McAfee – the completely sane guy, not the biz – told to fork out $25m over 'torture, murder' of his Belize neighbor

John McAfee has been ordered to cough up $25m for the wrongful death of Gregory Faull, his former neighbor in Belize, but refuses to pay and claims he has no assets. The decision [PDF] by a US federal district judge in Florida was entered by default after former antivirus baron McAfee refused to respond to the lawsuit, brought …

[Anonymous Coward]

Something about Antivirus software

Makes anyone associated with it crazy.

[Sorry that handle is already taken.]

Re: Something about Antivirus software

I think it might have been the bath salts

[Allan George Dyer]

Re: Something about Antivirus software

Huh, don't believe it. I'm perfectly sane.

Seriously, why does John McAfee still get tagged as an antivirus guy? He resigned from McAfee Associates in 1994, so that's a quarter century. As for making people crazy, he was pretty unstable all along, from the accounts of him pulling out his gun during business meetings.

[Dave 126]

Re: Something about Antivirus software

> Seriously, why does John McAfee still get tagged as an antivirus guy?

It seems to be a shorthand that an individual is noted for what first made their name unless they've achieved something bigger since. So Steve Wozniak is still referred to as Apples co-founder, whereas Elon Musk is known as that Tesla or SpaceX guy and not PayPal's co-founder. Just a theory.

[Allan George Dyer]

Re: Something about Antivirus software

@Dave 126 - "unless they've achieved something bigger"

I tend to agree, but it doesn't have to be a positive achievement. In this case, I argue his achievements in bat-shit craziness have far outstripped his short founding role in the antivirus area.

[Arthur the cat]

Re: Something about Antivirus software

In this case, I argue his achievements in bat-shit craziness have far outstripped his short founding role in the antivirus area.

Agreed, but most people aren't going to refer to him as "the bat-shit crazy guy, McAfee" in case of libel suits (or something worse involving Tasered genitals).

[Korev]

Re: Something about Antivirus software

He was a on the board of ZoneAlarm a few years ago. Wikipedia suggests he's had more recent ventures too.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Something about Antivirus software

Seriously, why does John McAfee still get tagged as an antivirus guy?

I don't know, but I expect it's the same reason that Bill Gates still gets referred to as the boss of Microsoft

[Starace]

Non injunctive relief

What he really wants to start worrying about is that someone might take the $5000 solution to dealing with him rather than wasting time on the $25m option. All this dancing around only works against people who play nicely.

[Anonymous Coward]

Both in the wrong tbh

Faull for poisoning someone's dogs rather than leaving to the authorities and IF McAfee did it (has never been tried and convicted in criminal court yet he;s wrong for having the bloke tortured and killed.

HOWEVER poison the dog of an average dog owner, then I'd wager many would at least mull over the potential to do similar / take passive aggressive vengeance (keying car, gluing locks shut, leaving bricks lying around so ne'er do wells could chuck them through your windows etc....)

[JLV]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

>average dog owner

More and more the “average dog owner” is literally incapable of controlling his or her $3000 designer “fur baby”. Like when one poodle started heavily barking towards another in our elevator and the owner didn’t peep a word to calm it down.

My kids are always surprised when I act friendly towards real dogs (i.e. mutts) in the countryside rather than the yapping fashion accessory chihuahuas, pugs and sundry that are becoming the norm in big cities.

[Dave 126]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

I don't mistreat the pugs but I look at their owners with contempt for supporting the breeding of unhealthy animals. Some breeds have have difficulty breathing just to appeal to the aesthetic sense of idiots.

Mutts or carefully bred (i.e not inbred) working breeds are fine.

[CrazyOldCatMan]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

Some breeds have have difficulty breathing

<Rant>

And I blame the Kennel/Cat Clubs for mandating and enforcing breed standards - which lead to deformed, inbred freaks rather than healthy dogs. As an example - a lot of modern Dachsunds, if not bred on their first season (before the pelvis has fully ossified), have to have cesarians in order to deliver the pups since they have been specifically bred to be longer and longer - which has damaged the breed viability as a whole.

And don't get me started on the whole 'designer breed' thing. Breeding cats with dachsund-style legs is *not* a good thing - it's an abomination.

Give me a crossbreed[1] mutt any time.

</Rant>

[1] Or Jack Russels - they started of as crossbreed mutts anyway and the gene pool is big enough to keep them healthy. And if I were to get a GSD now, it sure as hell wouldn't be a British one - I'd go to Germany where they don't insist on having the stupid arch in the back and rear hips much lower than the front. Nice straight backs, healthy dogs.

[JLV]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

This.

Friend of mine got a purebred. Lived to 18 months, most of it starving, due to some canine version of Crohn’s, common in that breed. He’s quite proud of his 12 yr old second dog being a mutt.

There’s a reason even primitive humans have extremely strong taboos about incest and inbreeding. Some pure bred dogs live about 2 yrs less on average due to inherited defects. If you’re a dog lover, might wanna consider that beforehand - animals are not toys.

Along with overfeeding Fido.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6115627/

[GruntyMcPugh]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

@JLV

Dogs bark. One of mine barks because he gets excited. It's not aggression. He wags his tail and barks.

[Dabooka]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

I think he gets that dogs bark, it mire the yapping of little bags fo fur that are seen as essential along with rose gold iPhones and boggo Audi A3 1.4 diesels with 'S-Line' badges.

I'm of the same opinion. I like dogs that do what dogs do, paired up with owners that understand a) their pet and b) that not everyone else necessarily appreciates them. Expecting me to indulge in their decision to not control, train or restrain (when needed) is not really on.

[GruntyMcPugh]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

@Dabooka "restrain (when needed)"

I feel kids singing need to be restrained, but you know, am, not enough of a curmudgeon to tell them to shut their yap. Kids sing, dogs bark, we bite our tongue.

[Eddy Ito]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

It's not aggression. He wags his tail and barks.

Thing is that never passes with cops, they'll always shoot the dog on spec. They've even been known to shoot dogs that have been locked in a cage because it's the easiest thing to do. For that matter, cops and dogs don't mix at all, cops are just too trigger happy.

[MrDamage]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

That's because the only authority the dog recognises, is that of its owner, and not the cop.

Cop's are scared of anyone who refuses to recognise their authority, and will take drastic steps to show how brave they are.

[Eddy Ito]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

That makes sense. Good thing these cops didn't mistake their duty weapon for the air-soft "training aids" like the often do with their tazer.

[CrazyOldCatMan]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

chihuahuas, pugs and sundry

They are all still dogs and will respond in (largely) the same way as bigger dogs. And they are still 'real' dogs - it's not their fault that they are owned by shallow, vapid owners who see them as fashion accessories.

Much like staffies - we've had a couple of half-staffies now and a more loyal dog you could never find. It's a real shame that, at the moment, they seem to be the 'hard nut dog of choice' (much like Rotties[1] were a while back) and owned by people who think it's amusing to give them minimal training - and most of that is in aggression.

Blame the owners, not the dogs.

[1] Our first dog[2] was a GSD-Rottie cross rescue (got at 3 months old). The most laid-back and unaggressive dog I've ever had. Then when he was 9 months old, we got a dobie-rottie cross to keep him company. In every matter apart from food, she ruled him with a paw of iron and he loved it. Then we inherited MiL's staffie-JR cross and miniture dachshund when she shuffled off. The one most likely to bite was the dachshund..

[2] I grew up with Boxer dogs. Wonderful dogs but somewhat exhausing to keep up with.. Like Staffies, they have a very stong protective drive.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

The one most likely to bite was the dachshund.

That doesn't surprise me in the least. Their key weapon is their cute looks - they lull you into a false sense of security, and then that's when they strike.

[Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese]

Re: Both in the wrong tbh

I used to have a dachshund/beagle cross who was, to be fair, fairly placid. I used to refer to him as an attack dog, as in if I said "attack" he had one.

[Anonymous Crowbar]

Re: Duff batch spotted

I am not a dog guy. Actually I pretty much disliked dogs for a long time.

That is until my housemate got a Staffie. Pure bred. And she is one of the most relaxed, laid back animal I have ever met. She never barks, unless it as birds, or Nemesis [A dog across the road, that barks a lot. Seems she is sick of him :P]

[Diogenes]

US Court ?

How does a US court get any say in anything that happened in Belize ?

[lowwall]

Re: US Court ?

Hardly a reach. Party being sued is a US citizen who is physically located in the US.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: US Court ?

Only if there is any benefit to them!

[Alex Read]

I don't get it... why if he's guilty isn't there jail time but just a fine? :cS

[T. F. M. Reader]

just a fine

No need to prove anything "beyond reasonable doubt" in a civil procedure, unlike in a criminal trial. Accordingly, a defendant can't be deprived of liberty, only of money.

Hmm... Technically he wasn't even proven guilty, I suppose, as he lost by default.

IANAL.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: just a fine

Not even that - at least not in UK law (I can't understand US law it seems to be at the whim of the Judge of the day), but I suspect the sentiment is the same. I.e. in a civil case it is just balance of probabilities (usually best lawyer's arguments) whereas in criminal it is much higher and is presumed innocent unless they can be found guilty 'beyond reasonable doubt' - any doubt that they might not be guilty that is reasonable means they remain innocent.

The fact that if you don't defend means you automatically lose in a civil case also points more towards guilty (or at least liable) unless you can convince otherwise.

[Eddy Ito]

Re: just a fine

He didn't show up or even respond so there wasn't anything to balance. Given only one side to the lawsuit, what else could the judge do?

[Anonymous Coward]

Money.

[Dabooka]

Did the whole OJ Simpson thing pass you by?

I dunno, maybe you're too young, but check this out.

[sisk]

I don't get it... why if he's guilty isn't there jail time but just a fine?

It's not a fine. Wrongful death is a civil case, not a criminal one. The money won't be going to the government but to the plaintiffs of the case.

Also, there's no burden of proof in civil cases, and even if there were it wouldn't matter in this particular case because he didn't bother to show up to the court date. If you don't show up to a civil court date in the US you lose. That simple.That's what they mean by a default judgement.

[Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese]

burying himself in sand on the beach and putting a cardboard box over his head

It's not even 10am, but I'm willing to bet that's the best phrase I read all day.

[Robert Helpmann??]

What's in a Name

A few years ago, I designed and deployed a McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator module for a customer whose contract I was on. I wanted to title it "John" but had to go with something more prosaic. Lesson learned. I will use "John" as the internal name for anything of this nature I write so it will live on in the code even if the display name is different.

[Korev]

Re: What's in a Name

Or what about "Bath salts"

[dshan]

A New Career for Former Anti-Virus Guy

President of the USA. He sure talks like the current president, his business acumen and behaviour are comparable, and his sanity is as well grounded. And he sure seems like a "counter puncher" just like dear old Donny.

[A Nonny Moose]

Re: A New Career for Former Anti-Virus Guy

He did have a go last time, but I think he was deemed too sane and trustworthy

[hatti]

It sniff wasn't sniff me sniff guv!