The "Stella" awards rank up there with the Darwin
awards. Stella Liebeck is the 81-year-old lady who
spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonalds. This
case inspired an annual award - The "Stella" Award -
for the most frivolous lawsuits in the U.S. The
following are this year's candidates:
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 child was Ms. Robertson's
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
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.
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.
7. 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.)
awards. Stella Liebeck is the 81-year-old lady who
spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonalds. This
case inspired an annual award - The "Stella" Award -
for the most frivolous lawsuits in the U.S. The
following are this year's candidates:
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 child was Ms. Robertson's
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
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.
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.
7. 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.)
