Zander
02-21-2007, 11:12 PM
:dry:
>Oh hell... I think "Crazy Lady" should be on the list too. She sued
my
>friends hair dresser and many other shops on 5th Ave in Hillcrest and
won.
>She claimed the doorways were not big enough for her to fit through.
She
>was NOT a client of any of the shops but said that "IF" she were to
ever
>"WANT" to shop there she wanted the doors big enough for her to fit
>through.
>Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with
>them.
>- Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 - 1865)
>
>Time once again to review the winners of the Annual "Stella Awards.
The
>Stella Awards are named after 81 year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled
hot
>coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald's Restaurant (in
NM).
>That case inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous,
ridiculous,
>successful lawsuits in the United States.
>
>Here are this year's winners:
>
>5th Place (tie):
>
>Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $80,000 by a jury of
her
>peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running
wild
>inside a furniture store. The owners
>of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering
the
>misbehaving little toddler was Ms. Robertson's son.
>
>5th Place (tie):
>
>19-year-old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical
expenses
>when his neighbor ran over Carl's 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 neig hbor's hubcaps.
>
>5th Place (tie):
>
>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 since 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, and
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. He sued the homeowner's insurance
claiming
>the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed, to the
tune
>of $500,000. In my opinion this is so outrag eous that it should have
been
>2nd Place!
>
>4th Place:
>
>Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansa s, was awarded $14,500. and
medical
>expenses after being bitten on his buttocks by his next door
neighbor's
>beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The
award was
>less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been just a
>little provoked at the time by Mr. Williams who had climbed over the
fence
>into the yard and was shooting the dog repeatedly with a pellet gun.
>
>3rd Place:
>
>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 (tailbone). The beverage
was
>on the floor because Ms.. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30
seconds
>earlier during an argument.
>
>2ndPlace:
>
>Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware, successfully sued the owner of a
night
>club in a neighboring city after she fell from the club's bathroom
window
>onto 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
>
>1st Place:
>
>This year's runaway winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City,
>Oklahoma. Mrs. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor
>home. On her
>first trip home, (from an OU football game), after having driven onto
the
>freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the
driver's
>seat to go into the back and make herself a sandwich. Not
surprisingly, the
>RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mrs.Grazinski sued
Winnebago
>for not advising her in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually
do
>this. The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The
company
>act ually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in
case
>there were any other complete morons around.
>Oh hell... I think "Crazy Lady" should be on the list too. She sued
my
>friends hair dresser and many other shops on 5th Ave in Hillcrest and
won.
>She claimed the doorways were not big enough for her to fit through.
She
>was NOT a client of any of the shops but said that "IF" she were to
ever
>"WANT" to shop there she wanted the doors big enough for her to fit
>through.
>Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with
>them.
>- Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 - 1865)
>
>Time once again to review the winners of the Annual "Stella Awards.
The
>Stella Awards are named after 81 year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled
hot
>coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald's Restaurant (in
NM).
>That case inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous,
ridiculous,
>successful lawsuits in the United States.
>
>Here are this year's winners:
>
>5th Place (tie):
>
>Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $80,000 by a jury of
her
>peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running
wild
>inside a furniture store. The owners
>of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering
the
>misbehaving little toddler was Ms. Robertson's son.
>
>5th Place (tie):
>
>19-year-old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical
expenses
>when his neighbor ran over Carl's 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 neig hbor's hubcaps.
>
>5th Place (tie):
>
>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 since 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, and
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. He sued the homeowner's insurance
claiming
>the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed, to the
tune
>of $500,000. In my opinion this is so outrag eous that it should have
been
>2nd Place!
>
>4th Place:
>
>Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansa s, was awarded $14,500. and
medical
>expenses after being bitten on his buttocks by his next door
neighbor's
>beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The
award was
>less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been just a
>little provoked at the time by Mr. Williams who had climbed over the
fence
>into the yard and was shooting the dog repeatedly with a pellet gun.
>
>3rd Place:
>
>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 (tailbone). The beverage
was
>on the floor because Ms.. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30
seconds
>earlier during an argument.
>
>2ndPlace:
>
>Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware, successfully sued the owner of a
night
>club in a neighboring city after she fell from the club's bathroom
window
>onto 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
>
>1st Place:
>
>This year's runaway winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City,
>Oklahoma. Mrs. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor
>home. On her
>first trip home, (from an OU football game), after having driven onto
the
>freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the
driver's
>seat to go into the back and make herself a sandwich. Not
surprisingly, the
>RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mrs.Grazinski sued
Winnebago
>for not advising her in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually
do
>this. The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The
company
>act ually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in
case
>there were any other complete morons around.