Go Ahead, Sue Everyone

[Hazell B]

I read the other day that a mother was suing a supermarket after her son's death there. Turns out the four or five year old was swinging on a metal railing in the store while his mum shopped and he fell, bumping his head and sadly dying.

Mum wasn't stopping him from this dangling on the railing. I read she was "a few yards away shopping" so don't even know if she was within his sight or not. The railing was solid, and didn't break. The floor was hard, as it is in almost all public places - who wants to push a trolley on soft, cushioned flooring?

I had to ask myself exactly why she had blamed a shop for her child's death, especially as she had hired a solicitor well known for gaining publicity in her area. I mean, if she wasn't watching out for him ...... how can she expect anybody else to? :confused:

Whilst wondering why people always want to blame others for their own cock-ups, I remember the last time somebody tried complaining to me about something I'd sold them. It was tenuous, to say the least .....

A woman had bought a tennis ball on a rope from me. It's a type of dog toy you throw for the pet to fetch. She'd thrown it in a tree the first day she used it and lost the damned thing. She wanted her money back.

As I don't sell them as 'impossible to lose' or 'idiotproof' I told her where to go. And she went :D

[BDunnell]

Unfortunately, we are now all treated as potentially litigious morons.

By the way, I was off sick this week and had the TV on during the day. The advert for one of the ambulance-chasing personal injury compensation firms never ceases to amaze me. I forget which one it is, but the ad clearly states that not only is it a good idea to sue someone else in the event of your own stupidity, but that if you witness an accident you should just walk on by! I'm sure others will have noticed this too.

[chuck34]

Unfortunately, we are now all treated as potentially litigious morons.

By the way, I was off sick this week and had the TV on during the day. The advert for one of the ambulance-chasing personal injury compensation firms never ceases to amaze me. I forget which one it is, but the ad clearly states that not only is it a good idea to sue someone else in the event of your own stupidity, but that if you witness an accident you should just walk on by! I'm sure others will have noticed this too.

I am not a lawyer, so not an expert on this. Therefore you must stop talking about it.

[BDunnell]

I am not a lawyer, so not an expert on this. Therefore you must stop talking about it.

Well, it would be very easy for me to simply blame America for the world's burgeoning 'compensation culture', but instead, how about a bit of real knowledge, as opposed to some stats I looked up on Google that happen to go along with my point of view? It is in fact wrong to suggest that this is a modern American phenomenon, because in Victorian Britain I believe there was quite a 'compensation culture' going, and a small legal industry built up around it, as people became prepared to sue over very minor things. What then happened to change this until more recent times I'm not sure, however.

By the way, let's not allow disagreements in another thread to spill over into what ought to be an interesting discussion on an interesting topic.

[Easy Drifter]

It is beginning to be the same in Canada. Get drunk and have an accident so sue the bar, which in our nanny Province has already being charged with allowing you to drink too much, even if you started elsewhere.
Like the one who spilled coffee on herself and sued because it was hot.
Now take out coffee cups have a warning that the contents are hot. DUH! :eek:
By the way if you dare to disagree with me I will sue. :D :confused:

[BDunnell]

It is beginning to be the same in Canada. Get drunk and have an accident so sue the bar, which in our nanny Province has already being charged with allowing you to drink too much, even if you started elsewhere.
Like the one who spilled coffee on herself and sued because it was hot.
Now take out coffee cups have a warning that the contents are hot. DUH! :eek:
By the way if you dare to disagree with me I will sue. :D :confused:

I can understand the warnings about 'May contain nuts' and so on, but there are limits.

Being on the left of the traditional political divide, I tend not to like people parroting on about 'the nanny state', and would point out that it's as a result of right-wing free market principles that this element of the legal industry has been allowed to develop to such an extent, which must cause something of a philosophical conflict for those on the right who believe in the utter primacy of personal freedoms. However, I don't like being treated as stupid. This is my biggest objection to the modern concern about 'risk'. I go about my life knowing full well what I'm doing, and object to the notion that I need to be protected from myself.

[Daniel]

I read the other day that a mother was suing a supermarket after her son's death there. Turns out the four or five year old was swinging on a metal railing in the store while his mum shopped and he fell, bumping his head and sadly dying.

Mum wasn't stopping him from this dangling on the railing. I read she was "a few yards away shopping" so don't even know if she was within his sight or not. The railing was solid, and didn't break. The floor was hard, as it is in almost all public places - who wants to push a trolley on soft, cushioned flooring?

I had to ask myself exactly why she had blamed a shop for her child's death, especially as she had hired a solicitor well known for gaining publicity in her area. I mean, if she wasn't watching out for him ...... how can she expect anybody else to? :confused:

Whilst wondering why people always want to blame others for their own cock-ups, I remember the last time somebody tried complaining to me about something I'd sold them. It was tenuous, to say the least .....

A woman had bought a tennis ball on a rope from me. It's a type of dog toy you throw for the pet to fetch. She'd thrown it in a tree the first day she used it and lost the damned thing. She wanted her money back.

As I don't sell them as 'impossible to lose' or 'idiotproof' I told her where to go. And she went :D
Where I come from we call his natural selection.

[chuck34]

All this comes down to the basic breakdown of personal responsibility. It's always someone else's fault.

If you kid fails at school, the teachers are no good.

If you drink to much and get in a wreck, it's the pub's fault.

If you stab someone, it's because you father didn't hug you enough or something.

I would love it if we all could get back to taking resonsibility for ourselves.

[Easy Drifter]

Mr Bdunnell: You have had the ultimate gall to disagree with part of my post. You will be hearing from my solicitors Grabem, Suckem and Screwem. I am claiming 1 Trillion US.
PS: I will settle for a large black coffee if we ever meet. :p : :D

[BDunnell]

Mr Bdunnell: You have had the ultimate gall to disagree with part of my post. You will be hearing from my solicitors Grabem, Suckem and Screwem. I am claiming 1 Trillion US.
PS: I will settle for a large black coffee if we ever meet. :p : :D

By the way, the 'parroting' comment wasn't aimed at you.

[Easy Drifter]

I know. I just am being silly as is my style.
I just like to have some fun and it sometimes backfires.

However, I agree frivolous law suits are becoming a real problem especially it seems in NA.
Not only do they tie up the courts but it seems there are far to many Juryies that make absolutely insane awards and too many judges concurring.

[schmenke]

...Like the one who spilled coffee on herself and sued because it was hot.
...

Research the story and you'll find out that she had a valid case.

[Hazell B]

Yes Starter, we have the system. However, we've also got a load of unbelieveable lawyers who'll chance working for nothing at all just to try and get a case. Add to that the thousands of insane pensioners (or 'benefactors' as they're usually known) who'll bankroll total strangers who have zero case and you've got a society full of ridiculous lawsuits.