The famous expression, “Only in America...” was almost undoubtedly created by someone who had heard of a ridiculous lawsuit being filed by a person who felt they could get rich quick at the expense of a faceless insurance company or giant corporation. These claims, also known as “frivolous lawsuits” are an expensive nuisance the legal system could well do without. If a Portland personal injury lawyer is approached by someone who cut themselves shaving with a new razor and wants to sue the company that made that razor, they’re going to advise the erstwhile client that the lawsuit doesn’t hold water. However, this doesn’t stop some people from making claims so outlandish, they almost defy belief.

1. Frivolous Lawsuits
The famous expression, “Only in America...” was almost undoubtedly created by someone who had
heard of a ridiculous lawsuit being filed by a person who felt they could get rich quick at the expense
of a faceless insurance company or giant corporation. These claims, also known as “frivolous
lawsuits” are an expensive nuisance the legal system could well do without. If a Portland personal
injury lawyer is approached by someone who cut themselves shaving with a new razor and wants to
sue the company that made that razor, they’re going to advise the erstwhile client that the lawsuit
doesn’t hold water. However, this doesn’t stop some people from making claims so outlandish, they
almost defy belief.
Here, we present a list of some of the most blatantly frivolous lawsuits you may ever come across. In
spite of the fact that the overwhelming majority of claims filed are--whether they win their case or
not—legitimate, here’s a list that made the Top 5 in an opinion poll regarding outrageous claims.
#5: Bigger Booths Please
A man weighing almost 300 pounds has filed a suit against his local White Castle burger restaurant
because they haven’t provided him with a booth he can comfortably fit into, in spite of his repeated
complaints to the restaurant. He claims the restaurant discriminates against fat people, even though
the restaurant says they have made every attempt to accommodate the man, even going so far as to
send him a list of restaurants with bigger booths.
#4: You Should have Taken My Gun Before I Shot Someone
It’s almost impossible to understand the thought process behind this one. A convicted felon from
Pittsburgh got into a fight with another man in a bar. In the ensuing battle, both men were shot. The
felon, who was carrying the weapon illegally, attempted to sue the owner of the bar for not
searching him when he went in. He wanted damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering. The
judge threw the case out. This is the exact kind of case a creditable Portland personal injury lawyer
would turn away in a heartbeat.
#3: Claim for $5 million after Losing 80 Cents
A New Jersey woman bought more than $100 worth of goods from a Century 21 store and used a
coupon as part payment. When she returned some of the items because they were the wrong color,
the store refunded her money but deducted 80c from the refund for the coupon use on a pro rata
basis. The woman’s response? She got her lawyer father to sue the store for $5 million. The claim
says the store unjustly enriched itself and used a coupon fraud “scheme.”
#2: Parents, Be Nice to Your Kids
Two adult children elected to sue their mother for $50,000 plus punitive damages in a multi-faceted
claim that included, among other things, these allegedly horrible actions of the mother:
• She didn’t include gifts in birthday cards she sent to her children
• She inflicted emotional damage on her son when he was seven by telling him she would
take him to the police station if he didn’t buckle his seat belt in the car.

2. • She compounded the offense by not sending the same son a care package when he went
to college until the sixth semester.
• She caused emotional distress to her daughter by changing her surname after she and
her husband divorced. This, according to the lawsuit, “caused attention” at her
daughter’s school events.
• She refused to buy her daughter a homecoming dress one year (2007).
• On that same occasion, the woman provided her daughter with a car for homecoming
night, but then rang the daughter at midnight and told her to bring the car back.
And #1: Felon Threatens Couple and then Sues for Not Hiding Him
The runaway winner of this opinion poll (honestly, this stuff isn’t made up) was the man wanted by
police on suspicion of murder. He was being chased, ran into a newlywed couple’s home and asked
them to hide him. When they eventually turned him in and the police came, the felon got shot in the
back by a police officer. The felon then sued the newlywed couple for $235,000 for breaking their
promise to hide him. Jesse Dimmick said in his self-filed lawsuit that the couple had promised to hide
him for an unspecified sum of money and that by not doing so, they had breached a binding oral
contract. The couple’s response was that they never promised him anything and that Dimmick had
threatened them with a knife. Almost bizarrely, the judge has yet to rule on this case.
Good Personal Injury Attorneys Hate Frivolous Lawsuits
It’s actually difficult to understand how some of these claims made it inside a courthouse wall, and
there are many more that didn’t make our top five, like the man suing for age discrimination who
said the judge in his case was too old. Then there’s the lady who filed a lawsuit against a preschool
for hurting her child’s college prospects. And what Portland personal injury lawyer in his right mind
would take the case of a woman who sued the cruise liner because the ship went so fast it made her
sick? What about the mother suing Chuck E. Cheese because the games kids can play in the
restaurant encourage gambling?
Legitimate lawsuits serve a useful, even vital role in today’s society. They protect people from
financial ruin caused by someone else’s negligence, and a means to reward those who have been
unjustly injured, as well as a means to punish those who caused those injuries. Frivolous lawsuits like
these make it hard for the general public to understand the necessity of real personal injury lawsuits
in protecting the rights of injury victims. In Oregon, if you’ve been hurt through someone else’s
actions or negligence, don’t hesitate. Contact a reputable Portland personal accident lawyer as soon
as possible. They will listen carefully to what you have to say and then give a very clear opinion on
the options that are open to you and the chances of your case succeeding.