Ever since Stella Liebeck sued McDonald’s for having hot coffee back in 1994, plenty of people had the misconception that you could sue people for almost anything. Most people didn’t know that Liebeck had every right to call a personal injury attorney and file a lawsuit against McDonald’s. But since many people didn’t know the full story, plenty of frivolous lawsuits started going around. Most of them have been dismissed, but it’s still amusing to know that people are trying to sue others for the most ridiculous and petty reasons. And it’s even more amusing to see that they think they’d win. That said, here are some of America’s craziest lawsuits.
Scary Dexter Ad
In June 2013, a woman from New York City filed a lawsuit against MTA and Showtime for a scary ‘Dexter’ ad. This poster was a close-up of Michael C. Hall’s “menacing” face. For those unfamiliar with Michael Hall, he is the man that plays Dexter, the serial killer antihero protagonist, whom the series is named after. The woman, Ajanaffy Njewadda, claimed that the poster was so scary that it caused her to panic, lose her balance, and fall down the stairs. The fall caused her to break her ankle, hence she filed a lawsuit. The lawsuit claimed that the ad was a tripping hazard. She claimed that MTA and Showtime deliberately caused the tripping condition to exist but to no avail. The judge handling the case dismissed the lawsuit.
Kidnapper Sues Former Hostages
Jesse Dimmick, a suspect in a Colorado man’s death, was running away from the police to avoid being questioned about said death. In his hopes to hide from the cops, he took a couple, Jared and Lindsay Rowley, hostage in their own home. The couple was able to escape from Dimmick unharmed after they stayed up to watch movies with him until he fell asleep. When Dimmick was arrested, he filed a lawsuit against the Rowley’s. He claimed that he and the couple had agreed that he would pay them money if they hid him from the police. However, this was only an oral agreement. The couple had no legal binding contract with him. Oh, and did we mention he held the couple hostage?
Full Price for a Burger with No Cheese
Cynthia Kissner and Leonard Werner sued McDonald’s for charging them full price for a burger with no cheese. The couple found it unjust that they had to pay the same price as a quarter-pounder with cheese when they specifically asked them for no cheese. It was stated in the lawsuit that “McDonald’s is being unjustly enriched by these practices because it receives payment for cheese it does not deliver to its customers”. This couple tried their luck with McDonald’s, but unlike Stella Liebeck, who suffered third-degree burns from their coffee and almost died, the judge in their case didn’t believe that paying more was causing them any real harm. Not as much harm as McDonald’s had caused Liebeck.
Subway Footlong isn’t a Foot-long
After an Australian teen posted a Subway footlong photo next to a tape measure showing it lacked an entire inch, Subway had plenty of people on social media stirring. It even went as far as to result in a $520,000 class-action lawsuit. Plenty of people were stunned by the fact that this single footlong trending on the internet was an inch short.
But the judge of the case didn’t think it was a good enough reason to file a lawsuit against Subway. That’s because a majority of Subway’s footlongs are a foot long. Only a select few came up short due to baking. Even if it lacked an inch, each footlong dough was created with the same ingredients and the same measurements. It just so happens that as it bakes in the oven, its physical shape changes. Thus, the case was dropped. And you know what? Subway was willing to pay the $520,000 to settle the case.
Jellybeans Have Sugar in Them
Jessica Gomez, a California woman, was shocked to know that Jelly Belly’s Sports Beans had sugar in them. She claimed that the wording on the packaging was to blame and that it was false advertising, saying that the Sports Beans were marketed as exercise supplements. It even mentioned having “evaporated cane juice” on the label instead of sugar. Hence, she thought that it was sugar-free. Gomez claimed that it was made to deceive health-conscious consumers into buying the product. However, she failed to acknowledge that Sports Beans, like any other food product, comes with a Nutrition Facts panel and it was clearly stated there that it had sugar.
If there’s one thing you should’ve learned from this, it’s that you should use more common sense. Not everything has to end in a lawsuit. You might end up wasting your money instead of gaining money as you hoped.