You have likely heard about the 79-year old Albuquerque woman (Stella Liebeck) who bought a cup of coffee from a McDonald’s drive-through in 1992. When the coffee spilled in her lap, she sued McDonald’s for negligence because she claimed the coffee was too hot to be safe. The jury awarded Liebeck $160,000 in compensatory damages and $2.7 million in punitive damages (later reduced to $600,000)!
Here are some other court cases you may not have heard of:
An Israeli woman sued a TV station for making an inaccurate prediction. The station predicted good weather but it rained. The woman claimed that the forecast caused her to dress lightly – resulting in her catching the flu, missing a week of work, and spending money on medication. She further claimed that the whole incident caused her stress. She sued for $1,000 – and won.
For a while in the 1990s, Anheuser-Busch, the producers of Budweiser, ran a series of ads in which two beautiful women come to life in front of two truck drivers. A Michigan man bought a case of the beer, drank it, and failed to see two women materialize. He sued the company for false advertising, asking for a sum in excess of $10,000. Thankfully the court dismissed the suit.
Christopher Roller, a resident of Minnesota, sued David Blaine and David Copperfield – demanding that they reveal their secret magic tricks to him. He demanded 10% of their total income for life. The reason for the suit is that Roller believes that the magicians are defying the laws of physics, and thereby using godly powers. But it gets worse. Roller sued because he thinks he is God and therefore it is his powers they are stealing.
We have seen so many abuses of our legal system over the years that we are tempted to take on the cynical attitude of Solomon when he wrote, “If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter….” (Ecclesiastes 5:8).
The truth is, though, that justice usually does prevail in our courtrooms. Unfortunately, those cases are seldom regarded as being newsworthy. But even when we hear of injustices, we need to remember that all accounts are not settled in this lifetime. In a world that often seems to be very much out of control, we need to constantly be reminded that our God is in control, and justice will one day prevail.
“Many seek the ruler’s favor, but justice for man comes from the LORD.” (Prov. 29:26)
Alan Smith
