FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: PETER BYLSMA
PHONE: 310-795-8532
March 7, 2006
(Los Angeles, CA) – Los Angeles Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse has announced its “Loony Lawsuit” for March. This month’s frivolity looks at how you can be sued for anything these days – even taking a bath.
According to a February 2006 article in The Denver Post, an elderly couple filed a lawsuit against their neighbor over her 5:00 a.m. baths. District Judge Ronald Mullins has scheduled a review hearing for the lawsuit filed by Marvin and Goldie Smith, who claim the water pipes they share with Shannon Peterson, who lives below them, vibrate so badly they can't sleep through her early morning baths.
Peterson, as is customary for many people, bathes before leaving for work each morning. After she became aware of the Smith’s complaint she took steps to try and resolve the matter. She had her pipes insulated and had sound engineers check her unit for abnormalities. Despite these efforts, the Smith’s called their son, a lawyer, who wrote Peterson a letter ordering her to stop running water in her bathtub before 8:00 a.m.
The homeowners’ association responded on Peterson’s behalf with a letter explaining that the request didn’t comply with the building’s rules. The Smith’s then decided to sue Peterson citing the “reckless and negligent use of her bathtub.” Peterson’s lawyer calls it “the most frivolous lawsuit he has seen in 30 years of practicing law.”
“It is unfortunate that so many people in our society think the best action is to clog our courts with meaningless lawsuits instead of working with their neighbors for a mutual resolution,” said Peter Bylsma, executive director of Los Angeles CALA. “Even when frivolous lawsuits are eventually dismissed, it’s still at a great cost in time, money and personal grief for the person being sued; and it can happen to anyone.”
Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse is a nonprofit, grassroots public education organization dedicated to serving as a watchdog over the legal system and those who would seek to abuse it for undeserved gain. For more information, visit www.losangelescala.org.
