A Florida teen who was paralyzed after he climbed to the top of a utility pole, got shocked, and fell 35 feet to the ground is suing the electric company for negligence. The suit alleges that the company should have blocked access to the pole or installed anti-climbing devices.
A Florida attorney who has built a practice around representing DUI defendants is trying out a different seat in the courtroom.
The lawyer woke up one morning to find that he had an $18,930 tab on his credit card (gulp!) from a single night at the strip club. Even worse, he was “temporarily unconscious” and didn’t remember parts of the evening. So he’s taking the club owners to court to demand a refund, saying that they “knew, or should have known, of plaintiff’s intoxicated state, having caused it.”
So get blackout drunk, run up an exorbitant bar tab on booze and strippers, and then have the audacity to blame somebody else. There’s only one word for it – ridiculous! But is it the most ridiculous lawsuit we’ve seen this month? Or is it one of these:
Go to the poll to vote for your favorite.
Restaurant owners are no strangers to slip and fall lawsuits, which is why we see so many of those bright yellow “Wet Floor” caution signs warning us of spilled drinks and recently mopped tiles. But in this overly litigious society (with plenty of enterprising lawyers), even something intended to reduce hazards and cut down on lawsuits can, ironically, end up in court.
Such is the case filed by a West Virginia woman who claims one of those signs was knocked over by an employee and landed on her foot. She says the incident has caused “physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, limitations in her activities and a diminution in her ability to enjoy life.” Wow! Who knew those signs packed such a wallop?!
Entrepreneurs and business owners take into account the legal climate when deciding where to locate or expand their business. In fact, two-thirds of business decision makers say that a state’s lawsuit environment is likely to have an impact on decisions at their company. An Institute for Legal Reform survey ranking the 50 states’ legal systems has wild and wonderful West Virginia dead last since 2006 – and frivolous suits like this won’t help the state climb out of the cellar.
Is this the most ridiculous lawsuit of the month? Or is it one of these instead?
A California woman has filed a lawsuit against Chuck E. Cheese on the grounds that their games are actually an illegal form of gambling and could get kids hooked. She is seeking at least $5 million; the restaurant says the games are legal and has asked a judge to dismiss the suit.
The married mother of a student at an exclusive Washington, DC school had an affair with a staff psychologist; now her husband is suing the school for emotional distress, saying they failed to properly supervise the doctor.
A New York restaurant worker that was burned by a drain cleaner is suing the maker of the chemical, alleging that the instructions and warnings were inadequate. The company’s response: the worker misused the product since he couldn’t read the English directions.
The University of Colorado is suing a toilet paper manufacturer, calling the tissue “defective” and blaming it for thousands of dollars in plumbing damage.
A pair of Missouri cheerleaders that were kicked off their team after allegations of cyber-bullying have sued the school district, saying their constitutional rights were violated. A court recently dismissed the suit with prejudice.
By Tim Gilmore
It seems everything is getting “smarter” these days. Smart phones have become ubiquitous, new cars can park themselves, and even shoes now come equipped with tiny “brains” to make walking easier.
Even brainiac shoes probably wouldn’t have been enough for the Illinois woman who is suing Adidas, claiming that she fell down after her new shoes “stuck together.” The plaintiff is alleging that the company designed and manufactured the shoes with materials that stick together when they come into contact with each other, and that Adidas should have warned her of the hazard.
Honestly, how often do somebody’s shoes touch? Perhaps she simply tripped over her own feet.
Is this the Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of the Month? Or is it one of these instead:
Vote in the poll before it closes! We’ll have a new poll up next week!
A lawyer got blackout drunk at a strip bar one evening and ran up an $18,930 credit card bill, so now he’s suing the club for a full refund. The attorney says club employees plied him full of booze. You know what they say: you can lead a horse to water . . .
By Tim Gilmore
So many things go into getting into a good college – the long nights studying for exams, the hours of SAT prep courses, the finger-painting. . .
Finger-painting? To get into college? Most reasonable people would argue that preschools don’t have much impact on someone’s college prospects, but try telling that to the New York mother who is suing her daughter’s preschool for hurting the child’s chances of eventually getting into an elite Ivy League university.
The mother claims that the prestigious school wasted her 4-year-old’s time by making her spend some of her day in a classroom with younger children, so she’s trying to start a class action against the school seeking a refund on the annual tuition of $19,000 (yikes!). She might have trouble finding prospective class members willing to sign on to her lawsuit – other parents at the school have “had nothing but good experiences,” according to the New York Daily News article.
Is this the Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of the Month? Or is it one of these instead:
A disabled man who has sued dozens of restaurants for ADA violations has set his sights on Chipotle, alleging that their counters are too high. A judge originally tossed the lawsuit after finding the plaintiff was insincere about his complaints against the chain, but an appeals court overturned the dismissal saying his litigation history cannot be used in court.
A Florida woman whose husband and stepson were killed in a shootout after murdering two police officers is suing over their deaths. Ironically, the man and his son were members of an anti-government group that doesn’t adhere to the U.S. court system.
By Tim Gilmore
Last year we brought you two cases of criminals who sued their victims. As part of this month’s Most Ridiculous Lawsuit Poll, we bring you a related case – the victim of a crime who is suing another victim.
In 2008, a teenager grabbed a tip jar from the counter of a Starbucks and took off running. One of the customers, Roger Kreutz, chased the kid out into the parking lot and caught up to him as he was getting into a car. The two scuffled a bit until the teen was able to get into his car drive off, but as he did so his car knocked Kreutz over, who hit his head on the pavement and died two days later. The thief pled guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to a year in jail.
One life lost, another ruined over a tip jar containing less than $5. But out of this tragic story comes a redeeming twist. Kreutz’s family has forgiven the teen, and even invited him to participate in a memorial service where they all planted a tree in Kreutz’s honor. The family members say they knew the teen meant no harm.
However, the family’s compassion doesn’t extend further to the store the teen was robbing – they are taking Starbucks to court on the grounds that the tip jar “invited the act” of the crime, and that Starbucks was negligent in not employing a security guard. The teen was not named in the suit.
It’s easy to empathize with this family as they mourn a loved one. But that isn’t an excuse to haul Starbucks into court on a genuinely absurd claim that the coffee store is guilty of “tempting” some kid into stealing tips from the baristas. Should victims be held accountable for the criminal actions of the perpetrators? If this suit is successful, where does it end?
Is this the Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of the Month? Or is it one of these instead:
A West Virginia woman says a plastic “Wet Floor” sign got knocked over onto her foot, and is suing a restaurant for the pain and mental anguish she suffered as a result.
Last year, a New Yorker sued his mother for trying to break off his engagement to his fiancée. Now, the mother is turning around and suing her son, saying that his suit caused her undue humiliation. It seems the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Cyclist sues NYC heliport after wind from rotors knock him off his bike.
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