Note this comment came from an aspiring lawyer: "Maybe these are why
>>>>lawyers get a bad name and why there are so many derogatory lawyer
>>>>jokes. Although I would love my cut of the money--I would never put my
>>>>name on pleadings for these actions!"
>>>>
>>>>Subject: Stella Awards It's time once again to consider the candidates
>>>>for the annual Stella Awards. The Stella's are named after 81-year-old
>>>>Stella Liebeck who spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued
>>>>McDonnell's. That case inspired the Stella Awards for the most
>>>>frivolous successful lawsuits in the United States. The following are
>>>>this year's 7 candidates:
>>>>
>>>>1. 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 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.
>>>>
>>>>2. 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 hub caps.
>>>>
>>>>3. 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 reenter 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.
>>>>
>>>>4. 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
>>>>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. 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.
>>>>
>>>>6. 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 out without paying her check, awarded
>>>>$12,000 and dental expenses.
>>>>
>>>>7. This year's favorite could easily be Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma
>>>>City, Oklahoma. Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago
>>>>motor home. On his first trip home, having driven onto 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
>>>>RV left the road. The owner's manual did not say that he couldn't
>>>>actually do this. The jury awarded him $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 buying their
>>>>recreation vehicles.
