The Stella Award

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Crazy material world...

 

The "Stella" Award

 

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 McDo-nald'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 (in the good

old USA) with the right attorney you could win anything! (see OJ trial)

 

1. 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 amuck inside a furnitu-re store. The owners of the store were

understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving little

prick 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 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 neighbour'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, 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 clai-ming the situation caused him

undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of half a mil-lion

dollars.

 

4. October 1999: Jerry Williams of Little Rock Arkansas was awarded $14,500

and medical ex-penses 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.

 

5. May 2000: A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of

Lancaster, Penn-sylvania $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.

 

6. 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 win-dow in the ladies room to

avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental

expenses.

 

7. And just so you know that cooler heads do occasionally 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.