Choose the Craziest Lawsuit of 2011!
During Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week (December 12 - 16), visit www.LLAW.org, twitter.com/ReformLouisiana or join the Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch group on Facebook to vote for the most outrageous lawsuit of the year.
Opelousas - St. Landry Man Blows Up His Home, Then Sues The Gas Company
Carl Jones Sr. broke the lock and jerry-rigged a gas connection to his home after it was
cut off due to non-payment. The home exploded the next day. The jury found the gas company 50% at fault and awarded the Jones family $15 million.
Abbeville - Woman Sues Wal-mart Over An Alleged Encounter With Baby Nutria
Rebecca White took Lortab and Xanex before going shopping, where she ran over her own
foot with a shopping cart after being startled by a baby nutria. She is seeking thousands for injuries, including damages for pain, suffering, mental anguish, fear, disabling injuries, and past, present and future medical expenses.
Baton Rouge - Potpourri-Smoking Man Sues Over Hallucinations
John Alexander Radford claims he suffered terrifying hallucinations after smoking a product
labeled “potpourri/incense’’ and is suing the owners of the convenience store where he made the purchase. He filed suit claiming “extreme and terrifying hallucinations” causing him to sustain severe burns to his hands and face. Despite the fact that the product was clearly labeled as “not for human consumption,” Mr. Radford’s suit contends the incense was “unreasonably dangerous’’ and “inadequate in its instructions and/or warnings.’’
Terrebonne - Woman Awarded $11,500 After A Fender-bender Put Her In Un-stylish Shoes
Celeste Bouland claims her foot was jammed in a minor car accident. Despite the fact that
an x-ray confirmed she did not have a fracture, she claimed the incident left her unable to wear stylish shoes. Her own mother testified that immediately after the accident, Mrs. Bouland walked around uninjured, but a jury still awarded her damages totaling more than $11,000. Unsatisfied, Mrs. Bouland asked the judge to reconsider the verdict, complaining that it was abusively low. The judge replied that the award was more than “adequate” for a sore toe.
Harahan - Daughter Sues Distressed Mother Over A Broken Ankle
Patricia Dalferes was at her mother’s home when an ambulance was called to assist the
ailing woman. As Mrs. Dalferes rushed back to retrieve her mother’s glasses, she tripped over a brick and broke her ankle. She sued her mother, alleging the yard was not properly maintained. Fortunately, a jury found that the daughter was solely responsible for her own accident.
St. Tammany - Sister Sues Sister after Friendly Dog “Attack”
After sending her sister and brother-in-law off to their honeymoon, Lorraine Roland stayed
at her sister’s home for a few days with the couple’s dog. While in the backyard, the large American Bulldog playfully bumped into Roland, and she fell down breaking her leg and ankle. Sometime after the incident, she sued the newlyweds, alleging negligence and a dog attack. Recognizing that this was a simple accident, the jury awarded nothing to Mrs. Roland.
Kenner - Shopper Awarded $1.5 Million after a “Trip” to the Grocery
Cheryl Bourgeois tripped on a concrete bumper in the parking lot of a Rouses grocery
store. Alleging the bumper defective, she blamed the store for failing to maintain its premises. Convinced that the bright yellow paint on the bumper had faded and thus presented an unreasonable risk, a jury awarded Mrs. Bourgeois more than $1.5 million.
Houma - C-Section Patient Swallows a Sponge
Judith Babin sued her physician and Terrebonne General Medical Center, claiming that
her OBGYN had left a sponge in her abdomen while performing a c-section. Indeed, the sponge was found in Mrs. Babin’s small intestine, and the only way it could have arrived there was if she had swallowed it. After a lengthy trial costing thousands of dollars, a jury agreed, and Mrs. Babin received nothing.
Jefferson Parish - Jury Awards Cook $1 Million over Spilled Beans
A man recently sued his daughter’s school after she was burned in a cooking accident.
During a fair, Daniel Lirette was preparing a pot of beans in the school kitchen with the help of his 12-year-old daughter. When he left the kitchen, his daughter attempted to remove the beans from the oven and accidentally spilled them on herself. Mr. Lirette sued the school alleging negligence in failing to supervise the kitchen and otherwise prevent his daughter’s injury—never mind that Mr. Lirette was the one not supervising his daughter. Incredibly, the jury awarded the Lirette family nearly $1 million.
Crowley - Prom-Partying Teacher Sues School after Suspension for Inappropriate Conduct
A high school English teacher attended an off-campus after-prom party and drank beer with her students. The next week, Donna Helo was suspended while school officials conducted an investigation. Offended by the suspension, she promptly resigned. In the civil suit that followed, she alleged the school didn’t have the right to suspend her, and sought thousands in damages. After a three-day trial, the jury found for the school and Mrs. Helo received nothing.
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