In 1971 a plaintiff filed a pauper’s suit in U.S. District Court, on behalf of himself and all other similarly situated, against Satan and his servants. Plaintiff alleged that Satan had “threatened him, caused him misery, impeded his course in life, and generally precipitated his downfall”. His suit was unsuccessful, the court denying him relief on the grounds that (a) it had “serious doubts that the complaint reveals a cause of action upon which relief can be granted”; (b) there were no allegations of defendant’s residence in the district; and (c) if allowed, the Court could not determine if the plaintiff would “fairly protect the interests of the class”. The Court also noted that plaintiff had not provided instructions as to how to serve process upon the defendant. The case may be found at U.S. ex rel. Gerald Mayo v. Satan And His Staff, 54 F.R.D. 282 (1971).

One thing seems clear: if the suit had been allowed to proceed, the Prince of Darkness probably would have had no trouble putting together a ‘dream team’ of defense lawyers!