+Fates 63 Posted October 24, 2007 I got this from a friend and thought I would share. Enjoy. It's time again for the annual "Stella Awards"! For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued the McDonald's in New Mexico where she purchased the coffee. You remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her knees while she was driving. Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right? That's right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head. So keep your head scratcher handy. Here are the Stella's for the past year: 7TH PLACE: Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son. 6TH PLACE: Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles, California won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps. Go ahead, grab your head scratcher. 5TH PLACE: Terrence Dickson, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, who was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when Dickson pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT, days on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner's insurance company claiming undue mental Anguish. Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish. Keep scratching. There are more... 4TH PLACE: Jerry Williams, of Little Rock , Arkansas , garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next door neighbor's beagle - even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun. Grrrrr ... Scratch, scratch. 3RD PLACE: Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tailbone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument. What ever happened to people being responsible for their own actions? Scratch, scratch, scratch. Hang in there; there are only two more Stella¢s to go... 2ND PLACE: Kara Walton, of Claymont, Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000....oh, yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure. 1ST PLACE: (May I have a fanfare played on 50 kazoos please) This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who purchased a new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football game, having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down, $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just incase Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home. Are we, as a society, getting more stupid...? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Dave 2,319 Posted October 24, 2007 For once in my life....I have nothing to say.... *walking away shaking my head....... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tank03 1 Posted October 24, 2007 I know I guy that kept the ignition key in the old tractor that he used for plowing his driveway; never had a problem with it before. Last winter, some drunk stole the thing and crashed a couple miles down the road and got himself hurt. He sued my friend for negligence because he left the key in the tractor; had to pay out $25,000. The guy was drunk! The guy stole it! But apparently that's not as bad as leaving the key in the thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Jarhead1 27 Posted October 24, 2007 Holy Sh&^, there are some STUPID people in the world and they all must have gone to Pennsylvania, lol. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Typhoid 231 Posted October 24, 2007 Holy Sh&^, there are some STUPID people in the world and they all must have gone to Pennsylvania, lol. no, they all serve on juries........ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TX3RN0BILL 3 Posted October 24, 2007 ROFLMAO - That could only happen in the U.S., really... never seen such judicial cases anywhere else that would actually go through AND succeed... some american TV channel should make a reality show featuring full coverage of such cases... I bet it would become an instant hit classic... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eraser_tr 29 Posted October 24, 2007 (edited) Wow, this is why europeans think we're all uneducated. Ok, its one thing to have a legitimate lawsuit for being wronged, but when you do something to yourself its your own damn fault. Stupid woman thought cruise control meant you didn't have to drive. These are the kind of things proponents of "intelligent design" should use to attack darwinian evolution with, such stupidity should have been weeded out eons ago. Did her ancient ancestors go over and try to pet lions thinking they were cute? They already sort of do that, its called Judge Judy, they found the bitchiest lawyer in the Bronx and made her a judge, then televise idiotic cases. Not surprisingly on Fox... These kind of things shed a bad light on all lawsuits, I for one am particularly pissed about the portrayal of a mental disorder on law and order and dr phil and want to go after him and jerry bruckheimer. Edited October 24, 2007 by eraser_tr Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Fates 63 Posted October 24, 2007 when you do something to yourself its your own damn fault. Yeah...I'm sure someone has tried to sue a gun manufacture because the gun they used to commit suicide malfunctioned. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Typhoid 231 Posted October 24, 2007 Yeah...I'm sure someone has tried to sue a gun manufacture because the gun they used to commit suicide malfunctioned. supposedly OJ was sitting in the road with the traffic backed up because he wanted to shoot himself and the gun jammed. They started a collection to help him out - collected 10 cases of WD-40........ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. T 0 Posted October 24, 2007 I am so glad that I have joined this forum group, as I have learned many new and fascinating things about ways of the infidel. Example, If left up to me, I would take the infidels who initiate such frivolous suits of law (their barristers, too), and slap them with large eels until they admit their guilt and repent their sins. Then, I would banish them to the desert, hundreds of kilometers from nearest help, with nothing more than one can of cheap soda. How does one enact such a law, in your land? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
super61 0 Posted October 25, 2007 (edited) Sorry for the buzzkill guys: Buzzkillhttp://www.snopes.com/legal/lawsuits.asp Edited October 25, 2007 by super61 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eraser_tr 29 Posted October 25, 2007 Enlightening. Who the hell is this guy? Is it just USAFBLTdan and C5 up to their usual shenanigans or have eels finally managed to spill over into CA? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. T 0 Posted October 25, 2007 I am known as Baghdad Bob, and who I am and where I reside are businesses of mine, and not one of your's, or of anyone else. In another life, I proudly and faithfully served the B'aath Party of Iraq, by dispensing the truth, as seen fit by President Saddam. I am now seeking a position were my unique talents can be better put to their use. I strongly believe that the position I seek will be granted to me by those that administer to this site of the world wide web, known as Combat Ace. As for my embracing of eels, it is to show that I am of the same thought process as those who's popularity is increased here, by mentioning them first. Long Live the Eels! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Viggen 583 Posted October 25, 2007 I am known as Baghdad Bob, and who I am and where I reside are businesses of mine, and not one of your's, or of anyone else. In another life, I proudly and faithfully served the B'aath Party of Iraq, by dispensing the truth, as seen fit by President Saddam. I am now seeking a position were my unique talents can be better put to their use. I strongly believe that the position I seek will be granted to me by those that administer to this site of the world wide web, known as Combat Ace. As for my embracing of eels, it is to show that I am of the same thought process as those who's popularity is increased here, by mentioning them first. Long Live the Eels! "You" came here? Out if all the places that "you" could have gone...here? Why? I heard that Syria needed some new cronies in the AAA units. Guess some generals didn't like seeing a nuclear reactor destroyed by the Israelis...again! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. T 0 Posted October 25, 2007 "You" came here? Out if all the places that "you" could have gone...here? Why? I heard that Syria needed some new cronies in the AAA units. Guess some generals didn't like seeing a nuclear reactor destroyed by the Israelis...again! Syria? General? I am of higher rank than general. I am Minister of Information. The government of Syria B'aath Party have no such opening. I know of this, as I approached them regarding such a position, but they spurned me like a cheap infidel harlot. I tried opening a night club there, "Baghdad Bob's Comdey Club on the Euphrates", but they would not grant me license. I also had much trouble booking good comedic acts. As the infidels would might say, "Go Figure". So, now I am here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rambler 1-1 9 Posted October 25, 2007 (Ahem) I am hereby sueing a ZU-23-4 AAA unit for blowing the bajeebers out of me on my first strike mission in an F-18. Also, I'm sueing McDonnell Douglas/Boeing for building an aircraft that can be destroyed by ground fire. And I'm gonna sue Martin Baker because despite the fact that it saved my A**, it cost me several hundred dollars in chiropractic expenses. So there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Dave 2,319 Posted October 25, 2007 "You" came here? Out if all the places that "you" could have gone...here? Why? I heard that Syria needed some new cronies in the AAA units. Guess some generals didn't like seeing a nuclear reactor destroyed by the Israelis...again! I am happy BB is here, I mean its not everyday we get a celebrity here at CA. Besides he makes me laugh.....and when I am happy.....you all are happy......get it....... And for your information eraser...........I am going to let you in on a little tiny secret....... the eels have been here for awhile. They just don't know we are on to them...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted October 25, 2007 Beware the eel spies... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
