The Batman first appeared when Detective Comics # 27 hit the newsstands in March 1939. To celebrate the last 80 years of adventures, we are organizing a mock trial inspired by Grant Morrison’s 1989 Graphic Novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.
We are seeking four to six law students to join us at San Diego Comic Fest, held on March 7 to 10, 2019, at the Four Points by Sheraton on Aero Drive in San Diego. The mock trial will be on March 9, 2019.
Here are the Facts for the Mock Trial: Harvey Dent had his silver dollar taken away as part of his treatment at Arkham Asylum. Psychotherapist Ruth Adams claimed Dent was being “cured” of his obsession with duality. Dent’s treatment was replacing his coin with a six-sided die and then Tarot cards. Dr. Adams next stage of treatment was to introduce Dent to I-Ching. Dr. Adams believed Dent would have a completely functional judgment facility that did not result in black and white absolutes.
Result of Treatment: Dent was unable to make basic decisions, such as when to go to the bathroom. The treatment left Dent hollow and sitting under a table the day the inmates took over asylum.
The Lawsuit: Attorneys retained by the Wayne Foundation have brought suit against Arkham Asylum, the late Arkham Administrator Charles Cavendish, Dr.Ruth Adams, and DOES 1-50, claiming that Harvey Dent’s treatment violated the 8th Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Attorneys for the state have brought a summary judgment motion on the grounds that Dent’s coin was not taken away as a form of punishment, but a form of treatment.
Attorneys retained by the Wayne Foundation on Dent’s behalf have brought suit against Arkham Asylum, the late Arkham Administrator Charles Cavendish, Dr.Ruth Adams, and DOES 1-50, claiming that Dent’s treatment violated the 8th Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Attorneys for the state will argue that Dent’s coin was not taken away as a form of punishment, but a form of treatment.
The two teams of law students will represent Plaintiff Harvey Dent and Defendant Arkham Asylum, et al. The law students will get to prepare their case with advice from practicing attorneys, prepare psychologists for witness examination, and argue their case before a Federal Judge.
