America is fascinated with lawsuits. Court shows like Judge Judy, Judge Mathis, Judge Alex, and Judge Joe Brown give common folk the ability to sue those they believe have wronged them. It is said that Americans spend more money in litigation than any civilized country; twice as much money than is spent on new cars (Sixwise, n.d.). In 2002, of the 16 million civil cases filed, lawyers earned $40 billion dollars in lawsuit awards (Sixwise, n.d.).
According to Sixwise.com, the largest increase in lawsuits has been in the medical (Sixwise, n.d.), however lawsuits range from labor and employment, breach of contracts, product liability, personal injury and intellectual property or patents and anything else in between.
Some of the lawsuits are frivolous in nature. Such is the case in New York where an attorney filed suit against KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s for his obesity and obesity related issues. That is not the first lawsuit against a fast food chain. In 2008 a man sued McDonald’s for $3 million dollars worth of damages after he lost his camera phone and an employee posted the nude pictures on the phone to the internet (Farrell, 2008).
Geocites.com comprised a list of the Top Ten Stupid Lawsuits of All Time (Top,n.d). When reading these lawsuits it is easy to see why so many cases bog down our judicial system. These are paraphrased from the website.
10 – A man sued Michael Jordan because he says Michael Jordan looks like him. This supposedly causes people everywhere to approach him. He sued Michael Jordan AND the founder of Nike, Phil Knight, for $832 million dollars.
9 - Anna Ayala sued Wendy's because she claimed that there was a finger in her chili. After a huge investigation, it turns out that she planted the finger in the chili.
8 -Kenneth Parker sued the state of Nevada because he ordered two jars of chunky peanut butter but instead got one jar of chunky and one jar of creamy.
7 - The McDonald's Coffee Case Stella Liebeck sued McDonald's because she spilled their coffee all over her lap and wound up in the hospital with 3rd degree burns.
6 -A drunk girl drove into Galveston Bay in Texas. Her friend got out alive but the drunk driver was too drunk to unfasten her seatbelt. So she died. Her parents sued Honda for manufacturing a seat belt that cannot be easily unbuckled by a drunk driver who is under water.
5 - A man sued Anheuser-Busch for $10,000 claiming that unlike their beer commercials would suggest, drinking their brand of beer did not cause bikini girls to suddenly break into a volleyball game and invite him back to their hotel room.
4 - It's ongoing litigation that was finally settled after 28 years in the courts. The Beatles formed a company called Apple Corps as a record label. They didn't like Apple Computer using a similar name and also selling music. So they kept suing Apple Computer, trying to get money.
3 - A man claimed his employer was discriminating against him. The jury awarded him over $300,000. Because during the trial he held up a convenience store with a shotgun he's in prison for a decade.
2 - Prisoners have so much time on their hands, they think up a lot of great lawsuits. Robert Lee Brock decided to sue the man he blamed all his problems on. He sued him for $5 million dollars. He sued... himself. He claimed that the defendant (him) violated the plaintiff's (his) civil rights when the defendant allowed the plaintiff to get drink. The alcohol instigated the criminal behavior. He argued that since the defendant (himself) didn't have any money, the STATE should pay.
1 - A man sued a strip club because he claimed he suffered from whiplash! Apparently this can happen when a dancer named Tawny Peaks swings her super huge bosoms in your face. The jury rejected his demand of $15,000.
Though there are legitamate lawsuits to hold those who do wrong accountable, there are a large number of lawsuits from people no longer willing to work hard. Instead those individuals look for the easy way to make a quick buck and for some, lawsuits pay off.
According to Sixwise.com, the largest increase in lawsuits has been in the medical (Sixwise, n.d.), however lawsuits range from labor and employment, breach of contracts, product liability, personal injury and intellectual property or patents and anything else in between.
Some of the lawsuits are frivolous in nature. Such is the case in New York where an attorney filed suit against KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s for his obesity and obesity related issues. That is not the first lawsuit against a fast food chain. In 2008 a man sued McDonald’s for $3 million dollars worth of damages after he lost his camera phone and an employee posted the nude pictures on the phone to the internet (Farrell, 2008).
Geocites.com comprised a list of the Top Ten Stupid Lawsuits of All Time (Top,n.d). When reading these lawsuits it is easy to see why so many cases bog down our judicial system. These are paraphrased from the website.
10 – A man sued Michael Jordan because he says Michael Jordan looks like him. This supposedly causes people everywhere to approach him. He sued Michael Jordan AND the founder of Nike, Phil Knight, for $832 million dollars.
9 - Anna Ayala sued Wendy's because she claimed that there was a finger in her chili. After a huge investigation, it turns out that she planted the finger in the chili.
8 -Kenneth Parker sued the state of Nevada because he ordered two jars of chunky peanut butter but instead got one jar of chunky and one jar of creamy.
7 - The McDonald's Coffee Case Stella Liebeck sued McDonald's because she spilled their coffee all over her lap and wound up in the hospital with 3rd degree burns.
6 -A drunk girl drove into Galveston Bay in Texas. Her friend got out alive but the drunk driver was too drunk to unfasten her seatbelt. So she died. Her parents sued Honda for manufacturing a seat belt that cannot be easily unbuckled by a drunk driver who is under water.
5 - A man sued Anheuser-Busch for $10,000 claiming that unlike their beer commercials would suggest, drinking their brand of beer did not cause bikini girls to suddenly break into a volleyball game and invite him back to their hotel room.
4 - It's ongoing litigation that was finally settled after 28 years in the courts. The Beatles formed a company called Apple Corps as a record label. They didn't like Apple Computer using a similar name and also selling music. So they kept suing Apple Computer, trying to get money.
3 - A man claimed his employer was discriminating against him. The jury awarded him over $300,000. Because during the trial he held up a convenience store with a shotgun he's in prison for a decade.
2 - Prisoners have so much time on their hands, they think up a lot of great lawsuits. Robert Lee Brock decided to sue the man he blamed all his problems on. He sued him for $5 million dollars. He sued... himself. He claimed that the defendant (him) violated the plaintiff's (his) civil rights when the defendant allowed the plaintiff to get drink. The alcohol instigated the criminal behavior. He argued that since the defendant (himself) didn't have any money, the STATE should pay.
1 - A man sued a strip club because he claimed he suffered from whiplash! Apparently this can happen when a dancer named Tawny Peaks swings her super huge bosoms in your face. The jury rejected his demand of $15,000.
Though there are legitamate lawsuits to hold those who do wrong accountable, there are a large number of lawsuits from people no longer willing to work hard. Instead those individuals look for the easy way to make a quick buck and for some, lawsuits pay off.
Farrell, N. (2008, November 24). Man sues mcdonald's over nude photos - The Inquirer . Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1049560/man-sues-mcdonald-nude-photos
Lattman, P. (n.d.). The Land of the Rising Number of Lawsuits - Law Blog - WSJ. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2006/03/28/the-land-of-the-rising-number-of-lawsuits/
Park, M. (2002, July 24). Ailing Man Sues Fast Food Firms . Retrieved September 20, 2009 from www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,58652
SixWise.com. (n.d.). How Many Lawsuits are There in the U.S. & What are They For? An Amazing Overview. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/10/05/how-many-lawsuits-are-there-in-the-us--amp-what-are-they-for-an-amazing-overview.htm
Top 10 Stupid Lawsuits: man sues himself. Wendy's Lawsuit, McDonald's Coffee Lawsuit, Michael Jordan Lawsuit. Stupid Lawsuits.. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://www.geocities.com/ernietugtin/stupid-lawsuits-all-time.htm
Lattman, P. (n.d.). The Land of the Rising Number of Lawsuits - Law Blog - WSJ. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2006/03/28/the-land-of-the-rising-number-of-lawsuits/
Park, M. (2002, July 24). Ailing Man Sues Fast Food Firms . Retrieved September 20, 2009 from www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,58652
SixWise.com. (n.d.). How Many Lawsuits are There in the U.S. & What are They For? An Amazing Overview. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/10/05/how-many-lawsuits-are-there-in-the-us--amp-what-are-they-for-an-amazing-overview.htm
Top 10 Stupid Lawsuits: man sues himself. Wendy's Lawsuit, McDonald's Coffee Lawsuit, Michael Jordan Lawsuit. Stupid Lawsuits.. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://www.geocities.com/ernietugtin/stupid-lawsuits-all-time.htm
That's amazing and I totally agree. People in today's society want a quick rich plan. So why no sue someone. It would be interesting to know if any of those top ten lawsuits actually paid any of those claimants. I know the lady that got burnt from spilled coffee did get money and all cups are required to say warning HOT. It's really sad this takes place because it really puts limitations on our freedom and our court system. They are required to waste time on such ridiculous cases.
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