Back in 2013, the Fort Worth suburb of Burleson, Texas, was the scene of a gruesome car crash. As the Cleburne Times-Review reported, the crash left multiple people dead and multiple others injured. Ethan Couch (above), who was 16 years old at the time, had been driving under the influence, and he was charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter. In a move that caused nationwide outrage, his attorneys claimed that he was suffering from “affluenza” — a portmanteau of the words “affluence” and “influenza” (per USA Today). In other words, his wealthy parents had raised him with zero boundaries, and as such, he had little grasp of the concept of responsibility. The judge agreed and, in a move that caused even further outrage, sentenced Couch to probation (via The New York Times).
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That would have been the end of Couch’s legal problems had he laid low and kept his nose clean, but a few months later, a video of him partying appeared on social media (per Reuters). That was a probation violation, and authorities were keen to put him behind bars. Instead, however, he and his mother fled the country.
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