Check just how crazy Americans & their society is .....
The "Stella" awards rank up there with the Darwin awards. Stella
Liebeck is
the 81 year old lady who spilled coffee on herself and sued
McDonalds.This
case inspired an annual award - The "Stella" Award ? for the most
frivolous
lawsuits in the U.S. The following are this year's candidates:
1. January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin Texas was awarded
$78,000 by
a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler
who
was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were
understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving
little
tyke was Ms. Robertson's son.
2. June 1998: A 19 year old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and
medical expenses when his neighbor 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 neighbor's hubcaps.
3. October 1998: A Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania was
leaving a
house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not
able to
get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was
malfunctioning. He couldn't re-enter the house because the door
connecting
the house and garage were 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. He
sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue
mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of half a million dollars.
4. 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 neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's
fenced-in
yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog
might
have been just a little provoked at the time by Mr. Williams who was
shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.
5. May 2000: A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber
Carson of
Lancaster, Pennsylvania $113,500 after she slipped on a 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.
> > >
6. December 1997: Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware successfully sued
the
owner of a night club in a neighboring 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 the winner is:
> > >
Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City. In November 2000 Mr. Grazinski
purchased a brand new 32 foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip
home,
having joined the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and
calmly
left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of
coffee.
Not surprisingly the Winnie left the freeway, crashed and overturned.
Mr.
Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the handbook that he
couldn't actually do this. He was awarded $1,750,000 plus a new
Winnie.
(Winniebago actually changed their handbooks on the back of this court
case, just in case there are any other complete morons buying their
vehicles...)
