When he was 9 years old, Carl
Murphy, now 18, was trespassing at a warehouse near Liverpool, England,
and fell through the roof of the building. He fell 40 feet and suffered
a massive skull fracture, so he sued the building's owner, claiming
that if the site had a better security fence to keep him out, he
wouldn't have been injured. The court bought it: he was awarded 567,000
pounds (US$1.06 million). "After all I've been through, I feel I really
deserve this money," Murphy says. "The papers just call me a yob and a
thug because I've been done for robbery and assault but those were just
silly stupid little things, like." He plans to spend his cash on a
"flash car" and "a big house so I have a place to live with me mum when
she gets out of jail." (London Telegraph, London Times) ...Tip to
Murphy's new neighbors: install a good security fence -- around his
house. |
