It is only March, but we have already seen some truly ridiculous lawsuits this year. Here are five of the craziest cases that have popped up so far. For some reason—four of the five cases have been in California—decide for yourself what that might mean.
Siri Isn’t Perfect
In February a judge in Oakland, California dismissed a suit from four iPhone users. The users claimed that Apple’s advertisements were misleading because Siri doesn’t always understand their questions or locate the exact places they are trying to find.
The judge, however, ruled in favor of common sense. She stated that Apple had not promised that Siri would operate perfectly and that “a reasonable consumer would understand that commercials depicting the products they are intended to promote would be unlikely to depict failed attempts.”
Divorce Led to the End of Marriage
In January, The Independent reported the story of a British woman who sued her former attorneys. She claimed that they had not advised her that finalizing divorce proceedings would cause her marriage to end. Apparently she did not want her marriage to be terminated because of her Roman Catholic faith.
Maybe she should have looked up “divorce” in the dictionary before filing, since most of the English speaking world defines divorce as a judicial declaration that terminates a marriage.
As you may have guessed, the case was rejected by the court and the appeal was dismissed.
Little League Coach Hurt by Helmet
A little league coach in California sued one of his former players claiming that the boy had thrown his helmet in the air after scoring a game winning run; the coach says that the helmet struck him and tore his Achilles tendon. He sued for over $500,000 in damages.
While some might consider it absurd to sue a kid for doing something normal like celebrating a victory, others might think it is important to teach children not to be reckless.
One problem with the case—no matter who you agree with—is that no one, not even the coach who was hit, saw the boy throw the helmet. The coach himself says he looked down and saw the helmet next to him and saw the boy with a stunned look on his face.
The best personal injury lawyers from Vancouver to Valencia still need something to go on—witnesses would be a good start.
Not Enough Napkins
Another California man has filed a silly suit—this one was over a napkin. The man reportedly sued McDonalds for $1.5 million after claiming the staff only gave him one napkin. He alleges that when he complained, the manager mumbled something that sounded like “you people.”
The plaintiff assumed this was a reference to his race. While racism is never okay, fighting over napkins is not a likely path to success.
NASA Didn’t Investigate Alien Life
Not long ago, NASA announced that a strange rock had appeared in front of the Mars Opportunity rover. There were many logical possible explanations for its appearance—maybe a nearby impact sent the rock toward the rover, or maybe the rover itself knocked the rock out of the ground. One California man is clinging to the less logical possibilities.
He is convinced the rock is a living organism and a sign of alien life so he filed a lawsuit in an attempt to compel NASA to perform more tests and send him the images. He claims that the “rock” was in front of the rover the entire time and that it grew until it became visible. The idea of alien life may be exciting, but sometimes you just need to accept that a rock is a rock.
Since it is only the beginning of March, it is likely even more ridiculous lawsuits will be filed. Enjoy the funny examples above and look forward to more silliness throughout the year.
Author Bio
Sam Pollock is a blogger who writes about a variety of topics including Law. To learn more about how lawsuits work, or to file one that is a little less silly, check out Kenneth Cristall Law Corporation.
