I had this one forwarded to me by a friend. Enjoy.

**Author Unknown**


Remember when a New Mexico jury awarded $ 2.9 million U.S. in damages to 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who suffered third-degree burns to her legs,lap and buttocks after spilling a cup of McDonald's coffee on herself?

This case inspired an annual award - The "Stella" Award - for the most
screwed-up lawsuit in the U.S. The ones listed below are clear candidates.
(And possibly urban myths -- JF)

1. January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running amok inside a furniture store.

The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict,
considering the misbehaving toddler was Ms. Robertson's son.
================================================== ===================

2. June 1998: 19-year old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda
Accord.
Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car, when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.
================================================== ===================

3. October 1998: Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage.
He was not able to get the garage door to go up, because the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation.
Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food.

Mr. Dickson sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of half a million dollars.
================================================== ==================

4. October 1999: Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced-in yard,as was Mr. Williams.

The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog may have been provoked by Mr. Williams who, at the time, was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.
================================================== ===================

5. May 2000: A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania $113,500 after she slipped on a soft drink and broke her coccyx.

The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson threw it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.
================================================== ==================

6. December 1997: Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware successfully sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her two front teeth.

This occurred while Ms.Walton was trying to sneak through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.
================================================== ===================

7. And just so you know that cooler heads do occasionally prevail:
Kenmore Inc.,the makers of Dorothy Johnson's microwave, were found not
liable for the death of Mrs. Johnson's poodle after she gave it a bath and attempted to dry it by putting the poor creature in her microwave for "just a few minutes, on low."


The case was quickly dismissed.

As it should be !!!

================================================== ===============


Dennis https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=1733&.jpg



Please Don't Ask Me Any Tough Questions As:
"I'm Saving My Memory For When I Develop Alzheimer's"


78 F-150 429CJ,Silver
w/Explorer Pkge.
641/2-Mustang 260,Pre-World's Fair Car.
64-Fairlane500 S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang 289-Sunlit Gold 80,892Mi
78-Buick LeSabre 403 4V
84 Volvo DL Wagon

 

>3. October 1998: Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania
>was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of
>the garage.
>He was not able to get the garage door to go up, because the
>automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't
>re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and
>garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on
>vacation.
>Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight
>days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large
>bag of dry dog food.
>
>Mr. Dickson sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the
>situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed
>to the tune of half a million dollars.
>================================================= ===================

I heard bout that one, sad aint it? Just think, if it wasnt for this kind of crud then we would have so much cheaper insurances.

 

Interestingly enough, Dennis, I just climbed down off my soap box from responding to a similar post, so I won't climb back up. My blood pressure just won't tolerate it. Suffice to say, it does happen, and it it is embarrasing.
Personally, I feel we need more Judges that can see some of these lawsuits for what they truly are, and toss them as trivial before they ever get to the litigation phase.
Maybe we need to learn a thing or two from our northern neighbors.
(besides Curling)

Cliff

 

This reminds me of a case where this guy was conviced if murder (the victim was shot to death) but not conviced of the charge of committing a crime wiht a firearm. The defense is going to use that fact for the appeal.

 

i can sume it up real easy and just say this.....to many lawyers and not enuff judges with the common sense of a mule!!!

 

A man in a buddys neigborhood was having trouble with someone breaking into his garage. after the eight time in a month, the guy rigged a booby trap on the door. when the robber broke into the garage, a 12 gauge shotgun unloaded into his leg. the robber sued the guy for all medical expences and won

 

it just goes to show you what moreons judges we have here in the US but the really bad thing here is these guys are elected officals and the award some outragous amount of money to stupid people but when you sue doctors on malpractice they say since your injuries are not life threatning or no loss of motion there is nothing you can do about it you try having a doctor who is drunk operate on you and see if you can sue him!!!! the only thing that happend to the doctor was he had to go to AA for rehab now tell me what bs is that!!!
Louis Arbuckle

 

It does happen in Canada . It hasnt been a month ago I read about someone that sued Macdonalds because the lid on her hot chocolate popped off & burned her chest area . Seems to me it happened in Halifax .

 

It is for this reason that Ford hasn't built a vehicle with a FIREWALL since the incindiary Pinto lawsuits of the 70's. Check any service manual or tech publication and you will find that Ford uses BULKHEADS.

Tom H.

 

I just thought of another case where Dominos Pizza was sued after one of their store delivery trucks (18 wheel commisary truck) jackknifed and crashed on a hill covered in glare ice. Investigation showed the driver was not at fault and was driving for conditions. Dominos was sued and lost becaus the word "fast" was in the motto "Fast Friendly Delivery" on the side of the truck.

Tom H.

 

Carefully re-read the initial post. JURIES awarded the amounts. Very seldom does a judge award damages. Remember a jury is of your peers.

These are examples of how they system breaks down. There is always an attorney to take on nonsense lawsuit if there is money involved. Hmmmmmmmmm, which is worse? They attorney sueing, the jury who awarded an outrageous amount OR the person who initiated the lawsuit?

 

I'm glad you said that.... also most people fail to realise that the media loves reporting these stories but rarely publish the follow-up when the case is lost or greatly reduced during appeal.

 

I had a friend who was on a business trip years back I think in Pa. and his rental car was hit in an intersection by another car that clearly was at fault. Several months later he got a notice that he and the rental car company were being sued for some rediculous amount. The justification was that even though the other driver was at fault, his pinky finger was broken due to my friend being there(I Guess). Since his pinky was broken he was unable to perform his husbandly duties, therefore his wife was suing my friend.(Hmmm I never knew the pinky was that hot, wooo whooo)

Some states including mine, judge fault in various percentages between 0 and 100%(almost always between). So because perhaps my friend was 10 or 20% liable(for some weird twist of reasoning), if the lawsuit succeded, my friend would be liable for his percentage of damages. So the neglected wife had nothing to lose, make a lawsuit for big bucks and the insurance will settle for some smaller amount. I think his insurance did settle just to get rid of the headache.

Jeez.

My insurance company basically told me similar advice when some total idiot woman, backed up into me in a parking lot intersection, I was completely stopped honking my horn to stop her. The husband who was not there, claimed that I had hit her. My insurance agent said I could try to collect and probably win, I would still be the loser since the judge just out of habit would probably ding me for 10 to 20% of the blame. Therefore some of the claim money would come out of my insurance and so they would ding me with higher premiums and I would have black mark on my record. Since my damage was just a few hundred bucks he said it wouldn't be worth pursuing, so the lying SOB got off scot free since there was no sure proof that his wife backed up on me.

Yes, our legal system is pretty screwed up in many ways. I guess it has it's good points but I haven't personally experienced any so far.

Jim Henderson

 

Keep an unmarked gun in the house...kill them when they get in...put the unmarked gun in the dead person's hand...say you feared for you life.
It won't get you off, but it'll buy enough time for you to fly to a foreign country where they'll celebrate you as a hero, in that justice was served.

Too many law students who have no skill nor talent and are taught how to argue a case whether right or wrong.
Yeah, that's really learning.
Lawyers aside, who are these in the juries who agree with such nonsense?
Jury of my peers?!! Well, I've seen my peers and I ain't too happy!

 

Before everyone gets all waggy and fired up on this subject I suggest you read this link [link:www.lad.org/TPJ/18/the_image.htm|Stella Liebeck Story] specifically about the Stella Liebeck case. While it doesn't speak to the other cases that Dennis posted, it does give a little better insight into the one that has inspired so much controversy.

First of all the judge reduced the award from $2.9 million to $640K. Still too much you say? How much is seven days in the hospital and the incredible pain of the skin grafts she required worth? Read the link, it's educational.

As far as getting sued for booby trapping your house well, that's been against the law for a very long time. Granted the bad guy should not have been breaking into the garage but rigging a shotgun to blow someone's leg off just isn't the right solution.

I'm not a lawyer and I get just as outraged as the next guy when my rights are violated or I read about frivolous lawsuits. I'm also a big fan of tort reform like the "loser pays" system. I just try to remember that in many cases we don't really get to hear as Paul Harvey is so fond of putting it, "the rest of the story".