Annual Stella Awards

[sholo86]

Not sure if this is a repost and/or where to post this but, I thought I 'd share this with you all...

It's time again for the annual "Stella Awards"! For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued the McDonald's in New Mexico where she purchased the coffee. You remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her knees while she was driving. Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right?


That's right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head. So keep your head scratcher handy.


Here are the Stella's for the past year:


7TH PLACE:

Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son.

6TH PLACE:

Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles, California won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hub caps.

Go ahead, grab your head scratcher.

5TH PLACE:

Terrence ****son, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately for ****son, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when ****son pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT, days on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner's insurance company claiming undue mental Anguish. Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay ****son $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish.

Keep scratching. There are more...

4TH PLACE:

Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next door neighbor's beagle - even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun.

Grrrrr ... Scratch, scratch.

3RD PLACE:

Third place goes to Amber Carson of Lancaster , Pennsylvania because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113, 500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tailbone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument. What ever happened to people being responsible for their own actions?

Scratch, scratch, scratch. Hang in there; there are only two more Stellas to go...

2ND PLACE:

Kara Walton, of Claymont, Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000....oh, yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure.


1ST PLACE : (May I have a fanfare played on 50 kazoos please?)

This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who purchased a new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home from an OU football game, having driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down, $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home.

Are we, as a society, getting more stupid...or this only happens in the good old U.S. of A?

[CLFLPstudent]

It's a great read, and I've read them before but ALAS (http://www.snopes.com/legal/lawsuits.asp) they are as phony as Shaolin Ninjutsu.

Snopes is your friend!

I fear most of the DARWIN AWARDS (http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=Darwin+awards&getit=Go&sp-a=00062d45-sp00000000&sp-advanced=1&sp-p=all&sp-w-control=1&sp-w=alike&sp-date-range=-1&sp-x=any&sp-c=100&sp-m=1&sp-s=0) are probably fake, too!

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

-David

[sholo86]

lol...you're right it is good reading but, I still wonder, with all the "sue" happy people in the U.S. that somebody here experienced or know of somebody that went through similar outrageous situation with lawsuits...:p

Maybe we all remember the judge that tried to sue his Cleaner for misplacing his "favorite" pants for $54Million...http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/26/1961808.htm
I heard he lost his position as a judge as soon as the case got thrown out....serves him right :D

[lkfmdc]

thank G'd those are fake!!!!!!

[MasterKiller]

Stella's clitoris was burned off by that McDonald's coffee.

It is often cited as a frivolis lawsuit, but how much are your gentials worth to you?

[1bad65]

I knew the OP had some holes in it. I live in Austin, but had never heard of the furniture store case. I also knew those 'cruise control' stories were urban legends. Also, it got some facts wrong on the Stella case; Stella was burned, but she was not driving. Her teenage grandson was taking her out for a drive in his new sports car.

[Black Jack II]

Stella is not a frivolis lawsuit but for some reason it is always twisted to look like one.

[1bad65]

Stella is not a frivolis lawsuit but for some reason it is always twisted to look like one.

Yes it was. Coffee is hot. Putting a cup of coffee between your legs in a car is stupid. Why do you think cars have these things called cup holders in them?

Also the award got greatly reduced on appeal. She basically got her medical bills paid and a small amount for pain and suffering. The appeals court had the common sense to know that she was partially at fault for the burns herself.

[lkfmdc]

Stella's clitoris was burned off by that McDonald's coffee.

It is often cited as a frivolis lawsuit, but how much are your gentials worth to you?

they are worth enough I do'nt put hot coffee next to them (especially in a moving car) :eek:

[MasterKiller]

Stella Liebeck of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was in the passenger seat of
her grandson's car when she was severely burned by McDonalds' coffee in
February 1992. Liebeck, 79 at the time, ordered coffee that was served
in a styrofoam cup at the drivethrough window of a local McDonalds.

After receiving the order, the grandson pulled his car forward and
stopped momentarily so that Liebeck could add cream and sugar to her
coffee. (Critics of civil justice, who have pounced on this case, often
charge that Liebeck was driving the car or that the vehicle was in
motion when she spilled the coffee; neither is true.) Liebeck placed
the cup between her knees and attempted to remove the plastic lid from
the cup. As she removed the lid, the entire contents of the cup spilled
into her lap.

The sweatpants Liebeck was wearing absorbed the coffee and held it next
to her skin. A vascular surgeon determined that Liebeck suffered full
thickness burns (or third-degree burns) over 6 percent of her body,
including her inner thighs, perineum, buttocks, and genital and groin
areas. She was hospitalized for eight days, during which time she
underwent skin grafting. Liebeck, who also underwent debridement
treatments, sought to settle her claim for $20,000, but McDonalds
refused.

During discovery, McDonalds produced documents showing more than 700
claims by people burned by its coffee between 1982 and 1992. Some claims
involved third-degree burns substantially similar to Liebecks. This
history documented McDonalds' knowledge about the extent and nature of
this hazard.

McDonalds also said during discovery that, based on a consultants
advice, it held its coffee at between 180 and 190 degrees fahrenheit to
maintain optimum taste. He admitted that he had not evaluated the
safety ramifications at this temperature. Other establishments sell
coffee at substantially lower temperatures, and coffee served at home is
generally 135 to 140 degrees.

Further, McDonalds' quality assurance manager testified that the company
actively enforces a requirement that coffee be held in the pot at 185
degrees, plus or minus five degrees. He also testified that a burn
hazard exists with any food substance served at 140 degrees or above,
and that McDonalds coffee, at the temperature at which it was poured
into styrofoam cups, was not fit for consumption because it would burn
the mouth and throat. The quality assurance manager admitted that burns
would occur, but testified that McDonalds had no intention of reducing
the "holding temperature" of its coffee.

Plaintiffs' expert, a scholar in thermodynamics applied to human skin
burns, testified that liquids, at 180 degrees, will cause a full
thickness burn to human skin in two to seven seconds. Other testimony
showed that as the temperature decreases toward 155 degrees, the extent
of the burn relative to that temperature decreases exponentially. Thus,
if Liebeck's spill had involved coffee at 155 degrees, the liquid would
have cooled and given her time to avoid a serious burn.

McDonalds asserted that customers buy coffee on their way to work or
home, intending to consume it there. However, the companys own research
showed that customers intend to consume the coffee immediately while
driving.

McDonalds also argued that consumers know coffee is hot and that its
customers want it that way. The company admitted its customers were
unaware that they could suffer thirddegree burns from the coffee and
that a statement on the side of the cup was not a "warning" but a
"reminder" since the location of the writing would not warn customers of
the hazard.

The jury awarded Liebeck $200,000 in compensatory damages. This amount
was reduced to $160,000 because the jury found Liebeck 20 percent at
fault in the spill. The jury also awarded Liebeck $2.7 million in
punitive damages, which equals about two days of McDonalds' coffee
sales.

Post-verdict investigation found that the temperature of coffee at the
local Albuquerque McDonalds had dropped to 158 degrees fahrenheit.

The trial court subsequently reduced the punitive award to $480,000 --
or three times compensatory damages -- even though the judge called
McDonalds' conduct reckless, callous and willful.

No one will ever know the final ending to this case.

The parties eventually entered into a secret settlement which has never
been revealed to the public, despite the fact that this was a public
case, litigated in public and subjected to extensive media reporting.
Such secret settlements, after public trials, should not be condoned.

[SouthernTiger]

This is ridiculous. Either people are responsible for their own actions or a scapegoat will always be provided. This case exemplifies two ugly human characteristics mating: greed and lack of responsibility.

-Stella bought the coffee
-Stella opened the coffee in the car
-Stella burned herself

My sympathy for stella but she did it to herself.

Unfortunetly, there seems to be more people these days telling themselves that the world owes them things and that one doesnt have to assume responsibility for one's actions.

Very sad :(

-Blake

[BM2]

[QUOTE=MasterKiller;829595]Stella's clitoris was burned off


Sounds like Steela knows Chuck Norris:cool:

Had she not spilled her coffee by the manner she used to hold the cup, we wouldn't be on this thread debating her groin and fault. However, if she had held it with one hand and spilled it down her blouse and received 3rd degree burns only due to the decision that was made for the temperature of McDonalds coffee is served, we would feel different. Where the burn occurred should not be a factor. Spills onto the customer is a foreseen occurrence. With this in mind, safety of the customer should placed first. End of logical debate.

[Mr Punch]

It's a great read, and I've read them before but ALAS (http://www.snopes.com/legal/lawsuits.asp) they are as phony as Shaolin Ninjutsu...
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!Yeah, ****er, thanks for spoiling one of ur seasonal yank sneer fests! - I'm gonna tell Father Christmas on you...

Eh? What's that...? :eek:


Stella's clitoris was burned off by that McDonald's coffee.It doesn't say THAT! Besides, she's 79, wtf was she gonna do with it?!
It is often cited as a frivolis lawsuit, but how much are your gentials worth to you? Aye, it's spelling like that that trivializes this kind of case...

The point behind this case isn't that she should've known coffee is hot: it's that

a) McScum (I don't like them anyway - can you tell?) had had a many out-of-court settlements already with other people and didn't change their policy of...

b) selling coffee at unnaturally hot temperatures...

c) or at least writing a more comprehensive warning on their cups...

d) And they'd blatantly lied saying they thought people drank it at home, when they knew through their research that this wasn't the case.

If MuckD was banned none of this would happen... nor the continued deforestation in their name, absurdly disgusting animal welfare conditions, blatant disregard for the hopes and dreams of their minimum wage workforce, midget prostitution, or cancer! You B4STARDS! :mad:

[1bad65]

d) And they'd blatantly lied saying they thought people drank it at home, when they knew through their research that this wasn't the case.

That's a big part of the problem. McDonald's is screwed here no matter what they do. If they make it easier to drink it while driving, then they will get sued when some idiot drinking the coffee and driving kills someone in a car accident.

[sholo86]

Taking one for the team...

Bennie Casson filed a lawsuit in Belleville, Ill., against PT's Show Club for its negligence in allowing a stripper to "slam" her breasts into his "neck and head region" as he watched her, a little too close to the stage.

Casson claims in his lawsuit that dancer Susan Sykes (aka "Busty Heart"), who claims to have show business's biggest chest at 88 inches, gave him a "bruised, contused, lacerated" neck.

Carson has filed suit claiming that the "gifted" performer slammed her breasts into his head and neck, causing "emotional distress, mental anguish and indignity."

The $200,000 lawsuit states that Carson was "bruised, contused, lacerated and made sore" by Heart's breasts, which reportedly weigh in at 40 pounds apiece.

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch


Is this why they call "it" knockers? :D

[Black Jack II]

I am NOT a frivolis lawsuit anti captialist guy in any reason or fashion but if you look at this case McDonalds does hold some of the blame.

MasterKiller just spelled out the reasoning's a few cases below.

I have nothing against McDonalds either, as a business they do an amazing job doing what they do best, provide cheap though crappy food, at very cheap prices to the public.

[Mr Punch]

That's a big part of the problem. McDonald's is screwed here no matter what they do. If they make it easier to drink it while driving, then they will get sued when some idiot drinking the coffee and driving kills someone in a car accident.That's a good point.

I love this bit though:
McDonald's is screwed here no matter what they do.:D :D :D

[sanjuro_ronin]

Chuck Norris used to soak his feet in McDonalds coffee, but found it too cold, he now uses lava.

[1bad65]

I am NOT a frivolis lawsuit anti captialist guy in any reason or fashion but if you look at this case McDonalds does hold some of the blame.

Some, yes. But not $2.7 million in punitive damages when an idiot put a cup of hot coffee between her own legs while in a car.

While the coffee was too hot, the accident would never have happened had she not put the cup there in the first place. Again, thats why cars have cup holders in them. It's common sense. One should not be rewarded for having none of it.

[Black Jack II]

Again, thats why cars have cup holders in them. It's common sense. One should not be rewarded for having none of it

Agree, she was wearing a large pair of clown shoes that day, but my main point is the word frivolis.

I don't think it merits frivolis, tarded yes, but since McDonalds has some of the blame, I think this case in specific falls outside of that zone by a few feet.

[Shaolin Shi]

...but my main point is the word frivolis.


Bugs me too... try frivolous