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Katko v. Briney
Citation:
183 N.W. 2d 657 (Iowa 1971)Facts
Katko (Plaintiff) broke into an uninhabited house owned by Briney (Defendant), and he was injured by a spring gun trap that the defendants had set up in the home to protect their protect from intruders. The trap included a wire that was connected to both a doorknob and the gun’s trigger. The gun would fire once the door to the bedroom was opened, and no warning of the spring gun’s presence was posted. The defendants argued that they were entitled to use the trap to defend their property.
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