"The idiot defense" is a satirical term for a legal strategy where a defendant claims innocence by virtue of having been ignorant of facts of which the defendant would normally be expected to be aware. Other terms used for this tactic include "dumb CEO defense", "dummy defense", "ostrich defense", "Ken Lay defense", and "Sergeant Schultz defense". The first known instance of the idiot defense was by John Henry Stafford, a lawyer in Jackson, Tennessee who was also known as Yankee John. He used it in the defense of Marlin Heady, a moonshiner. The charges were all, allegedly, dropped.[citation needed]
The term was popularized as a result of a number of high-profile corporate accounting scandal defendants claiming that all wrongdoing was performed by others, without the defendant's knowledge or consent. Attorneys for these defendants claimed that their skill was in valuation and deal-making, and that they lacked the training to recognize fraudulent accounting practices they claimed that they would have needed. However, in many cases the defendants' subordinates testified that the defendants ordered them to falsify the accounts.
No major instances of the idiot defense being successful in criminal proceedings have been reported in American jurisprudence to date. Instead, all such uses are widely believed to have resulted in the defendants employing idiot defenses being found guilty on at least some, if not all, counts.[citation needed]
"The idiotdefense" is a satirical term for a legal strategy where a defendant claims innocence by virtue of having been ignorant of facts of which the...
explanations. Actual innocence Chewbacca defenseIdiotdefense King Kong defense The Matrix defense Twinkie defense "Shaggy's single is UK's best-seller"...
American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", and Best Musical Show Album for American Idiot: The Original...
"Idiot Stick" is a science fiction short story by American writer Damon Knight. It first appeared in a 1958 issue of Star Science Fiction and has been...
Two Idiots in Hollywood is a 1988 comedy film written and directed by actor Stephen Tobolowsky, based on his stage play of the same name. It stars Jim...
caught a glimpse of the wretch's face – with its mixture of suffering and idiot-like incomprehension. For a moment, I wished that the whole of Germany were...
Village Idiot, and I Married One". HarperCollins. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2008. It Takes A Village Idiot, And...
international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty signed in September 1954 in Manila...
Philippines. Office of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Retrieved July 3, 2018. "Miriam: Cha-cha OK if it disqualifies 'idiots' from presidential race". The...
Soviet influence on the peace movement U.S. Army Field Manual 30-31B Useful idiot Post-Soviet era Cyberwarfare on Estonia during the Russo-Georgian War Information...
and frequent employment of shock humor. Hetsroni served in the Israel Defense Forces before earning a bachelor's degree in psychology and cinema, followed...
the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2023. "'Absolute idiot' - Kiwi tourist saw US soldier's dash to North Korea". 1 News. July 19,...
that he famously defended himself to the media by saying, "I am not an idiot." Kent's career took off in San Francisco, starting in 1997. Immediately...
leather or some kind of metal armour, was a strategic part of a soldier's defense throughout the Middle Ages, but the advent of firearms made hand-to-hand...
Mancini poet Ligature, Æthel, Same Diff Eli Mandel 1922 1992 poet Trio, An Idiot Joy, The Family Romance Miriam Mandel 1930 1982 poet Lions at Her Face,...
application was denied. Chapman told the board, "I am sorry for being such an idiot and choosing the wrong way for glory.... I found my peace in Jesus. I know...
used a white snake instead. Terrified, he determines she is not only an idiot, but also insane. After the meetup, Kaiki tricks Nadeko's parents to have...
work as he's backing out the driveway, he is delayed by a fender-denting idiot who turns out to be none other than John Kaylor. Steve doesn't quite like...
Idiots Deluxe is a 1945 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly...
watches a sitcom on television. Jim thinks the father is portrayed as an idiot who needs his wife to always save the day. The next day, Jim's friend Ed...
something to get it to #1." Stilla responded to Khalifa, calling her an idiot. A statement by the artists said, "We are happy for the conversation the...
appeared in the films I Love You, Man (2009), The Social Network (2010), Our Idiot Brother (2011), The Muppets (2011), Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012), which...
Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2012. Complete Idiot's Guide to Basketball. Entertainment Weekly Seinfeld Companion Livingston...
2005 journalist David Scofield of Asia Times called members of KFA "useful idiots" and described the organization as follows: The group's activities include...
Global Information