These People Take “Frivolous Lawsuit” To a Whole New Level
It seems like you can sue people for pretty much anything these days. For many, the thought of getting involved in a law suit is terrifying, with unaffordable legal fees and endless trials where lawyers use their knowledge of the system to twist your brain and squeeze your wallet. However, for some, the prospect of winning a boat load of money out of a big corporation eases the ache, and people have gotten seriously creative with the ways they use the legal system to try to sue their way to the top!
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Start the slideshow below to decide which of these is the most ridiculous!
McScalding
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In 1992, one unhappy customer definitely wasn’t lovin’ the product that she got from the famous golden arches. Stella Lieback spilled a cup of piping hot McDonald’s coffee on her legs while she was sitting in her car and received third-degree burns, forcing her into to years of skin grafts and treatment for her injuries. After an unsuccessful attempt to settle $20k out of McDonald’s to cover her medical costs, the then-79-year-old brought the corporation to court and she ended up with nearly $3 million in damages.
Dieback got a fair dose of fame for her lawsuit – and today she’s the namesake of the Stella Awards, which honor the most laughable frivolous lawsuits.
Blame it on Hollywood
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After the Columbine High School shootings in 2001, families of the victims were looking for ways to get even for the terrible loss they had suffered, some in more creative ways than others. Linda Sanders and representatives from other victims’ families sued more than 25 film and video game studios for $5 BILLION, claiming that the violence displayed in the games and movies released by these companies influenced the shooter, and that they were to blame for the deaths of the victims. The case was thrown out, and the plaintiffs had to pay for all of the legal fees for the film and game studios. Ouch.