For the Love of Money

0 Comments | Insight on the News, May 7, 2001

Frivolous lawsuits always are fun, at least when you're not the one being sued. This list was compiled from lawsuits described on the American Tort Reform Association's Website.

* Stewart Gregory, a one-time member of the Tonight Show studio audience, has sued the show and Jay Leno for "lost wages and emotional distress" after being struck in the face with a souvenir T-shirt launched into the audience during the show. (From the Los Angeles Times, Dec. 9, 1999.)

* An Ohio inmate, who refers to himself as Francis Anne Spisak, has sued the state of Ohio because prison officials still call him Frank. (From the Columbus Dispatch, Nov. 22, 1999.)

* A Tennessee woman has sued McDonald's after a hot pickle fell from her burger and allegedly caused permanent scarring of her chin. Her husband, also aggrieved, seeks damages because he "has been deprived of the services and consortium of his wife." (From the Knoxville News Sentinel, Oct. 7, 2000.)

* A Florida teen-ager has sued the city of Bradenton for failing to arrest him. The 16-year-old slammed into a tree and was injured only minutes after police officers had stopped him, but did not arrest him, despite open beer cans visible on the seat. (From the Associated Press, Nov. 20, 2000.)

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