Only in America!
In 1994, a New Mexico jury awarded $ 2.9 million
U.S. 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 clear candidates.
All these cases are verging on the outright
ridiculous and yet with the right attorney you
could win anything! (see OJ trial)
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 amok inside a furniture store. The
owners of the store were understandably
surprised at the verdict, considering the
misbehaving tyke was Ms. Robertson's son.
June 1998: A 19 year old Carl Truman of Los
Angeles won 74,000 and medical expenses when
his neighbour 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 neighbours hubcap.
October 1998: A Terrence Dickson of Bristol
Pennsylvania was exiting a house he 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.
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 neighbour'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.
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. The beverage was on the
floor because Ms. Carson threw it at her
boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an
argument.
December 1997: Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware
successfully sued the owner of a night club in a
neighbouring 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 ladies room to
avoid paying the 3.50 cover charge. She was
awarded 12,000 and dental expenses.
And just so you know that cooler heads do occasion-
ally 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.
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