lawsuits

East Hampton Home Owners Sue Production Company Over Sperm-Stained Couches, Missing Silverware

Taylor Berman · 03/20/13 07:29PM

Here's a good reason to always do your homework on the people renting your East Hampton vacation home, if you're lucky enough to have one: Without the proper background check, your favorite couch might become permanently stained with semen. Such was the case, allegedly, for Brooklyn couple Stuart and Susan Silverman, who rented their vacation home last summer to a businessman by the name of Philip Wade. According to the Silvermans, Wade didn't disclose, exactly, what his plans for the home were, aside from saying he would hold a barbecue at the home for friends and family. As it turns out, that barbecue was actually an orgy-like party for a reality show called "pArty of 5," which features five days of partying in five different locations around the world.

Woman Sues Church for Refusing to Display Her Dead Husband's NASCAR-Themed, Couch-Shaped Tombstone

Taylor Berman · 03/10/13 10:16PM

Shannon Carr's late husband, Jason Carr, loved watching NASCAR and the Indianapolis Colts from his favorite couch. So when Jason died two years ago in a car accident, his wife decided a fitting tribute would be a $9,600 couch-shaped tombstone engraved with color logos of the Colts and NASCAR. A lovely, touching gesture, right? Maybe, but certainly not according to those in charge of the Catholic cemetery where Jason is now buried.

Student Banned From Carrying Guinea Pig on College Campus Receives $40,000 Settlement

Taylor Berman · 03/10/13 08:06PM

In a major victory for depressed guinea pig owners everywhere, Kendra Velzen won a $40,000 settlement from Grand Valley State University after the college restricted the 28-year-old student from carrying her pet guinea pig around the school's campus. Velzen, who suffers from depression and uses a pacemaker, was permitted to keep the rodent in her pet-free dorm because, as her lawyer put it, the guinea pig (named Blanca, by the way) "provide[d] her with emotional support and attachment (reducing symptoms of depression), and physiological and psychological benefits." But the school drew the line at allowing the animal into dining halls and class. So Velzen sued, claiming the school violated their agreement with her.

Budweiser Sued By Drinkers in Three States for Allegedly Watering Down Their Beers

Taylor Berman · 02/26/13 09:23PM

Exciting month for Anheuser-Busch. First, they convinced Marcus Mumford-collaborator Justin Timberlake to become the "creative director" for Bud Light Platinum. And now the company is being sued by beer drinkers in three different states for allegedly watering down its beer. The lawsuits, filed in Pennsylvania, California and New Jersey, accuse Anheuser-Busch of watering down 11 of their beers, including Budweiser, the aforementioned Bud Light Platinum, and Black Crown; each lawsuit is seeking damages of over over $5 million.

Man Sues Parents for Not Loving Him Enough, Seeks $200,000 and Two Domino's Pizza Restaurants in Damages

Taylor Berman · 02/26/13 12:41AM

Like most of us, Bernard Bey knows the root of his problems: his parents. Unlike most of us, however, the 32-year-old Brooklyn resident is seeking compensation for the damage his parents caused; earlier this month, Bey filed a self-written lawsuit in a Brooklyn court, accusing his parents of physical and emotional abuse, which led to him feeling "unloved and beaten by the world."

British Hospital Sued After Surgeons Remove Wrong Testicle From Cancer Patient

Taylor Berman · 02/25/13 08:32PM

Having a cancerous testicle removed is probably a stressful enough procedure; there's the actual surgery in a sensitive, important part, not to mention the life-threatening disease if the procedure fails. So odds are the 48-year-old Wiltshire man who went in for surgery last June to have a cancerous testicle removed was already worried before he awoke from surgery to discover a nightmare scenario come true: Surgeons at Salisbury District Hospital had removed the healthy testicle instead of the cancerous one. So the Wiltshire man made the appropriate decision to sue the hospital, citing concerns that the botched surgery might have ruined his ability to have children.

Woman Sues Lehigh University for $1.3 Million Because She Claims a C+ Ruined Her Career

Taylor Berman · 02/12/13 10:12PM

Three years after receiving and unsuccessfully challenging a C+ in a course critical to her master's degree, Megan Thode did the reasonable thing and sued Lehigh University, her alma mater — which she attended for free, because her father works there — for $1.3 million, the amount she claims the poor grade will cost her career earnings. Apparently, the C+, which, let's be real, isn't so terrible, forced her to switch to a career in human development instead of professional counseling.

Publisher Sues College Librarian for Saying Publisher Sucks

Hamilton Nolan · 02/08/13 11:15AM

A well-known principle of academic debate is, "If someone challenges your intellectual credentials, the best way to prove them wrong is to try to sue them into oblivion." So it goes for the poor college librarian who's being sued for millions of dollars over a blog post disparaging an academic publisher. (Ironically, no college librarian's blog post disparaging an academic publisher has ever been read by a human being.)

This Week in 'Million-Dollar' Biblical Archaeology Lawsuits: A Breakdown

Mallory Ortberg · 02/03/13 02:35PM

Simcha Jacobovici, the Canadian documentary director who claimed in 2011 to have found two of the nails used to crucify Jesus, is suing archaeologist Joe Zias for libel. There are few things more enjoyable than fights between academics, particularly when one of the academics is being accused of pandering and sensationalism. The blog posts fly thick and fast, the Change.org petitions sing with wounded intellectual pride ("we the undersigned simply and collegially request that Mr. Jacobovici abandon his lawsuit"), and everyone gets a chance to play.