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14 Of The Most Absurd Lawsuits That People Actually Won

By Morgan Dietrich
August 19, 2016
Shutterstock / Eugenio Marongiu

Sure, frivolous lawsuits are so common that they're basically a buzzword at some point. But you've never heard of people suing people over stuff this stupid before!

The House He Was Robbing Is Unsafe

“A man once attempted to break into a California home while the family was gone via the roof window that was located above the living room. While trying to break in he fell through the window and broke his back paralyzing him from the waist down. He sued the family for the window and roof being unsafe for him to be on and won, the family had to pay a large sum I cannot remember all the details though.” (source)

The Weather Was Wrong

“Most people understand that weather reports are not 100 percent accurate. Unfortunately, a woman in Israel sued a TV station and its weatherman for $1,000 after he predicted a sunny day and it rained. The woman claims the forecast caused her to leave home lightly dressed. As a result, she caught the flu, missed 4 days of work, spent $38 on medication and suffered stress. She won!” (source)

All Over A Cup Of Coffee

“A man sued Burger King for $10,000 and won, because his coffee cup said ‘Caution: Hot!’ but it was actually cold. He claimed that this was false advertising, and basically won $1k for a cold cup of coffee.” (source)

The Fence She Climbed Was Too Tall

“In California there was a construction site with a fence surrounding it that was 12 feet tall and it blocked an alley a women regularly used to get home. She decided to ignore the no trespassing signs posted every 15 feet on the fence and climbed over then proceeded to fall and break her leg. She sued the construction company for and I quote ‘not having a fence tall enough to keep me out.’ She won the case on the basis that the fence didn’t have enough preventive measures to keep her out such as barbed wire, more signs or being taller.” (source)

Red Bull Didn’t Give Him Wings

“The energy drink company ‘Red Bull’ was sued by a man who after 10 years of drinking the substance, ‘Never grew wings nor gained athletic or intellectual performance!’ And he won! Red bull was forced out of court to pay $13 million for the claim they make in their ads.” (source)

She Sued Herself?

“As the representative of her husband’s wealth, she is suing herself for compensation. And her insurer is defending her in this case. If she proves that she was negligent in her own driving she would receive an insurance pay-out!” (source)

Crunchberries Weren’t Real Berries

“I’m sad/awestruck that a particular lawsuit against Cap’n Crunch takes up space in my brain. A woman purchased Cap’n Crunch with Crunchberries for several years. She felt she was being taken for a ride when she realized that the Crunchberries she had enjoyed for so long were actually small balls of cereal, as opposed to a natural berry. This lawsuit falls under the crazy umbrella more than the petty umbrella, but it is beyond bizarre any way you attempt to understand it!” (source)

I Sue Myself!

“In 1995, Robert Lee Brock, a Virginia prison inmate, decided to take a new approach to the legal system. After filing a number of unsuccessful lawsuits against the prison system, Brock sued himself. He claimed his civil rights and religious beliefs were violated when he allowed himself to get drunk. After all, it was inebriation that created his cycle of committing crimes and being incarcerated. He demanded $5 million from himself. However, since he didn’t earn an income behind bars, he felt the state should pay. Needless to say, the case was thrown out.” (source)

An Indian man is suing the makers of Lynx deodorant after he failed to get a girlfriend despite using their products for seven years.

“Vaibhav Bedi, 26, is demanding Unilever pay him $91,000 as compensation for the ‘depression and psychological damage’ caused by a lack of any ‘Lynx effect,’ the Daily Record reports. Scantily-clad women throwing themselves at men wearing Lynx has long been a key feature of advertisements for the deodorant, which is marketed as Axe in India. ‘The company cheated me because in its advertisements, it says women will be attracted to you if you use Axe … I used it for seven years but no girl came to me,’ Mr Bedi said in his court petition. A court in New Delhi has accepted half-used body washes, shampoos, anti-perspirants and hair gels for forensic testing. Unilever has refused to comment on the lawsuit. Mr. Bedi’s lawyer Ram Jethmalani said it would be in Unilever’s best interests to settle out of court. ‘There is no data to substantiate the supposition that unattractive and unintelligent men don’t attract women,’ the Daily Record quoted him as saying. ‘In fact, some of the best looking women have been known to marry and date absolutely ghoulish guys.'” (source)

They Blew Themselves Up

“In September 1988, two Akron, Ohio-based carpet layers named Gordon Falker and Gregory Roach were severely burned when a three and a half gallon container of carpet adhesive ignited when the hot water heater it was sitting next to kicked on. Both men felt the warning label on the back of the can was insufficient. Words like ‘flammable’ and ‘keep away from heat’ didn’t prepare them for the explosion. They filed suit against the adhesive manufacturers, Para-Chem. A jury obviously agreed since the men were awarded $8 million for their troubles.” (source)

“False Advertising”

“In 1991, Richard Harris sued Anheuser-Busch for $10,000 for false advertising. Harris claimed to suffer from emotional distress in addition to mental and physical injury. Why? Because when he drank beer, he didn’t have any luck with the ladies, as promised in the TV ads. Harris also didn’t like that he got sick sometimes after he drank. The case was thrown out of court.” (source)

He Shot The Dog And Got Attacked For It

“Another ridiculous lawsuit: a man leaned over the picket fence between his house and his neighbor’s and started shooting his neighbors dog with a BB gun. Eventually, the dog was really pissed off and attacked the man and injured him. He sued the dog’s owner and won.” (source)

How about jury awards for people who attempt suicide and sue the MTA when they fail?

“This is according to the New York Times, but it’s not the only one. Huge awards come out of these trials — millions of USDs. The court determines a percentage of ‘fault’ for each party. If the plaintiff is 50 percent responsible for the injury, the defendant(s) is responsible for the other 50 percent. That’s still a six to seven figure windfall or more for a lawsuit many people would consider frivolous, given the plaintiff’s deliberate attempt to use the subway tracks as a suicide weapon.” (source)

A Flat Beer

“There was a 1986 episode of ‘The People’s Court’ in which a man sued for 75 cents over a flat beer. He won.” (source)

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