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visitor2035 
Forum Groupie
Joined: December 26 2008
Status: Offline
Points: 61
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 Topic: Why do you sue?
Posted: April 02 2009 at 21:08 |
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It is with great regret i write this post, as it seems suing is a regular pastime. Ameica must take full blame for this ridiculous situation that we find oursleves in.
There is a famous case where a woman in the US poured water over her male partner in a resturant, she then stood up slipped on the water (remember this twit had already poured the same water over her companion) broke her ankle, sued the resturant and won 138000 dollars.
America take a good look at yourselves....
UK and europe.....we're heading down this money for injury route regardless who is to blame.
I hate the whole thing....accidents happen....grow up and get a life.
Edited by visitor2035 - April 02 2009 at 21:11
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Atavachron
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: September 30 2006
Location: Pearland
Status: Offline
Points: 65266
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Posted: April 02 2009 at 21:21 |
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well ridiculous lawsuits are not necessarily representative of the vast majority of them, and even some of the legitimate ones will be dismissed. I remember is the famous McDonalds one where the woman sued over a hot cup of coffee that burned her when she spilled it. "Insane" most said including me, until I saw the photos of her injury and fond out the coffee had been mistakenly heated to a temperature close to that of the sun.
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rileydog22
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 24 2005
Location: New Jersey
Status: Offline
Points: 8844
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Posted: April 02 2009 at 21:22 |
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Why do people sue? Because people don't have the right to harm others and not suffer the consequences. Sure, it gets abused. Every system has its abuses. But for every absurd lawsuit that somebody wins, there's a hundred cases of someone rightfully receiving reimbursement for damages from somebody's malicious or negligent behavior. It's just not as newsworthy.
Edited by rileydog22 - April 02 2009 at 21:23
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visitor2035
Forum Groupie
Joined: December 26 2008
Status: Offline
Points: 61
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Posted: April 02 2009 at 21:26 |
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People sue because of greed...no more no less.
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rpe9p
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 31 2008
Location: Charlottesville
Status: Offline
Points: 485
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Posted: April 02 2009 at 21:32 |
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My favorite crazy one is the thief who broke into someone's house to rob them, fell on a knife, sued the owners of the house and won. I agree though that there are a lot of legitimate lawsuits, but some have just gotten out of hand, probably because there are so many lawyers that they will try to take any case. Products need to have all kinds of ridiculous warnings to prevent lawsuits and for people like doctors worrying about getting sued can get in the way of doing their jobs.
The other thing I dont understand is why our legal system will give millions of dollars to a person and their lawyer just to punish a company. If you are going to hit them with some big punitive damages, that money should go to the government or something.
I welcome someone who knows something about the law to tell us why we are wrong, because I would bet there are strong arguments for things being the way they are.
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Jozef
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 17 2008
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 2204
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Posted: April 02 2009 at 22:46 |
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People sue because they feel they've been wronged. Sometimes they'll take advantage of the system and try to fraud their way into making money and sometimes they will have an actual legitimate reason to start a lawsuit, perhaps to get financial compensation for damage done to property or to themselves.
Such is life.
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weetabix
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 20 2008
Status: Offline
Points: 170
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 03:14 |
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What the w**ked up press never reports are the counter suites (sic) McDonalds sued the coffee bird and got the money back.
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Vompatti
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: October 22 2005
Location: elsewhere
Status: Offline
Points: 67407
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 05:52 |
I read "Who do you sue?" I could have thought of dozens of people. 
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micky
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 02 2005
Location: .
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Points: 46833
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 08:12 |
 Atavachron wrote:
well ridiculous lawsuits are not necessarily representative of the vast majority of them, and even some of the legitimate ones will be dismissed. I remember is the famous McDonalds one where the woman sued over a hot cup of coffee that burned her when she spilled it. "Insane" most said including me, until I saw the photos of her injury and fond out the coffee had been mistakenly heated to a temperature close to that of the sun.
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The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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Negoba
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 24 2008
Location: Big Muddy
Status: Offline
Points: 5208
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 08:24 |
Why do people sure?
Because there is money to be made.
And it's the U.S.
Part of the problem goes back to basic civics, that you have to have an educated populace for democracy to work. Since we don't, juries can get some very strange combinations of folks. The other is just the vast differential between the poor and the wealthy. Many of the award settlements are just juries feeling like Robin Hood, taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor. What's a couple million to McDonald's?
Edited by Negoba - April 03 2009 at 08:25
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You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all.
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Man With Hat
Collaborator
Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team
Joined: March 12 2005
Location: Neurotica
Status: Offline
Points: 166178
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 11:09 |
I think Negoba is getting to the point (or at least my problem with this system).
Not to put words in his mouth (so if this is totally opposite of your point please point that out), but the problem as I see it is with the people in the system as opposed to the system itself. Some people just want to screw corporations, some people seems to have sympathy towards others' stupidity, and some people are just igronant and/or stupid.
IMO, the right to sue is a good one, and being able to sue over any little thing is alright, its just we need the proper people in place is ensure stupid claims (such as the one above about the lady spilling the water on the ground) don't make it past filing the claim.
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Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.
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BaldFriede
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 02 2005
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
Points: 10261
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 11:28 |
Atavachron wrote:
well ridiculous lawsuits are not necessarily representative of the vast majority of them, and even some of the legitimate ones will be dismissed. I remember is the famous McDonalds one where the woman sued over a hot cup of coffee that burned her when she spilled it. "Insane" most said including me, until I saw the photos of her injury and fond out the coffee had been mistakenly heated to a temperature close to that of the sun. |
Coffee can't be heated any more than the temperature of boiling water. And when you make coffee the water is boiling too, so the coffee can
not have been unusually hot. It is physically impossible.
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 BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue.
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Equality 7-2521
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15784
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 11:45 |
BaldFriede wrote:
Atavachron wrote:
well ridiculous lawsuits are not necessarily representative of the vast majority of them, and even some of the legitimate ones will be dismissed. I remember is the famous McDonalds one where the woman sued over a hot cup of coffee that burned her when she spilled it. "Insane" most said including me, until I saw the photos of her injury and fond out the coffee had been mistakenly heated to a temperature close to that of the sun. |
Coffee can't be heated any more than the temperature of boiling water. And when you make coffee the water is boiling too, so the coffee can
not have been unusually hot. It is physically impossible.
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Even if physically possible the amount of energy required for McDonalds to heat water to a temperature within an order of magnitude of the sun would have run them broke.
Edited by Equality 7-2521 - April 03 2009 at 11:46
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"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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Padraic
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: February 16 2006
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 31169
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 11:49 |
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I think David was just being hyperbolic, but that's just me...reports are the coffee in question was about 180-190 deg. F.
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Negoba
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 24 2008
Location: Big Muddy
Status: Offline
Points: 5208
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 11:52 |
Under the extreme pressures provided by the lead-lined McDonald's to-go coffee cup, in fact water can assume temperatures about 212 F. Of course, when it comes out it then vaporizes (or plasma-izes) perhaps explaining the burns.
I should have been a lawyer. Most juries sadly get fooled by pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo. All they see is two nerds arguing about things they don't understand, and the only standard they can use to learn about subjects over their heads are "expert witnesses.' You can pay an expert witness to say the sky is purple (well it is some days, pretty).....part of the problem with medical suits...the juries have no knowledge of what's actually being argued.
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You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all.
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Finnforest
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: February 03 2007
Location: The Heartland
Status: Offline
Points: 16913
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 11:57 |
rileydog22 wrote:
Why do people sue? Because people don't have the right to harm others and not suffer the consequences. Sure, it gets abused. Every system has its abuses. But for every absurd lawsuit that somebody wins, there's a hundred cases of someone rightfully receiving reimbursement for damages from somebody's malicious or negligent behavior. It's just not as newsworthy. |
He hit the nail on the head. End of discussion. All of the legit lawsuits that were actually worthy are not sexy, and can't be used by Fox News to rile up their base.
The alternative is to take away all rights from the consumer and allow big business to wrong people and environment with zero consequence. Yeah, that'd be great.
What we need is just a bit more discretion for the judge to toss suits that he knows are frivelous.
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rpe9p
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 31 2008
Location: Charlottesville
Status: Offline
Points: 485
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 12:12 |
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Ive got no real problem with the system, I just wish there were not so many lawyers so that there wouldnt be so many frivolous lawsuits. People do something stupid, and there are a thousand lawyers waiting there to help the person blame anyone but themself.
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stonebeard
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 27 2005
Location: NE Indiana
Status: Offline
Points: 28057
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 12:42 |
Finnforest wrote:
rileydog22 wrote:
Why do people sue? Because people don't have the right to harm others and not suffer the consequences. Sure, it gets abused. Every system has its abuses. But for every absurd lawsuit that somebody wins, there's a hundred cases of someone rightfully receiving reimbursement for damages from somebody's malicious or negligent behavior. It's just not as newsworthy. |
He hit the nail on the head. End of discussion. All of the legit lawsuits that were actually worthy are not sexy, and can't be used by Fox News to rile up their base.
The alternative is to take away all rights from the consumer and allow big business to wrong people and environment with zero consequence. Yeah, that'd be great.
What we need is just a bit more discretion for the judge to toss suits that he knows are frivelous. |
Simply enough, without the right to reasonably sue something or someone, acts of vigilante vengeance would skyrocket.
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Negoba
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 24 2008
Location: Big Muddy
Status: Offline
Points: 5208
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 12:49 |
I agree to some extent. That there would be a place to bring complaints before the community for judgment is indeed a grand ideal.
Our courts look nothing like this. Lawyers are given too much freedom by judges because they are their peers. Because of that latitude, the major of lawsuits are not legit anymore. People know a cash cow when they see one, so they pile on.
Reasonable legislated regulation of industry by informed representatives is just as viable option for keeping the big guy from abusing the poor. Of course we know that our legislatures are just as political (or corrupt) as the courtrooms.
It's variable from place to place, but I'm from Illinois so my faith in the system is pretty poor.
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You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all.
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Vibrationbaby
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 13 2004
Status: Offline
Points: 6898
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Posted: April 03 2009 at 13:44 |
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I`,ve mentioned this before on the site.
Some dumbass went through a stop sign and hit one of my dogs about 4 years ago. It cost me a king`s ransom in vet bills or else I would have lost the dog. I threatened to take the jerk to court and sue him for ten times the vet bill. Now before you go on about " you should have had the dogs on a leash" They are Australian Cattle Dogs, very loyal and obedient ( ACDs are in the top 5 percentile of canine intelligence ) and they walk close beside me and will not even chase a squirrel and automatically sit at an intersection before I give the all clear to cross. This occured in a residential area close to where I live and take them for their run in a park specifically designated for dogs. This dumbass was doing three times the speed limit and a bystander had to chase the guy down and of course I called the cops.
Through a lawyer we settled out of court although I would have prefered to choke the guy to death.
Sometimes suing someone is the only way to teach them a lesson.
Edited by Vibrationbaby - April 03 2009 at 13:45
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Why do you sue?
