The story of Ethan Couch and the Affluenza Defense This week’s assignment is related to the following two videos which cover the story of Ethan Couch, a Texas 16 year old who killed four people and injured nine others while speeding and driving drunk after stealing beer:
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/53832024/#538320 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/11/us/texas-teen-dwi-wreck/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Before posting to the Discussion be sure to read the Week 7 Discussion Instructions posted in the Week 7 Module. Please respond to the following question:
Considering the Affluenza defense, do you think his parents should be held criminally responsible, civilly (financially) responsible, both, or neither? Why or why not?
When responding, remember to make a connection to course material in addition to keeping in mind the following:
The story of Ethan Couch and the Affluenza Defense Writing Guidelines
If a minor child causes damage to someone’s property, the parents are financially responsible.
If a loved one dies at the hands of someone else (murder, manslaughter, etc.) you can sue the responsible party for monetary damages in civil court on the grounds that you are experiencing “pain and suffering” because that loved one is no longer in your life.
Writing Guidelines
Your reply to the prompt question should be 4-6 sentences.
Your reply should be connected somehow to the online lecture material (the guided
PowerPoint) you listened to this week.
If your reply doesn’t make some connection
to THIS WEEK’S online course material you will earn none of the 7 points allotted
to your original post.
For clarity and ease of grading, it can be as simple as beginning with, “As mentioned in the Guided PowerPoint . . .” or as unoriginal as, “In the PPT, I learned that . . .” If all you present is common knowledge and/or your opinion, you will earn no points.
This assignment is not a blog in which you simply express your thoughts.
You need to show that you learned something from the online material and can apply it to the prompt question. I’m not looking for a specific answer but rather some indication that you thoughtfully considered what you’ve learned and used that information to support your position.
