FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: PETER BYLSMA
PHONE: 310-795-8532
October 10, 2006
Los Angeles - The case of a man who sued himself was the overwhelming choice of citizens throughout Los Angeles County who voted for Los Angeles Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (LA CALA) "American Idols of Lawsuit Abuse," naming the most outrageous lawsuits of the year.
The contest highlighted LA CALA's "Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week" a nationally recognized event held October 2nd - 6thin which groups throughout the nation inform consumers of the human and financial costs of lawsuit abuse, encourage legislators to enact common-sense reforms to our legal system, encourage people to serve on juries and help ensure the legal system is used for justice, not greed. LA CALA invited citizens to visit their web site at www.losangelescala.org to vote on the most outrageous suit of the year.
In the case of the Lodi man who sued himself, According to a 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. Gokey, a Lodi city employee, was driving the dump truck. Even admitting the accident was his fault, Gokey filed a 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 lacked 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. As a result of negative publicity and the city's reaction, the Gokeys dropped their suit.
The American Idols of Lawsuit Abuse also included the infamous case of the Portland man who sued Nike because he looked like Michael Jordan, the case of the couple who sued for "reckless and negligent use of a bathtub", a case in which attorneys sued apartment owners for failing to warn tenants of dangers of car exhaust and cigarette smoke from parking lots, the case of the man who trespassed onto subway tracks after a night of drinking and sued the city when he got hit by a train and the case of the widow who sued a Japanese-food restaurant chain claiming her husband died from dodging a shrimp tossed at him by a chef.
"The support from throughout LA County we received during the contest clearly demonstrates the relevance of this issue and importance of stopping lawsuit abuse," said Peter Bylsma, executive director of Los Angeles CALA.
In addition to its advertising, events, promotions and publicity, several local communities including the Los Angeles Count Board of Supervisors issued proclamations in support of Lawsuit Abuse Awareness week.
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.
