ONLY IN AMERICA !!!
Stella' Award
In 1994, a New Mexico jury awarded $2.9 million in damages to
81-year-old Stella Liebeck who suffered third-degree burns to
her legs, groin and buttocks after spilling a cup of McDonald's
coffee on herself. This case inspired an annual award - The
'Stella' Award - for the most frivolous lawsuit in the U.S.
The ones listed below are the lead candidates. All these cases
are verging on the outright ridiculous, and yet (in the good old USA)
with the right attorney, you can always expect the impossible to happen.
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 amuck inside a furniture store. The
owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict,
considering the misbehaving little prick 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, because 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. Mr. Dickson 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 it's
owner's fenced-in yard, as was Mr. Williams. The award was less than
sought because the jury felt the dog may have been provoked by
Mr. Williams who, at the time, 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
soft drink and broke her coccyx (tail bone at the base of the spinal
column). 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 lady's room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover
charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.
7. And just so you know that cooler heads do occasionally prevail:
Kenmore Inc., the makers of Dorothy Johnson's microwave, were found
not liable for the death of Mrs. Johnson's poodle after she gave it
a bath and attempted to dry it by putting the poor creature in her
microwave for, "just a few minutes, on low." The case was quickly
dismissed. |
