2014 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits: Episode 6

Average Ridiculous Rating

(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

Baseball Fan Caught Sleeping on Camera, Sues ESPN for $10 Million

A man has filed a $10 million lawsuit against ESPN and its announces for ” defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, contending he was mocked while caught sleeping in his seat during a national telecast at Yankee Stadium.”

Andrew Robert Rector says in court documents he “napped” during a Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees game on April 13, but claims commentators Dan Shulman and John Kruk unleashed an “avalanche of disparaging words” against him. The suit says they used words like “fatty” and “stupid.”

According to Rector’s lawsuit, he suffered “substantial injury” to his “character and reputation” and “mental anguish, loss of future income and loss of earning capacity.”

“The comments attributed to ESPN and our announcers were clearly not said in our telecast,” an ESPN spokesperson said. “The claims presented here are wholly without merit.”

Woman Sues Employer For Not Changing Work Schedule To Avoid Rush Hour

A New Jersey woman is claiming to have a case of ‘commuter anxiety’ so severe that it warranted a change in her work schedule.

The rush hour traffic to and from work was allegedly causing the women to experience anxiety and depression.

To oblige her request, her bosses shifted her to a job with more clerical duties, but after being fired in May, DeGerolamo filed a suit claiming her company violated the state’s Laws Against Discrimination.

Firefighter Claims ‘Fear of Fire’ In Disability Case

A captain in the City of Houston fire department cited the Americans With Disabilities Act in a lawsuit after he was released from his job because of his fear of entering burning buildings.

The department cited that the captain’s inability to enter burning buildings created a danger to him and others. However, the court originally awarded the captain $362,000 in the disability suit.

This decision has since been overturned by the Texas Supreme Court, which stated that no reasonable jury would find that the man’s fear denoted a disability under the ADA or any other Texas law.