Raulandpinboy
<font color=blue>Table-dancing auctioneer<br><font
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2001
- Messages
- 1,705
"The "Stella" awards rank up there with the Darwin awards.
Stella Liebeck is the 81-year-old lady who spilled coffee
on herself and sued McDonalds. This case inspired an annual
award - Thee "Stella" Award - for the most frivolous lawsuit
in the U.S.
The following are this year's candidates:
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 inside
a furniture store. The owners of the store were
understandably surprised at the verdict, considering
the misbehaving little idiot was Ms. Robertson's son.
2. June 1998:
A 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:
A 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. 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 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. 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 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.
And the winner is:
Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City. In November 2000
Mr Grazinski purchased a brand new 32 foot Winnebago
motor home. On his first trip home, having joined the
freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly
left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself
a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly the Winnie left the
freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr Grazinski sued
Winnebago for not advising him in the handbook that
he couldn't actually do this. He was awarded $1,750,000
plus a new Winnie. (Winnebago actually changed their
handbooks on the back of this court case, just in case
there are any other complete morons buying their vehicles.)
CONGRATS ! TO MR GRAZINSKI.
Stella Liebeck is the 81-year-old lady who spilled coffee
on herself and sued McDonalds. This case inspired an annual
award - Thee "Stella" Award - for the most frivolous lawsuit
in the U.S.
The following are this year's candidates:
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 inside
a furniture store. The owners of the store were
understandably surprised at the verdict, considering
the misbehaving little idiot was Ms. Robertson's son.
2. June 1998:
A 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:
A 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. 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 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. 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 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.
And the winner is:
Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City. In November 2000
Mr Grazinski purchased a brand new 32 foot Winnebago
motor home. On his first trip home, having joined the
freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly
left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself
a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly the Winnie left the
freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr Grazinski sued
Winnebago for not advising him in the handbook that
he couldn't actually do this. He was awarded $1,750,000
plus a new Winnie. (Winnebago actually changed their
handbooks on the back of this court case, just in case
there are any other complete morons buying their vehicles.)
CONGRATS ! TO MR GRAZINSKI.
If I fall down my own stairs and sue the insurance, I wonder how much damage I can get?
I like the winning story ... I remember reading a case study in my business class about product warnings and one of them was on a hairdryer that said 'Do not use while in the shower' ... duh 
