FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Linda Okun
PHONE: (626) 824-8927
October 23, 2003
Halloween is just around the corner, and for
the fifth year, Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) is unmasking
its list of this year’s scariest lawsuits, all of “witch”
are sure to give you the willies.
“Lawsuit abuse can be frightening,”
said Linda Okun, executive director of Los Angeles CALA. “Even
when frivolous lawsuits are eventually dismissed, it still costs
the court valuable time and wastes taxpayer money.”
-
Attack of the Killer Bagel
-- A Florida couple sued McDonald's, claiming a bagel hurt
the husband's teeth and damaged their marriage. The wife claims
she "lost the care, comfort, consortium and society of
her husband" as a result of his injuries.
(Sarasota Herald-Tribune, February 9, 2003)
-
Undead Man Suing -- A man
under arrest in the back of a police car claims he suffered
permanent back injuries when the officer slammed on the breaks
to avoid an accident. The suspect filed a lawsuit against
the city of Greensboro, N.C. resulting in a jury award of
$1.5 million. (Associated Press, September 28, 2003)
-
Maggot Muncher – A
man, in jail near San Diego, awaiting trial for raping an
underage girl, filed a lawsuit seeking $20,000 against the
facility because of the mental stress and anguish and weight
loss caused by finding a fly in his mashed potatoes.
(San Diego Union Tribune, June 3, 2003)
-
What’s a Ghoul To Do?
-- A St. Louis woman sued her local hairstylist for emotional
distress following a hair-straightening job that allegedly
caused her hair to fall out. A St. Louis County jury awarded
the woman $6,000. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 14, 2003)
-
The Curse of the Tape Dispenser
--The post office in Fulton, Mo., removed a
tape dispenser that had long been available for customers
to seal packages,
because a customer had hurt himself using it and had filed
a claim against the U.S. Postal Service.
(Lasvegascitylife.com, September 26, 2003)
-
For the Love of Leatherface
-- A Hollywood couple claims a popular wrinkle drug has put
a major wrinkle in their lives. The wife is suing for headaches
and breathing problems; the husband is suing for their resulting
lackluster love life.
(Daily Star, February 11, 2003)
-
Vampire Soup -- A woman
who claims she found a human tooth in a can of Campbell's
soup is suing the company. The lawsuit asks for unspecified
damages on behalf of the woman and her son. (Associated
Press, September 19, 2003)
“When our legal system is used for greed
not justice, we end up paying a ‘lawsuit tax’ in the
form of higher prices on anything from toothpaste to healthcare
insurance,” Okun said.
Ms. Okun added that according to the study, “U.S.
Tort Costs: 2002 Update; Trends and Findings on the Costs of the
U.S. Tort System,” (published by Tillinghast – Towers
Perrin) it’s estimated this “tax” amounts to
$721 per year for every man, woman and child in California.
“That’s nearly $3,000 a family of
four pays every year for lawsuits,” said Okun. “It’s
time we drive a stake through lawsuit abuse and it put it to rest
once and for all.”
For more information on these issues, please contact Los Angeles
CALA at (626) 824-8927 or maryann@maryannmaloney.com
.
Linda Okun is the Executive Director of Citizens
against Lawsuit Abuse in Los Angeles, a nonprofit, grassroots
public education organization. Write to her c/o CALA at P.O. Box
262 - Glendora, CA 91740, or via email at maryann@maryannmaloney.com.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you would like a CALA
speaker to address your organization or some information for your
organization's newsletter, let us know today.
CALA is a nonprofit, grass roots, public education
organization dedicated to serving as a watchdog over the legal
system and those who would seek to abuse it for undeserved gain.
More than 9,000 citizens and taxpayers are Los Angeles CALA supporters.
