"The lawsuit is [the largest] example of irresponsibility in our society today. This function of our court system is so often abused, it nearly ceases to serve the purpose for which it was introduced."
Darrell Stoller, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois
"It is very easy nowadays for people to sue rather than take responsibility for their actions. Unnecessary time and money are being spent on legal fees and court costs, because people have come to believe they deserve compensation for their own lack of self-discipline."
Kevin Speicher, Conrad Weiser High School, Robesonia, Pennsylvania
In its January 17, 1994 issue, Forbes magazine ran an article by David Frum and Frank Wolfe which ranked the most litigious states. They discovered that D.C. is the most litigious area of the country and Utah is the least. Belying their reputations, New York, California and Texas ranked only 8th, 13th and 18th, respectively.
To rank the states, we developed five proxies for litigiousness: the percentage of automobile accidents where lawyers get involved; the average cost for one year's malpractice insurance for an orthopedic surgeon; the number of members of a state's trial lawyers association per 100,000 population; how much each state's chief justice spent to win his last election; and the amount the largest city in each state paid in lawsuits against it in the last fiscal year.
We then ranked the states and the District of Columbia from 1 to 51 in each of the categories. Then we averaged each state's five scores to arrive at a final ranking. É The lower a state's score, the worse the legal climate. By a big margin, the District of Columbia finished in first place, with Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Nevada rounding out the top five. Utah was a comparably secure last place finisher.
The journalists found that Detroit physicians pay over $150,000 a year in premiums, which is explained by the fact that Detroit juries award plaintiffs more generously than anywhere else. All Michigan physicians pay an average malpractice premium of $100,000 a year, more than eight times the median state.
The study omitted workers' compensation and school board and transit system liability, understating the cost of litigation to taxpayers. There were aberrations like the low ranking awarded Boise, Idaho, "because virtually all the city's roads are owned by the state government making the state responsible for lawsuits arising from accidents upon them."
They "goofed" -- Someone Else Pays
"A Chicago man left a party intoxicated and stumbled off the road to urinate. He passed obvious warning signs, climbed through boards used to keep out intruders, and was electrocuted when he relieved himself on
the 600 volt third rail of the Chicago Transit Authority's Ravenswood line. His family sued the CTA for negligence and was awarded $1.5 million."
Alice Elizabeth Juvenal, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, Texas
"A jury ordered the New York City Transit Authority to pay thirteen million dollars to a man and the family of his late brother after the men came into contact with electrified subway tracks. Both men were admitted alcoholics and drug abusers. Transit police testified that they
found intravenous drug paraphernalia near the victims. Although the reward was reduced to between five million dollars and six million dollars, the public was ripped off. No one should be rewarded if he
gets injured while trespassing."
Justin Lockwood, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant, Iowa
"A man in New York received $650,000 in a legal battle. He purposefully jumped in front of a subway train and was mutilated by its wheels. He sued the city of New York claiming that the train should have stopped
before it hit him."
Keli Crane, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, Texas
Students in New York uncovered many lawsuits by people who handled guns irresponsibly:
"A little boy was in his mother's room playing with a handgun and it accidentally went off. The bullet went through the little boy's leg. The mother sued the gun (manufacturer) for not putting a warning label on it
that said to keep guns away from little children and keep it locked up somewhere safe."
Trang Le, Central Islip High School, Central Islip New York
"A man who reloaded his own ammunition, bought a rifle with a modified barrel. While finding the correct seating depth to seat his bullet in
his new weapon, a job which should certainly be done with a non-live round, his weapon went off, and the projectile entered a powder closet. The resulting explosion destroyed much of his home, and also burned him quite severely. He then proceeded to file a number of lawsuits, including one against the gunsmith, the manufacturer of the barrel, as well as the manufacturer of the action."
Chris Wynne, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York
"An unidentified wife and husband were fighting. The wife grabbed a loaded revolver and placed it against her husbands chest. She cocked the gun and without warning the gun went off. ...She sued the gun manufacturer claiming that she was only bluffing and that the gun went off too easily, thus killing her husband. This is a classic case of someone mishandling
machinery and then blaming the manufacturer. This irresponsibility resulted tragically in a death. This also sets a bad example for those who have 'accidents' with guns. It sends a message that it's OK to
mishandle guns and then blame the manufacturer."
Amy Torchia, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York
Blamed if they do:
"A school administrator told me about a pregnant woman who sued a bar because they would not give her alcohol. It was responsible of the bar to observe her condition and stop her from possibly harming her baby. If the bar had served her alcohol, the baby could have suffered from several alcohol-related birth defects, such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome."
Regina Austin, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, Texas
Blamed if they don't:
"Another example of a suit filed to disperse blame took place in Seattle. It was filed when a woman who openly admitted to drinking up to one-half of a fifth of bourbon every day while pregnant, had a child afflicted with birth defects. He was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Though this condition was clearly her fault, she filed a suit against the James Bean Brewery, claiming that there was no clear warning
on the bottles against drinking excessive amounts of alcohol while pregnant."
Chris Wynne, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York
The case above, that Chris brought to our attention, is all too common. On the other hand, Regina's earlier example bears closer scrutiny.
No one is attempting to condone drunk-driving.
On the contrary, the following excerpts show the results, which are not only more pitiful when the driver eludes responsibility but, as the students point out, outrageous when irresponsibility is rewarded:
"Michael Belton, a former clothing salesman won a $619,000 jury verdict because he was injured trying to board a bus. Belton's blood alcohol level was .424 percent which is more than four times the legal intoxication level. With this amount of alcohol Belton was so drunk at the time, he could remember virtually nothing of the accident."
Neal Bobzin, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota
"In the summer of 1985, a man who had been drinking passed a series of detour signs. There was plenty of time to slow down, but he took a curve marked 45 mph at a high speed. The man suffered multiple injuries. By the time the doctors finally got around to giving him an alcohol test eight hours later, his blood still showed 0.09% alcohol level, barely below the 0.1% legal limit. At the time of the accident, his alcohol level was probably twice as high.
He sued the state, but since there was a statutory cap limiting the state's liability...to $250,000 he then proceeded to sue the road-contractor, the utility company who owned the adjoining property, and the engineering firm that designed the detour. Five years later, without ever getting to trial, the defendants caved in. They settled for about $35,000... Irresponsibility cannot be stopped, but it can be decreased. In the case of the drunken driver, he blamed the engineering of the highway detour. The man was drunk. ...He could have called a taxi, or allowed a designated driver to take him home. Better, he could have not drunk at all. He simply could not accept the fact that the state was right and he was wrong. So he came up with the weak excuse that it was the highway's fault.
It takes a cowardly man to come up with an excuse like that."
Amy Brimer, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
Sometimes it works for smokers too:
"Rose Cipollone had been a chain smoker for forty years. When she died of lung cancer in 1984, her family sued three cigarette companies.
The family was awarded $400,000. This, and similar suits, place the blame on the wrong people. Granted the cigarettes cause cancer but nobody forces the smoker to smoke."
Larry Weingarten, Valhalla High School, Valhalla, New York
"A husband of a 20 year cigarette smoker who died of lung cancer
sued the tobacco company for the responsibility of her death, even though the cigarette packages displayed a Surgeon General's Warning. He incredibly, won the case."
Emily McCulloh, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
"A young boy [got] lip cancer from tobacco chewing. His mother Étried to sue the company...that makes the tobacco. ...This is just one example where someone tries to put the blame on someone else. This boy is the one who put the tobacco in his own mouth; the company did not. He chose to chew, so that was his responsibility."
Sandra Johnson, Froid High School, Froid, Montana
In the excerpt that follows Quentin presents a farfetched lawsuit turning on cause and effect:
"A family was evicted by their landlord because they had not paid their rent for two months. Upon the eviction their cat died and they sued the landlord for causing the death of the cat."
Quentin Stover, New Underwood High School, New Underwood, South Dakota
Unfortunately there is not the slightest hint of humor in the stories below:
"A sixteen-year-old from Enid murdered his parents because he couldn't use the family car. He had cut classes the day before and had been grounded from the phone.
When he was denied the use of the family car, he shot both of his parents. He claimed the reason was because they were too hard to get along with. This type of behavior will give people the idea that it is okay to kill people, if they can find an excuse that shifts the blame onto another person."
Farrah D. Gunter, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
"A teenage girl appeared on a nationwide television talk show admitting to having killed one of her so called friends. She claimed, however,
that she was not in her right mind at the time and it did not seem to be either a wrong or immoral act. Because of her state of mind during the murderous act, she felt that she should not be held responsible for the girl's death."
Terri Boardman, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
"The acquittal of Lorena Bobbitt...is a major victory for the attitude that everyone has an excuse. During the L.A. riots...if someone saw something they wanted they just took it. This action has been justified
through the excuse that these people have been oppressed for so long that something was bound to happen."
Tom Moore, Niantic-Harristown High School, Niantic, Illinois
Perhaps an even greater victory for the attitude Tom Moore refers to is the acquittal of the Menendez brothers. The Menendez brothers were mentioned frequently in student essays. In the excerpts that follow Mandy and Jeremy echo much of what other students expressed:
"The Menendez brothers testified that the murder of their parents was committed in self-defense. At the time of the [Menendez] murders, the parents were sitting in their den eating ice cream. How can this trial be based on self-defense when the parents were not presenting a danger at the time they were killed?"
Mandy McCormack, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, Texas
"Even though I sympathize with the two brothers, it is strange to me how our system would allow someone to kill their parents in cold blood, and be released into society as free men."
Jeremy J. McCord, Crockett High School, Austin, Texas
A student in New Jersey assures us blame is neither new nor is it native to America:
"When Germany found herself in an economic depression and political turmoil, Hitler put the blame on the Jews. In other words he held them responsible....when the smoke at Pearl Harbor dissipated, General Kimmel, the commander in charge of the Pacific fleet at the naval base, was demoted from a four-star general to a two-star general. He was blamed for not avoiding an attack of which he had no knowledge. In other words, he was held responsible for the loss of hundreds of American lives and the destruction of battleships and fighter planes.
The ones who put the blame in these two examples were actually to blame themselves. Adolf Hitler needed a scapegoat for the hardships in Germany. When he made an error in battle strategy, he blamed the Jews. This irresponsible behavior cost millions of innocent lives and his eventual downfall. In the second example, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the United States government should have taken the blame for that day at Pearl
Harbor. But the blame was put on one man who was completely unaware of the attack. This irresponsible behavior on the part of the Roosevelt administration destroyed the career of one man who had devoted his whole life to serving the very country that betrayed him."
Jong-Hyuk Woo, New Providence High School, New Providence, New Jersey
However, blame seems to be a national past time:
"Everyone seems to have a 'reason', I would call them excuses, for everything that goes wrong in his or her life, and the 'reason' is never personal blame. Most people find a way to shift the blame to someone or something else."
Eileen Huston, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, Texas
"It seems that everyone today has a problem that isn't their fault."
Amy Deehr, Freeman High School, Rockford, Washington
"[A driver] claimed the accident was not his fault because the road construction with its loud machinery had distracted him and he could not concentrate on the road ahead. Once again responsibility was not taken."
Sanam Kashgia, Pioneer High School, San Jose, California
"I heard about a rapist that sued a wine company because the intoxicating substance caused him to rape a woman. Also, when Dan White murdered San Francisco mayor George Moscone, he argued that he was a victim of temporary insanity brought on by eating Twinkies."
Eileen Huston, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, Texas
"Two parents sued MTV and Ozzy Ozbourne because they claimed that Ozzy's video, 'Suicide Solution,' influenced their son to commit suicide. Blaming MTV for the result of family or other problems just isn't being
responsible."
Grant Anders, Seaman High School, Topeka, Kansas
"When the young people get bad grades and get in trouble a lot, they blame their parents for not raising them properly. When they do badly in school they claim that their teachers do not like them and that the teachers do not teach. When they listen to foul language music, buy dirty magazines, and watch obscene and/or violent movies and TV shows, they blame society for making those types of things available. When young people get in trouble with the law, they often try to place the blame on someone they don't like, or maybe even a friend, to avoid getting themselves into trouble."
Tonya Barker, Rock Hill Senior High School, Ironton, Ohio
"In today's society it's not the child's fault that they are failing or doing very poorly in a class. It's the teachers fault for not doing their job correctly. In one eastern state a teacher was fired because she failed more than half of her class. Teachers have one of the most wonderful
jobs in the world. They get to open up the minds of young people and help them learn. Instead of putting the blame on the teachers...Kids need to value their education and take responsibility for it."
Kristin Chase, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon
"Irresponsible behavior can happen anywhere, even in a park where people try to have fun. One day, two young boys were playing in a park. The boys were acting like boys. They were running, laughing, jumping etc. They were even chasing geese near a pond in the park. All of the fun stopped when the two boys fell in the pond. People tried CPR but it wouldn't bring the boys back. Shortly after they got to the hospital the two boys died. Now the parents of the boys are suing the park for not providing park supervision.
I think the parents should look at themselves. Where were they when the boys were playing outside? It's the parents' legal duty to look after their children. These parents didn't do that. I think the parents should keep this tragedy on their shoulders to remind them of their irresponsibility."
Florencio Ramos, Jr., Richmond High School, Richmond, Illinois
"A young girl breaks her finger catching a fly ball in a school softball game; her parents sue her gym teacher, charging that she wasn't properly coached. The University of Michigan is sued for $853,000 by a student who received a low grade in German. Could it be that maybe the young girl didn't want to take the responsibility of practicing, and the student didn't take the responsibility of studying? Welcome to the nation of finger-pointers."
Laura Ann Shively, Freeman High School, Rockford, Washington
"In 1983 near our house, a college student was driving back to school on a Sunday evening. At the time there was major flooding in the low-land areas and roads were barricaded to ensure the safety of drivers. ...When [the student] came to the barricades he decided to move them aside even though they said "Road Closed". ...[Failing] to take the detour...caused damage to his car. He sued the highway department for not [securing] the barricades so they were immovable.
Tax payers had to pay for the damages caused by this irresponsible person. The person got off the easy way and didn't have to pay for his mistake."
Randy White, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota
"A Nevada man sued a casino after he returned to [its] parking garage...to retrieve his car after spending several hours drinking and using drugs at a party. Instead of going to his car, he jumped over a railing and plunged several stories to the street and was nearly killed. The blame, he said, fell on the casino because they [employees] should have stopped him."
Tate Kauffman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania
"A woman went to a tanning bed. The attendant told her to stay in the bed only for a maximum of thirty-five minutes. Ignoring the advice, she set the timer for fifty-five minutes. Days later, she came back with second and third degree burns on her back and sued the tanning agency for her burns.
The woman chose to expose her skin to ultraviolet rays. When the outcome was not what she expected, she should have learned from her mistake and tanned for a shorter amount of time, or just quit going altogether."
Sarah Harvey, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
"Today, people are blaming their problems on everyone but themselves.
Nothing is ever the fault of the accuser."
Aimee Hunter, Aubrey High School, Aubrey, Texas
It's worse than that, Aimee. Now they're blaming the victims:
An oil rigger sued the state of Texas for waiting six years before arresting him. The suit charged the state with lack of due diligence in trying to find him after his appeal from a conviction for armed robbery was denied.
"A man named Christopher Duffy of Farmington, Massachusetts. stole a car from a parking lot and got killed in an accident. His estate
sued the proprietor of the lot for failing to prevent auto thefts."
Erika Grossell, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota
"Amy was a 25-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with AIDS. One cold night her 41-year-old neighbor broke into her home and raped her. After later contracting Amy's disease, Tony, the antagonist, sued her. He claimed that she should not have allowed herself to be raped knowing that she had AIDS."
Angelina J. Morrow, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
"(A man) serving a prison sentence for the shooting death of a police officer, didn't deny the murder, but said that it was the officer's fault, in part because the officer should have been wearing a bullet-proof
vest which might have prevented his death."
Tate Kauffman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania
A convicted felon attempted to sue the owners of a bar, claiming that, but for their negligence in allowing his under-aged victim into their establishment, he would not have shot and killed him.
"At the tender age of 15, Lorissa became pregnant. Billy was charged and convicted with statutory rape, and he was also forced to pay a large percent of his already small paycheck each month for child support.
Billy is now suing the girl for allowing herself to become pregnant and ruining his chances at a decent future."
Angelina J. Morrow, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
"An employee of a jewelry store in Wisconsin. . .was trying to break in (at night) and steal their most expensive item. ...He accidentally
stepped on a skylight, fell through, and broke both his legs. He sued the jewelry store for thousands of dollars, and won!"
Holly Hart, Salem High School, Salem, Missouri
"On December 13, 1993, the security guard at the grocery store I work at witnessed a man shoplifting. When approached, the man started a fight. The security guard sprayed the man in the face with pepper spray and arrested him. After the incident the D.A.'s office was threatening to sue the security guard because the shoplifter claimed his rights were violated."
Karen Krumlauf, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon
On California's Monterey Peninsula a man was recently awarded $13,000 in damages due to excess force used by Costco employees when they caught him shoplifting. He admitted the crime and his violent attempt to resist detention by the employees but pleaded that the force used to finally detain him was excessive.
The triumphant attorney successfully compared his client to Rodney King, who despite being a lawbreaker, was awarded $3.8 million in damages for the beating he suffered at the hands of Los Angeles police in 1991. Kids are understandably confused:
"Our world is turning upside down. The wrong done is being blamed on everyone except the person who is responsible. How did we get to this state of affairs?
For example, a boy who lived in North Garland, Texas, tried with a friend, to break into one of the high schools. That night he stepped on a skylight in the roof and crashed onto the floor. Suffering severe injuries, he sued the architect, the school district and the builder because they did not have guardrails around the skylights. He won, regardless of the fact that he was trying to break in. This boy was proving to the world that attempting to do wrong is rewarding. Others will probably try something similar and win also. Something is definitely wrong."
Heather C. Thomason, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
He's A Victim, She's A Victim - Bet We AreVictims Too!
"This is the age of the all purpose victim. People think that the loss of a job, an unsuccessful movie, a foul tasting can of soda, a slip on the supermarket floor, or an unbecoming face lift is sufficient reason
to claim huge amounts of money. Individuals or groups [no longer attempt to resolve unpleasant situations or momentary setbacks; instead these become social problems.] The basic answer of the people is, we
are not to blame, we are the victims....We are a society that is expanding the definition of a victim, instead of focusing on the genuine victims. The American people should focus on the real victims, and put their energy toward helping them."
Kim Mandragona, Valhalla High ,Valhalla, New York
"A court ruled that drug addicts could sue the person who sold them the drugs for the physical and mental damage that these drugs can cause. In these cases, the drug addicts are refusing to take the blame for their own ignorance. It is well known by United Stated citizens that these drugs are illegal, and most people know the dangers involved. Addicts are not truly the victims in this case, but are selfishly trying to gain from their bad decisions."
Jera Chandler, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
"If we were to accept that because criminals are victims of abuse, divorced or absentee parents, living in the inner city, etc., and therefore cannot be held responsible for their actions, we would have to release every prisoner in the nation. . .Criminals need to see that what they do is not ok and that their actions will not be rewarded by either light sentences or ridiculous awards in court."
Nicole Griffin, Pioneer High School, San Jose, California
"Our society today claims they are victims of the system. They pass the buck, ignore morality, and have no concept of right and
wrong."
John Espinosa, Aubrey High School, Aubrey, Texas
"Lorena Bobbitt, John Bobbitt, Tonya Harding and Lyle and Eric Menendez. What do these people have in common? They are all nationally
known victims. Recently the word victim has come to (mean) 'an excuse for action.' All of (these) people expect or expected to use what happened to them as an excuse for the actions they took instead of taking responsibility for themselves."
Abby Ann Dunn, Knoxville High School, Knoxville, Illinois
"After the L.A. race riots in 1992, Damian Williams and Henry Watson were arrested for severely beating Reginald Denny, an innocent white bystander. Yet they were acquitted on all counts--based on the assumption that they were helpless victims of their environmentÑtherefore removing all personal responsibility from the matter and creating a precedent that promoted the concept of victimization."
Chris Jensen, Freeman High School, Rockford, Washington
If Crime Won't Pay Our Tort System Will
"My father explained a case to me, in which a burglar broke into a family's house and the owner sent his dog after the thief. The dog attacked and injured the burglar. The burglar then sued the owner of the
dog for being attacked and hurt."
Kent Krech, Garnet Valley High School, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
"...people who put up beware of dog signs are still getting sued when their dog bites a trespasser. I think this is ridiculous. The courts argue that if a person puts up a sign that person knows his dog is mean,
therefore that person is liable if the dog bites someone. Even a burglar can sue if he is bitten by a dog. That even makes less sense because the dog is defending his home. Isn't that why some owners get a dog. Where does the responsibility lie?"
Kim Johnson, Centerville High School, Centerville, South Dakota
"A burglar, attempting to break into a house through a skylight was injured when it collapsed under his weight. He sued the skylight company--and won."
Tate Kauffman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania
"A burglar, while stealing a television set, accidentally
tripped, fell, and severely injured himself, so what did he do? Why, he simply sued the family and won. Since when is it a homeowner's responsibility to furnish a safe home for burglars?" "Still another absurd case involves a bank robber who is suing the bank he robbed because he was hurt while trying to escape through the turnstile doors. The criminals are being rewarded for their blunders and the victims are paying. Too many people are shifting the blame and neglecting their responsibilities as citizens." Commit a crime--sue the victim! It's catching on:
"Also in New York, an armed robber was shot and injured by a police officer. The robber sued the police claiming that the officer had no right to shoot, even though he (the robber) was in the act of committing armed robbery. He (the robber) came out of court $4.5 million richer." New York is not alone! A fleeing kidnapper was literally stopped
by a police car and later awarded $800,000 from taxpayers in San Francisco because excessive force was used in his apprehension.
"Laura, 16 years old, and Michael, 17 years old, had been dating
for a mere two months when they decided to have sex. The two teens waltzed into their local pharmacy and shoplifted a box of condoms. One of the condoms that the couple stole broke during sex, and Laura was impregnated. The two teens sued the store for a large sum of money, claiming that the store should not have allowed faulty contraceptives to be placed where tempted teens could steal them." "A final example, one which I read about in the Medford Mail Tribune, started out with a man in New York being pulled over for a routine traffic
violation. The man was carrying a bag of cocaine, and when approached by the police officers, decided to swallow the entire contents of the bag rather than to be caught with it. The man instantly went into
convulsions, but the police acted fast enough to save his life. For this crazy or even stupid action, the man awoke at the hospital with minor brain damage. Instead of putting the blame on himself, he shed his responsibility, and blamed the police department for not acting quickly enough. Along with the blame, the man also filed a $7 million lawsuit." Mike Ervin relates a similar story:
"My mom told me about an illegal alien that was not only
driving, but was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. The police officer took the illegal alien down to the police station where the police officer frisked the illegal alien before putting him in jail. A pack of cocaine was found and the illegal alien swallowed the cocaine. The police officer put the illegal alien in prison where he suffered medical problems due to the ingestion of the cocaine.
The police officer took him to the hospital where he was treated. The illegal alien is now suing the police department for six million dollars because he claims that he suffered vision loss and brain damage
due to the ingestion of the cocaine." Convicts get in on the act:
"One convict, whose sentence was increased for escaping, sued the county and its sheriff, accusing them of negligence in failing to prevent the get-away." With time on their hands, they sue for a variety of reasons:
"Judge John Paul Sullivan of Massachusetts has demanded that a man convicted of murder get back his collection of sexually explicit material.
Alfred Brown was awarded $2.7 million while serving time in jail for manslaughter. He lost his left hand while trying to clean machinery. Alfred claimed that the injury ended his career as a part time drummer and nearly ended his marriage. The judge also awarded Brown's wife $35,000 for losses." "A convicted murderer, Ratford Cox, was awarded $19,609.80 for two years worth of withheld benefits, after he complained of not having enough money to buy cigarettes. When his life sentence was decided, the judge took away Cox's weekly workers' compensation payments. After his complaint, the state's Court of Appeals reinstated his payments saying that 'there is no statutory authority for such a suspension.'" "Anthony Jones is suing because the state will not allow him to wear a bra, panties, and mascara in jail. The thirty year old convicted murderer feels he has every right to wear a dress if he so pleases." "A prime example comes from a local radio station which reports two inmates are suing their correctional facility for $20,000 apiece on the grounds that the guards let them become addicted to Maxwell House coffee." It Must Be Somebody's Fault; Accidents Don't Happen Anymore!
"[In April, 1993] a Kansas lawyer was awarded $35,000 for back injuries that he claimed he suffered because he had to reach into the back seat of his car to retrieve his briefcase; a colleague received a $95,000 settlement in a similar case after he allegedly injured his back lifting
his briefcase from his car trunk!" "A man from South Dakota went on vacation and asked his neighbor to pick up his mail for him. Within the few days the mail is bombarded with various Christmas catalogs, many of them were fairly heavy. Because
of their heaviness the neighbor claims he got a hernia from lifting them and now plans to sue for damages." "Another act of irresponsible behavior took place in the parking lot of a McDonald's in Westchester, Pennsylvania. A woman was walking
to her car and fell. The lot was not covered with snow, ice, water, or anything else that could have caused the fall. McDonald's is now being sued because this woman could not walk." In the summer of 1994 a jury awarded a lady $2.9 million because she was scalded by McDonald's coffee which spilled while she was driving. McDonald's will appeal, but customers better be prepared for tepid coffee from fast-food restaurants in the future. Those with deep pockets have to protect themselves from lawsuits.
Some ice fell from the roof of a department store and killed a passerby. The family rushed to sue the department store the building's architect and any other entity with deep pockets.
"Another example of irresponsibility was displayed by a family who sued Los Gatos Christian Church. Their daughter went water skiing with
the high school group and she didn't know how to ski. The youth leaders then proceeded to teach her how by giving her instructions. When she finally began skiing she hit a wave, and fell resulting in an injured knee. The church paid for everything, hospital stay, ambulance ride, physical therapy and other expenses, without being asked. About three years after the incident the family sued the church for $50,000 because they didn't teach her how to ski properly." "A man was riding in a golf cart and when his friend turned the corner
too sharply, he fell out and hit his head. He ended up dying a couple of days later. His family sued the golf club for using carts without seat belts. His family was awarded an estimated $305,000 for doctor
bills, pain and suffering... A lot of other things could have been done about the seat belts... The man's family could have easily started a project to get seat belts in the carts. This would have been
a worth-while project, starting with their small community and then expanding the program. I'm sure a lot of individuals would have gladly taken on the project with them. Another solution they could
have used would be to start a fund in his name to let people know how important he was to them. The golf club more than likely would have donated some amount of money to help the fund along." "A woman was trying to open the sliding glass door at her house, when she lost her balance and fell through. She tried to sue the glass manufacturer for all her doctor bills and pain. Her complaint was the door somehow always got stuck." Whatever Happened To Common Sense?
"A woman tried to sue a sneaker store for selling her sneakers that were a full size below her actual size. The woman claimed that due to the inadequately sized sneakers, she had received an ingrown toe nail
on both feet and went through much pain and agony. Though the sneaker store may have sized her feet incorrectly, if the lady was experiencing pain or felt confined in the sneakers, she should have realized
this instead of walking around for long enough to get ingrown toe nails." "A man sued the Little Debbie company for 40 million dollars because he was eating a snack cake and fell out of a tree. He won because he claimed there should have been a warning label on the box stating that the cakes should not be eaten in trees!" "For example, a local newscast explained a story of a truck owner who sued the manufacturer for faulty information. This man had recently purchased a new Blazer type four by four, which was equipped with cruise control. Apparently not familiar with cruise control, this man set the speed then jumped into the back seat. The vehicle then, of course,
went off the road and hit the telephone pole. The cruise control system was thought to be an automatic pilot, and the man sued the manufacturer for not specifically explaining to him that cruise did not
mean auto-pilot. He won the case!" "People sue companies for mistakes like not putting a warning label on a car hood. If a person doesn't know that if you slam your finger in a hood it is going to hurt, he should be going to a mental hospital
or something." "First of all, a man who fell off a ladder sued the ladder company because no warning label was on the ladder to tell a person not to stand on the top step. The sad part is he won. It is a shame when a company
is forced to place warning labels on a product, when using common sense would take care of it." "Another frivolous case is that of the land owner who set his extension ladder in the mud, and proceeded to climb up onto his barn. When the ladder slipped and fell, he sued the ladder company for not having a warning label on the ladder stating that it should not be set into wet mud. Unbelievably enough, the court decided in his favor." "A boy recently sued a candy company that has a foil wrapper on its candy because they failed to state "remove foil before eating," After eating several of these candies, the boy suffered an intestinal blockage and had to be taken to the hospital. All you have to do is use common sense and you should know to unwrap candy first. This is very irresponsible on the part of the parents for letting the boy eat them with the wrapper on and I personally would feel pretty stupid suing someone because I ate candy with the wrapper on." "A few years back a lady and her family were visiting at Yellowstone
National Park. While the woman was there she wanted to get a picture of her daughter with one of the park's bears. As a lure to get the bear to come near her daughter she put peanut butter on her daughter's cheek. She thought it would be cute if the bear was licking the little girl's face. The bear didn't know any better so he started licking the peanut butter off. In the process he bit the little girl's cheek. The mother was outraged, and insisted that the bear be killed. She won her case and the bear was killed." "People sue companies for not putting common sense warning labels on their appliances. This was the case when a refrigerator company was sued for not putting a warning label on the refrigerator that carrying it
on one's back could be harmful. How stupid can people get?" "The judicial system needs to crack down on some of these ridiculous claims such as, 'The paint label didn't say not to use it on my cat.' or 'There should have been a sign that said not to drive my car through the grocery store.' I mean really, wake up and smell the 90's. Judges
need to see through the facade of 'victimization' and get rid of these petty cases and save the tax payers money." "People no longer use common-sense to solve simple problems. My friend's mother slipped and fell on a patch of ice in front of a local department store. She wanted to sue the store because they had not put a sign up stating that the sidewalk may become slippery when frozen...My cousin attempted to sue Stillwater Company for the design of their 'Kicker' sub-woofer speakers...He was arguing that there was no warning that he might suffer hearing loss while listening at high volume." "A woman took a birth control pill, from Johnson and Johnson company, for three years. She then had a stroke. She sued the company, because the label didn't list strokes as a side effect. The company claimed it did through common sense. The label said that the pill may cause fatal
clotting, and a stroke fits under fatal clotting. The jury found the woman correct and awarded her 1.75 million dollars." "A woman sued the apartment complex because her husband drowned in the swimming pool. This sounds pretty normal until all the facts
are brought to light. These facts are, that the husband on his birthday got drunk, then with his wife and fifteen friends went to the pool. During the night he decided to walk all the way across the bottom of the pool. His friends and wife watched as he walked to his death underneath the surface. The wife won." "A graduating student in Los Angeles county sued the education system in 1992 when he failed to get accepted to college. The young man could not read but had received passing grades in his classes throughout his high school years. He was an excellent basketball player who ranked high in his league and the school didn't feel they had a team without him. He was seriously injured in the final game of the season. After his injury,
his grades and test scores were more important to colleges than his athletic ability. Granted the district should never have given him passing grades, but the student had to be aware that he was not meeting
the standards set for him." "The body of a man who died of cancer was given back to the son of the deceased because he could not pay the price of the cremation. The price of the cremation was six hundred eighty three dollars, and he only had two
hundred seventy nine. The son said he wanted to discuss some kind of payment plan; however he was told he had to have the payments the next day. Newell Evans, who was the owner of the mortuary said he did
not just dump the body with intentions to make the son mad. He just returned the body."
Andy Chen, New Providence High School, New Providence, New Jersey
Josh McFarland, Phoenix High , Phoenix, Oregon
Tisha Bacigalupi, Pioneer High School, San Jose, California
Keli Crane, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, Texas
Angelina J. Morrow, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
Josh Alner, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon
Mike Ervin, Richmond High School, Richmond, Illinois
Laura Ann Shively, Freeman High School, Rockford, Washington
Michelle Berens, Colby High School, Colby, Kansas
Angie Guthrie, Deer River High School, Deer River, Minnesota
Darrell Stoller, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois
Rebecca White, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Tate Kauffman, Big Spring High School, Newville, Pennsylvania
Carmen Knuppe, New Underwood High , New Underwood, South Dakota
Michele Paulick, Garnet Valley High School, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
Kerri Franklin, Pioneer High School, San Jose, California
Rachel Cooper, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
Rachael Cooper, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
Linda Cheung, Central Islip High School, Central Islip, New York
Rose Nieto, Falls City High School, Falls City, Texas
Vincent Oddo, Garnet Valley High School, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
Jason Johansen, Marion High School, Marion, South Dakota
Adam Fordyce, Froid High School, Froid, Montana
Emily McCulloh, Plainview High School, Ardmore, Oklahoma
Brian Woodward, Niantic-Harristown High School, Niantic, Illinois
Quentin Stover, New Underwood High School, New Underwood, South Dakota
Eileen Huston, Blue Ridge High School, Blue Ridge, Texas
Alan Welburn, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon
Richard Blagg, Jr., Aubrey High School, Aubrey, Texas
Brent Bill, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois
Brent Bill, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois
Kevin Gilman, Phoenix High School, Phoenix, Oregon
Jeff Hershberger, Eureka High School, Eureka, Illinois