Each week we attempt to highlight a crazy lawsuit that is making a mockery of our legal system and delaying justice for litigants with legitimate claims by clogging our courts. This week we had a problem – there were too many ridiculous lawsuits to choose from.
Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher Poke Fun at Chicken-Stealing Lawsuit
Kirthana Ramisetti | NY Daily News
Mila Kunis wants fans to know she’s not a chicken thief. The actress and her husband Ashton Kutcher filmed a Meerkat video on Wednesday to respond to bizarre allegations that she stole singer Kristina Karo’s pet chicken when they were both children growing up in Ukraine.
Child’s Play: Man Sues Kickball League for ‘Serious’ Injuries
Julia Marsh and Priscilla DeGregory | New York Post
A Manhattan man is suing a kickball league that caters to young professionals saying he was seriously injured during a game when he slammed into a brick wall and fractured his nose and elbow, also injuring his spine.
Suit Claims L’Oreal Forced Lawyers to File Junk Patents
Charles Toutant | New Jersey Law Journal
A former patent lawyer for L’Oreal USA claims in a federal whistleblower lawsuit in Newark that he was fired after complaining about company quotas for patent applications.
Disney Loses Second Attempt to Beat ‘Frozen’ Lawsuit
Eriq Gardner | Hollywood Reporter
A lawsuit over the trailer to the smash animated film, Frozen, is causing The Walt Disney Company quite a headache as a federal judge is ice-cold to the studio’s arguments why it should be dismissed.
Disney ‘Frozen’ IP Accuser Lets It Go — To 3rd Circ.
Beth Winegarner | Law360
The author who claims the Walt Disney Co. ripped off the idea for “Frozen” from her memoir is urging the Third Circuit to revive her $250 million copyright infringement suit, which a New Jersey federal judge threw out in February after finding that the two works are “entirely different.”
Lawyer Driving to Work Wasn’t Working, Court Rules
Jacob Gershman | Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog
A lawyer thinking about work on the way to the office wasn’t working under the eyes of the law, according to Virginia’s highest court.
Alleged Sun Glare from Dashboard Driving Suit Against Porsche
Jennifer Genova | New Jersey Law Journal
An alleged defect in the windshields of some recent models of Porsche cars is exposing drivers to “unreasonable danger,” a potential class-action suit filed in New Jersey federal court on March 24 claims.
Great Moments in Blame: Prisoner Cellphone Access
Walter Olson | Overlawyered
Prison inmate orders attack on guard at guard’s home in Bishopville, South Carolina. Surviving guard Robert Johnson and wife “did not, however, sue the typical defendants – i.e., the shooter or any prison inmate or employee. Rather, the Johnsons sued several cellular phone service providers and owners of cell phone towers. According to the Johnsons, these defendants are liable for Mr. Johnson’s injuries because they were aware that their services facilitated the illegal use of cellphones by prison inmates and yet failed to take steps to curb that use.” [Fourth Circuit opinion in Johnson v. American Towers LLC, et al., affirming district court’s dismissal of claim on the merits]
You can’t stop people from filing lawsuits like these, but you can discourage it. Many of the most ridiculous lawsuits are filed because we incentivizes them. When the law encourages a disregard for personal responsibility, or allows uninjured parties and their attorneys to collect a windfall, people are going to take advantage of it.
Right now there are five common sense legal reform bills with bipartisan sponsorship under consideration in the legislature. The passage of this legal reform package would significantly improve New Jersey’s reputation for litigation, and send a signal that frivolous filers can go elsewhere.
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