It might be time for me to make a trip to the US again and see if I can cash in on something or other.
> 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 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 Stellas >> for 2016: > > * SEVENTH 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.Start scratching! > > SIXTH 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.Scratch some >> more... > > * FIFTH 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 and survive 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..Double hand scratching after this >> one. > > * FOURTH 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.Pick a new spot to scratch, you're >> getting a bald spot.. > > * THIRD 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. Only two more so ease up on the >> scratching... > > *SECOND 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. Ok. Here we >> go!! > > * FIRST PLACE *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 in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also >> buy a motor home. >> >> ____________________________ >> ______________________________ >>
One of my coworkers just sat on a jury where a person was in a car accident and then another. She was suing the first person for $170,000 even though she continued to work after the first accident and then the second. Luckily they only awarded her a fraction of that amount.
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 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 Stellas
>> for 2016:
She was not driving. She was a passenger. They were parked in a parking spot when she pulled off the lid to add cream and sugar. McDonald's had had 700 previous complaints about burns due to their coffee being served too hot and they did not care. She was burned so badly that she had to have multiple surgeries and grafts. The jury returned a verdict in her favor in less than 4 hours.
I've spilled coffee in my lap before and it has been uncomfortable, but it has never caused burns.
__________________
LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
McDonald's coffee used to be so hot it was horrible. I remember ordering it and it never cooled enough to drink by the time I finished my meal, even leaving the lid off and adding cream.
I think LL has a really valid point. Wonder how many of these cases actually occurred? So much "creative news reporting" lately that it is difficult to know what is true and what is not...
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 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 Stellas >> for 2016:
She was not driving. She was a passenger. They were parked in a parking spot when she pulled off the lid to add cream and sugar. McDonald's had had 700 previous complaints about burns due to their coffee being served too hot and they did not care. She was burned so badly that she had to have multiple surgeries and grafts. The jury returned a verdict in her favor in less than 4 hours.
I've spilled coffee in my lap before and it has been uncomfortable, but it has never caused burns.
Yes, it literally melted her skin off it was so hot. And she didn't intend to sue them, she originally asked for, like, $15,000 to cover a small portion of her medical bills and they refused.
