Introduction
Personal injury cases are often in the news—car accidents, a fall in a grocery store, someone gets hurt at a theme park. Sometimes the reasons people sue others sounds rather silly when printed in the newspapers or on the internet. One of the most famous is probably the elderly lady who sued McDonalds because hot coffee spilled in her lap and burned her. These cases are legally called “torts” or civil wrongs. They are not criminal matters, but one person claims another person or business harmed them through some type of negligence or other wrongful actions. Should people sue when they are harmed by someone else? Everyone has an opinion. Some of these lawsuits are understandable; some not so much.
A $600,000 jury verdict for losing psychic powers might not sound understandable and to most people, it might sound like a “frivolous” matter that should not waste the courts’ time. What about a woman who gets more than a $1 million for hurting herself when she opened a jar of pickles? Who would agree with that? Probably not many people. At first glance, perhaps these two legal cases might sound ridiculous but, maybe it would be best to read the true story of both of these “frivolous” cases before a judgment is made.
Haimes v Temple University
Plaintiff Judith Richardson Haimes and her husband, Allen N. Haimes, began this medical-malpractice lawsuit to win damages for injuries which were suffered by Mrs. Haimes. She claimed to have sustained these injuries as a result of undergoing a computerized axiotomography (CT scan), a type of diagnostic x-ray. The main damages claimed by plaintiff (Ms. Haimes) consisted of constant and disabling headaches which totally prevented her from practicing her livelihood which was a practicing psychic. There was no “out of court settlement” made, so after a period of time, the case was ready for trial. A jury trial was held and it took four days to complete. They came in with a verdict...