FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: PETER BYLSMA
PHONE: 310-795-8532
April 2006
(Los Angeles, CA) – Los Angeles Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse has announced its "Loony Lawsuit" for April. This month's frivolity looks at how you can sue anyone - even yourself! It may sound like an April Fool's joke, but this lawsuit is all too real.
According to a March 2006 article in The Lodi News-Sentinel, Curtis Gokey decided to sue the City of Lodi for damages when a dump truck backed into his car. The looney part is that Gokey, a Lodi city employee, was the person driving the dump truck. Even after he admitted that the accident was his fault, Gokey filed a $3,600 claim for damages to his car.
The city denied Gokey's claim because in essence, he was suing himself. That still didn't stop Gokey. He and his wife decided to file a new claim under her name. The city attorney said this claim also lacks merit because Mrs. Gokey can't sue her own husband. According to Mrs. Gokey, she has the right to sue the city because it was a city vehicle that damaged her private vehicle.
"Lawsuits must not be taken lightly," said Peter Bylsma executive director of Los Angeles CALA. "The scariest April Fool's jokes barely compare to what is happening in our court rooms. Frivolous lawsuits hit each one of us in the pocketbook and Californians feel it everyday with higher prices for everything from groceries to gasoline."
Other examples of April foolishness include:
Burned by a breadstick - A Florida woman sued Taco Bell for more than $15,000 after her leg was burned when she spilled breadstick sauce on it. The suit claimed "Taco Bell should have warned her that the sauce was hot and could fall out of the box container." (Sarasota Herald-Tribune, March 21, 2006)
Racing a train - A New York man was awarded $1.4 million after he was hit by a train while attempting to outrun it. The transit authority was held liable for his actions despite his undeniable recklessness and illegal trespassing on the subway tracks after a night of drinking. (New York Daily News, March 25, 2006)
Mail slip - A Philadelphia woman filed a lawsuit against from the U.S. Postal Service after she tripped over mail they delivered to her home and injured her wrist. (The Crimson White, March 1, 2006)
Big Spender - A Texas man filed a lawsuit seeking to regain $7 million he lost gambling. The suit claimed that a major drug company was liable for his losses because the man's Parkinson's medication caused him to develop compulsive gambling habits. He also claimed the casinos where he lost the money were liable because they knew he was taking medication for the disease. (The Oxford Press, February 22, 2006)
Coffee is Hot? - An Oklahoma woman who was burned when she spilled her coffee on herself filed a lawsuit against Burger King claiming the fast food restaurant was negligent for failing to tell her that the coffee was hot. (Springfield News-Leader, March 7, 2006)
"At first glance these lawsuits are laughable, but the lack of personal responsibility that propels them is no laughing matter, especially when we all pay the price for frivolous lawsuits," said Bylsma
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.
