In 1989, a class-action lawsuit was filed in the state of New York against Jimmy and Billy Lee as well as their employer at the time, Taito. The suit claimed that while ostensibly rescuing a lady friend of theirs, the two brothers went on a rampage across the streets of New York City and Central Park, abusing anyone they came across.

Participants in the suit, including people whom the defendants claimed were pimps, thugs and whores too strung on drugs to recall events clearly, nevertheless showed compelling evidence at the trial. These including photographs of injuries and screen grabs produced by notables from the game including Linda Kosmoski, Chet “Roper” Jennings and Bertilino “Bolo” Bonzerelli.

One issue that came up in the trial would later become legal precedent in videogame cases: the so-called “Cardboard Box defense” was used to establish that one kind of “weapon” used against the plaintiffs was cardboard boxes. The defense argued that the plaintiffs could never have meant serious harm to anyone suing them if one of the methods they used was to hurl empty boxes.

Before the trial could conclude, the case was settled out of court and the 131 plaintiffs in the case each received a copy of the Super NES version of Double Dragon and the rights to any film made about the case. A film was eventually made out of Double Dragon, but none of the plaintiffs saw a dime when the producers decided to make an action film instead of a legal thriller.