Here's a small non partisan suggestion. I can see the need to
punish a large corporation. But after the pain and suffering
component, the punitive component of these ridiculous awards could
be distributed to a larger common good (instead of going to the
plaintive). And the contingency lawyer will still get his cut.
Mike L(living in Perfect Canada)
60A,67E,59Bug
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Frank Clarici <spritenut@Exit109.com>
> > To: Spridgets <spridgets@autox.team.net>
> > Sent: August 27, 2001 8:40 PM
> > Subject: Only in America (no LBC)
> >
> >
> > > Outrageous recent court cases...
> > >
> > > 1.) January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin Texas was
> awarded
> > $780,000.00
> > > by a jury of her peers after breaking her
> > > ankle tripping over a toddler who was running amuck inside a
> > furniture store.
> > > The owners of the store were understandably
> > > surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving tyke
was
> > Ms. Robertson's
> > > son.
> > >
> > > 2.) June 1998: A 19 year old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won
> > $74,000.00 and
> > > medical expenses when his neighbor ran his
> > > hand over with a Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently didn't
> > notice someone was
> > > at the wheel of the car whose hubcap he
> > > was trying to steal.
> > >
> > > 3.) October 1998: A Terrence Dickson of Bristol Pennsylvania
> was
> > exiting a
> > > house he finished robbing by way of the garage.
> > > He was not able to get the garage door to go up, 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, so 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..
> > > This upset Mr. Dickson, so he sued the homeowner's insurance
> > claiming the
> > > situation caused him undue mental anguish. The
> > > jury agreed to the tune of half a million dollars and
change.
> > >
> > > 4.) October 1999: Jerry Williams of Little Rock Arkansas was
> > awarded
> > > $14,500.00 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 in yard, as was Mr.
> > > Williams. The award was less than sought after 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 Pennsylvania $113,500.00 after she
> > > slipped on a spilled 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 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 through the window in the lady's room to
> > avoid paying the
> > > $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded
> > > $12,000.00 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.
> > > --
> > >
> > > Frank Clarici
> > > Toms River, NJ
> > > Lots of Sprites
> > > http://www.exit109.com/~spritenut
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