The Stella Awards!
Sat Feb 19, 2005 12:16 am
The Stella's are named after 81 year old Stella Liebeck who spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald's. That case inspired the 'Stella Awards' for the most frivolous successful lawsuits in the United States. Let’s review the winners of the annual Stella Awards for 2004.
THIS YEAR'S AWARDS GO TO:
5th Place (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.
5th Place (Tied)
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.
5th Place (Tied)
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 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 8 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 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 in the window of 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 an OU football game, having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's 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 in the owner's manual that he could not actually do this. 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 recreational vehicles.
THIS YEAR'S AWARDS GO TO:
5th Place (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.
5th Place (Tied)
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.
5th Place (Tied)
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 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 8 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 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 in the window of 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 an OU football game, having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's 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 in the owner's manual that he could not actually do this. 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 recreational vehicles.
Sat Feb 19, 2005 12:21 am
Wow, they're just like the Darwin Awards. Those people shouldn't be allowed out in public. Next they'll be claiming that stupidity is a disability. 
Funny though, had a good chuckle at those before I felt robbed...... Bravo Ammer.
Funny though, had a good chuckle at those before I felt robbed...... Bravo Ammer.
Sat Feb 19, 2005 12:54 am
These are funny! They remind me of the Darwin Awards book. I love those stories, although it makes you wonder about people. 
Sat Feb 19, 2005 1:11 am
The second 5th place one and the 1st place one are my favorites. ^___^ *chuckles* I heard someone sued ShopRite (was it ShopRite? I don't remember...) for tripping on a grape.
ON A GRAPE! Who trips on a grape!?!
ON A GRAPE! Who trips on a grape!?!
Sat Feb 19, 2005 3:18 am
Twinkle wrote: Next they'll be claiming that stupidity is a disability.
Nah! Stupidity is a a natural factor built in to help limit exponential growth of the human race
You did here one of the cases that won 2 years ago(@least I think it was) that got the directions of baking mixes changed?
People sued Betty Crocker for 2 house fires and several burnt pans because of the line that said "Grease bottom of pan." By the supreme court of the United States, The direction must read "Grease inside bottom of pan."
Care to guess what the people where doing that caused the fires? I've given enough info above for you to figure it out.
Sat Feb 19, 2005 4:25 am
THe third one is my favorite. XD
Sat Feb 19, 2005 8:40 am
This aren't real... right? xD
Sat Feb 19, 2005 9:20 am
Heard them before, but they always crack me up. I wonder if they are in fact real
Sat Feb 19, 2005 5:27 pm
At first I laughed and then I realised that people like that are the reason the price of goods are so high....so I cried 
and then I realised that people like that are the reason the price of goods are so high....so I cried
Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:57 am
Wow...thats funny. lol all 3 of the 5ths ones were funny!!! 
Tue Feb 22, 2005 3:09 am
Good heck....this world is full of morons.
Tue Feb 22, 2005 5:09 pm
Hey, you think they're funny (which they are), I remember a story of someone who broke into a Wal-Mart through the air vents but one of the vents gave way and the uy inside them fell out of them. He sued Wal-Mart because the vents couldn't take his weight and he won!
Wed Feb 23, 2005 5:43 pm
I loved the 5th places the most...
2 of them are stupid, yet smart criminals
2 of them are stupid, yet smart criminals
Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:41 pm
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why America is the best country in the world.
Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:46 pm
coming2atvnearu wrote:And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why America is the best country in the world.
It must be, I mean just look left and right and people will be suing/killing themselves. Free entertainment.