Civil lawsuits cost the US economy over 200 billion dollars per year! According to the US Federal News, every taxpayer in the US is now paying a “lawsuit tax” of around $700 – $800 per year. It is no surprise that personal injury lawyers are thriving in the States and that the law schools are packed to overflowing with potential new lawyers. This list takes a look at some of the bizarre lawsuits that these lawyers have had to handle – some dealing with personal injury lawsuits, and others with cases so weird that they lack a category entirely. This list deals with recent lawsuits only.
Robert Lee Brock, a prisoner in Virginia in 1995 wished to be removed from prison and placed in a mental institution. In order to achieve his goal, he decided to sue himself. He claimed that his crime was committed whilst he was drunk, which was a violation of his religious beliefs. He claimed that he had violated his own civil liberties. He sued himself for $5 million but to make matters worse, he claimed that the state should pay as he was behind bars and without an income. Thankfully the case was dismissed and Brock didn’t get his transfer.
In 1999, Daniel Dukes, a 27 year old moran from Florida hatched a clever plot so that he could have his life long dream of swimming with a whale fulfilled. He hid from the security guards at Sea World and managed to stay in the park after closing. Shortly after, he dived into the tank containing a killer whale – fulfilling his dream. Daniel was killed by the whale. His parents proceeded to sue Sea World because they did not display public warnings that the whale (Tillikum) could kill people. They also claim that the whale is wrongly portrayed as friendly because of the stuffed toys sold there. Tillikum is pictured above at Sea World, where the trainers will not enter the pool with him due to the fact that he has now been involved in two deaths. [Image source]
A 27 year old New Yorker is suing Subway because he took a bite of a sandwhich and found a 7 inch knife baked into the bread. The knife did not cut him and he did not swallow it. The reason he is suing is because he was violently ill with “severe stomach issues” for three hours and he claims that he caught food poisoning from the handle of the knife which was plastic and, according to the man, filthy. He is suing for $1,000,000.
This is a true case of believe it or not. Christopher Roller, a resident of Minnesota sued David Blaine and David Copperfield – demanding that they reveal their secret magic tricks to him. He demanded 10% of their total income for life. The reason for the suit is that Roller believes that the magicians are defying the laws of physics, and thereby using godly powers. But it gets worse. Roller is suing not just because the magicians are using God’s powers – he is suing because he thinks he is God and therefore it is his powers they are stealing.
Marcy Noriega, a California police officer decided to tase a suspect in the back of her car when he became uncontrollable and started kicking at the windows. Noriega drew her taser from her belt and fired it at the man. Unfortunately for the crook, the officer had accidentally drawn her gun instead, and she shot him in the chest – killing him. The city is now suing the taser company, arguing that any reasonable officer could mistakenly draw and shoot their gun instead of their taser. They are suing for the full costs of the wrongful death lawsuit which the man’s family has filed against the city.
This is a recent case in which a 52 year old traffic officer from Los Angeles sued Victoria’s Secret for damage to her eye. The damage was caused, claims the cop (Macrida Patterson), when she was trying on a new thong. The tight fit caused a metal clip to fly off hitting her in the eye. The case was filed on June 9, 2008 and Officer Patterson is seeking unspecified damages. The courts have not yet informed the officer that as a traffic cop, she doesn’t need fancy underwear as she is unlikely to ever have a date anyway.
PETA, the often-insane animal loving organization held an anti-hunt protest in 2001 – defending the rights of deer to live. On they way home from the protest, two members hit a deer which had run on to the highway. The members informed the New Jersey Division of Fish and and Wildlife that they intended to sue for damages and injuries. In their letter they stated that the Division were responsible for the damages “as a result of their deer management program, which includes, in certain circumstances, an affirmative effort to increase deer population.”
For a while in the 1990s, Anheuser-Busch, the producers of Budweiser, ran a series of ads in which two beautiful women come to life in front of two truck drivers. A Michigan man bought a case of the beer, drank it, and failed to see two women materialize. Cue the lawsuit. He sued the company for false advertising, asking for a sum in excess of $10,000. Thankfully the court dismissed the suit and the man remained penniless and dateless.
We all know that the weather reports are frequently wrong and we take that into account when planning our days, but this was not the case for an Israeli woman who sued a TV station for making an inaccurate prediction. The station predicted good weather but it rained. The woman claimed that the forecast caused her to dress lightly – resulting in her catching the flu, missing a week of work, and spending money on medication. She further claimed that the whole incident caused her stress. She sued for $1,000 – and won.
In 1992, a seventy-nine year old Albuquerque woman (Stella Liebeck) bought a coffee from a McDonald’s drive through. Her grandson was driving and he parked the car so she could add cream and sugar to the drink. She put the cup between her knees and pulled the lid toward her – inevitably the coffee spilt in her lap. She sued McDonald’s for negligence because she claimed the coffee was too hot to be safe. Unbelievably the jury found that McDonald’s was eighty percent responsible for the incident and they awarded Liebeck $160,000 in compensatory damages. But it gets worse: they awarded her $2.7 million punitive damages! The decision was appealed and the two parties ultimately ended up settling out of court for a sum less than $600,000.
Contributors: damien_karras, and JFrater
When I was at law school, we learnt about tonnes of similar cases. One of my favourites was a guy who broke into someones house while they were on holidays and accidentally locked himself in the garage. He survived for a couple of weeks on what he could find in the garage, a case of pepsi and a bag of dog food. He was released when the owners returned home and successfully sued them.
My other favourite case was a guy in america who spoke english as a second language and who bought a campervan. The campervan had cruise control on it. The man thought that cruise control was the same as auto pilot, so he put it on cruise control and went out the back to make himself a cup of coffee. Needless to say the campervan crashed. He successfully sued the campervan company and is the reason all campervans come with warnings about not to leave the drivers seat.
We learnt tonnes of these cases as a bit of fun at the end of one of our torts lessons, the theme of which was basically 'only in america'. There are a couple of silly cases in Australia, but none as crazy as the American ones!
Those cases you cited as examples of successful frivolous lawsuits are untrue. Either you are a liar, or you are an idiot who is incapable of any due diligence.
I think with No. 1, the stupidity has nothing to do with the 3rd degree burns, but that one should expect coffee to be hot.
It maybe true that McDonalds should adopt a certain temperature for serving their coffee. But even so, it would be expected common sense for people to be careful not to spill coffee onto themselves.
I have spilled coffee on myself many times in the 20+ years I have been drinking it. I have NEVER gotten a 3rd degree burn as a result. Do your research on that case.
Is that a joke? I’ve burned myself with fire a few times in my life and have never gotten 3rd degree burns as a result (nor even 2nd degree burns). That doesn’t mean that fire is incapable of delivering 3rd degree burns.
Temperature is only one part of the equation. Exposure time and quantity of heat (e.g., 16 oz. of ~180 degree coffee has a far greater quantity of heat than e.g. a teaspoon of ~180 degree coffee; just like a bonfire has a far greater quantity of heat than a candle flame even though they may be at a similar temperature) are the other parts of the equation.
Dump an entire McDonald’s cup of properly hot coffee in your lap while wearing sweatpants and see what happens.
With regard to what is “properly hot” for coffee, I’ll repeat:
The National Coffee Association of U.S.A. instructs that coffee should be brewed “between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal extraction” and consumed “immediately”. If not consumed immediately, the coffee is to be “maintained at 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit”.
In other words, the temperature of McDonald’s coffee is (and was) properly hot.
“Do your research on that case.”
^^^Irony, given that you clearly haven’t done your research (based on this and other replies from you in this thread).
Just wanted to let you know that you know nothing, are nothing, and we never be anything. Its you that has obviously not done your research and if anyone were to even drink any fluid that hot, let alone spill it on themselves, they would most definitely receive 3rd degree burns. I believe that everyone has their right to speak their opinion, but you aren’t voices an opinion, you are just repeating information that clearly kills your whole point behind spreading said information.
Oh look, it’s the person that thinks water boils at 180 degrees F (lol).
“Just wanted to let you know that you know nothing, are nothing, and we never be anything. Its you that has obviously not done your research and if anyone were to even drink any fluid that hot, let alone spill it on themselves, they would most definitely receive 3rd degree burns.”
You have no idea what you’re talking about. I drink coffee hotter than 180 degrees F at home all the time. Here’s what I do:
1. Brew the coffee in a percolator. Percolators cycle *boiling water* through the coffee grinds. Boiling water is 212 degrees (not 180 degrees as you suppose), which is 32 degrees hotter than McDonald’s 180 degree coffee.
2. Pour the coffee.
3. Immediately take a sip of the coffee that is probably around 207 degrees at this point.
If you crawl out of the cave you’ve apparently been living in for most of your life, you will find that countless people drink similarly hot beverages at home daily. In the process, you might also discover a few more aspects of reality that are currently foreign to you.
the national coffee association of the USA is not a government entity so, they can say whatever they want. They just want to help sell coffee
Say what? Not that it matters whether the National Coffee Association of U.S.A. (NCA) is a government entity or not, but:
“Government Affairs
NCA’s Government Relations program is looking out for your company’s best interest. NCA is the recognized spokesperson on behalf of the coffee industry to the government. Through many active committees, NCA makes recommendations to government agencies and represents the industry on both national and international coffee matters.” – http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=34
There seems to be a few people around who don’t know the first thing about coffee; not even that it is supposed to be hot; and amazingly, they all seem to have congregated here in this thread.
Actually YOU should do your research. The movie Hot Coffee specifically talks about this case and how it was twisted into tort reform.
And these stories represent the world? If i were to run my company based soley on the hype of the news media, the internet and the people who read these stories i would be out of business. i try to make business decisions based on verifiable statistics. maybe this thread ks the reason this country is falling behind.
36. Catherine: Its funny because it is funny, the lady is stupid and deserved to get burned, it is hot coffee, do not place hot coffee in your lap, period. I would like to thank her, now when i order my coffee i know for sure it is hot, always. I used to hate when i ordered my coffee and it was cold…..
Did you do any research on that case at all?
“Did you do any research on that case at all?”
You clearly didn’t. See above (as well as all my posts in this thread).
No they are sheep.
Unbelievable. It's sickening how some people seem to find lawsuits as means of coming up with some quick cash. But, such is the American way to sue, sue, sue.
About that coffee one, I work at a Dunkin' Donuts, and I can't even begin to describe how much the training courses/managers impress upon the employees to be extremely careful to make sure the lids are secure on the drinks. If it weren't for ridiculous crap like this, I'm sure they wouldn't pay it a second thought.
Is Dunkin Donuts coffee served at 190 degrees? Which is a temperature so hot (even by McDonald’s OWN admission) as to cause 3rd degree burns in 2 to 7 seconds?
“Is Dunkin Donuts coffee served at 190 degrees?”
If it isn’t, then it *should* be served at or around that temperature. Once again:
The National Coffee Association of U.S.A. instructs that coffee should be brewed “between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal extraction” and consumed “immediately”. If not consumed immediately, the coffee is to be “maintained at 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit”.
By the way:
“A search of this website can find many other lawsuits over hot coffee causing third-degree burns, and you can now add Dunkin’ Donuts to the mix. Sharon Shea was holding a tray of two cups of coffee that allegedly “toppled over” and received second- and third-degree burns on her left leg and ankle. The 60-year-old is suing Dunkin’ Donuts for $10 or $15 million in New York state court in Staten Island.”
Newsflash #1: Properly hot coffee can cause severe burns.
Newsflash #2: You logically assume that risk 100% when you request a cup of hot coffee.
“Which is a temperature so hot (even by McDonald’s OWN admission) as to cause 3rd degree burns in 2 to 7 seconds?”
You know that’s significantly cooler than boiling water (212 degrees F), right? Tea, instant coffee, percolated coffee, hot cocoa, etc., are all commonly made at home from boiling water (when the tea kettle whistles, the water is boiling). Did you parents ever serve you hot cocoa as a child? If so, how did you ever survive such “dangerous” conditions?
You sure like using the National Coffee Association as a reference for how hot coffee should be. Fine. Let’s go to the website and check the facts…..
from the site:
Your brewer should maintain a water temperature between 195 – 205 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal extraction.
(note: this is for brewing.. a little further down it talks about serving)
If it will be a few minutes before it will be served, the temperature should be maintained at 180 – 185 degrees Fahrenheit.
Thanks for playing.
“(note: this is for brewing.. a little further down it talks about serving)
If it will be a few minutes before it will be served, the temperature should be maintained at 180 – 185 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Al Thefacts: Is that a joke? From my post that you replied to:
“If not consumed immediately, the coffee is to be “maintained at 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit”.”
Look familiar?
By the way, the coffee that burned Stella Liebeck was served at 180 degrees Fahrenheit, as stated by her own attorney in the court case.
Thanks for playing (lol).
I agree with Catherine and Nelia wholeheartedly. This was a famous case we studied in my law school classes in an effort to teach us how the media can distort the facts of a case to the public. At the time, McDonald's kept their coffee 20 degrees hotter than was recommended by the FDA. At that temperature the coffee's steam weakens the plastic on the lid causing it to potentially fall off. The car was not in motion as McDonald's had tried to claim (even one of the employees denied that) and the reason she had to put the coffee between her legs was because they were out of cupholders (she asked for one because the car didn't have it). The woman did indeed have VERY serious injuries including third degree burns that required skin grafts. She was in the hospital for over a month. If McDonald's was not in the wrong, why did they lower their coffee temperature to FDA recommended levels after the suit? Why did they redesign their cups and lids to make them stronger and include a hot warning? Why did they instruct their stores and franchises to never be out of cupholders under any circumstances? Maybe the amount she was rewarded seems like a lot, but how much is 600K to a company like McDonalds?
Even the initial award of 2.7 million would have only been two days worth of coffee sales for McDonald’s. That’s just COFFEE sales and nothing else. It isn’t even punitive to a company that size.
“Even the initial award of 2.7 million would have only been two days worth of coffee sales for McDonald’s. That’s just COFFEE sales and nothing else. It isn’t even punitive to a company that size.”
Irrelevant. The lawsuit was frivolous, and logically, McDonald’s didn’t owe her a red cent, because they did nothing wrong:
- Liebeck requested the hot coffee (McDonald’s didn’t force it upon her).
- The container did not fail, neither did its lid (Liebeck’s own voluntary actions resulted in it being spilled on her).
- The coffee was at a proper serving temperature:
The National Coffee Association of U.S.A. instructs that coffee should be brewed “between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal extraction” and consumed “immediately”. If not consumed immediately, the coffee is to be “maintained at 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit”.
Maxim: Apparently you didn’t read paradoxo’s post, because he said that it was 20 degrees hotter than the recommended level.
James: Paradoxio is wrong, as are many other people on this thread. Apparantly you didn’t read my other posts.
McDonald’s coffee was 180 degrees (this was the temperature given by Liebeck’s attorney in the court case). Anyone who thinks 180 degree coffee is “20 degrees hotter than than the recommended level” is out of touch with reality. 180 degrees is actually on the cool side of what is a proper temperature for coffee.
Once again:
Quote:
Though defenders of the Liebeck verdict argue that her coffee was unusually hotter than other coffee sold, other major vendors of coffee, including Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, Wendy’s, and Burger King, produce coffee at a similar or higher temperature, and have been subjected to similar lawsuits over third-degree burns.[12]
Home and commercial coffee makers often reach comparable temperatures.[13] The National Coffee Association instructs that coffee be brewed “between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal extraction” and consumed “immediately”. If not consumed immediately, the coffee is to be “maintained at 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit.” [14]
And:
Quote:
Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote a unanimous 7th Circuit Court of Appeals opinion affirming dismissal of a similar lawsuit against coffeemaker manufacturer Bunn-O-Matic. The opinion noted that hot coffee (179 °F or 82 C in this case) is not “unreasonably dangerous.”
i liked this one better than the disco one
Hmm… who would have thought that a KILLER whale would be capable of killing a man? Genius.
God that picture of the weather-man is hillarious, when I read the title Women Vs Act of God I thoght she was suing out of a different reason
for the love of money
great list
Lols, reminds me of the Billy Connelly movie: The Man Who Sued God
OMG, the first and second ones are the most ridiculous indeed.. :/
Ummm, too American????
Should no 9 read “man” or “moron”?
The case in no 1 is more complex than it is represented here. The woman had good reason for suing, and McDonald’s did alter their standards for the better after the case. You can read about it here. http://www.lectlaw.com/files/cur78.htm
I completely agree that most people, myself included, do not know the facts and see it as just a frivolous lawsuit. I actually did do the research about this case, and learned that the 79 yo woman was burned on 6% of her body including her buttocks, inner thighs, perineum, and private parts, requiring skin grafts and months of painful recovery. The actual coffee was between 185 and 195 degrees because a vendor had recommended McDonald’s to keep it this hot to keep it good…actual house coffee in a 12 cup pot is 135 to 140 degrees…that means McDonald’s coffee is around 60 degree higher and is considered scalding, not just hot. They had also been sued for this by over 700 other people before this incident, and still insisted that the coffee needed to be this hot!
I know for me that once I actually learned the facts of this lawsuit (and that McDonald’s now serves their coffee much cooler), I have completely changed my train of thought about this case. I mean wow 6% of her body was scaled with 3rd degree burns that required skin grafts….this case is NOT ridiculous or frivolous anymore to me…how about anyone else?
I do think that most of the others are ridiculous and frivolous though, but I am glad I took the time to look into them before making any final decisions.
STAY SMART…Research before making up one’s mind! Also, never forget your sense of humor when you hear all this other craziness.
i wonder if no1 would have sued if it was too cold & didn’t get burnt
she sued because the coffee burnt through her legs and her grandsons leather seats, and melted some of her flesh to the seat, required exstensive surgery to fix her skin, and could not afford it
Military grade cofee.
No. 7 made my jaw drop!! How insane! Hmmmm… Maybe I’ll have to think about suing Jfrater for keeping me from my work while I read all these lists! ….. NAH!
astraya: naughty! As for number 9 spelling error – here is why I spelt it that way.
writergal: don’t even THINK about it!
There are some friolous people out there. They can’t buck up and own up to their idiocy and cry foul when someone (or thing) else is even remotely. All they try to do it get money without working for it. They should look at their own responsibilties first and realise how pathetic some people can be.
Sorry for the rant, these type of lawsuits make me realise how crazy people can get.
hahahaha – Jfrater: You’re lucky I don’t like lawyers! Anyhow, look at this face! Would I do that? NEVER!
* Frivolous
** even remotely involved
*** all they try to do is
Sometimes i get all mixed up with my words so i do aologise for the grammar in my previous comment
that peta sucks picture awesome.
Still doesn’t make up for the last few lists…but good list nonetheless! Some people will do insane, harmful, illegal things for money…lucky for us ALL the people on this list just said “screw it” and decided to sue some people
I love hearing about this stuff-when the idiot loses. The ones that win make me angry that stupid people can spend the money and waste the time in a hail mary attempt to get rich or get what they want. Great list though. I’d never heard of some of these. I laughed out loud at the jackass who decided to swim with a KILLER whale. :O)
What really amazes me is not so much how stupid these lawsuits are but there are lawyers out there who are prepared to take them on …, they truly are the despised bottom-feeders popular culture makes them out to be.
writergal: If you want money from Jamie, you’d better start by clicking on advertising links and buying merchandise from the List Universe store, so he’s got money when you sue him.
Used to love a Very old English TV series called “Misleading Cases” with the wonderful Roy Dotrice as the vexatious bored pensioner and Alistair Sims as the Judge.
That man could spot a legal absurdity!
Remember him presenting a signed cow at his local bank to reluctantly pay a bill, and ending up in court!
The TV world makes a good living off the law too…
Astraya: I’ll definitely do that – I get so much enjoyment out of this site (both the lists and the comments) that I feel I SHOULD be paying Jfrater!
I actually recently read a more thorough account of the woman who sued McD’s… While at the time she was the poster-girl for frivolous lawsuits, her coffee actually severely injured her. She had third degree burns! She actually had to have skin grafts! For a woman of her age, that is really dangerous. And why does coffee need to be that hot?
I know it sounds like an idiotic thing to sue about, but when a company gives you a dangerous product, doesn’t warn you about the severe consequences associated with it, have a well documented history of complains about severe burns from their product, and you need money for skin grafts… well. I can’t say I really blame her. We live in a sue-happy culture these days, but this is one case where I think it was warranted.
Loved the list. I’m easy to please though as I love all the lists on this site, gives me something to look forward to read each morning.
And I must be a “moran” as I never noticed the misspelling until I read the comments LOL
Awesome list (and I don’t think it needs to make up for the last few, they were great too.)
I had actually heard of the McDonalds scalding suit but seriously, suing yourself?! Maybe I’ll give that a go :p I might sue my university for ‘emotional damage and stress’ due to the amount of work I have to do….. what d’ya reckon my chances are?
And with that, back to work!
Thanks damien_karras, and JFrater
There is a senator from Nebraska that recently tried to sue God. I got a good laugh when i heard about that and thought for sure it would be included on the list when i read the title.
Addendum to #7…I have a pending lawsuit against Christopher Roller for falsely impersonating me, God.
Sometimes, the legal system just amazes me as to how stupid it is, and also the people who file such arrogant lawsuits. What makes matters worse is that sometimes, a jury is used and the jury itself makes a stupid decision. You just can’t try juries these days… they’ll believe anything a lawyes will tell them.
I’m never surprised by the amazing and often times ridiculous claims that people will try to pass off to make some money from either a profitable corporation or somebody who is completely innocent. In a few incidents it can be very amazing that a lawsuit such as a few in this list will win too! Good List to see on this site.
Ok only in America do we have stupid people like this. PETA incident is funny as hell. They just don’t realize animal control through hunting is a good thing as long as you don’t go overboard. I would like to see a list of lawsuits like this for other countries. Just so I won’t feel like American’s are the only idiots out there.
How about this one?
A $10 dry cleaning bill for a pair of trousers has ballooned into a $67 million civil lawsuit.
Plaintiff Roy Pearson, a judge in Washington, D.C., says in court papers that he’s been through the ringer over a lost pair of prized pants he wanted to wear on his first day on the bench.
He says in court papers that he has endured “mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort.”
He says he was unable to wear that favorite suit on his first day of work.
He’s suing for 10 years of weekend car rentals so he can transport his dry cleaning to another store.
the case no 1 reminds me of a similar situation in which kramer in seinfeld once found himself
D
this isnt really a lawsuit but it has to o with PETA. They are asking american schools with mascots as fishes to change their name to sea kittens
I just remembered another one of my favourites. This was a British case where a guy bought a pair of jocks from a clothing store and wore them without washing them first. It turns out someone with crabs had tried them on at the store, and he ended up getting crabs from the underwear. He tried to sue the store but the Judge decided that a reasonable person would wash their underwear before wearing them and thus the store was not at fault and he lost the case. The British legal system makes much more sense!
The McDonalds coffee lawsuit really doesn’t belong on this list. The woman ended up with third degree burns all over her nether regions, and spent weeks or months in the hospital in excruciating pain while she received skin grafts.
The reason she WON the case is because McDonalds was negligent. Just because on the surface it “sounds” funny or frivolous doesn’t necessarily mean it is. I’m disappointed that you guys didn’t do your homework on this one.
i assume that the ones that don’t tell us the result of the suit are still in litigation?
if peta wins the deer-case i will be ashamed of america again……
Lol
I remember hearing the story of that woman who decided to dry her pet cat by putting it in the microwave. The cat obviously died and the woman sued the microwave company for not having a label on it that said “Do not put your pets in here”
I suppose this list goes to show that some people are just plain stupid.
And definately that the legal system is in dire need of sorting out.
Good list
PS – I am all for animal rights but I seriously hate PETA
The Macdonalds case was perfectly fine. Macdonalds did have their coffe at too high a temperature. Thank God they fixed it.
Also the Killer Whale case was special no doubt. Killer Whales, despite preying on everything from turtles to seals to whales to sharks, do not prey on humans.
it’s true that “killer whales” don’t seek out people as a food source, but they are large and inquisitive animals with powerful jaws full of teeth.
one could very easy kill a human while “toying” with them to investigate what they were. i can especially see this happening when the whale is isolated and bored in a seaworld tank, and all the sudden someone unknown jumps in -it’s very likely the whale thought “food? new toy? i’ll find out” and that was the end of the “moran.” in the wild they have been known to kill people, just not usually eat them afterwards, it’s thought they mistake the people for seals, but who really knows.
My personal favorite it the thief who tried to sue a homeowner after he broke a window (to rob the place) and cut himself, nearly dying.
Oh, and as for the list being too American (astraya #7), the wonderful thing about listverse is you can submit a list yourself…
As mentioned before NO 1 is often citied as a example of the stupidity of common law but the case is totally different than how it is portrayed. Another such case was the whole americans sue tobacco companies. People in Europe often thought that they sued them because cigatrettes cause cancer when in fact they were sued for changing the amnount of nicotine and other substances when sales were low.
Yeah, I once found a big chunk of broken glass in an omelet. It was obviously an accident. I asked for another omelet, not a bajillion dollars.
And the reason there are so many bizarre and frivolous lawsuits to put into listform? Because some of them wins, and people are greedy.
google StellaAwards
archangel – i would treat coffee differently if it I knew it might dissolve my skin because it was so hot. I make coffee at home and I buy it at stores and I’ve spilled it on myself more than once. I spilled some coffee on my hand today in fact. Fact is, I didn’t do it on purpose, and I would have been pretty *****ed if it was hot enough to give me a third degree burn. Coffee is for drinking, not melting terminators.
I’m sure she didn’t intend to spill it all over herself. I actually just read the article posted above about it – the judge found her 20% responsible for her burns, since she wasn’t careful enough.
I can’t understand how someone can take a paper cup fill with hot liquid and sit it between their legs. Yes the liquid may have been too hot, but they didn’t have to find Macdonalds 80% responsible.
#2 just really gets me. I wonder if the judge/jury passed a high school biology class? How you dress and the weather has nothing to do with catching the flu. A person has to come in contact with the flu virus to get sick. Very simple stuff here folks. This case would be just as insane as someone suing the doctor whose office gave them a flu shot and they ended up getting the flu. The flu shot only contains a certain strain of the virus, therefore if a person comes into contact with a different strain of the virus they can get sick. People are just stupid. By the logic used in these cases I should sue all fast food joints for my weight gain (which I think that some tried). Or I should sue the diaper company for causing me to do more laundry because a couple time my daughters diaper leaked. I could do this all day. People are just greedy, sheesh!!!
This is the biggest problem with the world. We protect/reward stupid people.
also, my girlfriend found a grasshopper in a wendys salad, now we have $27,000….JACKPOT!
Khen913 (41) Believe me, he knows he can submit his own lists since he his done it before. As for his comment, it is a slight play on the fact that all of this idiocy comes from America.
To all the people who comment on the fact that this list is “Americanized” would you like a follow up list that contains world-wide idiotic lawsuits? Because theres plenty.
And I’ll make it.
52. AllDayDre. So how did it feel to sell your soul? Liberating I bet.
55. damien_karras
Feel free. But its always the Yanks that take the cake. Then they drop the cake on their toe, let it fester for a year, catch gangrene and then sue Sara Lee because it caused their sons ADHD.
No! That didnt really happen!!
Honorable mention: Ernie Chambers v. God
http://www.ketv.com/news/14133442/detail.html
On one hand I think these people are all morons and the dead ones are prime candidates for the Darwin Awards, if not already included. On the other hand, I think – well given the opportunity, why not screw the system. If the system is so ridiculous to allow such lawsuits, then go for it and make a bit of money. If people complain about these lawsuits costing them tax money, then perhaps the system needs to be changed. But also consider that these cases are just a very small fraction of the genuine cases. There always going to be extremes – if the system was tightened up, then some genuine cases might be excluded