the United States, and the FBI have in common? We needed all three to (1) catch American gangster John Dillinger and (2) make it federally legal to steal planes...FOR 26 YEARS.
Learn how to legally steal a plane in 1926 and destroy evidence in 2007! Don't believe it? Well, the U.S. Supreme Court already does!
L
37: Martial Law in Hawaii
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) At 10:27PM on December 3, 2024, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol went live on television while his country was sleeping to declare martial law. His country fought back. After all was said and done, Yoon's martial law proclamation lasted only 6 and a half hours.
Hawaii's lasted three years.
Internment camps, forced labor, military tribunals, and a pause on a
36: Your House Is A SWAT Team's Rage Room
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Out of nowhere, your front door explodes. You see a man with a gun run through your door and up the stairs, firing shots at the police chasing after him. Luckily, you run for cover before a SWAT team begins their "protocol" to flush him out - explosives, toxic gasses, grenades, BearCat armored tanks, robots, and chemical weapons hit every inch of your home.
Eventu
35: The 13 Wildest Lawsuits Filed In 2003
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Reb hits you with rapid fire summaries of 13 lawsuits filed in 2003 that are unhinged enough to make it on Rebuttal (the legal sanctuary of chaos and calamity, of course).
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0:00 - Intro / Life update
4:16 - The Docked Dog Tail Case
8:55 - The Condom Soup Case
10:48 - Port-A-Potty Prison
12:32 - Depose The Parrot
13:59 - Suing The Casino Instead of Your Husban
34: Who Owns The Sky?
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) A chicken farmer, World War II, and 150 suicidal chickens were the only ones up to the task to answer this question for the Supreme Court. No, I'm not joking.
This is United States v. Causby (1946).
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0:00 - Intro
00:40 - Case begins
3:00 - The Takings Clause
3:
33: The Lawyer Who S#%! In A Pringles Can
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Being a lawyer is a stressful job, and we all handle the anxiety of this high-pressure field in different ways. Some enjoy pilates, others indulge in junk food, a few find relief at the bottom of a liquor bottle. But in 2023, one lawyer's preferred method of "blowing off steam" made headlines. It read: "BREAKING: LAWYER SUSPENDED FOR POOPING IN A PRINGLES CAN AND T
32: Kidnapping The Kaiser
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) On December 31, 1918, Colonel Luke Lea of the 114th Field Artillery Regiment handed his commanding officer a request for leave from his post in Allied-occupied Luxembourg. He would not say where he was going or what he intended to do, though he assured the general he had nothing to worry about. General Spaulding called it the "strangest request for leave he had ever
31: The Children: Alone In America
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) In America, unaccompanied children are forced to represent themselves in immigration court. That's right. Children as young as infants to teenagers. Each year, thousands of immigrant children are placed into court proceedings in which government prosecutors seek to deport them unless those children can prove they have a right to stay in the United States. While the
30: Skin The Judge Alive?!
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) In 500 BC, corrupt judges were treated a little differently than the ones we have today. The punishments have changed, but one question remains the same: What do we do when judges can't stop taking bribes?
Hold onto your birthday suit, Reb is slicing open The Judgment of Cambyses (~530 BC).
(Side note: A 30-MINUTE EPISODE CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!)
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29: The Baking Soda Snitch
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) A paid informant who should've been fired, a police officer who LOVES a good eraser, and a dad who can't stop bragging about his poor sons.
Grab a bag of baking soda and a large Coke and hear Reb snitch on Albright v. Oliver (1994).
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0:00 - Intro
2:26 - Legal mumb
28: The Jury Is On Drugs, Your Honor
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) What do you call a 6-week period in which you and a handful of very recent acquaintances get drunk every day at lunch, sleep through the afternoons, sell weed to each other, smoke weed with each other, and whip out a few bags of cocaine to snort when the time feels right?
For a group of twelve people in Florida in 1987, they would call it jury duty. That’s right. S
27: The Lost Boys of Rikers Island
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) In the early hours of Saturday, May 15, 2010, Kalief Browder and a friend were returning home from a party in the Belmont section of the Bronx. He was 16 years old. Browder saw a police car driving toward them. More squad cars arrived, and soon Browder and his friend were squinting in the glare of a police spotlight. An officer said they had robbed a man. “I didn’t
26: The Assassin
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Do political assassinations even happen in the U.S. anymore? Apparently yes. Yes, they do. Get ready to change your middle name, sue Puerto Rico for speaking Spanish, move to a hog farm in Tennessee, and learn that write-in ballots never win (except for the rare, *bloody* exception). Reb brings a murder weapon to the voting booth in Tennessee v. Byron (Low Tax) Lo
25: The Rap Lyrics On Trial
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Beef between rappers keeps music alive and well. But what happens when a video of you lip syncing to rap lyrics at a party helps put you away for murder? Hear all about it with Reb at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Larry Jean Hart v. Texas (2024).
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24: Stand Your Ground
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Since Biblical times, self defense has been simple. Guard your castle. Retreat to the wall. Defend yourself. The U.S. stole its common law from the English, and the elements of self defense didn't change. Until.......Florida.
Why did Florida change its slogan from the Sunshine State to the Kill At Will State? Aren't Stand Your Ground Laws a good thing? How old is th
23: The Booby Traps
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Humans have been digging moats, slingshotting arrows, poisoning food, and laying spikes for thousands of years — and modern day booby traps are still alive and well. But what do an Indiana Jones-inspired hot tub contraption and a haunted house’s 20-gauge shotgun have in common? Vengeance.
This episode starts the engine for Episode 24’s deep dive into self-defense,
22: The Boxers, A Bomb, and Dolly Mapp
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) There are 3 reasons one of the most important 4th Amendment rules in America exists as it does today: (1) Boxers in the criminal underworld, (2) A bomb in the house of famous boxing promoter Don King, and (3) Dollree "Dolly" Mapp - The young black woman who dated bad boys and stood up to an all-white police force in Baltimore...and won.
What started as a mobster/b
21: The Witness Protection Program
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) We protect the witnesses from the public, but who protects the public from the witnesses? Peek behind the curtain of the Witness Protection Program and prepare to be shocked, afraid, and bamboozled. Take cover with Reb and start questioning everything and everyone in United States v. Wilson (1981).
**CONTENT WARNING at 58:52 for violence against children**
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SOURC
20: The Man Who Begged To Be Beheaded
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Most people would like to keep their heads. Thomas Donaldson isn't one of them. This mathematician and computer scientist wanted his cut off, and he wanted it to be done while he was still alive.
Bring a warm jacket and follow Reb into the frozen head refrigerator for Donaldson v. Lungren (1992).
INTRO/REB CHAT: 0:00-19:32
CASE STARTS: 19:32
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Learn more abou
19: Housewives For Chemical War
(WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Breathing through chemical smoke has been described as “drowning on dry land.” When one imagines chemical warfare, they often imagine a striking image of filthy soldiers choking in trenches on the frontlines through thick fogs of yellow-green gas.
In 1993, the Convention on Chemical Weapons sought to end chemical warfare as we know it.
20 years later, the inter
17: The Cadaver Meet And Greet
Plug your nose and cross your heart - a rotting corpse is on the stand. 1,126 years ago, Rome was going through Popes like napkins at a BBQ cook-off. Most of them were killed, tortured, maimed, spit on...by each other. Eventually, Desperate Housewives and the Catholic Church collided to exhume a body and strap him to a chair. Why did we put a dead body on trial in 897 AD...and again in 2013? Oh, a
18: The Airman Is Alive
Pararescue is the most highly decorated Air Force-enlisted force, executing the most perilous, demanding, and extreme rescue missions at anytime, anywhere around the globe. Their motto is: "These Things We Do, That Others May Live." Pararescue Staff Sergeant James D. Pou was so legendary, he became the "gold standard" for how the Air Force drills its trainees. He died a hero.
So why did the Jun
16: The (Rhymes With Corn-O) Trolling Law Firm
Illinois attorneys John Steele and Paul Hansmeier had an X-rated dream: to represent the “little guys”. The wrongfully accused? The juvenile delinquents? The small businesses? Porn production companies, of course. What started out as a seemingly legitimate copyright business model snowballed into what Federal Judge Otis D. Wright II called “a porno trolling collective”. Yes, there are court transc
15: The U-Haul Family Dynasty
Pro Tip: When you become a billionaire overnight, use protection (or get coup insurance). The true story of the U-Haul family feud that lasted 40 years (and counting). Listen to Reb dodge brotherly punches in Shoen v. Shoen (1993).
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14: The Penalty Is Death
A prison break, the oldest biker gang in the world, 558 death sentences, a body in a river, and the man who tried to dodge death just to run straight into it. Twice. The Supreme Court in 1976 had no idea it would set off a chain of events worthy of a biopic and a newfound appreciation for Harley Davidsons, bro code, and a really catchy crime syndicate slogan.
Rev (Reb?) your engines. It's about t
13: The Dirty Liars
Since 1969, the police have been legally allowed to lie to you. Yes, you. About anything. Anywhere and everywhere. And they do. All the time. One of their favorite tricks is to use the “false evidence ploy” to convince you to take a lesser guilty plea instead of risking a trial. Despite millions of guilty pleas entered in this country based on deception and misinformation, the Supreme Court has re
12: The Smile And Wave, Boys (How To Get Away With Burglary)
Never underestimate the power of a smile and a slow walk during a good old-fashioned B&E. Learn your way around the thin, thin lines between burglary, larceny, robbery, and Goldie Locks catching a felony charge. Reb unpacks why a burglary defendant with yard work to do got his conviction overturned in State v. Bertram (2023).
WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@RebuttalPod
Follow @Rebuttal
11: The Kidnapper Who Sued His Hostages
A fugitive wanted for murder stares at two newlyweds through a window on their back porch in Dover, Kansas on a Saturday morning in 2009. He makes them an offer: $10,000 to hide him, please. Cheetos, Dr. Pepper, and a Robin Williams movie seal the deal. Or did it? In State v. Dimmick, Reb begs you to either get it in writing or lock your door.
CASE STARTS: 4:50
WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: https
10: The Tribal Lands and The Blood On Our Hands
Today, there are over five million Native Americans in the United States, 22% of whom live on reservations. Native American women are murdered at a rate 10x the national average, and are 2.5x more likely to be victims of sexual assault. A majority of these violent crimes are perpetrated by non-tribal members on Tribal Lands, and over half of them are never investigated or prosecuted. Why? Reb has
9: The Man Who Burned 8,000 Bodies
The 1980s were a lawless time for the funeral home community. This is the insane true story of David Sconce, the mortician who would stop at nothing to corner the market on death in the City of Angels. Listen to Reb dodge burning feet and murder conspiracies in People v. Sconce.
CASE BEGINS: 10:20
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WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/neF3ie5dtbA
Follow @RebuttalPod on Instagram an
8: The President and His Captives (Torture, Guantánamo, and The Legal Blackhole)
The Guantánamo Bay detention center is a 45-mile stretch of land the U.S. has leased from Cuba since the Spanish-American War. After 9/11, President Bush needed a place where Due Process, the courts, and lawyers couldn't reach 780 men and boys, many of whom were sold to the U.S. military for a $5,000 bounty. Who and what have we kept at Guantánamo Bay for the last 22 years? Terrorists? No. A legal
BONUS: Pride and Prejudice (and The Men Who Sued Women For...Dating Them...)
Trigger Warnings: Graphic descriptions of execution by lethal injection and men who whine on the record. In that order.
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U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts, the *first* openly gay federal judge in the U.S. (!!!): https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/annual-observances/pride-month
Support the Human Rights Defense Center: https://www.humanrightsdefensecenter.o
7: The Liar, The Moose, and The Plane Crash
Our powers in the sky (the NTSB and the FAA) apparently think liars are more dangerous than absolutely terrible pilots. Crack open a bottle of wine and listen to a pilot horror story. Fly at your own risk. Hopefully the moose waves back at us before we hit a mountain. Reb flies you through clear, Alaskan, pathological skies in U.S. v. Kirst (2022).
WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/6c4HX85g1wk
6: Human Fireballs and The Cursed Water Bottle
Deadly weapons are between our legs, trains, and automobiles. Yep, you read that right. Reb gives us a front row seat to three freak "accidents" that will convince you the universe hates some people a little more than most. Buckle up.
Follow @RebuttalPod on Instagram and @Rebmasel on TikTok :)
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WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/pqNYYww8nQw
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5: Is Eating People Wrong? PART 2
Reb picks up where we left off in Part 1. The cannibals have been saved....Or so they thought. Hear how the 1883 murder case of Regina v. Dudley & Stephens shaped the defense of "necessity" and decided, once and for all, that eating people is........?
WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/NLpgPmRaZFo
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SOURCE: "Is Eating People Wrong?" by Allan C. Huchinson.
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FOLLOW REB ON:
4: Is Eating People Wrong? PART 1
In 1883, one rich lawyer's dream of being in a yacht club ends with the answer to a very important legal question: "Is eating people wrong?" Reb takes us back to a controversial case on the sea that changed criminal law forever.
REB'S LIFE UPDATE: 0:00 to 9:20
CASE STARTS: 9:20-
WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/N2TLONFBQBs
Follow @RebuttalPod on Instagram and @Rebmasel on TikTok :
3: The Body Behind A Wall
In 2004, Taruk Ben-Ali left his new wife to start a new life....somewhere else. At least, that's what his dad said. Reb shows you what's behind a dad's love and a very thin wall in the case of Estate of Ben-Ali (2013).
WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/KnbEgRWcgSw
Follow @RebuttalPod on Instagram and @Rebmasel on TikTok :)
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BONUS: The Lumberjack Hero and The Diaper Shootout
A lumberjack, a frying pan, a diaper, a shootout, and a fridge that severed a hand.
**Select BONUS EPISODES will be available in video format to future Patreon subscribers at a later date**
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SUPPORT CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM HERE: https://givingcompass.org/topics/criminal-justice?subcategories=criminal-justice
AND HERE: https://www.sentencingproject.org
SUPPORT PUBLIC DEFENSE HERE:
2: The French Fry That Put Kids In Jail
On October 23, 2000, 12-year old Ansche Hedgepeth ate a single french fry in the Tenleytown-AU Metro station in Washington, D.C. on her way home from Alice Deal Junior High. Within seconds, she was in handcuffs. Why? Because a D.C. law dared to ask a simple question: "What if we just...arrested all the kids?"....Reb unpacks Hedgepeth v. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit.
[TW: ARREST OF MINOR C
1: TSA and The One Who (Almost) Got Away
What is a “sterile area” of an airport? What happens if a man enters one, poses as a foreign ambassador, and then flies with a mystery pouch from Chicago to LA? Does that man at least have a G&T on the plane before the FBI starts scrambling? Reb breaks it all down in United States v. Flint.
WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/4wBpED4AXv8
Follow @RebuttalPod on Instagram and @Rebmasel
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