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Location:
Perth
Registered:
September 2002
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The Stella Awards
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Thu, 23 October 2003 03:11
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The Stella Awards
The 'Stellas' 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 McDonald's, the teen's who allege that eating at McDonald's has made them fat, was filed after the 2002 award voting was closed. This suit will top the 2003 list without question.
Here are this year's winners:
5th Place (tie):
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 little toddler
was Ms Robertson's son.
5th Place (tie):
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 didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.
5th Place (tie):
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 couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation, and Mr Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the homeowner'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. 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 just a little provoked at the time by Mr Williams, who had climbed over the fence into the yard and 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, successfully sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her two front teeth. This occurred while Ms Walton was trying to sneak through 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 run away winner was Mr Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor home.On his first trip home, (from an OU 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 R.V. left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the owner's manual that he couldn't actually do this.The jury awarded him $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in case there were any other complete morons buying recreation vehicles.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Epping, Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: The Stella Awards
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Thu, 23 October 2003 03:22
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for fucks sake
and that's where australia is headed.
like the idiot who got pissed at a friend's house and jumped into their pool, right into the steps
successfully sued his "friend" for som4e kind of negligence.
it's about time people started taking responsibility for their own stupid actions, and judges & juries began realising this.
suings like the 1st place winner are the reason why companies are forced to put things like "do not use on genetalia" on cheese graters, and "do not insert sharp end into eyeball" etc
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
September 2002
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Re: The Stella Awards
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Thu, 23 October 2003 03:32
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yeah, i agree with you greg, its about time judges have to balls to stop lawyers like this from winning
although, do i remember than not long ago (few months) that australia capped the payment out to the aggresser/perpetrator? at about $15,000 max pay out?
although, i kinda agree with the 1st place, yes he shoulda won, but no he should not have got 1.75mill. the shoulda payed for a new winnebago, and and damages caused, which would not be anywhere near 1.75mill.. USD
i agree wit hthe verdict coz say he just bought his first new car ever, and he's been driving a 1940 what-eva his whole life.
he know there have been advancements in technology, buys a new car, sees a "cruise control" button, thinks, "well, i am crusing" sets and forgets.. whoops, somebody fucked up.....
remember, i only kinda agree with it....
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
September 2002
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Re: The Stella Awards
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Thu, 23 October 2003 03:33
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| draven wrote on Thu, 23 October 2003 11:22 |
"do not use on genetalia"
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this was actually on a chain saw... ouch
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Location:
Brisvegas
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: The Stella Awards
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Thu, 23 October 2003 03:34
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ROFLMAO  
what a pack of idiots. What takes the cake is how retarted the judges/jury must have been...awarding someone compensation for tripping over their own child is just senseless.
*der* i am speshcal
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
September 2002
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Re: The Stella Awards
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Thu, 23 October 2003 03:43
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it just goes to show you what a difference a fuckin "good lawyer" can make
good lawyer was in quotes coz its kind of an oxymoron
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Location:
Adelaide, SA
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: The Stella Awards
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Thu, 23 October 2003 07:50
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A woman actually did a similar thing to the cruise control trick going down the freeway in adelaide. Her first "cruise controlled car" , a VN from memory, so she hits cruise and turns around to check on the baby in the back seat. Car goes straight on and luckily sideswipes some armco railing instead of hitting some thing head on. Both survived the accident, but it does make you wonder.... 
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Location:
Colac, Victoria
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: The Stella Awards
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Thu, 23 October 2003 08:42
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It just proves over and over , that the human species is full of F*Ckwits 
Just look how many hit this forum , and multiply that by a few million
We should let a few of these mad dictators create an anti - idiot Virus - and wipe out a few of the bastards
World domination will be mine  !!! As soon as i finish the Gt4 , and have Dinner.. and feed the dog
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Location:
The Rainy City
Registered:
May 2002
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Registered:
August 2002
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Re: The Stella Awards
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Thu, 23 October 2003 10:59
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Natural progression should see many similar faces in next years darwin awards 
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Location:
1st street on the right
Registered:
November 2002
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Re: The Stella Awards
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Thu, 23 October 2003 11:42
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Remember when Homer sets the cruise control "Home Please"
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