Lawsuits come in all shapes and sizes, and there have been plenty of cases that seem strange and unusual. But, the law can be strange and unusual too, so we shouldn’t be surprised by some of the things that get brought to court. Here are some of the most usual cases that we have heard of that we think will interest you.
Kidnapping Arranged?
If you are dealing with a fugitive like Jesse Dimmick, you need some of the top wrongful death lawyers in the country by your side. As Dimmick was fleeing police in 2009, he kidnapped a Kansas couple. At some point in the kidnapping, Dimmick fell asleep and the couple managed to escape. Lucky for them, Dimmick was wanted on a murder charge so this could have turned out much worse for them. They decided to sue Dimmick for $75,000 in damages after he was arrested. He decided to countersue them as he believed they had breached a legally binding oral contract that they would hide him from the police. The judge was quick to throw the case out and he is now serving 11 years in prison.
Cricket balls in the Yard
In England, one of the biggest sports is cricket. This pastime is enjoyed by many people, except the Miller family. When the family moved into their home, they knew they were moving beside a cricket pitch. Everything was fine for a while but eventually, the family got fed up with finding cricket balls in their garden and took the matter to court. Their goal? To get the pitch closed down and cricket banned. The case was thrown out as the club had been playing there for over 70 years. After the case was closed, the Miller family sold their house and moved.
Lip Balm Tubes
Do you suffer from cracked lips? Or do you really like lip balm? If you buy a lip balm in a tube, there is a good chance that you won’t get the whole thing out unless you start scraping it out. This was the case that was brought against Fresh Inc, by a Californian woman who claimed they were actively defrauding customers. She claimed that you can only get around 75% of the lip balm out of the tube and the other 25% goes to waste. The judge threw the case and explained that the tubes used were standard practice and common sense was required for understanding how the tubes work.
The Smoke Balls
This is a very old court case but it goes to show that weird law cases have been going on forever! Back in 1891, Britain was at the end of the flu pandemic which killed around 1 million people all over the world. A company called Carbolic Smoke Ball Company claimed their product could prevent you from getting the flu. They even offered a payment of £100 to anyone who got sick after using the smoke ball as directed. Mrs. Carlill used the ball every day and still took ill with the flu and tried to claim her reward. Of course, the company didn’t want to pay up but a judge ruled in her favor. The judge stated that the adverts which claimed to prevent the cold and flu while stating a £100 reward were considered a legal contract. Mrs. Carlill got her money, which was the equivalent of £11,500 today.
Scary Posters
Your friendly neighborhood serial killer Dexter had a great run on TV, and the marketing was everywhere at one point. Unfortunately for one woman, she claims she saw the poster for the Showtime series in Grand Central Station and fell. She injured her foot and ankle and laid the blame squarely at the feet of the network. The poster in question showed the main character covered in plastic wrap which scared her. The judge ruled against her claim as it was not the network’s responsibility to maintain the stairs that she had fallen on. Maybe if she had claimed against Grand Central Station, she may have had a case.
Burgers and Cheese
Have you ever noticed how much extra cheese costs in your burger? Probably not, but two men from Florida did when they noticed that they were paying the same amount for burgers whether they had cheese on them or not. They attempted to sue Mcdonald’s for $5 million dollars over the price difference. The case was thrown out after the men could not properly prove that the price difference caused them any harm or distress.
