Jeff Segal, MD, JD, FACS
For some, 2011 was a great year. For others, not so good. The US Chamber of Commerce memorialized 2011 with its list of Top 10 Frivolous Lawsuits.
None of these lawsuits were in the medical malpractice category. And we are certain you can fill in those gaps.
Without further ado.
- A kidnapped couple was sued by a convict who kidnapped them. Why? The couple failed to help him evade police. What was the couple thinking? Etiquette demands kidnappees assist the kidnapper. Haven’t they heard of the Stockholm Syndrome?
- A bar is sued by a man who broke the law by carrying a gun into that bar. Why? The bar shirked its duty to search him for a weapon.
- A mother is sued by her adult children – yes adult children. Why? She sent cards without gifts. Further to everyone’s horror, she allegedly played favorites.
- A woman files a lawsuit against a store asking for $5 million – not a trifling sum. Why? A spat over an 80 cent refund she was supposed to receive. Now that would be quite a return on investment.
- A mother files a lawsuit against an exclusive preschool. Why? Something the school did or didn’t do allegedly affected her child’s college prospects. We’ll try to report back in 15 years.
- A man who filed a lawsuit claiming age discrimination. Fair enough. Then he argued the presiding judge was too old to hear the case.
- An obese man filed a lawsuit against a burger joint. His beef? The booths were a tad tight to accommodate his large frame.
And so on….
Help us round out the list from the medical world. Share your thoughts.
ONLY 7 LAWSUITS LISTED – I’M GOING TO SUE FOR FALSE ADVERTISING
patient sues because wife pregnant 18 mos. after vasectomy. Never had post op semen analysis even though instructed to in writing. Defense bills mount. Advised to have semen check by defense expert. Pat. shows up during deposition for s/a- it is negative. lawsuit continues nonedtheless. Advised to have genetic assay- result- couple has 5 children. only the first is fathered by plaintiff. What a surprise ( sic). Cost to defense $100,000 plus lost productivity, increase ins. cost, etc etc. Solutions- plaintiff should be liable( only in Texas I think, not in Obamacare). Lawyer should be disbarred. Plaintiff’s expert, who was from a prominent Urology program should lose his license- would you want a physician with this kind of judgment making medical decisions for you? Old truism- most common cause by far of failed vasectomy is impregnation by someone else. Jack Francis
Please include web links for these gems. I would love to read the details!