Greenballs
01-16-2006, 07:17 AM
It's time once again to review the winners of the Annual "Stella
Awards."
>The Stella Awards are named after 81 year-old Stella Liebeck of New
Mexico
>who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald's.
That
>case inspired the Stella awards for the most frivolous, ridiculous,
>successful lawsuits in the United States.
>
>
>Here are this year's winners:
>
>
>7th 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 owners of the store were
>understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving
little
>toddler was Ms. Robertson's son.
>
>
>6th Place: 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.
>
>
>5th Place: 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 locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on
>vacation, and 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 $500,000.
>
>
>4th Place: Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500
and
>medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door
>neighbour's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced
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 had
climbed
>over the fence into the yard and was shooting it repeatedly with a
pellet
>gun.
>
>
>3rd Place: 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 (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because
>Ms.Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an
>argument.
>
>
>2nd Place: 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 window in the ladies
room
>to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and
dental
>expenses.
>
>
>1st Place: This year's runaway winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski of
Oklahoma
>City, Oklahoma. Mrs. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago
>motor home. On her first trip home, (from an OU football game), having
>driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and
calmly
>left the drivers seat to go into the back & make herself a sandwich.
Not
>surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned.
>Mrs.Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising her in the owner's manual
>that she couldn't actually do this. The jury awarded her $1,750,000
plus a
>new motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis
of
>this suit, just in case there were any other complete morons around.
Awards."
>The Stella Awards are named after 81 year-old Stella Liebeck of New
Mexico
>who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald's.
That
>case inspired the Stella awards for the most frivolous, ridiculous,
>successful lawsuits in the United States.
>
>
>Here are this year's winners:
>
>
>7th 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 owners of the store were
>understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving
little
>toddler was Ms. Robertson's son.
>
>
>6th Place: 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.
>
>
>5th Place: 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 locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on
>vacation, and 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 $500,000.
>
>
>4th Place: Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500
and
>medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door
>neighbour's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced
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 had
climbed
>over the fence into the yard and was shooting it repeatedly with a
pellet
>gun.
>
>
>3rd Place: 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 (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because
>Ms.Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an
>argument.
>
>
>2nd Place: 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 window in the ladies
room
>to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and
dental
>expenses.
>
>
>1st Place: This year's runaway winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski of
Oklahoma
>City, Oklahoma. Mrs. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago
>motor home. On her first trip home, (from an OU football game), having
>driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and
calmly
>left the drivers seat to go into the back & make herself a sandwich.
Not
>surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned.
>Mrs.Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising her in the owner's manual
>that she couldn't actually do this. The jury awarded her $1,750,000
plus a
>new motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis
of
>this suit, just in case there were any other complete morons around.