Yes, there was a Dallas Cowboys fan who sued the team over a “hot bench,” and a woman who wanted $5 million for leftover gas. These and more are the winners in the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform’s Top Ten Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2012, released Thursday and based on a year’s worth of online votes.
“Abuse of our legal system is no joke, and these examples range from the outrageous to the absurd,” said Lisa A. Rickard, president of the organization. “This poll reminds us that as a society, we sue too much. In turn, these abusive lawsuits inflict harm on lives, jobs, and our economic growth.”
And the top 10 are:
• An intoxicated Florida driver pleads guilty to manslaughter, then sues the victim.
• A Michigan woman files a $5 million suit for the leftover gas still in her repossessed car.
• A 13-year-old Little Leaguer is sued by spectator who got hit with a baseball.
• A maximum-security inmate who went to jail with five teeth sues the prison for dental problems.
• Anheuser-Busch is sued when a long-neck bottle is used as a weapon in a bar fight.
• A National Football League fan sues the Dallas Cowboys over a hot bench.
• A California restaurateur is sued for disabilities act violations in a parking lot he doesn’t own.
• A Colorado man wins $7 million blaming his illness on inhaling microwave popcorn fumes.
• A $1.7 billion suit claims the city of Santa Monica, Calif.’s wireless parking meters cause health problems.
• San Francisco Bay Area parents sue a school after their son was kicked out of an honors class for cheating.
Yeah, well. See the details, plus press coverage of it all, at http://facesoflawsuitabuse.org/polls-archive.
