Justice is Served?
Remember Amy Beck? The former middle school teacher sentenced to two years in prison for carrying on a seven-month affair with a student is back in the news. Apparently, nearly a full year after the conclusion of her sentencing, the family of the student is now suing her husband for threatening the 14- year-old after discovering the two in his home. Oh yeah, and Beck’s husband is an LAPD officer.
Maybe I’m alone in this, but it seems to me that Officer Beck had perhaps the most understandable reaction of all time. Although he threatened the kid’s life and, according to reports, invoked the use of his LAPD-issued weapon, nowhere does it say that the officer made any sort of physical action or did anything more than make a aggressive, surely frightening, but verbal threat.
I don’t know what it will say about the L.A. judicial system if Officer Beck is found guilty, but it certainly doesn’t strike me as the pursuit of justice when the student’s family attempts to cash in on a husband’s reasonable dismay.
- Comment (17)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
Comments :
Oct '10
Re: Justice is Served?
Once upon a time, there was a thing called a crime of passion. Beck would have killed the rotten kid, along with his rotten wife, and society would have understood why it happened. Not that he would have been treated as a hero, simply that there would be a degree of sympathetic response. Now, we reserve our passion for sports, politics and American Idol. Wow, what a surprise that this is where we are.
May '10
Re: Justice is Served?
While I'm sure the 14 yo got high fives all the way around (sorry, ladies, but that's the way it is), it seems to me that Mrs. Beck acted most reprehensibly, the teenager is next on the list, and the cuckolded husband is last. In fact, Officer Beck is most unambiguously the victim, and it's jarring that the teenager's family doesn't feel enough shame that they just wouldn't want to slink away.
What gall.
Dec '10
Re: Justice is Served?
I agree with both comments. This is a classic crime of passion but what we are witnessing is classic jackpot justice. The family should act the way Ottoman Umpire suggests, the real possibility of bigtime money (and no loser pays) leads to the action we see here.
In fact, if he weren't LAPD, this wouldn't be a problem because they wouldn't be able to sue anybody but him personally and the money wouldn't be worth it.
May '10
Re: Justice is Served?
Agreed.
Incidentally, I recently saw some show on the History Channel (semi-reliable) in which it was said that the first time the "temporary insanity" or "crime of passion" defense was used in America was to protect a D.C. politician who shot his wife's lover... days after catching them in the act and while accompanied by a friend.
Figures.
Aug '10
Re: Justice is Served?
Tweak the story a little so the 14 year old is a girl and the police officer is the wife of the adult abuser.I suspect the abuser would be in the early stages of a much longer prison sentence,the girl would be seen only as a victim and there would be no lawsuit or other action against the wife. Now imagine the above scenario but the wife shoots the husband. In that situation I think the wife would lose her job, face criminal charges to enormous outcry,would plea bargain for minimal time (if any) then make a fortune selling her story, and would be a feminist icon.Of course if one were to add in a dollop of racial politics to the mix, the dynamic would change even further.
Re: Justice is Served?
Yep. The only words out of that family's mouth should be, "Thank you for not killing our son."
Aug '10
Re: Justice is Served?
I accept that the gender of the 14 year old is a relevant factor in itself, but I do see how a boy of that age could have his head "messed up" by a relationship with an adult woman. I dread to think what it would do to my own 14 year old (after his parents were finished with him). Anyway, the way he talks about his teachers, I think we are safe enough from that particular scenario.
Jul '10
Re: Justice is Served?
He's fourteen. He's not "committed" to his wife. "Thank You for not killing your spouse."
Jul '10
Re: Justice is Served?
I think the parents have told us all we need to know about this kid and his family upbringing. Tell me there is a divorce in process and the marriage has produced no issue.
Nov '10
Re: Justice is Served?
A lawsuit of this type has to specify that the plaintiff sustained some loss or "damage". It then must request compensation for that damage, or performance of some act to rectify the loss (I know that second part leaves the door open for some very clever posts--bring it on dudes). The stories I've read so far haven't mentioned either requisite element, so now I'm curious to see what lingering harm the kid's parents claim was done to their darling by Officer Beck that eclipses the harm done by his wife, whom they chose not to sue.
...and so my irrational dislike for anything Californian becomes more rational each day.
Dec '10
Re: Justice is Served?
I just Googled a photo of Amy Beck. Sorry, not that hot. But my taste at 14 wasn't as good as it is now.
As to the situation under discussion. Amy Beck is a skank. The fourteen year old boy is a fourteen year old boy that did what most fourteen year old boys would do given the opening. The husband showed restraint and good sense by not setting himself up for prison over his skank wife's behavior. The boy's parents are skeevy opportunists and so is their skeevy lawyer.
Good topic for a Saturday night though.
Jan '11
Re: Justice is Served?
This is about Tort reform.
If Mr. Beck worked for Joe's Tool & Die. No lawyer would try to sue such shallow pockets. I suspect the lawsuit exists because the Weasel Family thinks they can prove Mr. Beck was representing Los Angeles when he discovered the situation.
Aug '10
Re: Justice is Served?
This happen to be the same lawyer who is representing the guy who is suing a Las Vegas escort service for not properly enjoying the sex provided to him in his drunken state?
I really didn't appreciate the Hangover movie, guess past is prologue.
I didn't look at this Amy Beck, but any fourteen year old boy would have chased this teacher.
Why is there much so attention paid to this trash ? What is the attraction of the media to such a story ? Why was so much of this junk never mentioned in the past ? Weird uncles, sexy stepmoms, etc. is it just a victimization trend or "advocates in search of employment" ?
Edited on Jan 23, 2011 at 9:48amJul '10
Re: Justice is Served?
J. C. Casteel: A lawsuit of this type has to specify that the plaintiff sustained some loss or "damage". It then must request compensation for that damage, or performance of some act to rectify the loss (I know that second part leaves the door open for some very clever posts--bring it on dudes). The stories I've read so far haven't mentioned either requisite element, so now I'm curious to see what lingering harm the kid's parents claim was done to their darling by Officer Beck that eclipses the harm done by his wife, whom they chose not to sue.
...and so my irrational dislike for anything Californian becomes more rational each day. · Jan 22 at 10:03pm
In a Rational World you are correct.
But in the world of LawSuit Lotto, all you have to do is convince 12 people who couldn't come up with a valid excuse to dodge Jury Duty that they should feel sorry for you and... Viola MILLIONS!
$ $
( ^ )
----
Money, it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands
and make a dash
Nov '10
Re: Justice is Served?
Jaydee_007
In a Rational World you are correct.
But in the world of LawSuit Lotto, all you have to do is convince 12 people who couldn't come up with a valid excuse to dodge Jury Duty that they should feel sorry for you and... Viola MILLIONS!
$ $
( ^ )
----
Money, it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands
and make a dash · Jan 23 at 10:15am
You're absolutely correct--especially in California, where you can't tell a jury pool from a Price Is Right audience.
I know that the most entertaining part of any civil lawsuit paperwork is the description of loss or damages. A quick reading of those few sentences will usually tell any reasonable person whether the suit has some substance, or if the plaintiff is rolling the dice. I'd just like to see what they're gambling on, and what they think the payoff will be.
Hope they come up snake eyes.
May '10
Re: Justice is Served?
I expect adults to act like adults, and kids to be stupid like kids (as I was as a kid, generally as wth most kids). From the description, there were no adults involved at all.
Did this cuckolded idiot really think that the kid had taken advantage of the helpless wife? A pox on all their houses.
May '10
Re: Justice is Served?
What the parents should have said is, "Thank you for not killing my kid. Now please avert your eyes while I thrash the livin' daylights out of him." BTW, where were his parents when while he was carrying on? And that teacher. Ech! She needs to be pilloried.