Bizarre & Offbeat
Latest Lawsuit Lunacy: April 2008 Update
Face the Consequences
Two Baltimore teenagers who were banned from city buses and expelled from school after assaulting another passenger, are now filing lawsuits against the Maryland Transit Administration, the bus driver and the city school system. The boys' attorneys claim the students were denied “due process” before facing the consequences of their actions. Each boy is seeking at least $10 million in damages. The Baltimore Sun, April 23, 2008
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No Injury? No problem!
Ford Motor Company recently settled a class action lawsuit in California for 800,000 Ford Explorer owners, who say their cars lost value after a tire recall prompted safety concerns. The complaint alleged purely a loss of value for the Explorers and did not relate to personal injury or damage claims related to Explorer crashes. Washington Post, April 16, 2008
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Southwest Suit
Four Alabama passengers have filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines over missed safety inspections. The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, alleges that passengers could have been in danger. No one was actually hurt. USA Today, April 16, 2008
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The “Mother of All Slip-and-Falls”
A Brooklyn judge is suing the city for $1 million after slipping on a just-mopped floor in his own courthouse. The case is being called “the mother of all slip-and-fall cases.” Supreme Court Justice Jack Battaglia - who hears civil cases and earns $136,000 a year - is even targeting the courthouse cleaning lady who wielded the mop, according to legal papers. New York Daily News , April 14, 2008
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CSI Suit
A California advocacy group called the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization is suing CBS Corporation, a toy maker and several retailers over the sale of a toy based on a CBS series. The group claims the toy crime-scene kit, based on the hit series "CSI," contained asbestos in a powder used to dust for fingerprints. Toy manufacturers have conducted multiple tests showing no asbestos, but nevertheless removed the toy from the market because of the group's allegations. New York Times, April 13, 2008
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Second-Hand Asbestos?
A Connecticut woman filed suit against 52 defendants in Madison County Circuit Court, claiming she was exposed to airborne asbestos fibers from her step-father's clothing. Kimberly Kluntz says her step-father would carry the asbestos dust on his clothing home with him where it would again become airborne. Madison St Clair Record, April 8, 2008
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Fast Food Suits Go Overseas
A class action lawsuit has been filed against McDonalds in Israel , where customers say the fast food chain misleads eaters about sodium in the food, which increases the risk of heart attack. Plaintiffs claim McDonald's is presenting its offerings as "health products," even though this is "very far from the reality.” Haaretz , Israel , April 8, 2008
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Lawsuit abuse: We all pay, we all lose.
Latest Lawsuit Lunacy: March 2008 Update
Lawsuit Hungry Inmates
Vermont's prison inmates aren't satisfied by the taste of their food, and they've taken their case all the way to the state's Supreme Court. In a class action lawsuit, the insatiable inmates allege that poor-tasting prison food constitutes unfair punishment. Vermont Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann said the food found in Vermont's prisons is “commonplace in other states as a way of providing nutrition in a mechanism that dissuades inmates from throwing feces, urine, trays and silverware.” The Associated Press, March 22, 2008
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Another Prisoner Plaintiff
Texas inmate Charlie Scruggs is suing a prison doctor, alleging that a high blood pressure drug he was prescribed “took away the strength from (his) heart muscles” causing him to have a heart attack. Scruggs is seeking unspecified damages for pain and suffering. The Southeast Texas Record, March 18, 2008
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Lap Dance Lawsuit
New York securities trader Stephen Craig is suing a Manhattan strip joint for “serious injuries” he sustained during a lap dance. Craig, who is married, alleges that a stripper employed by the Hot Lap Dance Club near Madison Square Garden swiveled and smacked him in the eye with the heel of her shoe during an early morning performance last November. The Associated Press, March 17, 2007
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Suing from the Grave
A federal judge in Connecticut is allowing two Air National Guard pilots to sue the Air Force after being forced to resign nine years ago for refusing to be vaccinated against anthrax. The catch? One of the pilots, Russell Dingle, died in 2005. He is represented by the executor of his estate and seeks compensation for back pay and lost promotions that he never received. The Associated Press, March 14, 2008
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Compulsive Casino Claims
After losing her apartment, law practice, and her parent's home, Minnesota lawyer and TV commentator Arelia Taveras filed a $20 million racketeering lawsuit against six Atlantic City casinos and one in Las Vegas. Filed in federal court, her complaint alleges that the casinos should have noticed her out-of-control gambling habit and cut her off. Taveras, who owes the IRS $58,000, said "It's like crack, only gambling is worse than crack because it's mental. It creeps up on you, the impulse. It's a sickness." The Associated Press, March 8, 2008,
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Cheating the Cap
Lawyers in Nevada preparing a massive medical malpractice class-action case against the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada have hit a roadblock: the state's $350,000 cap for emotional pain and suffering in medical malpractice lawsuits. Seeking damages that exceed $350,000 for each of their patients, the lawyers may file extraneous claims unrelated to medical malpractice to circumvent the cap. Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 6, 2008
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Not Sick? Sue Anyway!
Harrison County Circuit Judge Thomas A. Bedell of West Virginia is requiring chemical company DuPont to pay $130 million to monitor the health of residents living near the site of a demolished zinc melting plant, even though they haven't demonstrated any adverse health affects. The $130 million verdict is in addition to $55 million Dupont paid to clean-up the site and $190 in punitive damages. The State Journal, March 6, 2008
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Lawsuit abuse: We all pay, we all lose.
Latest Lawsuit Lunacy: February 2008 Update
1 Good Samaritan, 8,000 Plaintiffs
After terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on September 11th, New York City native Ramon Gislanz volunteered his expertise as a structural engineer to help clean-up the wreckage. Now he is one of nearly 130 people being sued by over 8,000 plaintiffs who claim debris from the collapse contaminated the air around the site and made them sick. “Air quality is out of our realm as structural engineers,” Gilsanz said. “We were in the same atmosphere, exposed to the same substances. I took the training with all the workers. Everyone was told to wear the respirator.” The New York Times, February 23, 2008
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Pricey Punishment
Alabama Attorney General Troy King has filed lawsuits against 70 pharmaceutical manufacturers, alleging the companies made the state's Medicaid system pay too much by inflating prices. King forced two drug makers to settle, and a circuit-court jury ordered another to pay $215 million, including $40 million in compensatory damages and $175 million in punitive damages. The Associated Press, February 22, 2008
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Lethal Laundry
A Texas housewife is sick from doing her husband's laundry and she's wants more than $30 million from DuPont because if it. Frances Barras is suing the chemical manufacturer, in addition to nine other industrial companies, alleging her husband's asbestos-tainted work uniform caused her to become ill. Southeast Texas Record, February 19, 2008
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Lost her Laptop and her Mind
A Washington, D.C. woman is suing Best Buy for $54 million because the store purportedly lost her laptop computer. Although the electronics retailer apologized, provided reimbursement for the cost of the computer, and gave the woman a $900 gift card for her inconvenience, she remains unsatisfied. She acknowledges that $54 million unreasonable but will nevertheless pursue the lawsuit. MSNBC, February 15, 2008
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Thou Shalt Not Sue Thy Neighbor
Two big city, Ivy League litigators are putting their expertise to use in a lawsuit against their chain-smoking neighbor. The neighbor tried to respond to their second-hand smoke complaint and bought air purifiers to reduce the amount of smoke. But class-action attorney Jonathan Selbin and wife Jenny Selbin, who is also a lawyer, complained that the neighbor failed to provide them with receipts, proving she had made the purchases. The New York Times, February 17, 2008
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Scavenging for Victims
Georgia rescue crews hadn't even finished extinguishing the blaze from a sugar refinery explosion or salvaging victims' bodies, when out-of-town lawyers swooped in to round up clients for wrongful death lawsuits. As the factory continued to burn, trial lawyers from New York-based Mark & Associates trolled for plaintiffs, enraging residents. “These slicksters know that when people are emotional train wrecks, then they're vulnerable to hard-sell pitches,” the town's newspaper editorialized. The Associated Press, February 12, 2008
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Cavalier Cowboy
Robert Burck, also known as Times Square's Naked Cowboy is suing Mars Candy Corporation for $6 million on advice from lawyers, charging that Mars stole his identity by dressing an animated blue M&M in his skimpy trademark outfit for a Times Square billboard. New York Post, February 12, 2008
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Lawsuit abuse: We all pay, we all lose.
Latest Lawsuit Lunacy: January 2008 Update
Yucky Yogurt
Trish Wiener of California doesn't like the way Dannon's yogurt tastes, and she's letting them know it. Wiener is seeking class-action status for a lawsuit filed against the French dairy manufacturer in the U.S. District Court for Los Angeles. She wants Dannon to give more than $300 million in refunds to every American who purchased their Activa products, which she claims were falsely advertised to regulate digestion and boost immunity. Wiener said, “The only effect that it had on me was that it tasted poorly.” Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2008
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The Money Cure for Mourning
Movie star Amy Yasbeck already won a $14 million settlement after her husband, celebrity John Ritter, died suddenly in 2003. Now she is suing for more than $67 million according to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed in Los Angeles. Yasbeck says she wants a public accounting of what happened because none of the hospitals or doctors has admitted guilt or said they were sorry. Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2008
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Trial Lawyers v. Trial Lawyers: The Greed Factor
As if winnings from a $17.3 billion lawsuit wasn't enough, two Texas trial lawyers are suing each other over an additional $3 billion. Beaumont lawyer Brent Coon claims his former law firm and partners owe him a larger share of the legal fees associated with a mammoth Texas tobacco settlement. The firm disagrees and has filed a countersuit. The Houston Chronicle, January 19, 2008
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$50 Million Crime
Three former special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration are suing NBC Universal Inc. for $50 million, alleging the 2007 Denzel Washington-Russell Crowe film “American Gangster” falsely portrays former members of “New York City's Drug Enforcement Agency” as criminals. They are seeking class-action status and an injunction preventing distribution of the film. The Wall Street Journal, January 17, 2008
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Popcorn Popping Plaintiff
A Denver, Colorado man is suing The Kroger Co. for unspecified damages after his two-bags-a-day microwaveable popcorn habit led to a rare lung condition. He says the Cincinnati-based grocer failed to warn him that “smelling the buttery aroma” of its delectable product could pose a health risk. (Perhaps he should also sue his mother for failing to explain the health benefits of moderation.) While workers have developed the condition in the past, Watson's case of “popcorn lung” is the first to be diagnosed in a snack-eating consumer. The Associated Press, January 16, 2007
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Hospital Sued for Thorough Treatment
A New York construction worker hit on the head by a falling wooden beam is suing the hospital that attempted to treat him. The man seeks unspecified damages, alleging that he was “assaulted, battered, and falsely imprisoned” after emergency room staff forcibly administered a rectal examination essential for determining spinal damage. The Associated Press, January 16, 2008
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Leap of Faith
Professional parachute jumper Jeb Corliss alleges Empire State Building security officers endangered his life when they prevented him from making an unauthorized leap from the roof of the New York City landmark in April of 2006. Corliss is suing for defamation of character, unlawful imprisonment, emotional distress, and lost income. The stunt cost him his job as a TV host on Discovery Channel's “Stunt Junkies.” The New York Times, January 15, 2008
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Shawshank Sham
Two-time prison escape artist Scott Anthony Gomez Jr. is suing the sheriff of Pueblo County, Colorado, after he injured himself using a rope made out of bed sheets to rappel down the 85-foot walls of a jail in which he was locked. Gomez's lawsuit seeks $64,000 in damages to pay for medical expenses, claiming it was too easy to escape. He says he warned officials that “there were many ways to get out of the facility” when he escaped two years earlier. Los Angeles Times, January 13, 2008
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Outdated Audi Owner Outrage
A West Virginia man is suing Audi and OnStar for upgrading technological features in new car models. Robert Reischman, who says his car is now “useless” without a functioning OnStar in-car communication and security system, seeks compensatory and punitive damages, as well as declaratory and injunctive relief. West Virginia Record, January 13, 2008
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Don't do Drugs
Crystal methamphetamine addict Sandra Bergen filed a lawsuit against her drug dealer after her habit resulted in a heart attack and an eleven-day coma. Bergen sued Clinton Davey for negligence in a Canadian court, noting she hoped her case would inspire others to sue drug dealers. “I think it's a different way to hit drug dealers financially and that's where it will really hurt them,” she said. BBC News, January 10, 2008
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Suing Yourself?!
An Illinois mother is suing herself, in addition to an ambulance driver, for negligent driving that permanently injured her infant son two years ago. The woman seeks more than $50,000 in damages to pay for her son's medical expenses and future care. It is still unclear how a judge can determine if she pays herself. Madison County Record, January 2, 2008
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Robed-Referees
High school basketball players are supposed to compete on the courts of local gymnasiums, but not in West Virginia where student athletes are battling in a different arena: county courtrooms. Circuit Court Judge Dan O'Hanlon overrode the committee responsible for overseeing high school sports programs, ruling that players are entitled to an administrative hearing before they are suspended from games for poor behavior. If the trend continues, the state Supreme Court could be the new referee of high school sports. Charleston Daily Mail, October 26, 2007
Lawsuit abuse: We all pay, we all lose.