Lawsuit of the Day: I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream
The dispute between Tremayne Durham and Rob Chambers started so innocently. Durham wanted to sell ice cream. Chambers makes ice cream trucks. Durham asked Chambers to make him an ice cream truck. Yay. Who wants a Bomb Pop?
But Durham changed his mind. He asked Chambers to refund him the $18,000 he paid to Chambers for the truck. Chambers demurred. Now Durham is suing Chambers for the money.
But suing Chambers wasn’t Durham’s first effort to recover his losses.
No, Durham’s first plan to get the $18,000 back involved kidnapping Chambers and his friend Adam Calbreath, holding Chambers hostage, and shooting Calbreath to death.
The lawsuit represents “Plan B.” KATU in Portland reports:
Durham still wants his money back, all $18,000 - even after he confessed to murdering Adam Calbreath. Calbreath was someone Chambers considered as a loyal friend. …Durham is serving 30 years for murdering Calbreath and taking Chambers hostage while shoving a gun in his stomach.
“He had said, ‘Look at what you made me do,’” Chambers recounts. “He said, ‘I’ve been robbing and killing people to get to you.’”
Can you imagine if this guy had actually gone through with his plan to sell frozen treats to children? How would he handle a kid who stiffed him a quarter? “Look what you made me do, I had to bury your mother alive while I was looking for her purse.”
It’d be as if Mr. Softee were suddenly replaced by Pennywise.
This isn’t the first time Durham’s made news. Details after the jump.
Some people might remember the name Tremayne Durham from back from when he pleaded guilty to the murder of Adam Calbreath. His plea deal was (not surprisingly) food-based:
Durham agreed to plead guilty to murder — but only if he could get a break from jail food. The judge agreed and granted Durham a feast of KFC chicken, Popeye’s chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, carrot cake and ice cream.After Wednesday’s sentencing, Durham was to get the rest of the deal — calzones, lasagna, pizza and ice cream, his defense attorney confirmed. They will pay the tab.
Despite Durham’s established history of psychotic behavior (who gets KFC when Popeye’s is available?), his jailhouse claim against Chambers for the $18,000 has been allowed to proceed, at least temporarily:
Since Chambers did not respond to letters from the court, an arbitrator already has ruled in Durham’s favor. But it’s not over. Chambers plans to be at a hearing Wednesday to face Durham once again, in court.“I’m not going to be the victim in this anymore,” Chambers said.
We’re all victims here, Mr. Chambers. I may never again be able to listen to this menacing tune with unbridled joy:
Murderer makes headway in suit against hostage [KATU]
Tremayne Durham, 33, Admits To Murder In Exchange For Junk Food [Huffington Post]
(36) Comments
Comments
i ate some ice cream yesterday, i couldn't believe how warm it was in ann arbor. it almost made me forget the crippling economy. then i remembered how dire the situation was...ice cream doesn't taste so good when it's mixed with tears.
:(
-nervous T-10 2L
FirsTTT
We have this nasty associate from Boalt with horrible halitosis-- I'm going to start calling him Calbreath
30 years? What an injustice. Execute this guy.
Isn't that Elie's brother?
Elie - did it make you hungry to put all of the following words in the article:
"KFC chicken, Popeye’s chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, carrot cake and ice cream."
Isn't that your midday snack?
Hey, I want my chili cheese fritos!
WE'RE CLOSED FAT BOY.
Movie?
Don't even need to read this post.
If you just take one look at the victim's picture, you'll know that there were some racist cops who acted stupidly.
This story is hilarious. And reading it made me hungry for popeyes.
8
lol
Harry! Your hands are freezing!
7 -- Friday? right?
Dear Elle, nice Pennywise reference! - Bev Marsh
test
God I hate Nervous Top 10 2L
Holy shit, is that Chris "Ludacris" Bridges???
1 is such a downer.
he should be executed. Yes this is America, so this piece of shit gets an all he can eat buffet and the chance to move forward with his claim instead.
QUINN TREMAYNES
glock glock
Elie, I'm glad you think it's funny that a man was killed by this sociopath because he refused to provide Durham with Chambers' location. I usually mock the rightous indignation crowd in the comments, but this one crossed the line for me. I'm not going to blast you with the racist/profane invective you usually receive, but what I can do is tell you I truly hope you think about what is and isn't a joking matter and pledge to no longer visit this site, since traffic driven ad revenue is how you keep the lights on. Stay classy Mr. Mystal.
Tremayne Durham = my new ice cream czar.
Barack x.
Durham cries
The ice cream man dies
This is of interest to legal professionals?
We need to bomb ice cream back to the stoneage!
-DOJ Secure
You're a horrible person, Elie. This story was not funny. I pray for the victim's family.
Can someone start a petition to remove Elie as editor?
That plea bargain sounds wiggity wack. Trial counsel ably laying the groundwork for an appeal.
I can see and raise on the criminally obsessed mind.
Condensed version, client’s battery goes caput in California’s Lake Beyressa area.
Client’s leaves truck to be fixed. Bad battery is diagnosed, but recycled—client’s truck is installed with a reconditioned battery. Client’s battery is taken away to the sustainable battery junkyard in the sky.
Client insists on “my battery”, returns with .30-.30 rifle, hold s entire gas station captive at gun point.
Client is convicted of 4 counts (one for each person present) of false imprisonment, assault, and use of firearm.
Defendant does not do well on the stand. (You have no idea.)
Jury convicts.
Judge sentences defendant to 18 years in state prison.
At sentencing, defendant raises his hand, asks question:
“Your honor, how do I get my battery back?”
True story.
Seriously, people, how did Elie make light of a man's muder? It's a tabloid discussion of a horrible criminal being outrageously horrible by suing his victim. And yes, it is good clean fun to mock a criminal for an outrageous lack of remorse or moral sense.
But I do appreciate that at least one reader has shown what he feels is the uncommon decency of refraining from racist invective in criticizing the blog's writing. That really is a sign that America is finally healing old wounds.
He should counterclaim for intentional infliction of emotional distress seeking $18,000+ in damages...
I make it rain. I make it rain. I make it rain on them hoes....
A guy at my high school got his a$$ kicked by a broom wielding Ice Cream Truck driver. He was 17, and too embarrassed to tell his parents. He said he fell off his bike.
A good post, very helpful information.
http://www.lowerpainback.com/
"Where's my money!?," Durham cried,
As he squeezed the trigger, the ice cream man died.
Unclean hands, much?
STOP USING THE PHRASE "DETAILS AFTER THE JUMP."
Your readers are not imbeciles. Yes, this warrants the use of CAPS.
A good mental health consult was needed here, at least two decades ago. When will we admit that insanity is the problem.