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Top 20 Most Outrageous Law Stories
Tabloid Column editors have reviewed more than 10,000 news articles from our archives to present the Top 20 most outrageous law-related stories of 2005. If an article link has expires, search Google for addition references. Take A Look At All 6 Categories!
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By Jake Easton Tabloid Column.com Posted: December 16, 2005 |  |
1 Ford Ordered to Pay $61 million in SUV Accident with sleeping driver. A jury has ordered the Ford Motor Co. to pay more than $61 million to the family of a 17-year-old boy killed in a roll-over accident when his friend fell asleep while driving an Explorer. 
2 Kid with fake ID now suing bars that served him. Robert E. Nunez II got into a horrific car crash in Malden after a night of bar-hopping during which he says he had eight drinks of vodka and soda. The accident left him a paraplegic. Nunez, a 2001 graduate of Revere High School, acknowledges in court papers that he was driving drunk and also carrying a phony ID card because he was just 19 at the time, too young to legally drink in Massachusetts. Nevertheless, a state judge has ruled he can sue two bars for negligence on the grounds that they allegedly breached their duties by serving an underage customer.
3 Neil Armstrong threatens lawsuit to get hair back from barber. The first man to walk on the moon used to come into Marx's Barber Shop in Lebanon about every month for a trim. That stopped when Neil Armstrong learned that owner Marx Sizemore picked up some of the former astronaut's hair from the floor of his shop and sold it for $3,000.
4 Man Arrested for Lawyer Joke Cleared. A man arrested after telling a lawyer joke at a courthouse got the last laugh when a grand jury dismissed the disturbance charge against him. "It's still legal in America to tell jokes — even about lawyers," said Harvey Kash's lawyer, Ron Kuby. Kash testified he was exercising his First Amendment right when he shared a few lawyer jokes with his friend, Carl Lanzisera, 65, as they waited to enter a Long Island courthouse.
5 Man Serving Life For Stealing Television Released After 35 Years. After 35 years in prison for stealing a black-and-white television set, Junior Allen is a free man. Allen, 65, walked out of prison Friday, ending a case that attracted widespread attention because he remained in jail while other inmates convicted of murder, rape or child molestation were released. "I'm glad to be out," Allen told supporters outside Orange Correctional Center. "I've done too much time for what I did. I won't be truly happy until I see a sign that says I'm outside of North Carolina."
6 Lawyers win another round. DVD rental firm Netflix just settled a case involving accusations of misleading advertising. In the settlement, Netflix agreed to pay the lawyers up to $2.5 million. Consumers don't get any money. They get what's known in the class-action world as a "coupon settlement." Instead of money, Netflix customers get one free month's trial for upgraded service. How about giving the consumers the $2.5 million and giving the lawyers a couple of free months of Netflix DVDs instead?
7 Doctor sued for sex treatment for back pain. An Oregon woman whose doctor convinced her that he could cure her lower back pain by having sex with her is suing him and his medical clinic for $4 million, according to legal documents obtained on Monday.
10 Lawyer sues Internet companies who don't charge him sales tax. Chicago lawyer Stephen Diamond has filed about 100 lawsuits against companies for failing to charge him sales tax on items he bought, earning himself about $500,000 in settlements and judgments, according to the Wall Street Journal.
11 Fla. Supreme Court Muzzles 'Pit Bull' Ad. The Florida Supreme Court muzzled a pair of "pit bull" lawyers Thursday. The seven justices unanimously decided that a TV commercial featuring a pit bull in a spiked collar and the telephone number PIT-BULL demeans the legal profession.
12 Woman files lawsuit after doctor tells her she's too fat. The New Hampshire attorney general is investigating a Rochester doctor because a patient complained that he bluntly told her she needed to lose weight. Dr. Terry Bennett said that he's outraged by what he calls a baseless complaint. A patient was apparently insulted when Bennett told her that she was obese and could only get healthier by losing weight. "It's an epidemic in the United States, and it's croaking us," Bennett said.
13 Judge puts stop to city's ticket quotas. City officials in Gold Hill, Oregon are furious that Municipal Judge Don Leahan has dismissed citations in the name of justice, with the city’s tickets surging more than 500 percent in two months. Both Mayor Sherry Young and police Chief Dean Muchow deny the judge’s accusation that the city intended to help fund a third police officer with revenue generated by the citations, which leaped from $1,683 in September to November’s high of $10,550. Excessive staff overtime and the Chief's purchases of "alcohol and celebratory dinners" has tapped out the police budget, according to the Mail Tribune.
14 Injudicious Judge May Be Benched. A Florida judge is facing a disciplinary hearing for a host of allegedly inappropriate behavior on the bench, including the recommendation to one female defendant that she "needed to close her legs and stop having babies."
15 Woman Ticketed For Sitting On Park Bench Without Kids. It's an 'only in New York' story. A woman was given a ticket for sitting on a park bench because she doesn't have children. Sandra Catena, 47, said she didn't see the sign at the park prohibiting adults without kids when she sat down to wait for an arts festival to start. Two cops asked her if she was with a child. When she said no, they gave her a ticket that could bring a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail.
16 Judge Defends Self Over Remarks To Unwed Mom. An Orange County judge accused of chastising a deputy sheriff who had a child out of wedlock defended himself in front of a special panel Wednesday. Judge Alan C. Todd, a judge for 14 years, is accused of chastising a deputy sheriff who had a child out of wedlock, saying she was a "disgrace to society," "had no morals," and her child was "a bastard."
17 Deputy pulls gun on slow golfers. Sure, it's frustrating to have to wait behind slow players on a golf course, but a Southern California sheriff's reserve deputy is charged with going to extremes to speed up some duffers. Orange County reserve Deputy Raymond Yi is accused of pointing a gun at two golfers and flashing his sheriff's badge to get them to speed up play.
18 Jury gives man forced from store $7.7 million. Jurors awarded $7.7 million yesterday to the former owner of a cigar store who was forced to move by the city to make way for a new hotel. The city used its powers of eminent domain so a developer could build a Marriott Renaissance Hotel.
20 Man arrested for allegedly booby-trapping home. A Las Vegas, N.M., man has been arrested after police say he put a potentially lethal booby-trap in his home to stop burglars. Benny Armijo, 43, was arrested on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Police say he admitted to setting the trap.
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Also See: Crime | Lawyers | Politics | Business | World Important Note: Some of the media reports provide details of arrests, charges and indictments, which are not convictions. It is important to keep an open mind and learn the facts of each case before coming to any conclusions of guilt.
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