It’s Halloween again, and Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) is unmasking some of the scariest lawsuits that made news so far this year.

“Don’t bother hiding under the covers,” said Jon Opelt, Houston Director of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse. “There’s no way to escape the fact that these lawsuits are out there, and you’re paying for them. Have a good laugh, or have a good scream, but remember this: everyone of these lawsuits is a true story.”

I’m filing suit: that Haunted House was scary!? -- A woman sued Universal Studios for $15,000, claiming emotional distress from their “Horror Nights” haunted house. The plaintiff claimed she and her granddaughter slipped and fell, sustaining unspecified injuries, when they were chased by an employee wielding a chain saw (which was chainless, mind you).

( Orlando Sentinel, Orlando , Florida, January 5, 2000)

Trick or Treat: Take my seat and it will cost you! -- A tort law professor pulled the seat out from under one of his students in order to demonstrate personal injury lawsuits. Ironically, the student is now suing the professor for “severe mental and physical anguish for pulling the stunt.” She wants $5 million from the professor and is suing the law school as well.

(Reuters, June 26, 2001)

Hey, that’s not a pumpkin you’re carving! -- A 19-year-old man filed suit against the hospital that circumcised him at birth, claiming the surgical act has made sex with partners less pleasurable than if the doctors had not removed his foreskin.

(ABCNEWS.com; February 7, 2001)

He's barking up the wrong tree -- Boomer, the dog, has filed suit against the Invisible Fence Company for physical and emotional damage. The special collar he wore to keep him from escaping his owner’s yard apparently shocked him one too many times. Boomer “warned” that he would have his day in court

(AP, May 11, 2001)

A breakfast snack that will leave you screaming -- A couple in New Jersey is suing the Kellogg Co. as well as appliance maker, Black & Decker Corp. for $100,000 in damages, alleging that a cherry Pop-Tart they put in their toaster blew up and burned down their house. The couple admitted to leaving their house while the pop tart was heating up, despite the warning label on the box advising against leaving food unattended in the toaster.

(Reuters, July 30, 2001)

Lets make a mountain out of a molehill! -- Two artists have each retained lawyers in a fight over who owns the “artistic” concept of “bra balls.” Each claims that it was their idea to create a massive bundle of brassieres; one weighs 650 pounds, while the other is 1300 pounds. Both artists feel it is worth the fight to own this idea. One claimed, “ I think it is a major important part of American art.”

( Modesto Bee , Modesto, California, May 29, 2001)

For more weird and wacky lawsuits check out “Bizarre and Offbeat"