> Subject: Stella Awards
>
> The "Stella" awards rank up there with the Darwin awards.
>
> In 1994, a New Mexico jury awarded $ 2.9 million U.S. in
> damages to 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who suffered
> third-degree burns to her legs, groin and buttocks after
> spilling a cup of McDonald's coffee on herself.
>
> This case inspired an annual award - The "Stella" Award -
> for the most frivolous lawsuit in the U.S.
>
> The ones listed below are clear candidates. All these
> cases are verging on the outright ridiculous and yet with
> the right attorney you could win anything!
>
> 1. January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin Texas was
> awarded $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her
> ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a
> furniture store. The owners of the store were
> understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the
> misbehaving little so-and-so was her own son.
>
> 2. June 1998: A 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 apparently
> didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car,
> when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.
>
> 3. October 1998: A 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. 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 homeowner's insurance claiming
> the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury
> agreed to the tune of half a million dollars.
>
> 4. 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 neighbour's
> beagle. The beagle was on a chain in it's owner's
> fenced-in yard. The award was less than sought because the
> jury felt the dog might have been just a little provoked
> at the time by Mr. Williams who 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 after she
> slipped on a 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 ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover
> charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.
>
> And the winner is:
>
> Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City. In November 2000,
> Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32 foot Winnebago
> motor home. On his first trip home, having joined the
> freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly
> left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself
> a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly the Winnie left the
> freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr Grazinski sued
> Winnebago for not advising him in the handbook that he
> couldn't actually do this. He was awarded $1,750,000 plus
> a new Winnie. (Winniebago actually changed their
> handbooks on the back of this court case, just in case
> there are any other complete morons buying their
> vehicles.)
>
>
> The "Stella" awards rank up there with the Darwin awards.
>
> In 1994, a New Mexico jury awarded $ 2.9 million U.S. in
> damages to 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who suffered
> third-degree burns to her legs, groin and buttocks after
> spilling a cup of McDonald's coffee on herself.
>
> This case inspired an annual award - The "Stella" Award -
> for the most frivolous lawsuit in the U.S.
>
> The ones listed below are clear candidates. All these
> cases are verging on the outright ridiculous and yet with
> the right attorney you could win anything!
>
> 1. January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin Texas was
> awarded $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her
> ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a
> furniture store. The owners of the store were
> understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the
> misbehaving little so-and-so was her own son.
>
> 2. June 1998: A 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 apparently
> didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car,
> when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.
>
> 3. October 1998: A 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. 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 homeowner's insurance claiming
> the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury
> agreed to the tune of half a million dollars.
>
> 4. 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 neighbour's
> beagle. The beagle was on a chain in it's owner's
> fenced-in yard. The award was less than sought because the
> jury felt the dog might have been just a little provoked
> at the time by Mr. Williams who 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 after she
> slipped on a 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 ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover
> charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.
>
> And the winner is:
>
> Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City. In November 2000,
> Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32 foot Winnebago
> motor home. On his first trip home, having joined the
> freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly
> left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself
> a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly the Winnie left the
> freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr Grazinski sued
> Winnebago for not advising him in the handbook that he
> couldn't actually do this. He was awarded $1,750,000 plus
> a new Winnie. (Winniebago actually changed their
> handbooks on the back of this court case, just in case
> there are any other complete morons buying their
> vehicles.)
>
