5 Times the Easter Bunny Got Into a Tussle With the Law
Written by Cooper & Friedman PLLC on March 29, 2023
As we approach the festive, chocolate buzz-bringing holiday of Easter on April 9th, many people might be hopping over to the grocery store and picking up some goodies, popping some boiled eggs into dye, or getting their Easter ham ready for baking. But the kiddos, they’re putting carrots and milk out in hopes to find a nibble taken out of it in the morning from none other than the Easter Bunny.
While the Easter Bunny might be a cute concept regarding what we hear in the old fairytale, the ones we encounter in real life can be much more off-putting. Whether it’s the way suit-makers always manage to mar the face into a less-than-welcoming scowl or the feeling of a human body covered by a layer of polyester and (hopefully) fake fur that is much thinner than it looks, Easter Bunny characters can be quite a threatening presence.
However, other than the occasional tear shed by a frightened child or a disappointing performance by the under-paid worker underneath the costume, they don’t pose a real threat, usually.
Usually.
There are exceptional cases, as with most situations, and the Easter Bunny has been caught by the ears a couple of times. Here’s 5 times that the Easter Bunny has gotten into trouble with the law!
1. Attack of the Concerned Father
Located in the Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City, New Jersey, paws were shown in 2016 when a protective father didn’t like the way his 1 year old daughter was neglected. After taking a photo with the guest of honor, the infant was mishandled and fell out of the seat, which the father took issue with and decided to settle with his fists.
After they were separated, both the bunny and the child’s father were charged with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct on top of their individual outstanding warrants (the bunny’s having been for “fare hopping,” which we found apt). Read the whole story here!
2. The Loyal Bunny Boyfriend Brawl
Stretching back to 2006, another mall scuffle broke out, but this time at the Edison Mall in Fort Myers, Florida. In this situation, the Easter Bunny may not have started the fight, but it certainly willingly involved itself. When the manager of this photo-op stage closed the place down 15 minutes early, a parent began questioning why and ended up being punched in the face by the closing manager.
Unfortunately for the inquiring mother, the man in the bunny suit happened to be the manager’s beau and quickly stepped in to back up his lovely lady, resulting in both of their arrests. After claiming that the crowd of parents had become a mob when he and his girlfriend tried to close down at the proper time, and that they had acted in self-defense, a dozen or so eye-witnesses refuted his story and the Easter Bunny ended up charged with misdemeanor battery and breach of the peace. Read more here!
3. The Tale of the Well-Meaning, Intervening Bunny
Another Florida incident, in Orlando this time – and one of the more recent ones, as well. In 2019, surveillance tapes caught a fight that started between a man and a woman outside of their car. Our Easter Bunny in question, who was walking home in his suit, happened to walk by the altercation and stepped in to try and break it up, as well as to prevent the man from harming the woman.
When the police arrived, no arrests were made at the scene, but our seemingly heart-of-gold rabbit had a darker past, with outstanding warrants in South Brunswick, New Jersey from car burglarizing in 2018, armed robbery in 2017, and various other harassment cases. Unfortunately for the police, by the time this was discovered, the bunny had hightailed it out of there. Read the full story here!
4. Australia’s Zoom of Doom for the Beloved Rabbit
In 2020, the entire country of Australia brought the Easter Bunny to court, with an intended Zoom hearing that would put the rabbit on the stand in front of Australia’s Chief Justice, as well as all the other Justices. Fortunately for children around the world, this was a fun prank, and there was no “real” person charged. The fantastical bearer of chocolate, however, was faced with charges that include:
- Trespass
- Misleading and deceptive conduct
- Defamation
- Negligence
- Equity
- False imprisonment
- Breach of contract
- Breach of pacta sunt servanda
- Bribing jurors
To read all the funny, light-hearted reasonings behind this furry menace’s charges, see the LSJ article here!
5. The Boston Booking
A bunny behind bars! The Easter Bunny was caught on camera in the back of a Boston police cruiser on Easter weekend back in 2016. Cited for not having a permit for its Easter Eggs, pawprints were inked, but the Easter Bunny was thankfully released shortly after, with the station assuring the public that someone had come in with a handful of carrots and bailed the bunny out.
Check out the story and the tweet!
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Whether your child was injured, you were injured, someone was harassed, discriminated against, or experienced police misconduct, Cooper and Friedman is here for you, Easter Bunny or none. Call us for a free consultation, and we’ll make sure that your case is handled professionally and successfully, so that you get the compensation you deserve!
If you or someone you love has been the victim of personal injury, child injury, workplace injury, harassment, discrimination, police misconduct, or other in the State of Kentucky and are in need of an experienced injury attorney, give the lawyers at the Cooper & Friedman law firm a call. The attorneys at Cooper and Friedman PLLC have over 50 years of combined experience defending the rights of Kentucky victims. Contact us with questions you might have or schedule a free case consultation with an attorney by calling 502-459-7555 today.