Ministry Illustration: Frivolous Lawsuits

You can use these examples of real life lawsuits to illustrate:

Greed, Sin, Injustice, Lack of accountability/Blaming others

1991,
Richard Overton sued Anheuser-Busch for $10,000. He claimed to have
suffered emotional distress, mental injury, and financial loss because
drinking beer did not make his fantasies of beautiful women in tropical
settings come to life, as he claimed it had advertised, driving him to
buy and drink more Bud Light.

If
you can’t sue the system, sue yourself. 1995, Robert Lee Brock sued
himself for $5 million. He claimed that he had violated his own civil
rights and religious beliefs by allowing himself to get drunk and
commit crimes which landed him in the Indian Creek Correctional Center
in Virginia, serving a 23 year sentence for grand larceny and breaking
and entering. What could he possibly have to gain by suing himself?
Since being in prison prevented him from having an income, he expected
the state to pay.

Cleanthi
Peters sued Universal Studios for $15,000. She claimed to have suffered
extreme fear, mental anguish, and emotional distress due to visiting
Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights haunted house, which she
said was too scary.

Edward
Brewer sued Providence Hospital for $2 million. He claimed that the
hospital was negligent because it had not prevented him from raping one
of its patients. The judge ruled that any damage Brewer suffered due to
his crime was his responsibility for choosing to commit the crime, and
that the hospital had no legal duty to protect him from that choice.

Austin
Aitken sued NBC for $2.5 million. He claimed that an episode of “Fear
Factor” caused him “suffering, injury, and great pain.” He said that
watching the contestants eat rats on television made him dizzy and
light-headed, causing him to vomit and run into a doorway

Allen
Heckard sued Michael Jordan and Nike founder Phil Knight for $832
million. He claimed to suffer defamation, permanent injury, and
emotional pain and suffering because people often mistook him for the
basketball star

A
bicycling doctor has sued his then-11-year-old inline-skating neighbor
for pain and suffering after they collided on their Chester Township
street in 2003

Dr.
Alexander Dlugi, now 54, sued the child, claiming she was negligent and
caused the collision by reacting unreasonably when he approached her
from behind on Sugar Maple Row, shouted “watch out” and rang his
bicycle bell

The accident expert said on Wednesday Dlugi could have avoided the collision by simply riding around the skater.

The
girl was skating, generally on the right side of Sugar Maple Row, and
Dlugi had passed her once on his first bicycle loop around the
neighborhood. Ellis stopped skating and stepped to the curb when she
noticed two approaching vehicles. She stepped back into the road –
with Dlugi a distance behind her on his bicycle — and resumed skating.
Then Dlugi decided to overtake and pass the girl on the road

Authorities Suspect Fraud To Collect $222,000 In Disability Benefits

For
nearly 20 years – ever since Pete Costello was 8 – his mother has
collected disability benefits on his behalf. In meetings with Social
Security officials and psychologists, he appeared mentally retarded and
unable to communicate. His mother insisted he couldn’t read or write,
shower, take care of himself or drive a car.

But now prosecutors say it was all a huge fraud, and they have video of Costello contesting a traffic ticket to prove it.

“He’s like any other person trying to get out of a traffic ticket,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Barbosa said Tuesday.

Pete
and Rosie Marie Costello were indicted in September on charges of
conspiracy to defraud the government and Social Security fraud

pulled
the same trick with a daughter, whom officials have been unable to
locate. All told, she raked in $222,000 on their behalf

Georgia Dad Poisons Kid’s Soup With Prozac To Claim Money From Campbell Soup

Atlanta,
GA (AHN) – Authorities said that a father in Georgia attempted to sue
the Campbell Soup Co. by allegedly poisoning his children’ soup. He has
been indicted on tampering and fraud charges. The children, a
3-year-old boy and his 18-month sister were taken to the hospital three
times in January.

Investigators
say that the man in question used Prozac and Amitryptaline, drugs used
to treat clinical depression to taint the soup. His daughter became so
ill that she had to be flown on a helicopter to an Atlanta hospital.

Police
have now charged William Allen Cunningham, 40, with tampering and
disregard for the risk of injury or death of other persons.
Additionally, he was charged with mail fraud, where he had sent
messages that a consumer product had been tainted.

The children are reportedly with their mother and no information about their health has been released.

Should he be convicted

75 years in prison

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