It's once again time to review the winners of the annual Stella
awards. The Stella's are named after 81 year old Stella Liebeck who
spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonalds. That case
inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous successful lawsuits in
the United States.
> Unfortunately the most recent lawsuit implicating McDonalds,the
teens who allege that eating at McDonalds has made them fat, was filed
after the 2002 award voting was closed. This suit will top the 2002
awards list without question.
> 5 th place (3 tied)
> 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
toddler was Ms Robertson's son.
>
> 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 did not notice there was someone at the wheel of the
car when he was trying to steal the hubcaps.
>
> 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 could not reenter the house because the door
connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The
family were on vacation and Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the
garage for 8 days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found and a large
bag of dry dog food. He sued the houseowner's insurance claiming the
situation caused him undue mental anguish. The Jury agreed to the tune
of $500,000
> 4th place.
> 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 dog. The Beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced
yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might
have been a little provoked at the time as Mr. Williams who had climbed
over the fence into the yard was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet
gun.
> >> 3rd place.
> 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 (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because
Ms.Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an
argument.
> 2nd place.
> Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware sued the owner of a night
club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the
floor and knocked out two of her front teeth. This occurred whilst Ms.
Walton was trying to sneak out of the window in the Ladies Room to avoid
paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental
expenses.
> 1st Place.
> This year's runaway winner was Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma. Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new Winnebago motor
home. On his trip home from a football game, having driven onto 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 RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned.
Mr.Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him that in the owner's
manual that he could not actually do his. The jury awarded him
$1,750,000 plus a new Winnebago Motor Home. The company actually changed
their manuals on the basis of this suit just in case there were any
other complete morons buying their recreation vehicles.
>
awards. The Stella's are named after 81 year old Stella Liebeck who
spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonalds. That case
inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous successful lawsuits in
the United States.
> Unfortunately the most recent lawsuit implicating McDonalds,the
teens who allege that eating at McDonalds has made them fat, was filed
after the 2002 award voting was closed. This suit will top the 2002
awards list without question.
> 5 th place (3 tied)
> 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
toddler was Ms Robertson's son.
>
> 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 did not notice there was someone at the wheel of the
car when he was trying to steal the hubcaps.
>
> 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 could not reenter the house because the door
connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The
family were on vacation and Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the
garage for 8 days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found and a large
bag of dry dog food. He sued the houseowner's insurance claiming the
situation caused him undue mental anguish. The Jury agreed to the tune
of $500,000
> 4th place.
> 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 dog. The Beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced
yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might
have been a little provoked at the time as Mr. Williams who had climbed
over the fence into the yard was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet
gun.
> >> 3rd place.
> 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 (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because
Ms.Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an
argument.
> 2nd place.
> Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware sued the owner of a night
club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the
floor and knocked out two of her front teeth. This occurred whilst Ms.
Walton was trying to sneak out of the window in the Ladies Room to avoid
paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental
expenses.
> 1st Place.
> This year's runaway winner was Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma. Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new Winnebago motor
home. On his trip home from a football game, having driven onto 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 RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned.
Mr.Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him that in the owner's
manual that he could not actually do his. The jury awarded him
$1,750,000 plus a new Winnebago Motor Home. The company actually changed
their manuals on the basis of this suit just in case there were any
other complete morons buying their recreation vehicles.
>
