In a country famed for its litigious citizens and the frivolous quality of its lawsuits, stilll some of them stand out from the
The most outrageous lawsuits filed in the US last year have been lauded at the annual Stella Awards.
Among the cases mentioned:
a Washington lawyer who is suing a dry cleaners for $65 million (£45 million) on the basis of “mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort” after the firm allegedly lost his trousers.
Second to that one was the woman who HERSELF threw a drink at her boyfriend in a Philadelphia restaurant, slipped on the liquid, broke her tailbone and successfully (Yes.. we said.. she WON))sued for $113,500 (£79,000).
Then along comes Mrs Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma, who sued Winnebago for $1.75 million (£1.21 million) after she crashed her motor home while making a sandwich. She argued that the firm failed to inform her not to leave the wheel when she set it on cruise control. so they have to TELL you now that you’re supposed to be steering when you drive??
The awards were established to check out the US civil litigation , which costs the country £172 billion a year. They are named after Stella Liebeck of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who successfully sued McDonald’s for $2.86 million (£2 million) in 1992 after burning herself on coffee that was “too hot”. Yeah we thought that was dumb too.. but heres the thing kids.. some jury actually awards these losers the win in the lawsuit.
Welcome to the United States of America, land of dreams and hope…of not getting sued!