Job Discussion Forums

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

The 10 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2011
by The Business News Daily via LiveScience.com | Dec 31, 2011
(Source: http://news.yahoo.com/10-most-ridiculous-lawsuits-2011-175104066.html)

We've all heard about crazy lawsuits and 2011 was no exception when it came to the filing of frivolous � even ridiculous � lawsuits.

A lawsuit by a kidnapper against his victims for not helping him evade police tops the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Legal Reform�s (ILR) survey of the Top Ten Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2011, released today. "While these lawsuits vary from the outrageous to the humorous, abusive litigation is hardly a laughing matter," said ILR President Lisa Rickard. "ILR's annual poll of ridiculous lawsuits helps to remind us that abusive lawsuits affect real people and real businesses, and can have harmful results to lives, jobs, and even our economic growth."

ILR announced the top ten vote-getters from among those chosen throughout the year by visitors to the Faces of Lawsuit Abuse website. The lawsuits were selected from those featured in the website's monthly polls for 2011. The Faces of Lawsuit Abuse campaign is ILR's public awareness effort created to highlight the impact of abusive lawsuits on small businesses, communities, and individuals.

The top ten most ridiculous lawsuits of 2011 are:

1. Convict sues couple he kidnapped for not helping him evade police

2. Man illegally brings gun into bar, shoots another man in a fight, gets shot by the other man, and then sues bar for not searching him and other man for weapons

3. Young adults sue mother for sending cards without gifts and for playing favorites

4. Woman disagrees with store over 80-cent refund, sues for $5 million

5. Mom files suit against exclusive preschool - says school's boring classes ruined her 4-year old's Ivy League college prospects

6. Man suing for age discrimination is upset that judge in his case is too old

7. Obese man sues burger joint over tight squeeze in booths

8. Woman's lawsuit that she was mislead by movie trailer - says there wasn't enough driving in film "Drive"

9. Passenger's lawsuit says cruise ship went too fast and swayed from side to side

10. Mother sues Chuck E. Cheese - says games are actually illegal gambling devices that encourage kids to gamble

Links to the full news stories from which these were drawn and the complete results of the poll can be found on http://www.facesoflawsuitabuse.org/polls-archive/

(End of article)

Sashadroogie · Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 7:55 am Post subject:

A managed democratic police state is the solution to this sort of silliness, hic!

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

The bottom feeders of society will always provide us with a wealth of entertainment, as shown above. . .

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

Wow!

Back in 1980 I was hired to photograph a bathroom in a bar, and the damage to the wall, committed by the plaintiff in a civil court case. The lawyer was even more disgusted than me by his client, but considering the payment involved, was willing to seek damages for his client that he inflicted on himself when the bartender pissed him off.

steve b · Joined: 31 May 2011 Posts: 293 Location: China

Interesting to note that apparently all these lawsuits were initiated in the Land of Litigation though.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Where else? Confused

One would get laughed out of most courtrooms worldwide with these, and rightly so.

steve b · Joined: 31 May 2011 Posts: 293 Location: China

They wouldn't make it as far as a courtroom.

isabel · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 510 Location: God's green earth

Anyone is free to file a lawsuit. Reporting on the stupidity of some people and using them to indict a whole system is just silly.

Did they make it to the courtroom? Is there a whole lot more to the story?

The reporting on stupid lawsuits is just propaganda.

steve b · Joined: 31 May 2011 Posts: 293 Location: China

Propaganda by Americans about Americans? Interesting concept.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 1:04 pm Post subject:

Not an original concept: McCarthyism was just the same...

Reds under the bed - boo!

steve b · Joined: 31 May 2011 Posts: 293 Location: China

I said interesting, not original.

isabel · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 510 Location: God's green earth

The US right wing has a field day reporting of the abuses of the legal system via "frivolous" lawsuits. If one does the research on each of their examples, either the lawsuit is less frivolous than they present, or the suit was indeed ridiculous, and never saw the light of a courthouse. But Republicans run on the idea that bad suits are rampant and breaking the court system. Right wing hysteria is indeed Propaganda by Americans about America.

johnslat · Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 2:34 pm Post subject:

Propaganda - love that word. An excellent example of how contextual connotations can completely change meaning:

"propaganda
1718, from Mod.L. propaganda, short for Congregatio de Propaganda Fide "congregation for propagating the faith," committee of cardinals established 1622 by Gregory XV to supervise foreign missions, prop. abl. fem. gerundive of L. propagare (see propagation). Modern political sense dates from World War I, not originally pejorative."

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=propaganda&searchmode=none

I learned something here - I'd always thought it was WW II (and Nazi Germany) that effected the change.

Regards,
John

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

A case study of ridiculous lawsuits.
In 1980 I did a photo shoot for a you artesan who made scrimshaw collectibles. The job consisted of shooting more than 30 pieces in less than an hour, as that was all the client wished to allow me. She was insistent.
I used my usual felt background material, which I did not realize had some stray pieces of blond hair. I charged her $200 for the job, she paid for it, but the next day she called to get her money back. She told me why. Okay, give me the pixes back and I will return your money, or I will do a reshoot. Neither was satisfactory to her.
Once before the small claims court judge she reiterated her complaint. Too much hair. Okay. The judge asked her what she wanted me to do. She said she wanted her money back. Judge asked her if she was willing to relinquish the photos. She gave evasive responses. I turned to the judge and told him, that was my problem in my dealing with her. She did not want to return the photos. He turned to her, asked her the same...again she blustered, equivicated, and became evasive. The judge got angry told her to get out of his court.
Need I say who won the case?

isabel · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 510 Location: God's green earth