In 1994, a New Mexico jury awarded $ 2.9 million in damages
to 81-year-old Stella Liebeck, who suffered third-degree
burns to her legs after spilling a cup of McDonald?s coffee on
herself. This case inspired the annual Stella Awards for the
most frivolous lawsuit in the U.S. This year?s candidates are
listed below.
January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was
awarded $780,000 by a jury after breaking her ankle tripping
over a toddler who was running around inside a furniture
store. The owners of the store were surprised at the verdict,
considering the little boy was Ms. Robertson?s own son.
June 1998:19-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 didn?t notice there
was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to
steal his neighbor?s hubcaps.
October 1998: Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania was
leaving a house he had just finished robbing by going through
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. Since the
family was on vacation, Dickson found himself locked in the
garage for eight days. He stayed alive by drinking a case of
Pepsi he found, along with a large bag of dry dog food. He
sued the homeowner?s insurance claiming undue mental
anguish, and a jury awarded him half a million dollars.
October 1999: 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 the owner?s fenced-in yard, and Mr.
Williams was in there with it, shooting at it with a pellet gun.
May 2000: A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay
Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania $113,500 after she
slipped on soft drink and broke her coccyx (?tail bone?).
The drink was on the floor because Ms. Carson threw it at
her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.
December 1997: Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware
successfully sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city
when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and
knocked out her two front teeth while she 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.
The Stella Awards website also says that Kenmore Inc. was
found not liable for the death of Dorothy Johnson?s poodle
after she gave it a bath and attempted to dry it by putting it
in the microwave.
This last story is unlikely to be true, since it?s a long-time
urban legend, as can be seen on the following website,
click here.
UPDATE: A reader sent us the following link, which claims
that none of the cases given Stella Awards are real. To make
up your own mind,
click
here.
For more information, click here.
