>>diary
cast
rings
reviews
registered
clix

>>contact
guestbook
tagboard
notes
e-mail

>> me
profile
the girl
likes / hates
131 things listings
glossory
bookshelf
poetry
chosh part one

>>did you miss...
-
-
-
-
back for a bit

16:53 on 10.18.02
"morons!"

so do you believe this or not?

The "Stella" awards... rank right up there with the "Darwin Awards" (you remember them... the winner was the guy who rocketed his car into a cliff going mach 3+), but the Stella's were named after that most important client and darling of the trial lawyers, Ms. Stella Liebeck, the 81 year old lady who spilled Coffee on herself and sued McDonalds and WON. Her case has inspired this award for the most frivolous lawsuits in the United States, and a salute to this country's juries. They are of course,  proudly sponsored by the American Bar Association.

This year's stellar "Stella Award" candidates are:

Candidate number one: Hales from the lone star state of Texas and in January 2001: Kathleen Robertson was awarded $780,000 by a jury of fools ....er...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 tyke was Ms. Robertson's very own son.

Candidate number two : 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 that his neighbor (the owner of the Honda Accord) was at the wheel of the car when he (Mr. Truman) was trying to steal the car's hubcaps.

Candidate number Three : 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 ($500,000)

Candidate number Four: Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its 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.

Candidate number Five: 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.

Candidate number Six: 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 2001, 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 $1,750,000.00 plus a new Winnie. (Winnebago actually changed their handbooks on the basis of this court case, just in case there are any other complete morons buying their vehicles...)

well...?