A lawyer has asked that Satan be dismissed as a defendant in a federal lawsuit here, contending that the devil doesn’t do enough business in Arkansas.

John Wesley Hall Jr., the devil’s advocate, asked U.S. District Judge George Howard Jr. last week to drop Satan as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Ralph P. Forbes of London, Ark.

Forbes, an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate, filed the lawsuit the day before Halloween, seeking to bar public schools from observing the rites of Satan on the holiday.

Forbes filed the lawsuit on behalf of himself, Jesus Christ and minor children. The defendants named were Satan, some units of government, the Russellville School District and a state education official.


In seeking the dismissal, Hall contended that there is no proof that Satan transacted business, owned property or committed any torts in Arkansas.