I got this in an e-mail from my SIL- Read on!
The "Stella" Awards !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The "Stella" award ranks 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 - The "Stella" Award - for the most frivolous
lawsuit in the US
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
brat 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 Terence 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 reenter 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 co., 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 Williams originally 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 (He wouldn't be Polish, would he?) 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 following this court case, just
in case there are any other complete morons buying their vehicles.)
The "Stella" Awards !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The "Stella" award ranks 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 - The "Stella" Award - for the most frivolous
lawsuit in the US
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
brat 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 Terence 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 reenter 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 co., 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 Williams originally 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 (He wouldn't be Polish, would he?) 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 following this court case, just
in case there are any other complete morons buying their vehicles.)
