Many of us have heard of people slipping and falling or finding a piece of metal in their food at the restaurant and cashing out big on someone else’s dime. However you would be surprised to the extent that some of these cases stretch to. That being said, here is a compiled list of some of the craziest cases ever.
Subway Sandwich Lawsuit
A man found a 7 inch serrated plastic knife baked into his subway sandwich and decided to sue the company for damages. He filed a $1 million lawsuit, he also said he contracted food poisoning from the sandwich, leading to severe stomach aches. The personal injury claim was settled.
The Weatherman Was Wrong
This case demonstrates there are no limits when it comes to personal injury claims. An Israeli woman sued the weatherman from an Israeli television channel because he didn’t predict the weather correctly. He had reported good weather, but it rained.
According to the plaintiff, as a result of the weather report, she didn’t dress correctly and suffered the flu. She sued for $1,000 compensation for missing a week of work and the money she spent on medication. She won the case against the TV station and got her damages paid for.
The Wrong Idea about Killer Whales
A man’s dream was to swim beside a killer whale… and it went so wrong. He managed to remain behind after Sea World closed for the day by hiding from the security guards. When all was quiet, he entered the tank of the Orca’s but was killed by the whale.
His parents sued SeaWorld for not publicly warning people that killer whales can kill people. They also accused Sea World of presenting killer whales as friendly creatures by selling stuffed whales in the gift shop.
Underwear Injuries
A visit to a Los Angeles branch of Victoria Secret turned into a nightmare for one customer. The incident happened in 2008 when a woman was trying on a pair of panties. A metal piece holding a rhinestone heart in place flew off and struck her in the eye. The woman, a traffic officer by vocation, suffered a cut cornea treated with topical steroid. Her attorney filed a liability lawsuit seeking undetermined damages for the sudden shocking, and painful incident that left her with severe injury.
A Frightening Experience
After a visit to the Haunted House of Horrors at Universal Studios in Florida, a woman sued them for psychological trauma. She claims she was chased with a chainsaw, albeit de-fanged, by one of the actors dressed like a werewolf and fell. She sued not only the actor but everyone that was involved at the venue. She had no injuries from her fall, and subsequently, the court dismissed her injury claim. Psychological trauma, the court ruled, can be expected when visiting the Haunted House of Horrors.
Explosive Bathroom Moments
Using the Flushmate III toilet proved explosive for many of its users, and the reason had nothing to do with what they had eaten. A manufacturing error was the cause of these explosions, and many people were injured. Legal teams managed to get $5 million for the injured parties.
Lost Pants Cause Mental Suffering
When a client took his pants to a Washington DC dry cleaner, he never imagined he would never see them again. He sued them for $54 million when they lost his pants because the company did not meet their “Satisfaction Guaranteed” promise displayed in their store. He also claimed the lost pants caused him mental suffering. Unfortunately for him, he lost the case.
A Case of Mistaken Identity
Wherever Allen Heckard went, he was mistaken for the famous basketball star, Michael Jordan. The confusion caused him emotional issues, and he filed a personal injury claim against Michael Jordan and Nike. There was no resemblance with the sports star and the claim was dropped.
Hunter is Hunted
A lion mauled during a big game hunting safari in Africa decided to sue the ammunition manufacturer, Federal Cartridge Co. The plaintiff was seriously injured when the bullet he fired at the charging lion failed to stop the animal after hitting it in its shoulder. The angry lion attacked and mauled the hunter. A federal court dismissed the case.
Sheep Make Good Companions
A couple in Massachusetts wanted compensation because they suffered emotional distress and loss of companionship after losing seven sheep to the neighbors’ violent dogs. The damages sought by the plaintiffs amounted to $140,000, but the court ruled for the monetary value of the sheep to be stated. The couple did not cooperate and eventually were rewarded $1 because they couldn’t produce evidence of their value.
Man Wants to Legally Change His Age
A 69 year old Dutchman wanted to legally change his age in order to avoid ageism. Emile Ratelband claimed he felt discriminated against because his real age was affecting his job prospects as well as his chances of success on Tinder, a popular dating app. The judge explained that many rights and obligations are age based, and that changing the legal age could cause many legal implications. The plaintiff ended up losing the case.
Woman Shocked Jelly Beans Contain Sugar
Sugar has 61 different names, so it stands to reason some people may not recognize the ingredient when reading a nutrition label. This happened to a California woman, who sued jelly bean maker “Jelly Bean” for using the term “evaporated cane juice” instead of the word “sugar” in its food label. Jessica Gomez of San Bernardino County alleged fraud, claiming the company was misleading consumers about how much sugar the snack actually contained, even though the total grams of sugar per serving was clearly displayed. The case was dismissed.
Man Sues Date for Being on Her Phone
Many people have a story about a date gone wrong, but most would forget about the whole ordeal as soon as it’s over and move on. However, a 37 year old from Austin Texas, could not let go of his bad date. He was so offended that the date spent the time they were at the movies watching “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2” texting on her phone. He claimed her behavior was breaking theater rules and affected his movie watching experience. She agreed to pay him $17.31 for her cinema ticket if he left her alone. Soon he withdrew the lawsuit.
Footlong Sandwich is Not A Foot Long
It started in 2013, when a teenager measured his Subway footlong sandwich. It turned out to be only 11 inches, an inch too short. Fast forward three years, and the company was settling a class action lawsuit in court, promising to make its rolls 12 inches. The only people to benefit from the lawsuit were the attorneys, who were about to receive 520,000 in fees. The judge agreed with activist and legal writer Theodore Frank that this was not fair and dismissed the settlement and the entire case.
Empty Space in Junior Mints Box
Biola Daniel and Abel Duran of New York and Trekeela Perkins from Mississippi believe Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. tricked people by underfilling Junior Mints boxes. They sued the company because more than a third of the mints box was empty. The judge who dismissed the case wrote a 44 page decision that a reasonable customer can expect some empty space.
Red Bull Doesn’t Give You Wings
Red Bull’s famous slogan “Red Bull gives you wings: got the company in some trouble. A class action accused the company of having misleading ads and making false claims. Plaintiffs said the energy drink did not give people wings figuratively speaking, that is, they didn’t feel energized. They said the company lacks evidence to claim the beverage could improve one’s focus. Red Bull settled out of court and agreed to pay $640,000.
Is a Firefighters Fear of Fire a Disability?
Shayn Proler from the Houston Fire Department is afraid of fire. He was reassigned to an office position so he would not have to come in direct contact with what scared him, but he wanted to remain in his former job in the fire suppression unit. He claimed his fear was a disability and that he was discriminated against because of said disability. His case made it to the Texas Supreme Court, which ruled there was no evidence Proler was discriminated against on account of a disability.
Kidnapper Sues Hostages For Escaping
Jesse Dimmick, a fugitive facing a murder charge, kidnapped a Kansas couple in September 2009. At some point he fell asleep and they escaped. Theysued Dimmick for over $75,000 in damages; his response was to countersue for breach of contract. He claimed the couple had a legally binding oral agreement for them to hide him from the police. His case was dismissed.
Husband Sues Wife Over Ugly Baby
Boy meets a pretty girl, the boy marries this girl, they end up having a kid together. However this tale does not have such a happy ending. Jian Feng from China saw his newborn daughter and asked why she was “incredibly ugly” and did not look like either parent. He accused his wife of cheating on him. At that point, she admitted she had several plastic surgeries before they had met. He sued her on the grounds of false pretenses, claiming she misled him by hiding her cosmetic surgery history. He won the case, and his wife was made to pay him more than $120,000.
Sleeping Student Sues School
The parents of Danbury High School student Vinicios Robacher said their son suffered hearing loss after one of his teachers slammed her hand on his desk to wake him up during math class. The family sued the school and the school board as well as the city. But apparently the case fell on deaf ears and was dismissed.
Uber Ruins Marriages?
A French businessman sued Uber for $48 million, claiming that a flaw in the ride sharing company’s app played a role in the dissolution of his marriage. The businessman said he borrowed his wife’s phone and used it to log into the Uber App. He claimed a glitch in the app caused it to continue sending notifications of his whereabouts to his wife’s phone even after he logged off, and apparently some of his movements caused a problem with his wife and their marriage ended in a divorce. The result of the suit is unknown.
