WELCOME to HAPPY TO BE...This is a blog about my love of Antiques, My family, humor, as humor keeps us laughing and my every Day life...I hope you enjoy your visit...Please leave me a comment to let me know you Came by so I can visit with you Thank You !!...Hugs and Smiles, Gl♥ria

August 14, 2009

~HERE IN THE REAL WORLD~



2009 - Stella Awards....


It's time again for the annual 'Stella Awards'! For those unfamiliar with these awards, they are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued the McDonald's in New Mexico , where she purchased coffee. You remember, she took the lid off the coffee and put it between her knees while she was driving.. Who would ever think one could get burned doing that, right? That' s right; these are awards for the most outlandish lawsuits and verdicts in the U.S. You know, the kinds of cases that make you scratch your head. So keep your head scratcher handy.

Here are the Stellas for the past year:

*SEVENTH PLACE* Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son. Start scratching!


* SIXTH PLACE * Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles , California won $74,000 plus medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps. Scratch some more...


* FIFTH PLACE * Terrence Dickson, of Bristol , Pennsylvania , who was leaving a house he had just burglarized by way of the garage Unfortunately for Dickson, the automatic garage door opener malfunctioned and he could not get the garage door to open. Worse, he couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the garage to the house locked when Dickson pulled it shut. Forced to sit for eight, count 'em, EIGHT days and survive on a case of Pepsi and a large bag of dry dog food, he sued the homeowner's insurance company claiming undue mental Anguish. Amazingly, the jury said the insurance company must pay Dickson $500,000 for his anguish. We should all have this kind of anguish. Keep scratching. There are more.... Double hand scratching after this one...


*FOURTH PLACE* Jerry Williams, of Little Rock, Arkansas, garnered 4th Place in the Stella's when he was awarded $14,500 plus medical expenses after being bitten on the butt by his next door neighbor's beagle - even though the beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. Williams did not get as much as he asked for because the jury believed the beagle might have been provoked at the time of the butt bite because Williams had climbed over the fence into the yard and repeatedly shot the dog with a pellet gun. Pick a new spot to scratch, you're getting a bald spot..


* THIRD PLACE * Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania because a jury ordered a Philadelphia restaurant to pay her $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her tailbone. The reason the soft drink was on the floor: Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument. What ever happened to people being responsible for their own actions? Only two more so ease up on the scratching....


*SECOND PLACE* Kara Walton, of Claymont , Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a nearby city because she fell from the bathroom window to the floor, knocking out her two front teeth. Even though Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the ladies room window to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge, the jury said the night club had to pay her $12,000....oh, yeah, plus dental expenses. Go figure.


Ok. Here we go!!*


FIRST PLACE * This year's runaway First Place Stella Award winner was: Mrs. Merv Grazinski, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who purchased new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, from an OU football game, having driven on to the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Also not surprisingly, Mrs.. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually leave the driver's seat while the cruise control was set. The Oklahoma jury awarded her, are you sitting down? $1,750,000 PLUS a new motor home. Winnebago actually changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home....

Are we, as a society, getting more stupid????


Now are you still wondering why your insurance rates are so high???


May all of you have a great day....Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

27 comments:

Dawn said...

Oooohhhhh my gosh we live in an insane world! That post makes me crazy!

I will seriously try to get to Second Sunday. My daughter is having surgery in Sept. but I'll try to make arrangements for Oct. It looks like so much fun. I was thinking you were in So. Cal! I'll let you know for sure closer to time.

Dawn

Justine said...

Gloria, are these for real??? I mean, REALLY REAL?

Because if so, I don't understand how any jury could vote in favor of ANY of these. It's just ridiculous! Dang, next time I'm in Walmart I think I'll trip over one of my own kids so I can sue the pants off them when I fall and break a nail.

Justine :o )

Carol said...

Oh, Gloria thanks for providing such funny, unbelivable stories to make me laugh my head off. So-o-o funny! Our society is really going down the wrong path when people can sue for their stupid actions & get paid for it!
Have a great weekend girl!

Hugs,
Carol

Bill said...

Hi Gloria,
What an interesting post! Interesting, funny, irritating, horrifying! These cases are mind-blowing, aren't they?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Bye for now,
Bill

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

These were hysterically funny. It amazes me the things people do to try and get away with something...and then they do get away with it. Well, darling "luck" like this I just don't have..lol.. hope all is well your way darling.. love ya hugs ~lynne~

Kim said...

OMG!!!!Hilarious Gloria, and you're right, only in America. I can't wait to share this with my Dad - he'll get such a kick out of it.

Anonymous said...

I'm still shaking my head. I know the next time Norm ask me to get him something from the fridge as he is driving our Winnebago down the road in OK., I'm going to tell him to get it himself. I could use a million bucks in my bank account.

Hugs,
Chris

Lynette said...

Don't call those folks on the jury "my peers" - no way, no how!! I can't believe any of that - #1 - that a judge would allow that, #2 - that a lawyer would defend a client for that, #3 - that a real live human being could be that stupid (well some of them), #4 - that something like that really goes on in this world! Incredible - you're right - no wonder our insurance is so high!

I do think I'm bald from all the head scratching - now who should I sue - you for publishing this, the idiot people that these stupid stories are about or blogger? I bet I could get millions - LOL!

Michelle, All Home and Love said...

WOW!! Some of those are really unbelievable, especially the first place winner. My homeowners insurance went up recently and I called to complain and told them I shouldn't see an increase since I'm not the one making claims. Unfortunately they didn't agree.
~Michelle

Loretta said...

Oh Gloria I don't even know what to say! This world is getting crazier by the day! They were good for a laugh though. They better not pick me for jury duty for a case like any of those. Some people have lost their common sense. Hugs, Loretta

Tootsie said...

okay...now you have me wondering why the guy that I talked to on the phone from Texas thinks Canadians are stupid....I think you need a new test to make sure your judges are sane..and a new screening process for juries!!!
this stuff just blew me away!

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

I HAD to read the last one out loud to H. He laughed but found it difficult to believe anyone could be so stupid..let alone get compensated for being an idiot!

Anonymous said...

HI Gloria! Oh, this is unbelievable! Some folks seem so dumb, but look what they accomplished!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Salmagundi said...

Oh my, what are we coming to? Those are horrible!! And you just know that they did something really stupid with the money. Have a great weekend, Gloria! Sally

Anonymous said...

You gotta laugh and then you cry- our world has gotten to be so upside down! No one wants to take responsibility for his own actions- it always is someone else fault. I think this is one of the main reasons the government thinks it has to take care of us- look at us!

blessings
mary

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Gloria, this is just too funny. I can't believe the stupid people but more than that, I can't believe the stupid jury and judge. Hugs, Marty

squawmama said...

Hi Gloria... That was so (I want to say so much) funny... what a bunch of STUPID jurors... Amazing!!!

(((HUGS)))
Donna

imjacobsmom said...

Gloria, What is with the juries that are awarding these high settlements? Unbelievable! Isn't there one person with common sense to say enough is enough! ~ Robyn

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

When I read these, I can't help but wonder if they are real. I do know that people want to sue anybody for anything, but it's hard to believe that a jury can be convinced that these people are entitled to anything. Thanks for sharing them. I did have some laughs. laurie

Draffin Bears said...

I have seen these Gloria.
Isn't it interesting that people could be like this.

Enjoy your weekend
Hugs
Carolyn

Picket said...

Morning girl...those are some of the craziest things I have ever heard of! How are you this fine beautiful morning? Have you not been getting my e-mails!!!!!! I sent you card back in July and it was never picked up and I have e-mailed you thanking you for the sweet gift...girl am I on your "D" list for DELETE!!!!!! lol I love my sweet treasures...I hung the little wreath on my chicken coop cabinet and I used one of the little runners on the foyer table....you are just the best!!!! Love you girl..have a great weekend...we are all gathering today for dinner...yep any excuse to get together and laugh and eat and talk and eat...did I mention we like to eat! lol

josh said...

hey grandma judt wanted to stop by and say hi. Now i need to go find somebody to sue. lol. kove you :).

Connie said...

Stupider I think, sugar!!

Domestic slacker???? I think not. We're "goddesses", don't ya know, honey. LOL

xoxo,
Connie

Linda (Nina's Nest) said...

Gloria, please "say it ain't so". I can't take it! What in the world are we coming to??!! I thought the coffee in the lap was absurd, but the other things are equally unbelievable. What kind of brain power is sitting on those juries? Linda

Kat said...

This is just insane. I bet the fourth place winner's neighbor will get a bear for his next pet - at least that would have eaten the evidence lol. And as for the gal in the Winnebago - she actually had a license??? Like my sweet grandma used to say, common sense isn't so common anymore. And that goes double for the idiot juries that award these people and triple for the judges that allow the awards to stand! Excuse me, I'm going to the local mall now to throw food at my husband so that I can fall and we can retire - hey maybe we'll retire in a Winnebago and we'll have a whole 'nother windfall to look forward to! Hugs, Kathy

Melissa Miller said...

Oh my goodness these are some horrible and greedy people!
What is going on in this world huh? LOL! ~Smiles~ )

~Enjoy your weekend! ~Melissa :)

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

Hi Gloria,\
That's just unreal! What amazes me the most are the juries who make these awards. There are some real legitimate claims but these really outrageous! I hope your having a great week-end my friend, Hugs, Cindy