> >Stella Awards > >It's time again for the annual 'Stella >Awards'! For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after >81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully >sued the McDonald's in New Mexico , where she purchased coffee. You remember, >she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her knees while she was >driving. Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right? That's >right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the >U.S. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head. >So keep your >head scratcher handy. >Here are the Stellas for the past >year: >* SEVENTH 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 store owners were >understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running >toddler was her own son. >Start scratching! >* SIXTH PLACE * >Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles , California >won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a >Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at >the wheel of >the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's >hubcaps. >Scratch some more.... >* FIFTH PLACE * >Terrence Dickson, of Bristol , Pennsylvania , >who was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage. >Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener >malfunctioned and he >could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house >because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when >Dickson pulled >it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT days and survive >on a case of >Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner's >insurance company >claiming undue mental Anguish. Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company >must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of >anguish. Keep scratching. There are more... >Double hand scratching after this >one.. >* FOURTH PLACE * >Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, >garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical >expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next door neighbor's beagle - >even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. >Williams did >not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle >might have >been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had >climbed over the >fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet >gun. >Pick a new spot to scratch, you're getting a >bald spot.. >* THIRD PLACE * >Amber Carson of Lancaster , Pennsylvania >because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 >after she >slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tailbone. The reason the soft >drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds >earlier during an argument. What ever happened to people being >responsible for >their own actions? >Only two more so ease up on the >scratching.... >*SECOND PLACE* >Kara Walton, of Claymont , Delaware sued the >owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the >bathroom window >to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was >trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the >$3.50 cover >charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000.....oh, >yeah, plus >dental expenses. Go figure. >Ok. Here we go!! >* FIRST PLACE * >This year's runaway First Place Stella Award >winner was: Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , who >purchased new >32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU >football game, >having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 >mph and calmly >left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a >sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and >overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for >not putting >in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's >seat while >the cruise control was set.. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting >down? >$1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago >actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. >Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home. >Are we, as a society, getting more >stupid.... ? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (6.1.0.447) >Database version: 6.13800 ><http://www.pctools.com/uk/spyware-doctor-antivirus/>http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor-antivirus/ > > > > > >E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (6.1.0.447) >Database version: 6.13800 ><http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/>http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor-antivirus/ > > > > >E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (6.1.0.447) >Database version: 6.13800 ><http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/>http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor-antivirus/ > >Content-Type: image/gif; name="mb.gif" >Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="mb.gif" >X-Attachment-Id: 0.1
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