thefrogprincess
New member
It's time once again to review the winners of the
annual "Stella Awards."
The "Stella Awards" are named after 81-year-old Stella
Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and success-
fully sued McDonald's (in New Mexico). That case
inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous and
ridiculous, yet successful, lawsuits in the United
States.
Here are this year's winners:
7th Place
Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded
$80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her
ankle when she tripped over a toddler who was running
inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were
understandably surprised at the verdict, considering
that the misbehaving little toddler was Ms.
Robertson's son.
****************
6th Place
Nineteen-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 hubcaps.
*******************
5th Place
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 re-enter 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.
He sued the home owners' insurance company, claiming
the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The
jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.
In my opinion, this is SO outrageous that it should
have been 2nd Place.
********************
4th Place
Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded
$14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the
buttocks by his next-door neighbors' beagle. The
beagle was on a chain in its owners' fenced yard.
The award was less than originally sought, because the
jury felt that the dog might have been just a little
provoked at the time by Mr. Williams who had climbed
over the fence into the yard and was shooting it
repeatedly with a pellet gun.
*****************************
3rd Place
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 (tail
bone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms.
Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds
earlier during an argument.
***************************
2nd Place
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 ladies' room to avoid paying
the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and
dental expenses.
****************
1st Place (drum roll, please)
This year's runaway winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski of
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mrs. Grazinski purchased a
brand-new, 32-foot-long Winnebago motor home. On her
first trip home from an OU football game -- having
driven onto the freeway -- she set the cruise control
at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go into
the back to make herself a sandwich.
Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and
overturned. Mrs.Grazinski sued Winnebago for not
advising her in the owner's manual that she couldn't
actually do that. The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus
a new motor home. The company actually changed its
manuals on the basis of this law suit, just in case
there were any other complete morons! around.
annual "Stella Awards."
The "Stella Awards" are named after 81-year-old Stella
Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and success-
fully sued McDonald's (in New Mexico). That case
inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous and
ridiculous, yet successful, lawsuits in the United
States.
Here are this year's winners:
7th Place
Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded
$80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her
ankle when she tripped over a toddler who was running
inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were
understandably surprised at the verdict, considering
that the misbehaving little toddler was Ms.
Robertson's son.
****************
6th Place
Nineteen-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 hubcaps.
*******************
5th Place
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 re-enter 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.
He sued the home owners' insurance company, claiming
the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The
jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.
In my opinion, this is SO outrageous that it should
have been 2nd Place.
********************
4th Place
Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded
$14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the
buttocks by his next-door neighbors' beagle. The
beagle was on a chain in its owners' fenced yard.
The award was less than originally sought, because the
jury felt that the dog might have been just a little
provoked at the time by Mr. Williams who had climbed
over the fence into the yard and was shooting it
repeatedly with a pellet gun.
*****************************
3rd Place
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 (tail
bone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms.
Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds
earlier during an argument.
***************************
2nd Place
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 ladies' room to avoid paying
the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and
dental expenses.
****************
1st Place (drum roll, please)
This year's runaway winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski of
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mrs. Grazinski purchased a
brand-new, 32-foot-long Winnebago motor home. On her
first trip home from an OU football game -- having
driven onto the freeway -- she set the cruise control
at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go into
the back to make herself a sandwich.
Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and
overturned. Mrs.Grazinski sued Winnebago for not
advising her in the owner's manual that she couldn't
actually do that. The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus
a new motor home. The company actually changed its
manuals on the basis of this law suit, just in case
there were any other complete morons! around.