The Craziest Lawsuits of 2014

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Summary: These lawsuits take the cake for the most ridiculous lawsuits of the past year. Be sure to check out the videos below.

Faces of Lawsuit Abuse has compiled a list, complete with some YouTube videos for your viewing pleasure, of the ten most ridiculous lawsuits of the year. Though the list is amusing to many, it highlights a problem with society—that at times, individuals are too litigious. Lisa A. Rickard, the president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, said, “This list puts a light-hearted face on a serious problem: that as a country, we simply sue too much. In fact, the collective toll that abusive lawsuits take on our society and our economy is no laughing matter. Lawsuits should be a last resort, not a first option.

  

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10. Dear Disney: You Stole “Frozen” from My Life Story

Disney’s “Frozen” was a tremendous success this year, forever burning “Let It Go” into the minds of parents and kids alike. However, one woman sued the Walt Disney Corporation for $250 million, claiming that the film giant stole the storyline from her own personal life. Entertainment Weekly first reported that Isabella Tanikumi argued that Disney stole its inspiration from her autobiography, “Yearnings of the Heart.” Although Tanikumi’s story does take place in the mountains, and centers around two sisters, one of whom does have an accident, the similarities stop there.

According to the complaint, Tanikumi argued that Disney caused her “irreparable harm” and asks Disney to “cease and desist from any and all sales, distribution and marketing of Frozen in any media format.”

9. Hey, Jimmy Johns: Where Are My Sprouts?

The Star Tribune first reported that a Jimmy John’s patron sued the restaurant for failing to put alfalfa sprouts on her sandwich. However, this suit actually did pay off: a class action was filed on behalf of those who received sandwiches that should have had sprouts—but didn’t. Jimmy John’s will shell out $1.40 vouchers to the class, who must fill out a form on the restaurant’s website, claiming that they did not receive requested sprouts on their sandwiches from February 1, 2012 to July 21, 2014. Apparently, the vouchers will equal “up to a maximum of $725,000 less the actual costs of the settlement administration.” The Malibu-based law firm Shenkman & Hughes, which represents the class, will receive a $370,000 fee.

A couple of years ago, some crazy suits were filed against the Kardashians.

Photo credit: barfblog.com

8. Minimum Wage Demanded for Community Service

Andrew Stoll, a Brooklyn, New York lawyer, filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of New Yorkers who were sentenced to community service for their crimes. One was a subway turnstyle-jumper, the other was busted with an illegal weapon in his vehicle. According to Stoll, those who must perform community service are being exploited. Stoll also argued that the community service meets the definition of employment under both New York and federal law.

In 2012, 88,000 cases were settled using community service sentences in New York. If each defendant worked eight hours of community service, and was paid $8 per hour, and the suit covered a decade-long period, taxpayers would pay $56 million for the community service. Should the attorneys receive a one-third fee, they’d bank about $17 million.

Photo credit: newsbiscuit.com

7. Baseball Fan Sues ESPN for Airing him Sleeping at Game

According to ESPN, a fan fell asleep during a Boston Red Sox—New York Yankees game in Aprl, and cameramen zoomed in on the sleeping man. Andrew Robert Rector sued for $10 million, claiming harm such as “defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress” and argued that he was “mocked while caught sleeping in his seat during a national telecast at Yankee Stadium.”

One woman apparently had a hard time coping with the ending of the series “Lost.”

Rector claims that commentators Dan Shulman and John Kruk used an “avalanche of disparaging words” against him, such as “fatty” and “stupid.” An ESPN spokesperson said, “The comments attributed to ESPN and our announcers were clearly not said in our telecast. The claims presented here are wholly without merit.”

6. A Poster Tripped Me

A New York City resident sued public transportation and Showtime for causing her to fall, according to DNAInfo.com. She claims that she was frightened by an advertisement for the Showtime thriller series “Dexter,” which caused her to fall down the stairs at Grand Central Terminal. The woman had lost track of her husband and was going up the stairs when she tripped and fell. The suit claims that the photo of actor Michael C. Hall was “shocking and menacing.” The woman was so disturbed that she had to follow up with visits to a psychiatrist.

Photo credit: facesoflawsuitabuse.org

5. Lawyers Target California Town with ADA Lawsuits

The Manteca Bulletin in Manteca, California reported that the town had its businesses targeted by attorneys suing under the Americans with Disabilities Act. It claimed that “more than three dozen businesses in Manteca had been served with ADA lawsuits.” Two restaurants, the Barnwood Restaurant and Main Street Inn, had to close because of the suits. The paper added, “Jeri Heath, owner of the Main Street Inn, said two of the ADA attorney’s staffers were in her store this week for a second time checking her parking area and bathrooms. She said one secreted a camera at her side attempting to conceal her efforts at taking pictures of the layout of her store.”

Check out these crazy celebrity lawsuits.

However, KCRA-TV reported that the city council held a workshop for the businesses, showing them how to comply with ADA guidelines and regulations. Brad Sungluck, the senior building inspector in the town, said, “For a small business, they can’t afford it. So it’s frightening the number of businesses we might lose based on these lawsuits. Some [buildings] are 100 years old, and that’s where the majority of the lawsuits are, in that area downtown where they have old buildings.”

Photo credit: facesoflawsuitabuse.org

4. Thanks for Saving My Life—Now I’m Suing You

In September, Ray Ortiz was saved by rescue workers who pulled him to safety from record Denver floods. However, Ortiz claims that the workers ignored his pleas while he was trapped upside down in his vehicle, so he sued them for $500,000.

3. Suing for More Money That Even Exists on the Planet

The New York Post reported that “a Manhattan man has sued the city, NYC Transit, Au Bon Pain Store, two local hospitals, Kmart” and a dog owner for two undecillion dollars—or $2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. The handwritten suit was filed in federal court in Manhattan, and likely set a record for the most lawsuit money ever demanded in a suit.

Photo credit: moneyspell.com

2. Little League Coach sues Player for Tossing Helmet after Win

A little league baseball player excitedly threw his helmet into the air after he ran a winning run. However, his former coach was less than thrilled about the helmet toss, and subsequently sued the kid for $500,000, claiming that the helmet tore his Achilles’ tendon.

1. If You Claim You’re Injured, Don’t Film Yourself Shoving Boulders 

Some guys decided to show off their manly strength by toppling an “ancient boulder in Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park.” However, this wasn’t such a smart idea for one of the men in particular. Glenn Taylor, who was shown pushing the tremendous rock off of a thin platform where it had remained for millions of years, had filed a personal injury lawsuit just a few weeks before he was caught shoving the boulder.

The suit claimed he had suffered “serious, permanent and debilitating injuries.” Alan McDonald, the defendant in the suit, said to KTVX, “Someone with a bad back who’s disabled, who can’t enjoy life, to me, doesn’t step up and push a rock that big off the base.” When a CNN affiliate from KUTV commented that Taylor did not look very debilitated in the video, which went viral, Taylor said, “You didn’t see how hard I pushed.”

Main photo credit: wikipedia.com