Only in the USA! >> >> 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 scratchier 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 neighbour 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 neighbour's hubcaps. >> >> Go ahead, grab your head scratchier. >> >> 5TH PLACE: >> Terrence Dickson, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, who was leaving a house he >> had >> just burglarized by way of the garage. Unfortunately for Dickson, 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 Dickson 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 Dickson $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: >> 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 >> Stella's >> 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 on >> to >> 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 don't click me a motor home.
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