Stella Awards

SpinnerBait_Nut · Feb 2, 2003

It's time once again to consider the candidates for the 2003 Stella Awards. The Stella's are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonalds. That case inspired the Stella Awards for the most uniquely successful lawsuits in the United States for last year. Actually, joint awards should be given to the plaintiff attorneys and the flaming idiots on the juries who awarded anything at all to these morons--who deserved NOTHING!!!! The following is among this year's candidates: This year's favorite could easily be Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32- foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip home, having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the owner's manual that he couldn't actually do this. The jury awarded him $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in case there were any other complete morons buying their recreation vehicles

OBJ · Feb 2, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

Spinner ol' buddy....I said it once I'll say it again.....ya' got ta' git out the cabin fer a while. But....opting for a winner of the prodigus Stella award....(did I spell pordugus right?) the Mickey D coffee thing is going to be a tough one ta' beat. But Mr. Grazinski will be in the top three finalist.

SpinnerBait_Nut · Feb 2, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

Yea I know OBJ. I went to the pond yesterday but it was froze over so I came back to the house and just sat in the boat for a couple hours throwing the spinner bait at the cat.

trollhole · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

Couple Sue McDonald's Over Tough Bagel Sat Feb 1, 5:55 PM ET Add Strange News - AP to My Yahoo! PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. - A couple is suing the franchisee of a McDonald's restaurant, claiming an improperly prepared bagel damaged the husband's teeth and their marriage. John and Cecelia O'Hare sued Friday for unspecified damages more than $15,000. They alleged the McDonald's, owned by Johnstone Foods Inc., was negligent and violated an "implied warranty that the food sold was reasonably fit for human consumption." They contend in the suit that John O'Hare broke teeth and bridgework on Feb. 1, 2002 when he bit into the bagel. The suit did not say what exactly was wrong with the bagel. The suit alleges the wife "lost the care, comfort, consortium and society of her husband." The couple's attorney, Tim Warner, did not return telephone messages left at his office. Tracey Johnstone, owner of Johnstone Foods, said she never before had a bagel complaint and had no idea how it could have been prepared in a way that would damage teeth. "It's a bagel," she said. What idiots!

SpinnerBait_Nut · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

Yea, it's a shame when the world has came to this point when you look at someone the wrong way they want to sue.

SpinnerBait_Nut · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

OH YEA!!!! I broke a tooth off when I bit into a chunk of Craft Colby cheese. Maybe I ought to sue Craft.

SlowlySinking · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

Or what about the crook on Long Island who was breaking into a school, fell through the jym skylight, hit the floor, sued and won cuz the skylight didn't have a safety cage on it. Or the guy who jumped if front of a NYC subway train to commit suicide, lived, sued and won. I always remember what a Professor friend told me, "how would you like to be on trial for your life and have your future decided by 12 people too stupid to get out of jury duty?".

Jack Shellac · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

I don't know where all this lawsuit madness is going to wind up. We have four hospitals down here alomg the coast who don't have access to a surgeon anymore. Their malpractice insurance has gone up so much that they just quit practicing in the area. People who need emergency surgery are being Medivaced to the nearest town that has a surgeon. I imagine that before it's over, someone is going to die for lack of care.

Tacklewasher · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

The case of the Winnebago never happened. See http://www.stellaawards.com/bogus.html (2nd last one). The McDonalds coffee case was not what was widely reported in the press. See http://www.stellaawards.com/stella.html

SpinnerBait_Nut · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

Yea Jack, my neighbor state, WV, is having the same problem. All the doctors are going to another state altogether to get away from it. The insurance companys have a monopoly on this insurance deal. Here in KY, you have to have it so the insurance companys charge what they want knowing you have to have it. I think they ought to be regulated, if they aren't and if they are, then someone needs to take a look at it and tighten it up a little.

SpinnerBait_Nut · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

Hey tacklewasher, I posted this as a "funny" I know the case never happened. It is listed with urban legends, but there are some stupid lawsuits out there and that was the point I was making.

Jack Shellac · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

Just remembered one we had here last year. Some teenagers were riding around, leaning out the car window and smashing mailboxes with a baseball bat. One leaned out a little too far and was hit by a tree that was growing close to the street. Banged him up pretty bad. His parents response was to sue the city for allowing the tree to grow that close to the street. Fortunately, the judge had some common sense and threw the case out. Other judges, who knows what may have happened?

Tacklewasher · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

Hey SBN. No Problem. I didn't get that you were posting a funny and I'm not sure others did. So I wanted to be sure it was clear. I actually get pretty bent out of shape when I hear how that McDonalds case got reported in the press. I understand the lady was partially responsible but also feel the press has not done their job in reporting THAT case and it leads me to wonder about some of the other cases we hear about. How much of the truth is getting into our papers and how much is just what they think will sell papers. I had the experience of being promoted in a local article (they called me a CEO, which I am not) and was pretty irate over having to explain that the article was wrong to all my friends calling to congratulate me on a promotion. Plus I had to explain it to the my boss who reports to the CEO. I'm sure that a lot of theses cases are not what they seem to be from the papers.

SpinnerBait_Nut · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

I work in the media field and I can tell you they will do anything for a "Headline"

miloman · Feb 3, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

I just went to the stella site wow I cant believe that these lawsuits are allowed to happen WOW

plywoody · Feb 4, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

This "reform" of tort laws as proposed in the limit of awards is just yet another simple solution to a complex problem. Trying to create public policy based on a few anecdotal events is a mistake. With a cap at $250k, any good insurance company will be able to use that to delay, run up legal expenses to the point where it makes no sense to even pursue it, therefore putting the insurance company in the position of simply dictating settlements. Is that really what is wanted? I am all for limiting or eliminating "frivolous" lawsuits, but is this the best way to do it? I doubt it. And is this the real reason why medical costs have risen so high? I doubt it. And has one who has dealt with a local medical board re substandard care (no lawsuit involved-just an official grievance) the arrogant way they circle the wagons and refuse to even consider that one of their members might be providing substandard care, I just have a hard time getting behind limiting their risk in this way. This problem is a problem that requires a solution that takes everything into account, including culpability of substandard providers. No system is perfect, of course, and no course of action will provide perfect results, but who can argue that progress has been made in the quality of health care because of this risk. Or that corporations are more careful about how they deal with environmental problems due to the risk of being sued, or that autos are not safer because of automakers fear of being sued... Limiting the rights of the average consumer in a lawsuit is bound, IMO, to bring about unwanted results. Without the associated risk involved, does anyone truly think that the responsibility of those decision makers will remain the same? I doubt it--If the risks are eliminated, a few lawsuits will be manageable as a cost of doing business, and no further progress will be made

Greasie · Feb 4, 2003

Re: Stella Awards

DARWIN AWARDS NEWSLETTER 31 January 2003 Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it in really stupid ways. Of necessity, this honor is usually awarded posthumously. IN THIS ISSUE: DARWIN AWARD: Tied Off DARWIN AWARD: What's That Sound? DARWIN AWARD: A Rocky Roll PERSONAL ACCOUNT: Lion Lunch --------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+ To subscribe to (or cancel) the Darwin newsletter, email the word "subscribe" (or "cancel") to news@DarwinAwards.com or visit http://www.DarwinAwards.com/misc/newsletter.html --------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+ DARWIN AWARD: Tied Off Unconfirmed (Iowa) Several years ago, an adventurous pair decided to take their ropes and rappel off the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad train over the Des Moines river. Words can't describe how breathtakingly high this narrow train bridge is over the river valley. The open train ride over the abyss is both stunningly beautiful and somewhat nerve-wracking. Our adventurers had to be completely fearless, because they walked to the middle of this narrow railroad bridge, tied off their ropes, and began to rappel down. When the train came by on it's daily tour of the valley, their one mistake became apparent. They had tied the ropes to the sturdiest support possible: the steel train tracks... --------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+ DARWIN AWARD: What's That Sound? (2 August 2002, Kansas) Police said an Olathe man was struck and killed by a train after his vehicle broke down on Interstate 35. His attempts at repairing his car had failed, and he was calling for help when the train engineer spotted him standing on the tracks. The engineer said the man was holding a cell phone to one ear, and cupping his hand to the other ear to block the noise of the train. --------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+ DARWIN AWARD: A Rocky Roll Confirmed True (29 August 2002, Washington) An innovative petty crime spree turned into a Darwinian opportunity when a Vancouver man fell out of a minivan while throwing rocks. Five men had been denting mailboxes and moving cars with their low-tech missiles, when 23-year-old John decided he needed a wider range of targets. As the Ford Aerostar cruised through a residential neighborhood, he left his compatriots at the windows while he opened the sliding door. One mighty throw later, he pitched through the opening, struck his head on the pavement, and suffered the ultimate penalty for his crime: stone cold death. --------------------------------------------+---+-+---+-+-+-+-+ PERSONAL ACCOUNT: Lion Lunch (2002) As a Ranger, I am inured to the stupidity of the public when confronted with wild animals, but my daughter's experience in South Africa takes the cake. She worked in the Kruger National Park, where park authorities are scrupulous about warning people to remain within their cars at all times. A tourist driving through the park was motivated to ignore the rules when she spotted a lioness and her cubs. The woman's husband recalls her saying the cubs were not posed correctly, so she nipped out of the car and picked one up to move it closer to its siblings. Needless to say, the lioness shared her with the cubs.

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