Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas

www.personal-injury-info.net/frivolous-lawsuits.htm
March 9, 2010

While personal injury is no laughing matter and most cases are legitimate, we wish to share some cases on this page that shed a not so flattering light on personal injury lawsuits and tend to negate the legitimacy of even well-founded cases in the public eye. People who have been victimized deserve to be heard, but unfortunately, it seems that the pseudo-victims grab all the headlines.

Frivolous lawsuits affect all of us. Frivolous lawsuits clog the court systems, taking time away from the "real" cases. While everyone does have the right to sue anyone else, some people take this to extremes, bringing about frivolous lawsuits in hopes of a big lawsuit payday. Frivolous lawsuits are a part of the much more complex arena of lawsuit abuse where tort reform may be needed for rational justice to take place.

Now that this has been said (and much to our chagrin) here is some more attention given to this subject.

The Frivolous Lawsuit Cases

1. The television show "Jackass" is being sued by a Montana man for plagiarizing his name, copyright and trademark infringement and defamation of character as well. In 1997, this Montana man legally changed his name to Jack Ass in order to raise public awareness about the perils of drunken driving. Mr. Jack Ass is seeking $10 million in damages.
2. A former Houston ambulance driver stopped for doughnuts while taking an injured youth to Ben Taub Hospital. The youth's mother filed a complaint against the driver and the driver is suing the city for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
3. A woman who attended 'Halloween Horror Nights' at Universal Studios is suing for $15,000 in damages for extreme fear, emotional distress and mental anguish.
4. Barney the Dinosaur sues the San Diego Chicken. The San Diego Chicken is a sports stadium mascot who, while doing a routine, pummeled a Barney look-alike. The judge threw out the case saying that the act was clearly parody and would not cause trademark confusion.
5. A New York City woman was awarded $14.1 million by a state supreme court jury after she was hit by a subway train as she was patiently laying on the tracks in an apparent suicide attempt. Later, the reward was cut 30 percent, to a mere $9.9 million, because of her "comparative negligence."
6. A California couple sued Bally Health Club for loss of consortium and emotional distress for a cyberspace romance on the man's part. Apparently, the man cut his hand on the towel dispenser at the health club sending him home for a few days where he decided to roam in an online romance.
7. A man is suing the Utah State Prison, saying the prison is violating his right to practice his religion by failing to provide him with a "vampire" diet. The man also filed a complaint that he was denied a conjugal visit with his "vampress" and denied to right to the sacrament of drinking blood.
8. In a "liar, liar no pants on fire case", a California nudist sued an event organizer when he burned his feet while doing a fire walk, after being told the activity may be dangerous.

The frivolous lawsuits listed above are fine examples of finger pointing, playing the blame game and other methods to avoid personal responsibility. When these pseudo-victims make the headlines, they diminish and defame the reputations of those with legitimate claims. This website is all about advocating for those with legitimate personal injury claims and we show these frivolous lawsuits only to contrast what our website is all about.