America and sueing

[TamiyaGuy]

I'm from the UK, and I find the fact that America sues everyone quite comical. Admittedly, the world is starting to sue each other, and some Americans will just leave it and say "I'm not exactly scraping the bottom of the barrel", but it is pretty funny. For example, there was a guy who decided to go for a joyride in his (Ford) car. So he went on the motorway (highway) at around 100 MPH, on the wrong side of the road, not wearing a seatbelt. After a bit, he flipped his car, landed on his head (no seatbelt), and died. No Shit.

The guy's family went on to sue (and succeed in sueing, I might add) Ford Motor Company, for killing that idiot. So who's fault was that? Ford's, for not making sure that their cars had the safety of a goddamned TANK, or the guy's, for joyriding on the wrong side of the road at 100MPH, without a seatbelt, and ignoring all the warnings and common sense.

Also, share your sueing stories here!!!

[cellardoor6]

We have more liberal civil claims courts. Our system is a lot more open for that sort of thing so people use it, and sometimes exploit it. It's not a cultural thing, it's a legal thing. Anyone can sue anyone for almost anything, however, most suits like that never make it into trial.

But I'd just like to point out that what I find comical about you is that you probably have a very exaggerated impression of our court system based on either a few out of context news articles emphasizing a few stupid cases, or based on American movies and TV shows.

[TamiyaGuy]

Well, I do probably have exaggerated thoughts about America and sueing, but it's not from TV shows. My dad works in Ford Credit, and finds tons of ridiculous cases like that one. And you're right, it is a legal thing, but I just think that some cases are ridiculous. And I just have to quote this line from the Simpsons:

(said by a lawyer) You foolish mortals, don't you understand that these "feelings", as you call them, can stand in the way of large cash payoffs??!!!

No hard feelings? :)

[TurtleJuice]

America has an law system that's easier to exploit i guess , and people naturally want to make money in the easiest way possible .

[Memorize]

My favorite case.

A multi-millionare is in this private, mini plane. The plane malfunctions and goes down. They hit the back of a moving pick-up truck on the road.

The millionare sues (and wins) the man in the pick-up for $40,000 to repair the plane because due to the State's No Fault insurance policy: The plane was not on the ground when it collided with the man's truck, thus labeling the plane as "not a vehicle", therefore the accident was the fault of the man in the pick up.

Funny stuff.

[trojanhippie]

At 7/1/07 07:26 AM, TamiyaGuy wrote: I'm from the UK, and I find the fact that America sues everyone quite comical.

Hey, guy. Welcome to the fuckin' USA.

[dodo-man-1]

Remember that guy who sued (or tried to sue) McDonald's because it made him fat?

[LordJaric]

Yeah there are many stuiped reason that people can sue and win.

[TheBasics]

Ahhh, there are many beautiful stories, however there is on that has a special place in My heart.

Some suicidal bitch jumped in front of the train to try and kill hereself, she didn't suceed she became a cripple and then sued the MTA for like 100 mil because the train was coming into the station too fast. Brings a tear to my eye everytime.

[Memorize]

At 7/1/07 05:36 PM, SevenSeize wrote: Ugh. Try being a teacher.

Ok, here I go.

"Why is my kid failing? I'm going to sue you!"

Because your kid doesn't apply him/herself.

"Why is my child being bullied? I'm going to sue you!"

Because the bully's parents don't know how to discipline their child.

"Why IS my child the bully? I'm going to sue you!"

Because you don't know how to discipline him.

"Why is the school bus late? I'm going to sue you!!!!!"

Do I look like the bus driver?

Then maniacally at their face.

[TamiyaGuy]

Wow. I thought this thread would be full of spam :P ("OMFG WHO CARES" kind of thing), and there are some really good stories here. I loved Mesmorize's plane case. That guy must have been a riot at dinner parties (!) And I di remember the guy that tried to sue Macdonalds for making him fat. I think there were more attempts at that.

Thanks for all the stuff, and keep the stories comin'!

[The-evil-bucket]

Because the entire American public and goverment is just suing everything, right?

[TamiyaGuy]

At 7/2/07 08:49 AM, The-evil-bucket wrote: Because the entire American public and goverment is just suing everything, right?

I didn't say that at all, but America sues more than most other countries. Anyway, you got a story, or not :P?

[pandaeater123]

their not gonna win. You can so for whatever you want, its just the family doesn't know how to deal with the grief.

by the way, this happening is a one in a million chance.
this just happens to be the on in a million.

[MERC93]

People find lupoles in things like this and exploit it and get rich from it and do it for a living.

[InsertFunnyUserName]

It has nothing to do with the public. The American courts are way too lenient. People have realized this and abused it.

If the courts would just deny these stupid cases, then we wouldn't even have this problem.

...

A man was working on the electrical system of a paper company. He had turned off the power switch in the one room, but neglected to tell anyone (or even make it seem obvious that he was in there) that the switch on the outside of the door was supposed to be off.

So a worker who was walking by, being his job to check these things, turned the switch on.

The man inside was electrocuted. He didn't die, but instead he decided to sue the paper company. A week after the accident, he burned the company building to the ground.

The man still won the case.

[Elfer]

At 7/1/07 10:27 PM, Memorize wrote:

At 7/1/07 05:36 PM, SevenSeize wrote: Ugh. Try being a teacher.

Ok, here I go.

Wouldn't it be lovely if you were actually allowed to respond to parents with blunt logic, rather than having to tip-toe around their emotions and stupidity while trying to explain the obvious to them?

[Proteas]

Hm... it would look as though the U.K. isn't immune from stupid lawsuits either...

-------------

Burger chain sued after boy's ordeal

A MUM is suing burger chain McDonald's after her son was scalded by a cup of coffee.

Matthew Allen, 10, suffered second degree burns after he bumped into his mum's tray and the drink tipped on to his arm.

Despite being an accident, his mum Vicki Webb is furious with what she claims was a slow reaction by staff in the moments following the incident, and believes the cup lids do not fit securely to prevent such spillages.

The family, including dad Simon and their youngest son James, had been visiting McDonald's in Towerfields, Huntingdon.

Vicki ordered two Happy Meals and a coffee but when she took the tray to the table, Matthew turned round and knocked it with his shoulder, causing the coffee to pour down his right arm.

Vicki, 29, of Springbrook, Eynesbury, St Neots, said: "I was screaming, and Matthew was screaming in pain. He was absolutely hysterical."

Vicki rushed him into the restaurant toilets to run cold water on the burn, but said there were only three hot taps.

Two members of the public came to help and called an ambulance, but she said the staff's reaction was slow and they had insufficient first aid skills.

An ambulance crew took Matthew to Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon.

He was kept in overnight and given morphine for the pain.

Nurses visited his home several times to change the dressing and he saw a plastic surgeon because it was feared he would need a skin graft.

Now he has pigmentation change and has to wear long-sleeved tops for two years.

Vicki told the News: "I just want an acknowledgement from McDonald's that they were in the wrong.

"The coffee must have been at such a high temperature to cause the burns it did, and it is not safe for children to go in there while they are using the same cups."

A McDonald's spokesman said they were unable to comment as the matter was subject to the legal process.

He said all shift managers must hold the full First Aid at Work certificate, and each restaurant must have a fully stocked, accessible first aid kit.

The News visited McDonald's, in Rose Crescent, Cambridge, to test the temperature of its coffee.

McDonald's says its black coffee should be served at 85C, plus or minus five degrees. The coffee we tested was 82.9C.

* In 1992, McDonald's was sued by 79-year-old Stella Liebeck in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after she suffered third-degree burns from coffee at one of its drive-through restaurants.

She was a passenger in her grandson's car when the accident happened. After receiving the order, she placed the cup between her knees and tried to remove the plastic lid from the cup. As she did, the contents spilled into her lap, giving her burns over a wide area.

A jury awarded her $200,000 in compensatory damages, later reduced to $160,000 because it found she was 20 per cent at fault. It also awarded her $2.7 million in punitive damages.

The judge later reduced the punitive award to $480,000, even though he described McDonald's conduct as reckless, callous and wilful.

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/huntingd on/2007/06/23/adb8f585-0793-480b-a68d-445233d ba941.lpf

-----------------------

[Jace0ne]

So a buddy of mine goes to Australia and New Zealand for a 3 week vacation a while back. He's at a restaurant, and blah blah blah. Anyways, the waitress is bringing the drinks out and she accidently spills one of them on the table. She apologizes and he says "No problem." Her response? "Yeah, it's nothing to sue about."

Thought it was pretty funny.

The end.

[Tony-DarkGrave]

ha America suin frivoulsly is a normal thing

[Jaketheclonetrooper]

Ha. It's a common joke in our school about this.

(Guy1 bumps into Guy2)

Guy1: Hey!
Guy2: I'm sorry
Guy1: I'll sue you for touching me! I'm american!

[TamiyaGuy]

At 7/2/07 03:12 PM, Proteas wrote: Hm... it would look as though the U.K. isn't immune from stupid lawsuits either...

Definitely, but the UK has only got into sueing (or "complaint comensation" as it's known) quite recently. And I'm sure if I looked around, I could find tons of weird & wonderful lawsuits. It's just they're more common in the USA. Maybe I should have titled this "1st world countries and sueing" :P

[Philly-Almighty]

At 7/2/07 03:12 PM, Proteas wrote: Mcdonalds coffee story

Jesus, I thought everyone knew Mcdonalds coffee is freakin hot by now.

[Inferno42]

At 7/3/07 11:03 AM, Philly-Almighty wrote:

At 7/2/07 03:12 PM, Proteas wrote: Mcdonalds coffee story

Jesus, I thought everyone knew Mcdonalds coffee is freakin hot by now.

speaking of hot coffee, I think jack thompson should lose his liscence, because he just sends a message that it's ok to sue people without a good reason.

[Memorize]

At 7/3/07 11:45 AM, Inferno42 wrote:

speaking of hot coffee, I think jack thompson should lose his liscence, because he just sends a message that it's ok to sue people without a good reason.

What?! They used the character creation feature to create a likeness of me on Mortal Kombat? Take that violent game off the shelves! It's harming the kids!

[TamiyaGuy]

At 7/3/07 11:54 AM, Memorize wrote: What?! They used the character creation feature to create a likeness of me on Mortal Kombat? Take that violent game off the shelves! It's harming the kids!

but that, my friends, is a completely different story... Anyway, I haven't heard any wacky cases in a bit, so keep 'em flooding in! I liked the Guy1, Guy2 sketch, though. And it doesn't just have to be from the USA, or sueing giant companies. Anything that you think is funny will do.

[TamiyaGuy]

C'mon, guys, you must have some weird stories. Share 'em all here!!! If not, just comment on one of the people who posted here! xD

[JakeHero]

Heard about a case where some guy bought one of those mobile trailers. Right after he bought it he was driving down the highway and decided that he wanted a cup of coffee, so he sets it on autopilot/driver and goes into the back to make his cup of coffee, while doing this, the trailer crashes. Later, he sues the manufactures because they didn't elaborate on what autopilot does, that it merely mean it'll stay on the current path and not actually steer the trailer for him. Long story short, this moron actuallys wins the case.

I don't know about you guys, but hearing this makes me wish for human exstinction. It's mind-blogging how unequal some people are intellectually, all the way to the most brilliant scientist, to the dumbass that tried to iron a shirt while still wearing it.

[TamiyaGuy]

At 7/5/07 05:02 AM, JakeHero wrote: I don't know about you guys, but hearing this makes me wish for human exstinction. It's mind-blogging how unequal some people are intellectually, all the way to the most brilliant scientist, to the dumbass that tried to iron a shirt while still wearing it.

Amen to that, brotha. That case really happened? and he WON??? wow. I know everyone is beginning to sue each other nowadays, but Americans sometimes sue people for the fun of it, or to 'teach them a lesson', e.g. the millionaire case. If you work in Tesco's for minimum wage, and they cause you to lose your house, then you should sue them, so you can get your life back. But sueing someone for the fun of it is just horrible.

Also, to Jake, have you seen some of the Darwin awards? My favourite is when a guy finds a WWII detonator somewhere, and after a few drinks, is so confident that it won't explode, he puts it in his mouth, and presses the button. Turns out, it still worked XD.

[gregaaron89]

The results of these frivolous lawsuits is stupid warning labels on everything!