Inner Brats in the News


Brattiness in the form of rage, self-centered entitlement, blaming and whining occurs every day. When these behaviors are carried to the extreme, they often make the news. Here are some examples.

Knicks-Nuggets game ends in brawl
December 16, 2006 New York
Several players from both teams in a basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets got into a brawl in the final minute of the game. After one player was fouled while dunking the ball, other players joined in the skirmish, with a major pile-up on the floor.

Car leasing company pays settlement for accident
December 15, 2006 New York
A 32-year-old man was seriously injured in a car accident caused by a 19-year-old driver. The driver was driving a company car issued to his mother. The victim sued the mother's employer and DaimlerChrysler Financial Services who leased the car to the employer. They settled out of court for $8.2 million.

Man stuffs kids in clothes dryer
December 13, 2006 Kansas
A man was charged with child abuse and the two children, ages 3 and 2, were removed from his home. When the 3-year-old wet his pants, he got angry and stuffed both toddlers in the clothes dryer and turned it on.

School discontinues publishing honor roll
December 11, 2006 Massachussetts

In response to parents' appeal to the school board, a high school decided to stop publishing in the local newspaper the names of students who made the honor roll. The principal agreed with certain parents that publishing the honor roll placed "an unhealthy focus on grades."

Half of road rage victims become victimizers
December 7, 2006
A national survey by Response Insurance showed that 50% of drivers who are subject to tailgating, rude gestures or being cut off by other drivers, respond with aggressive behavior of their own, thus increasing the likelihood of lethal confrontation. The worst culprits were younger drivers (18-24 yrs), cell phone users and DRIVERS WITH CHILDREN!

Students caught cheating on ethics exam
December 6, 2006 New York
Several graduate students of Columbia University School of Journalism were caught cheating on an exam . . . an Ethics exam.

Lawmakers complain about working 5 days/week
December 6, 2006 Washington DC
When House majority leader Steny Hoyer announced that the lawmakers would have to be present Monday through Friday (rather than Tuesday - Thursday) he was met with complaints about their job interfering with family time.

Man blames wife for his molesting kids
December 3, 2Man blames wife for his behavior006 Pennsylvania
A man pleaded guilty to molesting two girls, but said that he did it because his wife was always out playing bingo.

Rage over parking ticket
November 30, 2006 Illinois
A man who contested a parking ticket and lost in court, became so enraged that he dived over the desk and punched the hearing officer.

Man views porn on job; claims it's self-medication
November 26, 2006
A man who was fired for viewing Internet pornography on the job is suing his employer for wrongful termination. He claims that his illicit activity was "self-medication" for his post-traumatic stress disorder, and that he should have been offered counseling instead.

Homeowner fined for "peace sign" wreath
November 26, 2006 Colorado
When a woman hung Christmas wreath with a peace sign, her homeowners' association threatened to fine her $25/day until she takes it down. Some residents were reportedly offended - some complaining that it trivialized their children who were serving in Iraq; and others complaining that that the peace sign was a symbol of Satan.

Woman complains to court about ex's ghost stories
November 24, 2006 Taiwan
A woman applied to the court for a personal protection order from her estranged husband. When when he visits their children, he tells her ghost stories that scare her, despite her repeated pleas to stop.

Jury awards $15 million to family of reckless driver
November 22, 2006 Oklahoma
A jury awarded $15 million to the family of a teenager who died when the Ford SUV he was driving rolled over. The accident occurred when the teen passed another vehicle in a no-passing zone on a curve, and was driving an an estimated 67 miles per hour.

43-year dispute over inheritance ends with nothing
November 17, 2006 UK
A 43-year dispute over an inheritance, spanning three generations, finally came to an end when the judge ordered distribution of £480,000 deposited with the court, and all parties to pay their own legal costs. The legal fees are more than the estate is worth.

Mayor threatens to sue Sony over crowd chaos
November 17, 2006 Boston
There was so much furor and chaos among crowds lined up waiting to get their hands on the new Sony PlayStation 3, that 12 police cars had to be dispatched to the scenes. Now the mayor is threatening to bill Sony Corp for the costs that the police incurred in attending to this problem.

Woman drinks 3 liters/day, sues CocaCola
November 15, 2006 Russia
A woman sued the Coca Cola company for damages including insomnia and heartburn. She claims that she became addicted to Coke, drinking 3 liters per day, because the company had offered prizes for sending in bottle caps. Two Russian courts ruled that Coca Cola had failed to warn of the potential health risks, and awarded her $120. She is seeking an additional $115,000 for "moral damages."

Teacher stuffs ballot box
November 15, 2006 Florida
In a school election for homecoming queen, a teacher falsified several hundred ballots, voting for her niece. The fraud was discovered when the number of ballots exceeded the number of students enrolled.

Teachers warned not to criticize kids
November 6, 2006 Australia
In the wake of threatened lawsuits from parents, teachers in New South Wales were instructed to avoid using potentially defamatory language on student report cards. They are not to write that a student is "moody," or even that the student "could try harder."

Salvation army employee sentenced for embezzling
November 6, 2006 New Jersey
A former financial manager at the Salvation Army was sentenced to prison for embezzling $385,000 over a 7-year period. In his own defense, the man claimed he didn't spend the money lavishly.

Salvation army employee sentenced for embezzling
November 6, 2006 New Jersey
A former financial manager at the Salvation Army was sentenced to prison for embezzling $385,000 over a 7-year period. In his own defense, the man claimed he didn't spend the money lavishly.

Man dissatisfied with car wash, chokes worker
November 2, 2006 New York
A man who was dissatisfied with the results of a car wash got into an altercation with the supervisor, and became so enraged that he choked the employee until he passed out. He also left without paying his $17.99 bill.

British teens most badly behaved
November 2, 2006 UK
the Institute for Public Policy research found that British teens are among the most badly behaved in Europe. They get drunk more often, use more marijuana and get into more fights than their European counterparts.

Teen soccer player attacks opponent during handshake
November 2, 2006 New York
A 16-year-old girl was arrested after a soccer game, when in an unprovoked attack against an opponent during a post-game handshake, she hit the other player in the face, fracturing her jaw and knocking out three teeth.

Trespassers burned by electric wires, $24 million
October 27, 2006 Pennsylvania
A jury awarded $24 million to two men who were burned by electrical wires while climbing on top of a parked railway car in a railroad yard. Even though the men had been trespassing, the jury agreed that there should have been warning signs posted about the dangers of electocution.

Rage over who 'owns' parking spot in street
October 27, 2006 UK
A survey of 2500 motorists found that 6% have experienced "parking rage" with a neighbor, fighting over the street parking spaces in front of their homes. Angry neighbors have resorted to tactics including leaving angry notes on windshields, placing objects such as garbage cans in "their" parking spots, and blocking the entrance to the neighbor's home.

Women grumpier than men in the morning
October 26, 2006 UK
A survey by the Sleep Council found that women wake up in a worse mood than men, and stay grumpy for a longer period of time. The respondents attributed their crankiness to lack of sleep and more responsibility at home.

School bans tag
October 18, 2006 Massachusetts
An elementary school has banned tag, touch football and other chasing games on the playground. Some schools in Wyoming and Washington state have done the same. Chasing games have been banned because officials are concerned about possible injuries and lawsuits.

Chat room class leads to web rage
October 17, 2006 UK
A 47-year-old man traveled 70 miles to attack a man he had met in an Internet chat room, tracking him down from details posted online. He beat up the man with a pickaxe handle and a knife, because the victim had allegedly spread rumors that he was a pedophile.

Woman fakes son's kidnapping 4 times
October 13, 2006 Spain
A woman faked 4 kidnappings of her son in order to extract ransom from her ex-husband. She had several accomplices, including the son, who called his father during the "kidnappings" and begged him to pay the ransom. The father of the boy paid the first three times, but then got suspicious and hired a detective.

New law makes businesses think twice about birthday cards
October 12, 2006 UK
In the wake of a new law prohibiting harassment on the basis of age, an insurance office stopped circulating birthday cards signed by groups of employees. It wanted to avoid possible lawsuits by teasing comments referring to "over the hill" "you're getting old," etc.

Man pays lawyer thousands to avoid restaurant bill
October 4, 2006 Florida
A man who refused to pay a $46. restaurant bill because he felt that he had not received enough food, was charged with defrauding the restaurant of money due. Police offered to drop the charges if he just paid his bill, but instead he hired an attorney at $500/hour. A jury found him not guilty, so he got out of paying his $46 restaurant bill.

Pet owners sue dog talkent agency
October 3, 2006 California
Several pet owners have sued a dog-training school/talent agency because it allegedly failed to get movie auditions for their animals.

Cheating common in Canadian schools
September 30, 2006 Canada
18% of students responding to a survey admitted that they cheated on a test in University. 58% admitted having cheated in high school.

60% of commuters report road rage
September 27, 2006
Results of a survey by CareerBuilder.com showed that 60% of women and 57% of men reported frequently feeling road-rage during their commutes to and from work. 10% of the respondents said they always felt angry while driving.

Woman attacks police in supermarket
September 21, 2006 Minnesota
A woman in a supermarket who was ordered to stop eating grapes before paying for them, became so belligerent that she was placed under arrest. She punched the female officer in the face, pulled clumps of hair out of the officer's head, and shoved her into the checkout counter.

Jewish clinic sued for closing on sabbath
September 15, 2006 New York
The NAACP has sued a Jewish-owned medical clinic because the clinic is closed on Saturdays in observance of the Jewish sabbath. The lawsuit claims that in doing so, the clinic is unlawfully imposing their religious beliefs on others.

Store sues magazine because of lost publicity
September 12, 2006 California
An upscale clothing store,"Kitson," which used to be mentioned regularly in USWeekly Magazine, is now suing the publication. After a legal dispute over unpaid bills for a party at the store, USWeekly settled the case, but then no longer mentioned the store, nor showed it in the background of celebrity photos. Kitson is now suing the magazine, claiming it has a legal right to publicity, and that because of the magazine's actions, it is losing $10,000 per week.

Starbucks sued for not honoring coupon
September 8, 2006
A woman whose coupon for a free drink at Starbucks was rejected, is suing the coffee retailer for $114 million. (The coupon had been emailed to select employees for themselves and their friends, but it got circulated all over the Internet.) The plaintiff hopes to present a class-action suit that accuses the company of fraud and of misleading thousands of other customers. If this lawsuit makes it to court, customers will probably get a coupon for a free drink. The lawyer will get millions.

Student failed law school. Sues school.
September 1, 2006 Florida
A former law school student who flunked out is suing the school in a class action lawsuit. He claims that they accept people they know won't graduate, just to take their tuition money.

Katrina rescuer sued by boat owner
August 26, 2006 Louisiana
A man who commandeered a docked boat during Hurricane Katrina, and rescued over 200 people, is being sued by the boat's owner for taking it without permission. The boat has since been lost. The owner is suing for "pain and suffering."

Puppy killed for peeing on rug
August 23, 2006 Illinois
Angry that a puppy peed on the rug, a man threw it against the wall so hard that it died. He did this in front of his two stepchildren, and then ordered them to clean up the carpet. A family acquaintance reported him to police, who charged him with animal cruelty and domestic violence.

Lawsuit oveer missing iPod
August 22, 2006 Illinois
A 14-year-old is suing her friend over a missing iPod. The friend borrowed it (with permission,) then reportedly placed it back on the owner's desk, where it was apparently stolen. Since the two families could not agree on a settlement, the case will be tried in court. Legal costs are expected to exceed the value of the iPod. Even when someone anonymously donated an iPod to the school the "victim's" mother refused the gift and plans to have her day in court.

Camper falls off cliff, sues government
August 16, 2006 Oregon
A camper who was wandering in the dark to find a place to relieve himself, accidentally fell off a cliff, about 20-30 feet. He is suing the U.S. government for both physical injury and mental anguish, claiming that they should have known that the cliff posed a danger to campers.

Court overturns award for falling out of bed
August 16, 2006 New Jersey
An appeals court overturned an award of $179,000 to a college student who had sued a bed manufacturer after falling out of a loft bed in the dormitory. He had claimed that there should have been a warning label about the risks of having a bed six feet off the floor.

Long-service awards scrapped
August 15, 2006 UK
A new law prohibiting age discrimination got one local government office to rethink their tradition of awarding long-service awards to employees. To recognize many years of service is tantamount to excluding younger employees. The council has thus scrapped the award.

Woman threatens line jumper
August 14, 2006 Georgia
When a new cash register opened up inside a McDonalds restaurant, several people already in line moved over to the other register. One woman, who believed that another woman cut in front of her, started an argument and threatened to kill the other woman. Outside the restaurant she continued to express her anger by driving her car toward the other woman in the parking lot.

Employee uses fraudulent doctor's letter in lawsuit
July 27, 2006 West Virginia
A railroad worker who sued his ex-employer, claiming that he had been exposed to asbestosis, was given a form to be filled out by his doctor. He submitted the completed form, but it was later discovered that the doctor who allegedly signed it does not exist.

Man called police, claiming bank was robbing him
July 22, 2006 Nevada
A man called 911 to report a bank robbery in progress. Police came, to find that there was no robbery. The man protested that he had called the emergency number because of problems with his checking account, and that he felt the bank was robbing him.

Couple sues hotel for canceling bat mitzvah bash
July 21, 2006 New York
A couple sued the Plaza Hotel. The hotel had canceled their daughter's bat mitzvah party that had been scheduled there, due to renovations. Although they were given 6 months' notice and a complete refund of their deposit, the couple claimed emotional damages of "humiliation, indignity, distress of mind and mental suffering." The court threw out the case.

Woman flings hot coffee at motel clerk
July 18, 2006 California
When told her motel coupon was invalid, a woman flung a full cup of hot Starbuck's coffee at the desk clerk. The clerk refused medical treatment. The hot liquid also spilled on walls, floors and computer equipment, causing several hundred dollars' worth of damage. The incident was recorded on surveillance video.

Woman sues parents for driveway injury
July 13, 2006 Wisconsin
In January 2006 a 24-year-old woman slipped and fell on her parents' icy driveway when she was visiting them, and broke her ankle. Now she is suing them for damages and lost wages. She claims that her parents knew they had a defective gutter for years and did nothing about it. Therefore they were responsible for her injury.

Clerk attacks boy who refused to buy yoyo
July 11, 2006 Florida
A convenience store clerk punched and stabbed a teenage customer with a knife because the boy refused to buy the yoyo he had been playing with while in the store.

Fired employee drives car through merchandise
July 9, 2006 Illinois
After being fired for throwing a radio against the wall, a garden store employee drove his car through an outdoor display area of the store, breaking stone benches, fountains and statues.

Man blames employer for his drinking fuel alcohol
July 9, 2006 Iowa
A man was fired from his job at an ethanol plant for drinking 190-proof fuel alcohol which had spilled into a tank. He drank to the point of incoherence and had to be rushed to the hospital. He later filed for unemployment benefits, claiming that he was a victim of discrimination because he was an alcoholic, and that the spill at the plant provided an opportunity for him to drink. The court denied unemployment benefits.

Dad spikes kids' soup, makes them sick in lawsuit scheme
July 7, 2006 Georgia
In a scheme to sue Campbell's Soup Company, the father of a 3-year-old and 1-year-old laced his children's soup with drugs to make them sick, and then took them to the hospital emergency room. He did this three times in one month, and then contacted the soup company to complain.

Michael Jordan look-alike sues
July 7, 2006 Oregon
A man is suing Michael Jordan and Nike for $832 million. He claims that because he looks like Jordan (including shaved head and earring in left ear) people are always mistaking him for the basketball star. He further claims that Nike has made his life miserable by promoting Jordan and making him one of the most recognized men in the world.

Woman sues for NOT being fired
July 6, 2006
A 70-year-old woman was unsuccessful in her lawsuit against her employer. She had claimed that she was discriminated against because she was NOT fired (and NOT awarded a severance package.) The court ruled that she had "not suffered an adverse employment action by the continuation of her employment."

Man switches road sign to avoid fine
July 5, 2006 UK
A man was caught on speed camera for driving 48 mph in a 30-mph zone. He then took a 40-mph sign from a different area, attached it to a post in the area where he had been caught, and took a photo to take to court as "proof" that he had not exceeded the speed limit by much. His ruse was easily discovered when other motorists questioned the conflicting signs.

Man sues airport for not allowing his private jet
July 3, 2006
A man lost his appeal in a court ruling that stated he was not entitled to damages when an airport refused to let him land his private jet because of weight restrictions. The man had to fly in a less comfortable jet. He sued for violating his rights to interstate travel, equal protection and due process.

New owner refuses to return dog to Katrina family
June 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
A woman and her 10-year-old who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina finally located the family dog, which they had put in a shelter. The new owner refused to return the dog to them.

Eye pictures boost honesty
June 27, 2006 UK
A recent study compared how much money was collected in an "honesty box" when office workers helped themselves to drinks they were supposed to pay for. Next to the price list the researchers hung posters for a week at a time. When the posters depicted eyes, almost three times as much money was collected as when the posters showed flowers.

Schools ban tag at recess
June 27, 2006 USA
Schools around the nation are banning games such as tag and soccer during recess. Proponents of these new rules claim that the games are dangerous and can cause injury.

School finally wins suspension lawsuit
June 23, 2006 UK
After a 3-year legal battle, a school successfully defended itself in a lawsuit filed by parents of a teenager. The boy had been suspended from school for 3 days because he had spat in a teacher's face. He was later diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD.) The parents claimed that the school had unlawfully discriminated against their son because of his condition.

MySpace perp blames website and victim
June 22, 2006
The attorney of the 19-year-old man charged with assault of a 14-year-old girl whom he enticed fromt the website, MySpace.com, claims that his client "was just as much a victim - if not more." The perpetrator plans to sue MySpace, because it provided the meeting place for him and his victim, and because the victim falsely portrayed herself as older.

Grandfather puts girl in danger, assaults bystander
June 20, 2006 Colorado
A 63-year-old man pushed his 6-year-old granddaughter dangerously close to a herd of calving elk, to take a picture. One of the animals reared up and frightened her. A female bystander yelled at the man. He hit her and knocked down her elderly father. The man was later arrested and charged with child endangerment.

Ice cream vendor 'beats' the competition
June 15, 2006 New York
A man who had an ice cream truck route decided to eliminate the competition by beating a competing vendor and his wife with a wrench. The man later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Baby in car while dad visits strip club
June 15, 2006 Texas
A 19-year-old father left his infant son in the car late at night, while he and his buddy went into a strip club. The club's security guard heard the baby crying and called police. When arrested for child endangerment, the father said, "I didn't think it was such a big deal, 15 minutes." (It had been at least 40 minues.)

Woman uses 6-y.o. child to steal for her
June 13, 2006 Pennsylvania
A woman had her 6-year-old daughter steal a voluntary fire company's fundraising jar at a convenience store, while she distracted the clerk. The amount collected: $1.85. When later arrested and brought to court, she claimed that she suffered from addiction and other mental health problems.

Students 'outsource' papers
June 13, 2006
College students need not engage in plagiarism to get out of writing their papers. Some of them are hiring freelancers to write their papers for them. These freelancers, who advertise on outsourcing websites, typically market their services to businesses.

Palm trees can be dangerous
June 10, 2006 UK
Council members of the "English Riviera" community of Torquay have urged removal of the palm trees along pedestrian streets. Their sharp leaves could cause injury to eyes or faces. Such are the concerns in this litigious age.

Robber sues victims who beat him up
June 10, 2006 New York
After an armed robber stole money from auto parts store, two employees beat him with a metal pipe and held him down. He managed to escape, but was arrested a week later, and was subsequently charged and sentenced to 18 years in prison. Now the robber is suing the store employees, claiming they committed assault and battery and intentionally inflicted emotional distress.

Victim's estate blames bar and bank for shooting
June 9, 2006 Illinois
Last year, in a dispute over drugs at a bar, one man shot the other dead. Now the dead man's estate is suing the bar for serving alcohol to the perpretrator. They are also suing the bank that owns the building in which the bar is located.

Gas prices fuel rage
May 29, 2006
Rising gas prices are fueling consumers' rage. Drivers yell at clerks and cashiers, throw hot coffee at them, and and drive off without paying. Even worse, some convenience store workers have been killed when trying to stop drivers who leave without paying for their gas.

Driver blames fatal crash on his dead victims
May 28, 2006 Vermont
Two years ago a 14-year-old boy was driving his mother's car (without a license) and crashed it. His 2 teenage passengers were killed. Now the boy and his mother are suing the families of the dead passengers, claiming they were partly responsible for their own deaths. They argue that the mother actually gave the keys to one of the passengers who had a junior license, and that he was the one who let her son drive.

'Devoted father' politician owes back child support
May 23, 2006
A St. Louis politician, whose campaign ads describe him as a devoted father, owes $7000 in child support for his two children. He did take out a bank loan, but used it to pay for the political campaign of his current wife, who is also running for office.

Man kills neighbor's pigeon because it annoyed him
May 22, 2006 New York
A man killed a neighbor's pigeon with a four-foot sword because it was on his property and bothering him. He was arrested and charged with animal cruelty.

Miami ranked worst for road rage
May 16, 2006
In a recent survey of rude driving behavior (running red lights, tailgating, cutting in front of other drivers, etc.), Miami was ranked the least courteous. Other cities with rude drivers include Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles and Boston. The most courteous were found in Minneapolis, Nashville, St. Louis, Seattle and Atlanta. The survey was sponsored by Autovantage and conducted by Prince Market research.
http://snipurl.com/RudeDriving

Woman leaps from wheelchair in escape attempt
May 12, 2006 California
A supposedly paraplegic woman who had filed several claims against businesses for not being accessible by wheelchair, was arrested for fraud. When police placed her under arrest, she leaped from her chair and ran.

Playgrounds too dangerous?
May 8, 2006 Oregon
Portland playgrounds have removed swings, merry-go-rounds, tube slides, track rides, arch climbers and teeter totters. The reason: to avoid lawsuits if kids hurt themselves.

Size 8 in 1950 is Size 00 today
May 5, 2006
While waistines expand, clothes sizes have shrunk. Manufactures have resized their clothing lines, so that larger cuts are given smaller numbers. Thus, what was a Size 8 in the 1950s became labeled as Size 4 in the 1970s. That same cut is now Size 00 (smaller than Size 0.) Called "vanity sizing," this allows women to believe that they are thinner than they actually are.

Second-prize raffle winner sues for first
April 28, 2006 Arizona
A woman who won second prize in a fund-raiser raffle is suing the organization that held the raffle. She claims that because the second prize ticket was drawn prior to the first prize ticket, she lost the chance to win first prize. She contends that this constitutes consumer fraud and breach of contract, based on the rules that state the odds of winning first prize are a function of the number of tickets sold.

Lateness to work is major problem
April 25, 2006
According to a recent survey by CareerBuilder.com, 13% of workers get to work late at least once per week, and 24% at least once per month. Mondays are the most frequently late days. 1 in 5 workers admit to making up excuses, many of which were not very convincing. For example:
- I had to take my cat to the dentist.
- I went all the way to the office and realized I was still in my pajamas and had to go home to change.
- I saw that you weren't in the office, so I went out looking for you.

Dad promotes positive parenting, charged with child abuse
April 21, 2006 Florida
A former NFL athlete was quoted on a website for positive parenting as saying, "Being a good father and a good husband are the most important things in my life. Family always comes first. All Pro Dad provides men with the proper tools and guidance to help build a better life for their loved ones." Now he and his wife have been charged with child abuse after doctors found several bruises and old healing fractures in their daughter's body that indicated being hit with a belt, having her head slammed on a table, and having bones broken in her hands and legs.

Michigan launches website to report road rage
April 19, 2006 Michigan
Road rage has become such a common problem that State Police in Michigan set up a website where people can report incidents of aggressive driving.

Coke sued for failure to warn of fizzy spray
April 13, 2006 Michigan
A woman sued CocaCola for eye injury. Upon opening a can of Diet Coke the liquid sprayed into her face and her eyes. As part of her complaint she stated that the can did not post a warning that "the beverage might exit the can at a high velocity upon opening."

Man blames Easter Bunny for heart disease
April 12, 2006 Germany
A man filed a complaint in court, accusing the Easter Bunny of preying on people's sweet tooth. He blames the evil bunny for causing addiction to chocolate, which contributes to heart disease.

Man told to pay for magazine, returns with chainsaw
April 6, 2006 Japan
A man visited a convenience store every day just to read the magazines. When employees told him he had to buy them, he left and returned with a chain saw, shouting: "I'll cut you to pieces!"

Drunken driver kills cop, sues police department
April 6, 2006 California
A man who, while driving drunk, ran into a police car and killed the officer. A jury found him not guilty of murder and manslaughter, but they did convict him of drunken driving. The man sued the police department, claiming that the officer whom he killed had been driving recklessly.

Woman loses it in in anger management class
April 1, 2006 Indiana
During her anger management class, a woman became enraged, threatened to kill a classmate, and then left the class and broke a display case in the lobby of the building.

Howard Stern calls former fans 'cheap bastards'
April 1, 2006
Radio shock jock Howard Stern lashed out at former fans who didn't buy subscriptions to Sirius Satellite radio when he moved his program there. He is quoted as saying, "I want to say to my audience ... `You haven't come with me yet? How dare you? We're up to wild, crazy stuff, the show has never sounded better. You cheap bastard!'"

Teen takes mom's weed, gets beaten and chained to bed
April 1, 2006 Wisconsin
A woman was sentenced to 13 months in prison for beating her 15-year-old daughter and chaining her to a bed for 17 hours without food or water. The girl's misdeed? - she stole from the woman's marijuana stash.

Hammer rage
March 27, 2006 UK
Tired of the banging from people laying a floor in an apartment above him, a 68-year-old man went to the apartment brandishing a hammer, broke in, smashed furniture, a TV and other items.

Teen injured while running on subway track. Gets $1.4 million
March 25, 2006 New York
A teen who was running on the subway tracks after a night of drinking, tried to outrun a train and was seriously injured. His legs had to be amputated below the knee. Both the lower court and the appeals court ruled that the Transit Authority was at fault, even though the subway driver was not driving recklessly. The young man was awarded $1.4 million.

Woman spills hot sauce, sues Taco Bell
March 21, 2006 Florida
A woman sued Taco Bell for second-degree burns she suffered when she spilled hot breadstick sauce on her leg. She claimed that she should have been warned that the sauce was very hot and that it could fall out of the box container.

Mike Tyson settles leg-biting suit
March 17, 2006 Florida
Boxer Mike Tyson agreed to an out-of-court settlement for a road rage incident. He had been traveling in a convoy on the highway,when traffic came to a stop. He got out of the car and started pacing. The chauffeur of one of the convoy vehicles came over and tried to coax him into returning to the car. Tyson punched the man, knocking him to the ground, and then bit his leg.

Man drives truck into his own car, then sues
March 15, 2006 California
A man sued for damage to his car by a city-owned dump truck. Coincidentally he was the one driving the dump truck that hit his car. And he admitted that the accident was his own fault. When the city denied his claim because it was tantamount to suing himself, he had his wife file the claim under her name, for $400 more than the original claim.

Teacher bites student
March 14, 2006 Kentucky
A teacher was fired after biting a 14-year-old student. She had told him to stand in the hallway because he refused to obey her order to spit out his candy. When he tried to get his books, the teacher and the student got into a physical scuffle, in which she bit him on the back, causing a wound.

College finds 90% of students cheat
March 13, 2006 Bosnia
Closed-circuit TVs were installed at a university after a survey found that 90% of the students were cheating. 30% of students were sending friends to take exams in their place.

Couple sue hotel
March 9, 2006 New York
A couple who stayed in a resort hotel last summer are suing because they claimed they had been attacked by bedbugs, which caused great physical and mental pain. Records show that less than 2 weeks after their alleged ordeal they checked into the same hotel.

Man punches teen on ski slope
March 8, 2006 Colorado
When a 16-year-old girl on a ski slope accidentally ran over the back of a 7-year-old's skis, the younger child's father became so enraged that he punched her several times in the head and neck. The man pleaded guilty to assault charges.

Parents sue amusement park
March 8, 2006 Florida
Parents of a 13-year-old boy who fell off a roller coaster, are suing the amusement park, claiming that they failed to ensure that the ride was safe. Witnesses reported that the time of the accident the boy was standing up in the car, facing backwards.

Tennis dad accused of drugging rivals
March 1, 2006 France
The father of two tennis players has been charged with drugging their rivals prior to tennis matches. One of the victims died when he fell asleep at the wheel after a game.

Woman claims 4-yr-old seduced her
March 1, 2006 New York
A daycare worker who was charged with raping and sexually abusing a 4-year-old boy claimed that the child had seduced her.

Neighbors sue over reckless bathing
February 21, 2006 Colorado
An elderly couple sued their apartment neighbor because her early morning baths cause the water pipes to vibrate, which wakes the couple up. The lawsuit claims "reckless and negligent use of her bathtub."

Woman stabs husband who refuses sex
February 21, 2006 Argentina
A 52-year-old woman who had spent the day trying to seduce her husband, finally became so angry when he ignored her, that she stabbed him. After she was arrested she defended her actions. She told police that fulfil his obligations and that she had the right to punish her husband because he had not fulfilled his obligations to her.

Finders keepers because son wants it
February 18, 2006
A woman who lost her camera while on vacation was contacted by someone who found it. The catch was that the woman who found it decided not to return it, because her 9-year-old son had become attached to it, "and we can't bear to take it from him."

Shooter's victim sues land owner
February 16, 2006 Florida
A man shot by a fellow congregant outside a synagogue is suing not only the assailant, but also the shopping center that owns the property on which the synagogue is located. He claims that the owner failed to provide adequate protection.

Woman gets 4 months for air rage
February 13, 2006 New Jersey
A woman was fined and sentenced to 4 months in jail after an episode of air rage in which she knocked a flight attendant unconscious. She had been angry because the crew refused to serve her more alsochol. The plane had to make an unscheduled stop to have the woman removed and arrested.

Man torches car dealership
February 6, 2006 Florida
Upset by the price he paid for a new SUV, a man drove it through the dealer's showroom, poured gasoline on it and set it on fire, causing over $1 million in damage.

Angry people more prone to injury
February 6, 2006
Compared to a random control group, 2500 patients seen in hospital emergency rooms for injury were more likely to report having been angry in the 24 hours preceding their injury. Men were more prone to injury when only mildly irritable. Women's risk increased only when they were very angry.

Judge orders cheer for football team at manslaughter sentencing
February 6, 2006 Washington
Two days prior to the Superbowl, a judge presiding over a manslaughter sentencing, began her session with a request for everyone in the courtroom to say "Go Seahawks." When the courtroom attendants did not say it loud enough, she told them to try again. The victim's family was offended, as were other people. The judge later apologized, saying she just wanted to release the tension in the courtroom.

Drivers with guns more likely to get road rage
February 5, 2006 Illinois
A a survey of 2400 people by the Harvard School of Public Health found that those who carry guns in their cars are more likey to engage in road rage than unarmed drivers. 23% of armed drivers admitted to making obscene gestures while driving, vs 16% of unarmed drivers. 14% of armed drivers said they aggressively followed other cars, vs 8% of unarmed drivers.

Road-rager gouges victim's cheek
February 1, 2006 New York
A driver who hit another car while trying to pass it attacked the other driver when they stopped to investigate the damage. Holding the car key in his fist, he punched the other driver in the face, gouging his cheek and causing a jaw fracture.

Apple sued over iPod
February 1, 2006
A man has sued Apple Computer Inc. He claims that the iPod is defective because of insufficient warnings about potential hearing loss if the volume is turned up too high when listening with earbud headphones. The plaintiff has not actually experienced any hearing loss himself.

School disrespect borders on violence
January 25, 2006 Barbados
School discipline problems are escalating on this Caribbean island. Teachers have been punched in the face, have had large objects thrown at them, and dragged across the floor by students. A meeting on school violence over a year ago by the Barbados Union of Teachers has apparently had little effect.

Parents sue when school siesta canceled
January 22, 2006 France
In the past few years over 1300 lawsuits have been filed against teachers and schools over minor discipline, poor grades and school policies. Parents brought in lawyers when dissatisfied with the lunch menu, when their child was caught smoking, when the afternoon nap was cancelled, and other disputes that should have been negotiated between the parent and the school.

No more free booze on airlines because of air rage
January 19, 2006
Airlines will soon discontinue serving free drinks on international flights. They attribute this partly to cost-cutting, but also to concerns about unruly intoxicated passengers.

Woman claims pregnancy entitles her to drive alone in carpool lane
January 12, 2006 Arizona
A woman unsuccessfully argued in court that she should not be fined $367 for improper use of a carpool lane, which is reserved for two or more vehicle occupants. She had been driving alone, but claimed that because she was pregnant, her fetus constituted the second "person" in the vehicle.

Being thin more important than faithful
January 10, 2006 Italy
According to a survey by the psychology magazine Riza Psicosomatica, more Italians feel guilty about overeating than about cheating on their partners.

Being thin more important than faithful
January 10, 2006 Italy
According to a survey by the psychology magazine Riza Psicosomatica, more Italians feel guilty about overeating than about cheating on their partners.

Woman stabbed boyfriend who played too much Elvis
January 10, 2006 Australia
A woman stabbed her boyfriend with a pair of scissors in his head, back and legs when he would not stop playing the same Elvis song, "Burning Love," over and over.

More men than women in road rage
January 9, 2006 Australia
A study of 1200 drivers published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, shows that men are twice as likely as women to be victims of road rage, and eight times as likely to be perpetrators. These statistics reflect data after correcting for the fact that men drive more than women.

Parents go on vacation, leave young kids home alone
January 6, 2006 California
A father and stepmother left their children aged 10 and 5 alone with a cell phone and a stack of packaged frozen dinners, while they vacationed in Las Vegas. After the father was arrested he had no comment, but his attorney said that it was "not nearly as bad as it looks."

Frivolous lawsuits even in Switzerland
January 2, 2006 Switzerland
A list of frivolous lawsuits included a man who soiled his trousers because (he claimed) the bus station restroom was closed; a shoplifter who sued when she fell down some stairs while trying to run away from the scene of the crime; a trash man who claims he was traumatized when a dead badger fell out of a bag.

Air rage passenger gets dumped
December 31, 2005
A passenger on a British plane bound for the resort island of Tenerife was rude and disruptive when the crew refused to serve him any more alcohol. He ignored warnings to calm down, so the pilot made an unscheduled landing and dumped the man on the small island of Porto Santo.

Driver uses gun to claim parking spot
December 26, 2005 North Carolina
When 2 cars were aiming for the same parking spot at a mall, one of the drivers claimed the spot by pulling out a gun and firing several shots in the air.

Prisoner sues Hallmark, claims mental anguish
December 18, 2005 Kansas
A prisoner serving a life sentence for murder has filed over 500 lawsuits since his incarceration in 1978. His latest lawsuit is against Hallmark, in which he claims that he suffered "mental, physical and psychological suffering and hardship" as a result of buying a greeting card that was torn and which had an envelope that would not seal. In 1997 he made similar claims against Kellog, whose cornflakes were overtoasted and stale.

Jury blames Ford for death of unbelted boy in accident
December 15, 2005 Texas
A woman driving a Ford Explorer swerved the car to avoid a deer, and the vehicle rolled over. Unfortunately, her young son, who was with her in the car and was not wearing a seatbelt, died in the accident. A jury found Ford Motor Company partially liable for his death because the tires should have been wider.

High school wrestler challenges ref in court
December 13, 2005 New York
A high school wrestler lost a championship by one point because of a penalty for throwing his headgear in jubilation. He took the matter to court, but the judge refused to overturn the referee's decision.

Man claims fraud was to expose the system
December 9, 2005 UK
A man posing as a psychologist saw patients at a hospital, charging £55 (about $100) per visit. When he was caught, arrested and put on trial, he claimed that his motive was not his own financial gain, but to expose "loopholes" in the mental health system.

Doc molests patient, claims disability
December 6, 2005 Florida
A physician who pleaded guilty to sexually molesting a patient is now suing his disability insurer. He claims that his diagnosis of "deviant sexual desire" renders him disabled from his normal occupation, and thus he is entitled to to collect disability benefits.

Santa shortage in Australia
December 4, 2005 Australia
Fearing lawsuits, stores and malls that hire men to play Santa Claus have instituted restrictive rules: Santas cannot hand out candy; they can't pat children on the head. They can't say "ho, ho, ho." because it frightens some children. They must have parents' permission before kids sit on their laps. For photos both of their hands must be in full view. This emphasis on extreme political correctness has resulted in a shortage of applicants for the Santa role.

Customer rage
November 23, 2005 Australia
A survey found that more women than men become enraged at customer service workers, both in person and on the phone. Workers have been threatened with being stabbed and blown up, and enraged customers have had to be forcibly removed by security personnel.

Couple get into brawl over parking fee
November 19, 2005 Pennsylvania
A couple was convicted of disorderly conduct for a brawl in a public parking garage, after they were told to pay the maximum fee because they had lost their entry ticket. At the trial, the husband claimed that he had been provoked by belligerent garage employees and abused by the police officer who arrived to arrest them. However, the whole incident was captured on videotape, which showed otherwise.

Russell Crowe pleads guilty to 'phone rage'
November 18, 2005 New York
Actor Russell Crowe pleaded guilty to hitting a hotel clerk with a phone last June. He had ripped the phone out of the wall when he couldn't get it to work, and had thrown it a the night clerk. He was fined and given probation.

Woman calls 911 after getting served cold food
November 17, 2005 Louisiana
A woman ordered onion rings at a restaurant. When they arrived cold, she demanded a new order. The server refused. So the woman called 911 to complain. Police arrived and arrested her for misusing the emergency system.

Ford blamed for accident where driver asleep at the wheel
November 16, 2005 Florida
In 1997 a 17-year-old boy, who was a passenger in a Ford Explorer, died as a result of a crash in which the driver fell asleep at the wheel. This week a jury found Ford Motor Co. liable for his death. They concluded that it Ford was at fault because the Explorer had poor handling and was prone to roll-overs, and that Ford failed to warn consumers about this.

Man sues bank for $2 million for rudeness
November 10, 2005 Florida
A man filed a lawsuit for $2 million against a bank that charged him a $32 penalty for overdrawing his account by less than $5. He tried to get the charge reversed but the bank employee was rude and arrogant. The man claims that this ordeal worsened his brain damage from an accident in 2001.

1 in 5 Brits admit to 'ski rage'
November 8, 2005 UK
A survey by Lloyds TSB insurance reveals that 1 in 5 Brits has experienced "ski rage." Situations that cause tempers to flare up include: being cut off by another skier; queue jumping; other skiers in one's path. Skiers admit shouting obscenities, and allowing their anger to ruin their day. A small percentage admitted getting physically violent.

Hockey player gets Workers' Comp. payments for fight injury
November 4, 2005 Virginia
A minor-league hockey player filed a Workers' Compensation claim after a shoulder injury from a fight that he initiated during a game. The claim was denied. He took the case to the Appeals Court, which ruled that "fighting is an integral part of the game of hockey," and awarded the player 7 months' pay for the games missed during his rehabilitation.

Air rage insurance
October 23, 2005 UK
Airline passengers can now buy "air rage" insurance, which will pay subscribers if they suffer injury from another traveler or if their flight is delayed or diverted because of an unruly passenger. The number of disruptive passengers on British aircraft increased from 696 in 2003-04 to 1.486 in 2004-05.

Sisters contest will, pay $450,000 to collect $360,000
October 21, 2005 Australia
Two sisters, unhappy that their deceased mother left the bulk of her estate to their brother, spent $450,000 in legal costs to collect $360,000. The lawyers got $600,000.

Worker fired for being drunk and late wins lawsuit
October 20, 2005 Australia
An employee who was fired for repeatedly coming to work late and/or drunk, sued for unfair dismissal, claiming that he had depression and attention deficity hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He was awarded $10,000 plus termination payments and other costs.

Couples sue for babies switched at birth, but don't want them back
October 13, 2005 Argentina
Two couples whose babies were accidentally switched at birth 6 years ago, sued the state for damages, even though they agreed to keep the children that they were given. They were refused compensation, but they say they will appeal.

Restaurant liable for teen's injuries outside
October 13, 2005 Tennessee
A teen sued a restaurant after being paralyzed from a fight outside with one of the employees. A jury found the restaurant liable for the teen's injury and awarded him $20 million.

Teen drowns fleeing cops. Family sues.
October 12, 2005 New Jersey
Police had a warrant for the arrest of a 16-year-old boy who removed a monitoring bracelet. When they caught up with the teen and arrested him, he tried to escape by jumping into the river. Unfortunately the current pulled him under water and he drowned. His parents are now suing the police.

Woman sues city for swan attack
October 8, 2005 Connecticut
A woman who was knocked over by an attacking swan on a park trail is suing the city for injuries. She had been feeding the bird, despite the clearly posted sign warning people not to feed the swans because they could be aggressive.

Judge removed because of porn at work
October 7, 2005 Kansas
A State Supreme Court judge was removed from the bench because he habitually viewed pornography on his office computer. In his defense, he claimed that he had been working very hard for both the court and his church, and that the porn web sites provided a diversion. His attorney, arguing to have him keep the job, warned that his removal would disrupt the public's choice of who should serve in the judiciary.

Man tries to avoid child support by sending imposter to paternity test
October 6, 2005 New York
A man has been charged with sending an imposter to take a court-ordered paternity test, so that he could avoid paying child support. The deception became apparent when the mother of his child complained. She was shown a photo of the man who took the test - he was not the one she claimed was the father.

Jealous rage no excuse for murder
October 5, 2005 Australia
A new Victoria law states that men who kill their partners cannot have a murder charge reduced to manslaughter by claiming that they were provoked. Nor will they be able to claim that they acted out of jealous rage. The law is designed to prevent murderers from blaming their victims.

Father punches teen who distracted son's football play
October 4, 2005 Wisconsin
The father of a high-school football player was angry that a prankster dressed in purple underwear ran across the field, just as his son missed kicking the ball for an extra point. The father left his bleacher seat, found the purple prankster and punched him in the face. They were both charged with disorderly conduct.

Escapee injured, sues prison
September 30, 2005 Pennsylvania
A prison inmate who was severely beaten up by his former cellmate during an escape, is suing the prison for his injuries. He claims that guards failed to prevent the escape.

Prince Andrew refuses airport security
September 30, 2005 Australia
Britain's Prince Andrew argued with security guards at the airport that he should not have to be searched before boarding a flight. Airport officials had to intervene. Eventually the prince reluctantly capitulated.

Man sinks yacht so ex-wife can't sell it
September 28, 2005 UK
In the midst of a divorce a woman advertised her husband's yacht for sale, asking less than half its worth. The husband chopped it with an axe, which sank the boat and made it worthless. Police said that both will be responsible to pay for salvage and cleanup.

Man sues online dating service
September 20, 2005 California
A man who was rejected by a potential mate on an online dating service, is suing the service. He claims that he suffered psychological damage when she led him on, encouraged him to call, and then rejected him with an automatic voicemail message.

Therapist blames medication for inappropriate behavior
September 9, 2005 Missouri
A therapist disciplined by his licensing board for inappropriate sexual contact with a patient is shocked that he could lose his license. He blamed the incident on his upbringing, and on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, for which he takes medication. He claims that the unprofessional conduct occurred when the medicine ran low in his body.

Angler threatens to kill intruding dog
September 3, 2005 UK
A man's fishing activity was interrupted by a dog, which came to the water to drink. The man ranted at the dog's owner, and pulled out a gun, threatening to shoot the dog.

Rejected lap dancer stabs customer
September 2, 2005 California
At a nightclub a lap dancer offered her services to a patron. When he refused, they got into an argument. She then pulled a knife from her bag and stabbed him.

New website targets deadbeats
September 1, 2005
A new website, www.anti-deadbeat.com, targets "Lawsuit Leeches, Welfare Wasters, Porky Politicians, Lazy Employees and Parasites in General." Michael Webb, owner of the site, says that these people cost society $2.964 trillion in taxes, insurance premiums, product prices, and more.

Doctor yells and hits patient
September 1, 2005 Japan
A patient undergoing surgery was given only local anesthetic. She began thrashing around on the operating table and yelling at the doctor to stop. The doctor tried to calm her down, but when that didn't work he hit her on the forehead and yelled at her to shut up. The surgery was halted and performed a few days later by another doctor.

Patient hurt when doctor calls her fat
August 24, 2005 New Hampshire
A woman filed a complaint against a doctor because he told her that she was obese and needed to lose weight for her health. She claimed that he was hurtful, not helpful.

Housekeeper blames employer for her stealing
August 24 2005 New York
A housekeeper who was caught with items that she had stolen from celebrities' homes where she worked, claimed that she did it because she was treated badly. In her statement to police the woman said, "If they treated me better, with more respect, I probably wouldn't have done this."

Gas station may be liable for drunk's crash
August 22, 2005 Tennessee
Two men who were injured by a drunk driver sued the gas station who sold gas to the driver when he was visibly drunk. According to the lawsuit, if the gas station had refused to sell gas to the man, his car would not have travelled far enough to injure the victims. The case was dismissed by the county court, but the state supreme court allowed a jury trial to proceed.

Drive-through rage
August 18, 2005 Boston
A woman who was trying to enter the drive-through lane at a fast food restaurant had to go around a truck that was blocking her access. As she started to pull in front of the truck, the driver got out with his pit bull dog, yelled and spit at her, and threatened to slit her throat. He then turned to his dog and said, "This is who cut us off." He was later arrested.

Lawmaker tells voter to "get a life"
August 12, 2005 Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania legislature voted itself a 34% pay increase, which generated an angry response from voters. One voter who emailed his state senator several times in protest, received a reply from the lawmaker: : "Why don't you get a life? Please do not mail my office another e-mail."

Man 'forgot' he had pipe bomb in suitcase
August 11, 2005 Oklahoma
When a pipe bomb was found in his luggage at the airport, the man who owned the suitcase said that he "forgot" that it was there.

Grandmother sues maker of violent videogame
July 27, 2005
A woman who bought her 14-year-old grandson the videogame, "Grand Theft Auto," is suing the manufacturer after it was revealed that sexually explicit content could be viewed by downloading and installing a special file from the Internet. "Grand Theft Auto" is known for its graphic profanity and violence, which apparently is acceptable to the boy's grandmother.

July 18, 2005 Florida
A list of playground rules has been posted at all the elementary schools in the Broward County school district. The rules include "No running." These and many other Florida schools have removed traditional playground equipment, such as swings, teeter-totters, merry-go-rounds and sandboxes, in an effort to avoid lawsuits from possible injuries.

Singer keeps fans waiting for 3 hours
July 14, 2005 UK
Singer Lauryn Hill kept 2300 audience members waiting for almost three hours past her concert start time. She apologized for the delay, saying that she had had a problem deciding what to wear.

Air rager claims medicine reaction
July 14, 2005 Boston
On a flight from Charlotte, NC a man drank wine and became abusive, hitting and spitting on others, swearing and threatening to kill crew and passengers. The plane was diverted to the nearest airport, and the man was arrested. His attorney said that the cause of his behavior was an adverse reaction to medicine.

Brawling sisters fight on turnpike
July 14, 2005 Pennsylvania
Two sisters, ages 18 and 22, were driving together on the highway, arguing over who was going to drive, and how high to set the air conditioning. When they pulled over to change drivers, they got into a physical fight, which extended into the line of traffic. Police were called and the sisters were arrested for disorderly conduct.

Retail workers get attacked every day
July 13, 2005 UK
The union of retail workers held its annual "Respect for Shopworkers Day" to highlight the problem of physical assaults in retail stores. Each year 20,000 workers are attacked verbally or physically by angry customers.

Golf rage
July 13, 2005 Alberta
A golfer hit his ball into the game of the team ahead of him. The foursome waited at the next tee for him, and attacked him, twisting his arm and dislocating his shoulder. This was just a few weeks after "Safety and etiquette week" at the golf course.

Hockey mom wants co-ed locker room for teens
July 11, 2005 British Columbia
The mother of a 14-year old girl complained to the Human Rights Tribunal that female hockey players' rights are violated when they are forced to have a separate locker room. This arrangement causes the girls to miss out on the before- and after-game socializing among the team.

Uninjured singer asks for prayers
July 8, 2005 UK
Omarion, an American singer visiting London during the fatal terrorist blast that killed dozens on public transport, asked his fans to pray for his safety. He was not injured. Nor did he express any sympathy for the victims in his statement.

Astrologer sues NASA
July 5, 2005 Russia
An astrologer is suing NASA, the U.S. space agency for $300 million. She claims that after NASA deliberately crashed a space probe into a comet for research purposes, it affected the comet's orbit. This will distort her horoscopes.

Techno-rage
July 1, 2005 UK
In a recent survey by Tertio SMS, 45% of respondents reported experiencing "techno-rage." Every day people are frustrated by technology-based services such as cash machines and cell phones.

Baseball player attacks cameramen
June 30, 2005 Texas
Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers was captured on vidoetape before a game as he shoved two cameramen and threw a camera to the ground. One of the cameramen had to be treated at a hospital, and filed an assault report against the baseball player.

Park sued when teen falls from cliff
June 25, 2005 California
The mother of a 13-year-old who fell 100 feet off a cliff at a recreational park, is suing the park district. The boy climbed up a rock face that was off limits and partially fenced off, to watch a baseball game below. He is unfortunately now in a coma. His mother blames the park for not keeping it safe.

Man claims he stole art to test museum security
June 19, 2005 Chile
An art student stole a sculpture by Augeuste Rodin from an art museum, and later told police he had found it in a park. He was arrested, and admitted having stolen the statue, but claimed that he was only testing the security at the museum.

Dentist sues insurance company for not defending his prank
June 16. 2005 Washington
A dentist performing a procedure on one of his employees decided to play a practical joke on her. While she was under anesthesia, he inserted boar tusks in her mouth and took pictures. She was horrified, and sued him. The dentist's malpractice insurance company refused to defend him, since they did not deem his actions as dental services. He sued the insurance company for not defending him, and won $750,000 plus attorney costs. The award was overturned after the insurance company appealed.

Man claims work disability, but earns black belt
June 16, 2005 UK
A man who claimed he was "virtually unable to walk" and unable to work was arrested for fraud. Investigators found evidence that while collecting disability benefits he wrestled alligators, rode camels and advanced to a black belt in martial arts.

Women more angry than men
June 18, 2005 UK
A 50-year study of 22,000 people by the Economic & Social Research Council showed that women are slightly more likely to report "persistent anger" than are men. Also, while men become more tolerant as they get older, women stay frustrated and angry. This study is consistent with other research in the UK and USA.

Student demands apology from school
June 16, 2005 Maryland
A high school and a graduating senior are in a stand-off. After being warned that a bolo tie did not comply with the dress code for graduation, the student wore it anyway. He was not allowed to receive his diploma at graduation. The school mailed the diploma to his house, but he refused it. The family appeared on national television to complain about the incident, and scheduled a press conference in which they said they wouldn't accept the diploma unless the school apologizes.

Hotel clerk sues actor for emotional distress
June 8, 2005 New York
The hotel clerk who was the target of Russell Crowe's wrath is suing the actor for a million dollars for emotional distress. The man was not physically injured when Crowe, in a fit of rage, threw a telephone against the wall.

Russell Crowe loses it again
June 6, 2005 New York
Russell Crowe was arrested after an altercation with a hotel desk clerk. He was angry because the phone in his room was not working. He brought the phone downstairs to the desk, had words with the clerk, and threw the phone against the wall. This is not the first time Crowe's public display of anger got him into trouble. He has been involved in several fights in bars, restaurants and on the set.

Public official raids Education fund for wedding
May 17, 2005 Malawi
The Education Minister of this poor African country used public funds allocated for schools to pay for his own lavish wedding for 300 guests.

Man falls off bed, blames hotel
May 16, 2005 Shanghai
A man fell off a hotel room bed during post-nuptial celebration, and broke his arm. He and his bride filed a complaint with the hotel, accusing them of providing unsafe facilities.

Girls' rugby game turns bloody
May 16, 2005 California
A girls' rugby tournament broke out in violence after one of the spectators challenged a referee's call. Two men punched and kicked the referee unconscious. Meanwhile, girls from opposing teams got into a brawl of their own.

Airline passenger has a fit over hair on blanket
May 14, 2005 Michigan
A Japanese airline passenger had a tantrum when he found a hair on blanket. The flight attendent offered him anothe blanket, but he continued to rage, yelling and throwing objects into the aisle.

Lawmakers fired after drunken spree
May 13, 2005 Equador
Four lawmakers were dismissed from congress after getting drunk and causing damage to a hotel room and lobby. They also assaulted hotel staff.

Aggressive drivers claim self-defense
April 28, 2005 Massachusetts
In a survey of 500 men, ages 16-34 (which statistically is the most aggressive group of drivers,) only 48% rated themselves as aggressive drivers. 85% admitted to driving 10 miles over the speed limit, and 48% admitted honking their horns at other drivers. However, the majority said that when they do get aggressive, it's because of the way other people drive.

Cell phones may get jammed in NZ theaters
April 28, 2005 New Zealand
The Motion Pictures Exhibitors Association is considering jamming cell phone signals within movie theaters. The worst offenders are not teens, but middle-aged women. They get hostile when asked to turn their phones off, or to leave.

Angry truck driver attacks with cattle prod
April 26, 2005 Illinois
When a warehouse asked a truck driver for the second time to move his vehicle because it was blocking a loading dock, the driver pulled out a 50,000-volt electric cattle prod, and chased after the warehouse worker.

Judge blames his poor judgment on ADHD
April 26, 2005 Florida
When several misdemeanor traffic offenders were directed to the wrong courtroom, the judge, noticing their absence, issued warrants for their arrests. When they eventually showed up late, he refused to withdraw the warrants. The defendants had to spend several hours in jail until the matter was straightened out. Later the judge, who has been on the bench for 14 years, apologized. He blamed the incident on his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but contended that he should keep his job because he has taken care of his problem.

Mom sues NHS after failed abortion
April 25, 2005 UK
A woman who gave birth after a failed abortion is suing the National Health Service for £250,000. She claims that the government is repsonsible for helping her raise the child she didn't want.

Man gets big bucks for fly trauma
April 23, 2005 Canada
A man who was allegedly traumatized by seeing a dead fly in an unopened jug of Culligan water was awarded CAN $340,000. He claimed that he was about to place the water jug in the dispenser, when he noticed the fly, and that the incident caused him "nervous shock, emotional distress and resulting anxiety, depression and physical and psychological conditions." Since the incident in 2001, he has had problems sleeping, recurring thoughts of the fly and can no longer drink plain water.

Girl spikes teacher's lemonade with poison
April 20, 2005
A 14-year-old girl put cleaner fluid in her teacher's lemonade because she was denied a bathroom break in class.

Professor studies computer rage
April 17, 2005
Kent Norman, a professor who studies human-computer interaction, conducted an online survey of computer users. 20% of those who responded admitted dropping, smashing, burning, microwaving and cursing at their computers. Three of them reported that they shot at their computers in a rage, and one drove over it with his car. The main annoyance reported were waiting for the computer to perform a simple taks, email problems, necessity for upgrading programs and need to redo something because of a glitch.

Teen boy claims right to wear makeup at school
April 15, 2005 California
A 16-year-old male student was suspended for wearing black lipstick and red eye make-up. He claims that this is a violation of his constitutional right to free expression, and that he wears this make-up to express his Wiccan religious beliefs.

Woman sues store for bird attack
April 13, 2005 Missouri
A woman is suing a Lowe's Hardware after having allegedly been attacked by a wild bird in the gardening area and suffering injuries to her head, brain, neck, muscles, bones, nerves, discs, and ligaments. She claims that the store created a dangerous condition for shoppers by not preventing birds to fly through the garden center.

Angry woman rams car into neighbor's apartment
April 8, 2005 Canada
A British Columbia woman rammed her car into her neighbor's apartment because she was tired of the neighbor's loud TV.

Lawmakers' ruckus disrupts parliament
April 5, 2005 Ecuador
During a parliament debate lawmakers broke out into a fight, throwing water bottles and coins, and making gun-shooting gestures with their hands. A parliamentary spokesman commented, "You know boys will be boys, even in parliament."

Misprint in lottery number brings lawsuit
April 1, 2005 New York
A misprint in the newspaper of a winning lottery number gave hundreds of people false hope that they had won $100,000. Even though the newspaper published a correction, an attorney is now filing a class action suit on behalf of all the people who suffered emotional damages from their disappointment.

Millions admit to "retail rage"
April 1, 2005 UK
According to a recent survey, 13.2 million Britons have lost their temper during a shopping trip in the last 3 months. Triggers include long lines, rude or indifferent sales clerks, out-of-stock items and problems finding a parking space.

Trespasser gets huge injury award
March 20, 2005 UK
An 18-year-old man was awarded over half a million pounds for injuries suffered when he fell 40 feet through a warehouse roof a couple of years ago. He had been trespassing at the time, but claims that he wouldn't have been able to enter the property in the first place if the company's fence hadn't been broken. Since the injury he has been convicted of robbery, burglary and assault. After receiving the money he said, "It annoys me that people think I don't deserve this money after all I've been through."

Woman sues hospital after temporary baby mixup
March 16, 2005 Colorado
A woman who was in the hospital after giving birth was given the wrong baby to breastfeed by mistake, while her own baby was taken to a different woman. Although the mix-up was discovered within a few minutes, the woman is suing the hospital for negligence, claiming she was traumatized by the incident.

Family demands 740.000 for dog's death
March 8, 2005 Massachussetts
After a dog was accidentally electrocuted by stray voltage near a lamppost, the power company offered the family $200,000 to compensate them for their grief. The family said this was not enough, and demanded $740,000.

Little League officer charged with attacking boy at game
March 2, 2005 Massachusetts
A woman who was an officer of the Little League Board was convicted of assault and battery because she had attacked an 11-year-old boy who was cheering for the opposing team at a Little League game. In addition to one year probation and 50 hours of community service, she was ordered to watch a video on sportsmanship and write an essay about it, as well as attend an anger management program. The Little League also ousted her from the Board and banned her from attending future games and other activities.

Parking garages sued for not preventing dangerous games
March 1, 2005 Florida
A lawyer is suing the owners of two adjacent public parking garages, claiming that they are responsible to prevent teenagers from engaging in a dangerous game on their premises. The teens enter the garages late at night and attempt to jump from the roof of one garage to the roof of the other. Some jumpers have missed, falling 80 feet to the ground below.

Schools fear lawsuits, ban fun
February 28, 2005 UK
Because of potential litigation, snowball fights at some schools are either forbidden or carefully regulated. For example, one school has a rule that snowballs cannot be thrown from less than 65 feet away. Fear of lawsuits from litigious parents has resulted in many schools cancelling field trips, forbidding games such as tag and marbles, and banning competitive events that might hurt the losers' feelings.

Snowball rage
February 25, 2005 UK
A man's car was hit by a stray snowball from a children's snowball fight. The driver got out and attacked the 13-year-old boy who threw it, kicking the child in the face, and drove off.

Road rage is usually the other guy
February 14, 2005
In a survey released by ABC News and Time Magazine, 64% of Americans say they often see other people driving aggressively, but only 30% admit doing so themselves.

Lauded mayor called kids "bastards"
February 12, 2005 Pennsylvania
A town mayor who gained national notoriety for calling youngsters "bastards" when he caught them writing their names in fresh concrete, has been nominated as Outstanding Mayor of the state. He admitted swearing at the children because he was ticked off by their actions.

Man complains that poison didn't work
February 10, 2005 Romania
A man who was trying to poison his neighbor's dog with strychnine filed a complaint against the manufacturer because the poison didn't work.

Parent rage in Canadian schools
February 7, 2005 Canada
In a recent poll on school violence, the Canadian Teachers Federation found that 59% of principals had witnessed at least one parent verbally abuse a teacher, and 23% had seen a parent physically assault or intimidate a teacher. These statistics reflect school administrators' reports of an increase in the number of parents arriving at schools ready to blame teachers for their kids' poor grades or behavior problems.

Teens give cookies to neighbors, get sued
February 4, 2005 Colorada
Two teenage girls who baked cookies and delivered them to several neighbors as a surprise one night, were ordered by the court to reimburse one of the neighbors for medical expenses. She had been so terrified by their knock at the door at 10:30 pm, that she ended up in the hospital emergency room. The girls later sent notes of apology, claiming they didn't mean to frighten her. However, the woman refused to withdraw her lawsuit.

Father sues over bad grade
February 1, 2005 North Carolina
The father of a 17-year-old student sued the private school that she attended because the teacher refused to change the girl's bad grade. Prior to filing the lawsuit the father had unsuccessfully appealed to school administrators and to state officials.

Pregnant woman says jail is unhealthy to her unborn child
January 27, 2005 Pennsylvania
A pregnant woman who is in prison awaiting trial for murdering her 3-year-old son, was denied bail. She and her attorney contended that the prison environment was cruel and usual punishment for her fetus, whom she considered already a human, and that its "due process rights" were ignored. She also claimed that prison was an unhealthy place for a pregnant woman. Meanwhile, prison records showed that the woman had bought several junk food items a the commissary the previous week, and had also failed to report having fallen until the day after it happened.

Man axes church because bells are too loud
January 24, 2005 Romania
A man was arrested after demolishing a church door, a marble cross and a chapel with his axe. He claims that he had asked the priest to not ring the bells so loud because the noise bothered him, but the priest only rang the bells louder.

Student sues over summer homework
January 21, 2005 Wisconsin
A 17-year-old student is suing his school for creating an unfair workload and unnecessary stress. He claims that the honors math assignments interfered with his enjoyment of his summer. He was aware that honors courses required summer homework.

Man throws hot coffee at meter maid
January 21, 2005 Massachussetts
A meter maid was writing a parking ticket for a vehicle illegally parked in a loading zone. The driver, who was leaving Starbucks with a cup of hot coffee, wouldn't accept the ticket and threw the coffee in her face. After being arrested he claimed he had accidentally spilled the coffee when he slipped on some ice.

Alleged spammer sues man who complained
A man who complained to his internet provider about receiving repeated unsolicited emails with misleading headings, is now being sued by the company he complained about. The company has been labeled a spammer by anti-spam websites. The company claims that the man's complaints caused them to lose business because their accounts were closed down by internet service providers.

Man spikes sandwich, claims injury
January 20, 2005 New York
A man caused a scene at a McDonald's restaurant, claiming that staples and a paper clip inside a chicken sandwich cut his mouth. Police later found evidence that he had done this himself. He had apparently taken the sandwich into the bathroom, bitten off a piece and spit it into the garbage, cut the inside of his mouth with a razor blade, discarded the razor blade, and placed the staples and paperclip in the sandwich. He rewrapped it and went into the dining area to eat it.

Hockey dad chokes coach
January 18, 2005 Canada
Upset that his 9-year-old son was benched during a hockey game, a man attacked the coach in a fit of rage, choking hm. Bystanders finally pulled the man away after the coach collapsed to the floor. The man was charged with choking.

Hockey dad assaults son's teammate
January 13, 2005 Massachusetts
A man was charged with assault and battery after violently shaking an 8-year-old boy who had been roughhousing with his son during a hockey game. The man had previously complained about this child's interfering with his son's role in the game.

Man sues 'Fear Factor' network
January 7, 2005 Ohio
A man is suing NBC for $2.5 million, claiming that the TV show, "Fear Factor," made him dizzy, lightheaded and nauseous, such that he bumped into a doorway - causing him "suffering, injury and great pain. " The episode in question features contestants eating rats mixed in a blender. The man says the main purpose of his lawsuit is to "send a message" to the network, and that he didn't really expect to win the case. However, he would not give interviews to the press unless he was paid.

Woman sues Amex for allowing her to spend
December 14, 2004 New York
An American woman who posed as a Saudi princess and racked up almost $2 million in credit card bills was sued by the credit card company, American Express. She countersued, claiming that she had been mentally incompetent when she signed up for the 'Centurion' credit card, which has no spending limit, and that American Express should have taken notice of her irrational spending and stopped her. Earlier this year the same woman was charged with theft when she sold jewelery for $262,000 and then filed a bogus insurance claim, saying that she had been mugged and robbed of the jewelery.

Doctors behaving badly
December 11, 2004 Australia
There has been an increase in complaints about doctors losing their tempers, and taking it out on patients and staff. Reports include abusive language, throwing things, punching walls and even occasional physical assaults resulting in criminal charges. Professional medical associations attribute these behaviors to long work hours and overwhelming demands on physicians.

Lawyers demand $2.7 million for winning $211,000
December 9, 2004 Oregon
Six lawyers won lawsuits totalling $211,000 for back pay on behalf of 83 Wal-mart employees. This averages about $2500 per employee. The lawyers are demanding an additional $2.57 million for themselves from Wal-mart, to compensate them for their time in this case.

Hair rage leads to arrest
December 8, 2004 Canada
A man who was unhappy with his haircut and coloring, he returned to the salon for a refund. Instead the stylist cut his hair again, which made the man even more angry, and again demanded a refund, threatening the salon owner. He also knocked over shelves, breaking several items. When mall security offers came to escort him out, he punched one officer and kicked the other.

Claimants jailed in Fen-Phen fraud
December 3, 2004 Mississippi
Twelve people have been charged with fraudulently claiming that they were injured from the diet drug Fen-Phen, and collecting $250,000 apiece. The first to go to prison include a minister and a teacher.

Golfer hit with ball, sues golf course
Novermber 29, 2004 Illinois
A golfer was hit in the mouth with a misdirected golf ball, which knocked out several of his teeth. Now he is suing the other player for negligence, as well as the golf course for poor design which "unduly exposed" golfers "leaving the green" to injury by flying golf balls. He claims that the incident left him permanently disabled.

Youth coach decks referee
November 24, 2004 California
A coach was suspended from his youth soccer league during a recent tournament. Witnesses reported that when one of his players was disqualified by the referee for failing to provide evidence of insurance and eligibility, the coach knocked the referee to the ground and proceeded to kick him, curse at him and make obscene gestures.

Father backs over child with SUV; sues car company
November 17, 2004 Texas
The family of a toddler who died when her father accidentally backed up his SUV and ran her over, is now suing Nissan, the manufacturer of the car. The family claims that the company should have installed back-up video cameras or sensors on the vehicle.

Leaf rage
November 17, 2004 Connecticut
A man assaulted a city employee who refused to haul away his raked leaves because they had not been pushed to the street. The man grabbed the employee by the jacket, spat and cursed at him. He later apologized, but added that his leaves had been ignored for 34 years.

Man beats traffic ticket by citing language requirements
November 10, 2004 Toronto
An English-speaking driver beat a traffic ticket, claiming that the "No left turn" sign was not written in French as well as English. He cited Ontario's French Language Services Act, which requires that all traffic signs be bilingual. Less than 1% of Torontonians claim French as their first language.

Woman sues Railroad
November 9, 2004 Pennsylvania
A woman who was hit by a train while she was walking along the tracks, is suing the railroad. She claims that the railroad company should have gates or signs warning people not to walk close to the tracks. She also claims that athe engineer did not stop the train in a timely manner and that he failed to yield the right of way to a pedestrian.

Sports rage now felony in New Jersey
November 9, 2004 New Jersey
The state legislature recently passed a law to increase penalties for sports rage, from misdemeanors to felonies. They also passed laws allowing school boards and sports leagues to create codes of conduct for parents, coaches and players. Violators can be banned from games until they complete a course of anger management counseling.

Office rage hits 23%
November 7, 2004 UK
In a survey of 40,000 office workers, workplace risk assessor, Businesshealth, found that 23% felt extreme anger at work. Mostly this anger was over trivial issues.

Pop singer claims rage is part of his creativity
October 31, 2004 UK
Recently news sources reported angry outbursts by musician Elton John. He acknowledged his temper, but attributed it to "being creative."

More motorists fear road rage
October 29, 2004 UK
A survey of drivers indicated that three quarters of them feel more vulnerable to car crime or road rage, than they did five years ago. Younger drivers, age 26-35 felt more at risk than those over 55.

Teen threatens girlfriend when she refuses to vote for Bush
October 28, 2004 Florida
An 18-year-old man put a screwdriver to his girlfriend's throat and threatened to kill her because she said she was going to vote for John Kerry for president, rather than for George Bush. Police were called and the man had to be subdued with a taser gun.

Man cut when neighbor attacks car with chainsaw
October 23, 2004 Australia
A dispute between neighbors over a property line ended in serious injury. While one of the men drove along the other's property fence line, the second man attacked the vehicle with a chainsaw. He cut through the car door, and the chainsaw reached the driver, cutting his stomach.

Teens flood school to avoid exam
October 22, 2004 Italy
Four teenagers confessed to blocking school drains and turning on faucets on a Friday, so that the school would become flooded over the weekend. They wanted to avoid taking an exam. The damage was over half a million dollars.

Man burns car after getting parking ticket
October 21, 2004 Iran
Trying to escape a heavy parking fine, a man pleaded with the traffic officer who was writing up a ticket. When this failed to stop the officer from issuing the ticket, the man doused his car with gasoline and set fire to it.

Woman sues shoe store after bumping into display
October 19, 2004 Australia
A woman is suing a shoe store for nearly half a million dollars for injuries she sustained during a fall. She acknowledged that she had not been paying attention to where she was stepping, and tripped against a display platform.

Chef embarrasses diner
October 14, 2004 London
The celebrity chef of an upscale restaurant blocked a patron who was leaving with her party, loudly accusing her of stealing a silver teaspoon. The patron, who had just spent over £500 was appalled at the accusation. When the spoon was later found on another table, the chef refused to apologize, hinting that the patron must have moved it there.

Doctor sentenced, blames 12 victims for misconstruing his behavior
October 8, 2004 New York
Upon being sentenced to 48 years in prison for sexually abusing 12 boys, a pediatric neurologist offered only this semi-apology: "I would like to offer my extreme sorrow, regret and remorse for any action I have performed that was misconstrued." Some of the allegations included his touching the children inappropriately and having them engage in bizarre behaviors such as spitting into his mouth. Although the doctor did not take the stand, his attorney claimed that his behavior was the result of social problems and "a [quirky] way of relating that simply goes too far."

Pro-gay senator calls opponents "faggots"
October 8, 2004 Pennsylvania
State senator Vincent Fumo apologized for calling two other lawmakers "faggots" during a break from legislative proceedings. He claimed that he had lost his temper and had "made a mistake" in his choice of words" Witnesses said that he made this same "mistake" several times that day. This senator is a supporter of gay and lesbian issues, but his colleagues say that when he gets angry, "colorful things come out of his mouth."

Mom stabs son for ruining her stuffed animal
October 7, 2004 New Hampshire
Parents were charged with assault of their 10-year-old son. While the father held the boy on the floor, the mother bit and stabbed him several times in the arm with a kitchen knife. She was upset because her son had destroyed her favorite stuffed animal.

Man smears feces on money to pay parking fine
October 6, 2004 Iowa
A psychiatrist was charged with harassment for smearing feces on dollar bills that he mailed in to pay a parking fine. He claims the money had fallen into the toilet, but tests indicated that the feces were smeared onto the bills.

Fistfight in parliament
October 6, 2004 Venezuela
During a parliamentary debate, a fistfight broke out when one party learned that the other had sneaked a conroversial bill into the agenda of the National Assembly. Proceedings had to be halted for several minutes while onlookers broke up the brawl.

Airport rage: doctor arrested for shoving flight attendant
October 1, 2004 Pennsylvania
A doctor who was trying to board a plane through a restricted jetway was stopped by a flight attendant who told him that he could not enter because of security reasons. He shoved her and pinned her against the wall, and demanded that she let him through. Police were called, and he was arrested and charged with assault.

Man sues White Castle
September 30, 2004 Chicago
A man is suing the fast-food chain, White Castle, because he suffered "great pain and anguish in mind and body" when he bit into an onion ring two years ago, which caused hot grease to splatter onto his arm and burn him. He claims that his injuries were caused by "onion rings that were in an unreasonably dangerous and defective condition." and that White Castle was negligent in selling food that is too hot for consumption.

"Rail rage" on the rise in Australia
September 25, 2004 Australia
A recent survey of 1000 commuters found that 41% had witnessed an act of physical or verbal violence on the train. In August alone, nearly 15,000 infringement notices were handed out, 30% of them for assault. Officials attribute these figures to delays and crowding on the rail system.

Losing team beat up winners
September 24, 2004 Illinois
After close game of high school girls' volleyball, members of the losing team refused to shake hands with the winners. They then followed the winning team into the locker room and beat them up. Two players needed hospitalization.

Indignant man pees all over video store
September 23, 2004 New York
A man was asked to leave a video store that was closing for the night. He refused, and then proceeded to urinate all over the shop. He fled with some DVDs and was apprheneded a short time later.

Anger managment expert charged with battery
September 19, 2004 Florida
A mental health worker who teaches anger management was charged with aggravated battery after ordering his pit bulls to attack people who were in his building as they sought refuge from the hurricane. The victims were bitten on the stomach, face, throat and legs.

Man charges "abuse" when wife refuses sex
September 17, 2004 Spain
A man whose wife refused to have sex with him for five days in a row, tried to have her charged with domestic abuse. He claimed that her refusals were degrading and abusive. The case was thrown out of court.

Angry pitcher throws chair at spectator
September 14, 2004 California
A relief pitcher for the Texas Rangers threw a chair at a man who was heckling him from a box seat. He missed the man, but chair hit the man's wife, breaking her nose. The pitcher was arrested and charged with aggravated battery.

Bus driver rage
September 14, 2004 UK
Last April a bus driver attacked a passenger who insulted his driving. When the passenger got off, he drove the bus at him in a fit of rage. The bus driver has since been fired, but this week he also appeared in court, where he was convicted of careless driving and assault, and had his driver's license suspended. He also admitted that he had had previous charges of assault, disorderly conduct and driving violations.

Few doctors punished for rudeness
September 13, 2004 USA
A recent survey of medical hospital administrators found that 95% of them have had complaints about rude doctors. Although the majority of physicians behave professionally, there are a few at each hospital or clinic who repeatedly lose their tempers and are verbally abusive to nurses. Rarely are they disciplined.

Man chops wife's tongue
September 13, 2004 India
Tired of his wife's constant nagging about his poor income, a man dragged her to the kitchen and chopped off her tongue with a cleaver. Police stated that the man and his wife "were not on good terms."

UK Road rage survey results
September 6, 2004 UK
A survey of 2500 drivers by RAC Legal Services found that and average of 10% admitted road rage against other drivers. There was some regional variation, with Scottish drivers being most aggressive (15%) and Welsh drivers less so (9%). Other questions addressed arguing with passengers in one's own car. 21% of respondents in northern England and UK admitted taking their eyes off the road while arguing. Men and women were equally culpable.

Ex-lawyer fined for frivolous lawsuits
September 3, 2004 California
A lawyer who resigned from the Bar pending charges against him, was ordered by an Appeals court to pay a $25,000 fine. For several years he had operated a "writ mill" where law students and disbarred lawyers filed frivolous lawsuits on behalf of prisoners. They took fees from the prisoners and their famiiies, even in cases where the lawsuits had virtually no chance of being successful.

Manufacturer found not liable in tire explosion
September 1, 2004 Texas
A jury found an Illinois tire company not liable for a man's death in Mexico. The man had overinflated a tractor tire, which exploded. The family sued the American tire manufacturer for $10 million, claiming that warnings were not printed in Spanish.

Man fired for drinking at work, wins unfair dismissal suit
August 24, 2004 Germany
A waiter who drank up to 100 bottles of beer at work every day for eight years was fired. He sued his employer, despite having been warned not to drink on the job. The court awarded him 3-monhs' salary plus 3,000 Euros, for unfair dismissal.

Murder gets compensated for hurt feelings
August 23, 2004 New Zealand
A prisoner serving a life sentence for murdering a 17-year-old girl was awarded $1200 compensation for hurt feelings and humiliation in prison. The alleged humiliation stemmed from a letter which he had not seen, but which alleged that he had molested another girl. The tribunal agreed with the prisoner that not having access to the letter caused "injury to his feelings, loss of dignity and humiliation."

Widow blames trees for husband's death
August 13, 2004 Nevada
A woman with an illegal amount of marijuana in her system was found guilty for the death of a motorcycle policeman in a car accident, which occurred when she was making a left turn out of an office park. The cop's widow sued the owners of the office park. She claimed that untrimmed trees had obstructed the view, such that her late husband could not see the car pulling out. A jury found the office park owners not liable for the death.

Man abandons pregnant girlfriend, but claims paternity when she collects money
August 10, 2004 Mississippi
A man who abandoned his girlfriend when she became pregnant and denied that he was the father, became interested two years later when the ex-girlfriend collected a $150,000 settlement from a car accident in which her unborn fetus had died. The man wanted half of that, since he was the "natural father" and shared in her loss. The court rejected his claim.

Woman's shoe breaks; she sues store & maker
August 5, 2004 Connecticut
A woman who fell down the stairs and was seriously injured when the heel of her shoe snapped off, is suing the shoe store and the manufacturer of the shoe. She claims that the defendants "knew or should have known of the dangerous characteristics of said product yet continued their manufacture and distribution."

Argument over lawnmowing gets dangerous
August 4, 2004 Tennessee
A couple arguing over the wife's competence in mowing the lawn ended up in a confrontation with weapons. The woman brandished a box cutter, allegedly to protect herself from her husband's threatening manner. He then came at her with a chain saw.

Four-year-old sues classmate
August 3, 2004 California
A four-year-old who needed stitiches after a fight with a classmate is now suing. There is no evidence of any permanent physical damage, but his mother claims that he was "traumatized" by the event.

Woman fires shots in "lobster" rage
July 31, 2004 Florida
A 69-year-old woman fired shots at lobster divers in the canal behind her house. The divers were particpating in the state's 2-day annual lobster hunt. The woman was arrested and charged with ggravated assault and discharging a firearm in public. She complained that the divers had no business being in her canal, and that they were going to take all the lobsters.

Bullying and incivility are common in the workplace
July 27, 2004
A new survey shows that bullying in the workplace is much more frequent than what is actually reported. In a telephone survey of managers at over 500 companies, The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found that bullying occurs in 25% of workplaces and incivility (such as berating and silent treatments) occurs in 60%. The larger the company, the worse the behavior. Employees are reluctant to report incidents of bullying because of fear of retaliation.

Mrs. Kerry urges dignity, then says "shove it."
July 26, 2004 Boston
Minutes after giving a speech about restoring a more dignified tone to the political campaign, the wife of Senator John Kerry told a reporter to "Shove it." Her campaign spokesman defended her action, pointing out that the reporter was from a right-wing newspaper, and had misrepresented her in the past.

Potty rage
July 20,2004 Connecticut
Two men got into a physical fight at Burger King, using weapons at hand - a pocket knife and a straw dispenser. The issue? One of the men was in the bathroom, and the other thought he had to wait too long to use it. Police were called and both men were charged with breach of peace.

Prisoner sues for 'boring' jail conditions
July 19, 2004 Scotland
A child rapist serving an 8-year prison sentence is suing the prison authority, claiming that prison life is boring and causes him mental anguish and low self-esteem.

Frivolous calls to hotlines
July 17, 2004 UK
People are tying up emergency telephone hotlines with frivolous calls. The North Wales Police Department says that people call to report missing dogs, broken TVs and other non-emergencies. A growing trend is calls from people who have run out of credit on their cell phones, but can still use them to call police. They ask to be transferred by the police to the party they originally wanted to phone. British Telecom estimates that 52% of calls to emergency hotlines in 2003 were inappropriate.

Soccer mom sues for injuries from fall
July 16, 2004 New Jersey
A soccer mom who tripped over a cooler by the concession stand at a game is suing the local athletic association. She is seeking damages resulting from her fall, including a separated shoulder.

Obese man claims he needs larger apartment
July 14, 2004 Germany
A 400-lb man who lives in government-subsidized housing claimed that he needed a bigger apartment to accommodate his size. The court ruled that obesity did not entitle him to more living space.

Man sues new wife for being bald
July 8, 2004 Egypt
A newly married man is suing his wife for $93,000 and filed a police complaint, charging her with deception. This is because on their wedding night he learned that she was wearing a wig, and that underneath she was bald.

Parking garage rage
July 7, 2004 Minnesota
A man who was trying to find a parking spot in a mall garage got fed up when other drivers pulled into spots that he had his eye on. He walked up to one of the drivers, got into an argument with him and pulled out a knife, slashing and stabbing him several times. The man was arrested. It was later learned that he had been convicted of domestic assault a few years ago.

Angry driver destroys speed camera
July 7, 2004 UK
A driver who was caught speeding by a traffic camera, broke it open and stole the film, destroying the camera in the process.

Man sues ex-girlfriend for chocolates, nuts and fruit
July 6, 2004 Russia
A man is suing his ex-girlfriend for return of chocolates, nuts and fruit that he gave her. She claims that she has already eaten them and can't return them. Her jilted lover is unfazed. He is prepared to take the matter to the Supreme Court.

Patient rage
July 2, 2004 Shanghai
Patient rage is a growing problem at many hospitals. Nurses are kicked; equipment is broken; police are frequently called. Patients also lash out verbally at staff when they are deemed not sick enough to be admitted to the hospital.

Buy alibi for your dalliance
June 29, 2004 Germany
People who want a getaway weekend with someone other than their spouse can now buy the services of a company that provides them with documentation, such as a bogus invitation to a weekend seminar, complete with fake schedules and phone numbers. Meanwhile the person can be anywhere with his or her lover. The company even has employees posing as hotel staff, standing by to receive and transfer calls, should the spouse at home try to reach the person.

Woman threatens Chuck E. Cheese character
June 29,2004 Georgia
At a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant a 31-year-old woman threw pizza at, and threatened to beat a teenager in a Chuck E. Cheese costume. She was angry that the character was not paying enough attention to her child.

Man ignores danger flags. Family sues.
June 21, 2004 Florida
The family of a man who drowned while trying to save the lives of others, has filed a lawsuit against the state. They claim that the red flags indicating dangerous swimming conditions were an insufficient warning.

Parents sue son's rescuers
June 21, 2004 Oregon
The parents of a teen who died after falling over a gorge are suing the medics who rescued him. Their son had fallen 20 feet over a cliff and hit his head on a rock. He was still alive when the rescuers arrived, but died a few hours later in the hospital, from internal injuries. The parents claim that the boy had not been strapped securely, such that his head fell to his chest, when the crew hoisted him up from the gorge.

Woman loses lawsuit against bar
June 16, 2004 Australia
A woman lost her 10-year legal battle with a private club whom she sued for damages resulting from personal injury. After drinking for several hours she had left the club drunk (blood alcohol level .238) and was hit by a car. She held the club responsible for serving her alcohol. However, for over two hours after the club stopped serving her she continued to drink booze that her friends had ordered. The High Court ruled that she alone was responsible for her intoxication.

Man charged in "coffee road rage"
June 15, 2004 Boston
A man was charged with assault and battery after throwing a cup of hot coffee on a driver in the car next to him. In his own defense he said that the other driver had been verbally abusive, and that he "flung the coffee at him just to shut him up."

Road rage insurance?
June 15, 2004 UK
You can now purchase insurance that will pay you if you are a victim of mugging or road rage. Acumen Insurance in the UK offers policies that cover personal injury, hospitalization and property damage as a result of being a victim of street crime.

Woman's lawsuit against baseball team thrown out
June 10, 2004 Massachusetts
A state appeals court rejected a woman's lawsuit against a baseball team, for injuries suffered when a foul ball hit her in the face. The court ruled that she had assumed some risk by attending the game, and that the team had no duty to warn her that foul balls might end up in the stands.

Woman loses lawsuit blaming cell-phone maker for car crash
June 4, 2004 Indiana
An appeals court ruled that a cell phone company was not to blame for a car accident caused by a woman who was talking on her cell phone. The victim whose car was struck in the accident, sued the other driver as well as the phone company. She claimed that the phone company was negligent in providing phones to people who would use them while driving.

School board chair plagiarizes graduation speech
June 3, 2004 North Carolina
The chairman of a school board addressed the class of graduating seniors with a plagiarized speech that was identical to one given by former U.S. government official Donna Shalala in 1998. After claiming he wrote the speech himself, he finally admitted that he had found it on the Internet. In his own defense he said that there was no mention of Shalala's name on the web site, and that he would have attributed the speech to her, had he only known.

Angry dad assaults boy in 'chute rage'
June 2, 2004 UK
At a public park an 11-year-old boy got stuck in a bubble chute designed for younger children. A man, whose two kids wanted to use the equipment, angrily pulled the boy from the chute and assaulted him.

Woman's claim of mouse in soup is a hoax
June 2, 2004 Rhode Island
A woman eating in a restaurant shrieked when she found a dead mouse in her soup. She demanded $500,000 for her alleged trauma. An autopsy on the mouse proved that it died from a blow to the head. It was not cooked and its lungs contained no fluid. The woman and her adult son, who accompanied her to the restaurant and took photos of the mouse with his cell phone, were arrested and charged with attempted extortion.

Man claims trees obstruct his basic right to TV
May 31, 2004 UK
A man has lodged a formal complaint because overgrown trees interfere with his satelite TV reception. He claims that watching TV is a basic human right, and that his rights have been violated by this obstruction of trees.

Student sues for not getting caught soon enough
May 28, 2004 UK
A university student was expelled for plagiarism. He admits that he downloaded information from the Internet for school assignments, but he is suing the university for waiting three years (and all that time collecting his tuition) before booting him out.

Dog sues groomer for bad haircut
May 27, 2004 UK
A dog that is used as a model in ads is suing the groomer who gave him a haircut. The owner claims that because of this, the dog will miss some prestigious work assignments. In addition, accordeing to the owner, the dog was in shock because of the haircut and is now suffering a great sense of loss.

Porsche drivers most likely to cheat on wives
May 17, 2004 Germany
A survey published in the magazine Men's Car found that 49% of male Porsche owners admitted to adultery. BMW and Fort Pilot owners were not far behind, with 46% and 44% respectively. Female sports car drivers also admitted to adultery, with Audi owners in the lead at 41%. Opel drivers of both genders had the lowest rate of adultery.

Angry fans attack players
May 17, 2004 Germany
Fans at a soccer game were so outraged with a referee's decision that they stormed the field to attack the visiting team. Two attackers threatened players with guns. One man was hospitalized with a head injury.

Man threatened police; thought it would be fun
May 15, 2004 Japan
A man who made 189 prank calls to police, including a threat to blow up the police department was arrested. He told police, "I was drinking. It was fun to see things thrown into confusion."

Woman throws coffee into neighboring car, injuring baby
May 14, 2004 Michigan
After a woman honked at another driver who was about to back up into her car, she drove off. A few minutes later at a red light the other driver, also a woman, pulled up beside her, rolled down her window and threw a cup of hot coffee into the open window of the first woman's car. The coffee landed on a 9-month-old baby in the back seat, causing skin burns.

Share holders blame Krispy Kreme for share price drop
May 14, 2004 New York
Shares of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts lost a third of their value during the past week. Disgruntled shareholders are suing the company because it had not warned them that profits would fall amidst the popularity of low-carb diets.

Woman collects donations for falsely claiming son has cancer
May 14, 2004 Illinois
A woman pleaded guilty to theft. She had told people that her 7-year-old son was dying of cancer, which was a lie, and collected thousands of dollars in donations, which she spent on a vacation.

Cell phone customer rages in store
May 14, 2004 North Dakota
An angry cell phone customer who said he was fed up with the service, drove to the cell phone store at the mall. First he took off his shirt and donned safety glasses. Then he started throwing phones around the store, striking an employee. After his arrest he later told the newspaper reporter that he had planned only to yell at the employees, not cause property damage.

UK shopping rage on the rise
May 13, 2004 UK
The image of polite Britons queuing up and patiently waiting their turn is fading fast. Shopping rage is on the rise in the UK. The retail workers' union reports that between 1995 and 2001, over 200,000 shop workers were threatened with violence and 100,000 were actually assaulted. Current studies predict that for the more recent past, the figures will be higher.

Prisoners' frivolous lawsuits cost taxpayers
May 12, 2004 South Carolina
The state Department of Corrections is sued over 1200 times per year by inmates. Most of the suits are frivolous and thrown out by the court, but tax payers still have to pay the bill. Examples of lawsuits: A prisoner changed his name, but staff wouldn't call him by his new name, so he sued for $700 for mental anguish. Three prisoners sued the canteen director for $600 million because the cigarettes they smoked left tar on their fingers, which they fear will lead to cancer. Another prisoner claimed that the black silhouettes that are used on the staff's pistol range violate his civil rights because he is black.

Survey shows disrespectful students undermine classroom learning
May 11, 2004
The research organization, Public Agenda, has released a report on teachers' and parents' attitudes about school discipline. There was strong agreement that "discipline and behavior problems in America's public schools are serious, pervasive and are compromising student learning. They are also driving a substantial number of teachers out of the profession." More than half the teachers surveyed said that their school districts back down too readily from lawsuit-threatening parents.

Sweet approach to prevent drunken brawls
May 3, 2004 UK
Police have been handing out chocolate to late-night patrons as they leave pubs. Their reasoning is that after an evening of drinking people are not only drunk but also hungry. The chocolate gives them something to do while they are waiting for taxis or food.

Woman's air rage over pooch
April 30, 2004 Florida
A woman who brought her small dog onto an airplane was told she could not remove the dog from its carrier while the plane was in the air. She became outraged, shouting obscenities at the airline attendants. When the plane landed she was arrested, and continued swearing. When handcuffed and put into a police car she tried to kick out the windows.

Truck driver's employer found liable for his road rage
April 27, 2004 Georgia
A road rage victim who was beaten up by a truck driver at a truck stop was awarded $300,000 by a jury. The jury found that not only was the truck driver to blame, but also the two trucking companies who had hired him despite his history of speeding tickets. There was no mention of any history of assault.

Judge claims she can't help being disorganized
April 26, 2004 Indiana
A judge was suspended because she was so disorganized that she misfiled important documents, failed to rule on motions and kept a backlog of files much longer than rules permit. Her defense was that she is obsessive-compulsive and that there is not much that she can do about it, except rely on others for help.

Man sues for toilet injury
April 26, 2004 New York
A man is suing his employer for $5 million after a toilet seat collapsed beneath him. He fell annd sustained a back injury.

Road rage on the rise in China
April 25, 2004 China
As more and more people in China own cars, the number of road rage incidents has increased dramatically. There are over 1,000 accidents per day, most of them caused by inexperienced drivers who don't obey traffic laws. Motorists are doing things such as getting out of their cars and punching drivers in adjacent vehicles; assaulting parking attendants; blocking other cars.

Man has fit of air rage; claims he did nothing wrong
April 22, 2004 Calgary, Canada
A man was convicted of assault and fined $3500 for air rage involving swearing, threatening passengers and grabbing a flight attendant by the neck. Afterwards he denied having done anything wrong, and claimed that the flight attendant had lied about being assaulted.

Farmer hires hitman to kill neighbor's chickens
April 20, 2004 Belgium
A farmer hired a hunter to kill his neighbor's chickens and cat, because they were running around on his property. He was convicted and sentenced to one year in jail.

Woman sues Coors for son's accidental death
April 19, 2004 Nevada
A woman whose 19-year-old son was killed in a car accident is suing Coors Brewing Company for encouraging underage drinking. Her son had been drinking Coors beer at a party, after which he drove his girlfriend's car into a light pole. The woman is also suing the girlfriend who allowed him to drive the car and the girlfriend's mother who had given her the car.

Teen tells hitman to kill mom, leave TV intact
April 18, 2004 Florida
A 17-year-old boy hired a hitman (who turned out to be an undercover police officer) to kill his mother. He told the man to make it look like a burglary and to make sure he didn't break the TV

Licorice addict sues candy maker
April 16, 2004 Germany
A woman who developed heart problems after eating 400 gm. of licorice every day for 4 months, is suing the candy manufacturer. She claims that the manufacturer failed to warn her of the poentially negative effect of excessive consumption of licorice, which contains the active compound glycyrrhizin.

Teacher sees no harm in strip poker with 14-year-olds
April 8, 2004 UK
A teacher who provided alcohol to a group of 14-year-old girls and played strip poker with them was arrested and lost his job. He claimed that he saw nothing wrong with his actions, since the girls didn't seem bothered by it. His attorney said of the teacher's obliviousness to the potential harm he was causing: "This is a character defect which he fully accepts."

Road accidents more from aggression than misjudgment
April 7, 2004 Switzerland
Road safety experts from 30 countries met in Geneva to address the topic of aggressive driving. It was estimated that 1.2 million lives are lost each year because of intentional aggression or violation of road rules. Only 10% of accidents are due to inexperience or misjudgment. It was also suggested that insurance rates be based on rule violations rather than on drivers' ages.

Angry boyfriend refuses to return dentures
April 7, 2004 Germany
A 60-year-old woman who had been planning to spend the night at her boyfriend's house had already taken out her dentures. They argued and the man threw her out and refused to return her dentures. She called police, who got her dentures back.

Kozlowski defends CEO image in 1995 article
April 7, 2004
An article written in 1995 by former Tyco Chairman Dennis Koslowski has recently come to light. Kozlowski has been accused of stealing millions from the company for his own benefit. Ironically he wrote in 1995: "For me, and for most CEOs, the irresponsible image really rankles. Most of us made it to the chief executive position because of a particularly high degree of responsibility and commitment to our jobs throughout our careers." And: "We've been made out to be free-wheeling jet setters, playboys reliving our adolescent years."

Basketball fans turn destructive
April 7, 2004 Connecticut
University of Connecticut's NCAA basketball victories prompted thousands of fans into rowdy celebration. Some of the fans got out of control, setting fires, overturning cars and breaking windows. Dozens were arrested, and police are still combing photos and video footage for other suspects.

Man sues city for coat ruined by sticker
April 7, 2004 Connecticut
A man who was given an "I voted today" sticker after leaving the polls, put the sticker on his suede coat. The sticker left a mark which the dry cleaner could not remove. The man filed a claim with the city to pay for a new coat.

Parents sue county when drunk son dies in car accident
April 5, 2004 Indiana
A 17-year-old boy was killed when his car ran off the road. He had not been wearing a seatbelt, had a blood alcohol level of .162, and had told friends he had used the painkiller, Oxycontin. His parents are suing the county for defective road construction and failure to maintain the road in a safe condition.

Fight breaks out during anger management assembly
April 2, 2004 Maryland
During a school's on-stage demonstration of nonviolent ways to settle conflicts, a fight broke out in the audience when a woman confronted a group of girls who had been bothering her daughter. The fight escalated into screaming, pushing and hitting that took 15 minutes to break up.

Man sues airline after tumble on escalator
March 31, 2004 Florida
After getting off an airplane, a man stumbled and fell down an escalator that stopped suddenly at a Florida airport. He acknowledged that he had been drinking on the plane. But he sued the airline, claiming that they had failed to warn him about the effects of alcohol served in the air at night.

Women assault police
March 28, 2004 Chicago
Two daughters of a state attorney general who were thrown out of a bar because they were rowdy, refused to leave when police were called. They assaulted a police officer and damaged the squad car.

Teacher bites student on the nose
March 26, 2004 New York
During an altercation with a 17-year-old student, a teacher bit him on the nose, causing a laceration. Another teacher, who heard the noise, could not pry the two apart.

Parks remove equipment to prevent lawsuits
March 25, 2004 UK
Bogus or excessive lawsuits against Manchester's playgrounds cost ?117 million last year. Even though 90% of cases were thrown out of court, Manchester's budget for defending them exceeded that for fixing roads. New measures taken by parks to avoid future lawsuits include: removal of swings that face into the sun (which could damage children's eyes), banning hanging baskets because one might fall on someone's head, and removal of any play equipment that moves,such as merry-go-rounds.

Lottery winner wins suit against ticket seller
March 25, 2004 Ohio
A jury ordered a convenience store owner to pay $1.3 million to a man who sued him and the state lottery. The man had won money on the tickets he had bought at the convenience store, but it was less than he expected. This was because he hadn't read the lottery rules, which he admitted that he carried in his pocket. The state was dismissed from the lawsuit, but the jury said the store owner should have explained the rules verbally.

Helmetless cyclers not responsible for their head injuries
March 16, 2004 Wisconsin
Wisconsin does not have a law that adults must wear helmets while on motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles or snowmobiles. The legislature recently passed a law saying that if a person is injured on such a vehicle, and was not wearing a helmet, then this cannot be held against them in determining fault, should case go to court. That is, juries cannot reduce the award just because the driver or rider was not wearing a helmet.

Frustrated man beats woman of his condo board
March 16, 2004 California
A 47-year-old man entered the condo of his 78-year-old neighbor and beat her, causing a concussion and loss of some teeth. The reason? He was frustrated with the way the condo association was handling his requests, and the woman was on the board. Later, when another neighbor visited him in jail, he asked her, "Do you still like me?"

Child protection advisor is a pedophile
March 16, 2004 UK
A 54-year-old man was discovered to have a collection of over 500 child pornography photos as well as videos of indecent acts with young girls. Ironically, he had been working as a child protection expert who advised police and social agencies how to protect children from pedophiles.

Cricket rage
March 14,2004 UK
An amateur cricket player, unhappy with the umpire's call against him, returned to the next game with his brother. They both attacked the umpire with a baseball bat, breaking his arm in several places.

Youth hockey ring to get police protection
March 13, 2004 Massachusetts
A town council is considering a proposal to have police present at youth hockey games. This is after two recent incidents in which parents were charged with disorderly conduct.

Man sues for hot burger
March 12, 2004 South Carolina
A man is suing Burger King because a chicken burger burned his mouth, causing "physical disability". He claims that the fast food chain should warn customers about hot food.

Hockey player suspended after vicious attack on rival
March 11, 2004 Toronto
Todd Bertuzzi, a hockey player with the Vancouver Canucks, was suspended for the rest of the season after viciously attacking a player from an opposing team during the game. The other player suffered lacerations, a concussion and two broken vertebrae after Bertuzzi knocked him down from behind and pummelled him repeatedly. Bertuzzi later publicly apologized to the player, saying, "I had no intention of hurting you." The team manager, who disagreed with the hockey league's decision to suspend Bartuzzi, described him as a "quality hockey player who made a mistake."

Ban on obesity lawsuits against restaurants
March 11, 2004
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would protect restaurants from being sued by people who blame them for serving fattening food. The bill affirms that people make their choices freely as to what to eat and how much to eat.

Drunk dad tells 11-yr-old son to drive him home
March 11, 2004 Texas
After picking up his 11-year-old son for weekend visitation, a divorced dad stopped at a bar with the boy. He got so drunk that he couldn't drive, so he handed the keys to his son, who could barely see over the steering wheel. The police, noticing that the car was being driven erratically, stopped them shortly after they left the bar. The man is charged with child endangerment, public intoxication and having an open container of alcohol in his car.

Woman ties up daughter so she can go dancing
March 9, 2004 Florida
A woman and her boyfriend tied a bedsheet around her 1-year-old daughter's arms, legs and neck, so that they could go out dancing. When the child's grandmother came in, she heard the baby screaming. The 25-year-old mother was in the bathroom getting ready to go out. The grandmother reported her daughter to the police, who arrested the woman and her boyfriend on charges of chid abuse.

Nissan sued for making theft-prone headlights
March 9, 2004 New Jersey
Nissan is being sued by the state of New Jersey because it failed to warn buyers who purchased cars with ultrabright xenon headlights, that the lights were a target for theives. Nissan did offer dealers and car owners a low-cost kit to prevent the theft of the lightbulbs, but state officials said that it was too late.

Disneyland removes the spin from the teacups
March 4, 2004 California
Disneyland modified its giant spinning-teacups ride so that riders can hardly spin the cups on their axis. Although protesters claim that this takes the fun out of the ride, Disneyland, like other amusement parks, is becoming overly cautious about the possibility of lawsuits.

Former United Way president pleads guilty to theft
March 4, 2004 Virginia
Oral Suer, the former president of the United Way of the National Capital Area, pleaded guilty to stealing a half-million dollars from the charity he ran. The current president alleges that Suer had taken much more than he admitted, but it couldn't be proved because records were missing.

Man opts for longer prison sentence so he can smoke
March 2, 2004
A 73-year-old man sentenced to 20 months in prison, asked for an extended sentence of 24 months. This would place him in a Canadian federal prison, where he would be allowed to smoke. The shorter sentence would have been served in provincial prison, where smoking is banned.

Youth hockey coach attacks ref
March 2, 2004 Boston
An assistant coach at a hockey game for 12-to-14-year-olds, grabbed the referee as he skated by, and ripped off his jersey. He was angry at the calls that the referee was making.

Woman stabs husband 193 times, claims self-defense
February 26, 2004 Texas
A woman on trial for murder of her husband claimed that she had acted in self-defense after he had raped her. The man had been tied to the bed and stabbed 193 times. Then there was the fact that his body was found in a shallow hole behind the house, that the woman repainted and bleached blood-stained areas of the home, and she waited 5 days to call the police. Her lawyer's explanation: she was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Handicapped parking used by people who aren't disabled
February 16, 2004 UK
In a study of 808 supermarket parking lots, it was found that 21% (one in five) of the Handicapped parking spaces occupied by cars without the special badge. This is up from 18.5% a year ago. In some lots handicapped drivers were unable to find a parking spot close to the entrance, because all designated spots were taken by unauthorized cars.

Survey: rude drivers are in abundance
Februrary 15, 2004
In a recent telephone survey of 1500 drivers 49% said they were the target of threatening or rude behavior by other drivers. In a different survey of 1200 drivers only 20% of drivers admitted being rude themselves. (Where did the other 29% go?)

Burglar sues homeowner who shot him during break-in
February 12, 2004
A burglar who was shot when he broke into a house sued the owner. The matter ended up in Superior Court, where a jury decided that the burglar was not entitled to compensation.

Man injured and sues after illegally climbing on truck
February 10, 2004 New York
A free-lance photographer who surreptitiously climbed on top of a garbage truck to get a better view of Ground Zero where the World Trade Center was attacked, fell off the truck when the vehicle moved. He suffered brain damage. Now he is suing the driver and the trash-hauling company for $50 million for his injuries and for their "failure to respect the plaintiff's rights as a pedestrian."

Spam rage
February 11, 2004 California
A 44-year-old man who received spam email mesages advertising penis enlargements, threatened the sender in phone calls as well as email messages, that he would send him a package of anthrax spores if they didn’t remove him from their list. He has been charged with violation of interstate communications.

Internet rage
February 11, 2004 Scotland
In a survey of 1000 Web surfers, 20% admitted to having “Internet rage” over slow connections, and about 10% said they sometimes wanted to smash the monitor or hurl the computer out the window.

Mom, dad & kid lose it at basketball game
February 10, 2004 Pennsylvania
Parents and their teenage basketball-player son caused a ruckus during a game. The son was involved in a fight with one of the other players. The mother swore at one of the officials, and the father physically attacked another, knocking him unconscious.

Angry janitor spills mercury through hallway
February 6, 2004 Detroit
A school janitor who was angry about his overtime, spilled three pounds of mercury in the hallways, The school had to be closed for a week to be decontaminated.

Woman sues Radio Shack over receipt misprint
February 4, 2004
A woman is suing Radio Shack for the shame, emotional distress and anguish she suffered when her receipt was printed out with the wrong name of the town she lived in. Her computerized receipt said "Crimedanch." She lives in Wyandanch, which is known for its relatively high crime rate in drug dealings and prostitution.

Woman sues Kellog's for broken tooth
February 2, 2004 Idaho
A woman who broke a tooth after biting a partially crystallized piece of corn in a box of Frosted Flakes, is suing Kellog's, the maker of the cereal. She claims that the "severe bodily pain and mental anguish" left her unable to work for a period of time. She is seeking payment for medical and legal expenses as well as for psychological damages.

Man blames voyeurism on 9/11
January 31, 2004 New York
A man pleaded guilty to illegally videotaping an 11-year-old girl in the shower in 2002. He blamed it on the stress he suffered from helping with the September 11, 2001 rescue operations.

Hospital rage
January 30, 2004 Quebec
Angry patients at hospitals are losing their tempers, throwing things at nurses and spitting at them, because of long waits for health care. Hospital officials have had to hire security guards and install security glass to protect their employees.

Dad and son mail snake in retaliation
January 30, 2004 Arkansas
A lawyer and his son face jail after being convicted of mailing a poisonous copperhead snake to a neighbor. This was their retaliation over a disagreement about payment for repairing a car that the neighbor had bought from them.

Man throws water on crying baby
January 30, 2004 Brazil
An American tourist on his way to Brazil was denied entry to the country because of his behavior during the airplane flight. Bothered by a baby crying, he splashed a cup of water on it. On his return flight he also caused trouble, such that he was taken off the plane and arrested.

Rise in slip-and-fall lawsuits causes insurance rate explosion
January 19, 2004 Canada
The number of slip-and-fall lawsuits is on the increase in Canada, especially against operators of snow-plowing services. As a result, liability insurance rates have skyrocketed. Since most companies reach a settlement rather than risk expensive court trials, it is unknown how many litigants are filing false claims.

Man get Worker's Comp. for barrom hijinx
January 16, 2004 California
An appeals court upheld the claim for Worker's Compensation by a man who was injured in a bar on a remote island in the Pacific. At the time he had been an employee for a government contractor. His injury resulted after he bet other patrons that no one could high-kick over his head without hitting him. He won the bet, but was kicked to the floor, and required hip replacement. The court ruled that he was entitled to work-related compensation because there were limited recreational opportunities in this remote location where he was employed.

Contestant drenches Cowell
January 14, 2004
A disgruntled contestant on the TV show, American Idol, walked up to judge Simon Cowell after being dismissed. He grabbed a cup of water and threw it at Cowell.

Angry dentist takes back his crown
January 11, 2004 Chicago
A dentist ripped out the crown he had just placed on a patient's tooth when he thought that the woman owed him $2,000. His assistant told the dentist that he had misread the account, and that the woman was paid up. The dentist replaced the crown, but stormed out of the room.

Anger in workplace has widespread effects
January 9, 2004 UK
A research study shows that anger is widespread in the British workplace. People's major complaints were primarily about cheating, lying, unfair treatment and unjust criticism. Rudeness and disrespect were also mentioned. Angry workers sometimes tried to negotiate with the offenders, but they also responded with outbursts, gossip and reduced productivity. The researchers concluded that anger affects both the individual and the organization.

Man blames cable company for his addiction
January 9, 2004 Wisconsin
A man who had threatened to sue the cable company has since changed his mind, but he still blames the cable company for causing him to smoke and drink too much, and for causing his wife to gain weight. Four years ago he had requested that his cable service be cancelled. He was no longer billed, but the service was never actually shut off. When asked why he just didn't disconnect the cable box himself, the man replied that he didn't want to break the law by tampering with it. Moreover, he was powerless over the remote control.

Pete Rose demands forgiveness
January 8, 2004
As part of the publicity campaign connected with his new book, former baseball player Pete Rose finally admitted (after years of denial) that he had gambled illegally on the team that he managed, but claims that since he has now "come clean," he deserves to be reinstated into the Baseball league that banned him. He attributes his gambling addiction to attention deficit disorder and oppositional defiant disorder, which got him into scrapes at school, and which supposedly accounted for his inability to abide by rules.

U-Haul won't rent to Explorer drivers
January 8, 2004
Because of all the lawsuits connected with the Ford Explorer SUV, U-Haul outlets will no longer rent trailers to people who plan to tow them with an Explorer.

Woman sentenced for stealing classmates credit cards
January 7, 2004 Florida
A 23-year-old woman was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing mail from the college mailroom in which she worked while she was a student. The bulk of the mail she stole was credit cards, which she used to run up over $150,000 in fraudulent charges. Her college major: Criminal justice.

Supermarket blamed for dog's injuries
January 4, 2004 London
A couple, whose dachshund was injured while jumping for a supermarket leaflet in their mailbox, is suing the supermarket for $3500 to cover the cost of the dog's surgery. The couple claims that they had a sign posted at their home that they didn't want advertising circulars. Therefore the supermarket is to blame for their dog's injuries.

Woman sues Starbucks for $10 million
December 30, 2003 New York
A woman is suing Starbucks for $10 million, claiming that a leaky cup caused permanent injury and scarring to her right hand and arm. Last year a jury awarded another woman $3.5 million for burns from a malfunctioning Starbucks expresso machine.

Angry gift recipient throws molotov cocktail through window
December 29, 2003 California
Unhappy with the Christmas gift from her stepmother, a 20-year-old woman and her boyfriend threw a lighted bottle of gasoline through the stepmother's window, causing $200,000 in damage.

Game called because too many players in penalty box
December 29, 2003 Philadelphia
A hockey game had to end early because too many players were benched for fighting. After four late-game brawls, including water bottles hurled between the teams as well as physical fights, there were not enough players to finish the game. Later the players said that fighting was a "team-bonding experience."

Buddists attack churches
December 28, 2003 Sri Lanka
Four days after the death of a Buddhist monk who opposed conversion to Christianity, his followers broke into two Christian churches. They broke statues and caused much damage to the premises.

Man jailed for guns at work, wants job back
December 27, 2003 New Brunswick, Canada
Last spring a man came into work drunk, wielding a shotgun and handgun, looking for his boss who passed him over for promotion. The man, who has a history of temper tantrums, was arrested and convicted of carrying a gun for the purpose of a crime, and is now serving 2 years in prison. When he is released he wants his job back. His union has filed a grievance for wrongful dismissal.

Mother sues for 2-yr-old's "lost wages"
December 26, 2003 Connecticut
The mother of a 2-year-old boy who got a laceration when he ran into a railing at a public playground, is suing the city for medical bills, pain and suffering, and also for her child's lost wages. The child is a model and will not be able to work while his wound heals.

Golfer sues PGA for fungus
December 25, 2003 Florida
A golfer who contracted a fungal infection, believes he caught it during a tournament in Arizona. He is suing the PGA and the owner of the gofl course for failing to warn him about the risks and symptoms of fungal infection.

Survey shows that rudeness makes travel stressful
December 22, 2003
A survey by Travelocity and the opinion organization Public Agenda, showed that rudeness and disrespect is a major problem in the travel industry. 65% of passengers and 54% of travel employees cited rudeness as a source of stress. 49% of travel workers reported seeing disrespectful behavior that threatened to escalate into physical confrontation. Passengers and travel employees tended to blame the other group for provoking them into rude behavior.

Mom sues babysitter, drug store and others for infant's death
December 21, 2003 Florida
A woman whose infant died from an overdose of Benadryl given by a babysitter, is suing not only the babysitter, but also the drug manufacturer and the pharmacy that sold the medicine. She is also suing the county, the health department and the Floriday Department of Children & Families, citing them all as liable for her child's death.

Mailman sues customer for sending too much mail
December 20, 2003 UK
A mailman who had to pick up 50 lb. of mail from a single customer, is suing the man for shoulder injuries sustained in lifting the letters. He claims that the customer was negligent in appreciating the risk he faced.

Prisoner stabs cellmate over bad haircut
December 18, 2003 China
A prisoner stabbed his cellmate more than 20 times in retaliation for a bad haircut a few hours before. The cellmate not only gave him a bad haircut, but joked about it.

Hockey dad sues for son's emotional distress
December 18, 2003 Canada
The father of a 9-year-old hockey player is suing the child's hockey league for $50,000 in damages. He claims that his son suffered humiliation and emotional distress because he was placed on an inferior team.

Woman wins beach umbrella lawsuit
December 16, 2003 New York
One windy day at a public beach an umbrella planted in the sand flew up and hit a woman, who sustained injuries including a gash and prolonged neck and back pain. She sued the State of New York for failing to protect her safety, and won in court. Damages have not yet been awarded.

Angry woman's husband assaults shopper
December 16, 2003
A woman in a grocery store checkout line was delayed because of some problems with her coupons. The shopper behind her asked the clerk how much longer she would have to wait. The first woman not only cursed at the shopper, but she also told her husband, who assaulted the other woman outside the store.

Shopper rage
December 14, 2003 San Francisco
A woman was arrested outside a toy store after she hit one customer in the face with a box of Legos, shoved another customer and kicked a third customer. She ran to the parking lot and locked herself in the car, ignoring police's request to open the door. They had to smash the window to get her out, and had to restrain her in a nylon wrap.

Chicago cops use excessive sick leave
December 14, 2003 Chicago
Chicago police officers take an average of 18.5 days of sick leave per year. If you subtract the 44% of officers who took no sick leave last year, the rest took an average of 33 days. Compare that to Los Angeles (8 days) and New York (4 days). Experts attribute this to Chicago's liberal sick leave policy: 365 days every two years. The Chicago police department has recently begun paying unscheduled visits to officers suspected of abusing sick leave.

Mother sues pet store for son's injury
December 11, 2003 Indianapolis
A mother of a 12-year-old boy is suing a pet store for snake bite incurred by another customer's pet python, which the customer had brought into the store. The boy, accompanied by his mother, had approached the snake's owner, who allowed him to hold the snake. The snake bit the boy 40 times and coiled itself around his neck. The boy's mother claims that the store failed to protect her son from the python.

Man swallows keys so ex-wife can't have them
December 10, 2003 Romania
In an attempt to block his ex-wife's access to their marital home, a man installed special security locks and swallowed the only keys. He now must undergo surgery to save his life (and to retrieve the keys.)

Priest blames celibacy for his crime
December 9, 2003 Australia
A Catholic priest pleaded guilty to assaulting a 15-year-old boy, but blamed the crime on celibacy. He stated, "If we did away with celibacy this would all go away. It was the sort of thing (where there was) a lovely slice of cake, and I bloody well ate it. I suppose there was some sort of ego trip in it - it was something, which had never happened to me before."

Man sues pet sitter
December 6, 2003 Oregon
A man is suing the woman who was his dog's pet sitter. The dog had escaped from her yard and was lost for two months, but was healthy when it was found a couple of miles from home. The man is seeking $60,000 economic damages and $100,000 emotional damages.

Enron investigator wants to take the money and run
December 5, 2003
In the last year and a half the law firm overseeing the bankruptcy of Enron has billed over $100 million. The lead investigator has now petitioned the court to be removed from the case, as well as to be immune from any future discovery or liability. He also requested permission to destroy some of the documents he accumulated. He still expects to be paid, however.

Mayonnaise rage
December 5, 2003 Texas
A belligerent drive-through customer at a McDonald's became enraged and hostile when the burger she ordered did not come with mayonnaise. When an employee went outside to write down her license number, the woman ran over the employee, causing multiple injuries. She was arrested. At her trial the woman claimed that it was an accident. The jury didn't buy it. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Man ticketed for popped balloon
December 4, 2003 New York
Police issued a ticket to a man for causing "unreasonable noise" when his son's balloon popped in the street. This is not the first time police have written silly citations. Earlier this year other citizens were ticketed for using multiple subway seats, sitting on a milk crate on the sidewalk, and resting on subway steps.

Woman trampled by shoppers
November 29, 2003 Florida
When the doors to a Wal-mart store opened on Black Friday, a woman was trampled by other shoppers stampeding for bargains. She was found unconscious on top of a DVD player.

Man demolishes house so ex-wife can't have it
November 28, 2003 England
In his divorce settlement a 50-year-old man had to give his wife half their property. He reacting by tearing down his house, brick by brick, in order to render it worthless. The court has now ordered him to repair the dwelling.

Men more prone to road rage
November 21, 2003 Utah
In a study at the University of Utah, researchers measured subjects' behavior and blood pressure while at the wheel of a driving simulator. When cars cut them off or braked unexpectedly, the male drivers were more likely to swear or use obscene gestures. They also had higher blood pressure while drivng.

Arrogant execs drove company into bankrupty
November 20, 2003
During the time K-mart's financial problems ended up in bankruptcy proceedings, the top executives spent over a billion dollars on personal expenses, according to a lawsuit filed by the Kmart Creditor Trust. Executives used corporate funds to pay for nannies, home improvements, dental work, cars and chauffers.

Woman kills 2 cops in car crash, blames passenger
November 13, 2003 Tennessee
A woman who was driving a stolen car and crashed, killing two policemen who were chasing her, is now suing her passenger for causing the crash. She claims that the passenger forced her to smoke crack cocaine and took control of the steering wheel. She seeks $11 million. Her lawyer said that the passenger should "step up to the plate and accept responsibility."

Divorce judge orders auction to settle assets
November 12, 2003 China
Tired of the squabbling between a divorcing couple over their belongings, a judge held an auction, in which each spouse bid against the other. The judge made an inventory of the possessions, including a motorcycle, computer, camera, and the apartment itself. Each item went to the highest bidder, who had to pay the other spouse in cash for it.

Survey: People enjoy showing dull photos to friends
November 6, 2003 UK
In a British survey 70% of those questioned said that they hate to view other people's boring photographs. At the same time 40% of the respondents admitted that they secretly enjoy showing their own dull holiday photos to others.

Injured woman sues homeowner for negligence in car accident
November 6, 2003 Nevada
A case that reached the state Supreme Court was finally dismissed. A woman had been a passenger in a car that smashed through a homeowner's cinder block wall, and landed in the flower bed. She claims that her injuries were caused by the homeowner's negligence in placing the flower bed in the wrong place.

Angry woman urinates in police car
November 5, 2003 Norway
A woman who was arrested for drunk driving punched the arresting officer in the face and later urinated twice in his car out of spite.

Man threatens police with copyright violation of his name
November 4, 2003 Missouri
A man who was involved in an accident refused to give police his license unless they gave him a receipt. He also threatened to sue them if they wrote down his name, as he claimed his name was copyrighted. He warned that each time his name was written it would cost the police department $500,000. Apparently this man did not know that even a copyrighted name can be written freely as long as it is not for commercial gain.

Trick-or-treat rage
November 3, 2003 Michigan
A man was arrested after vandalizing a house on Halloween night. His son had complained that the woman at the house had not given him any candy. The man and his son confronted the woman who claimed that she had given the boy candy. The father then smashed a bird feeder and threw a pumpkin through her window.

Disgruntled man shoots attorney outside courthouse
October 31, 2003 California
A man shot his attorney outside a court house. He was reportedly angry because the attorney and the court-appointed manager of his trust fund would not release money to him for surgery. He had previously threatened the trustee. The whole incident was captured on videotape by news photographers who happened to be there at the time.

Supreme Court overturns damage award for mouse-invaded van
October 24, 2003 Idaho
After Honda was ordered by a court to pay $10,000 to a couple who had sued because mice had entered their Honda van and made a mess, the company appealed to the state Supreme Court. The decision was overturned. The Supreme Court ruled that the "implied warranty cannot be read to require the distribution of a mouse-proof vehicle."

Victims of farmers market accident sue city
October 23, 2003 California
Victims of the calamity that occurred when an 86-year-old man drove his car into a busy farmers market, are suing the city for allowing the accident to happen. They claim that the city was negligent for not having stronger barricades.

Woman throws TV out of apartmentt window
October 21, 2003 Germany
A woman threw her TV out of her fifth-floor window because "There was nothing decent on." She had grown tired of boring TV shows and reruns.

Former winning contestant sues game show
October 17, 2003
A former contestant who won thousands of dollars on the "Wheel of Fortune" game show, is now suing Sony Pictures Entertainment (producer of the show) for 2 million dollars. He claims that after he won, host Pat Sajak gave him an overzealous victory hug, which resulted in serious back injury and later emotional distress.

Professor molests student, blames her clothing style
October 16, 2003 Nebraska
A 41-year-old college professor was charged with sexual assault and first-degree false imprisonment after sexually molesting a student. He claimed that he had lost his mind for a few seconds and blamed the student because of how she was dressed.

Woman attacks 4-year-old at McDonalds
October 15, Virginia
A pregnant 18-year-old woman was arrested on assault charges after chasing a 4-year-old boy through a McDonald's restaurant, pinning him in a headlock and cursing at him while smearing his face with hot french fries. What had the child done to deserve this? He accidentally brushed against her shirt with his ice cream.

90% admit enjoying gossip
October 13, 2003 UK
A recent survey of 1004 adults revealed that 90% admitted enjoying gossip. 14% spent at least two hours a day gossiping. Favorite topics included other people's lives, but not primarily celebrities. The favorite mode of gossip communication was face-to-face rather than by phone, email or in writing.

Bullpen brawls at Yankee/RedSox game
October 12, 2002 Boston
Two brawls during a championship baseball game ended up in injuries and fines. In the first fight, the Boston Red Sox pitcher threw the Yankee's 72-year-old bench coach to the ground, surrounded by players from both teams. There were accusations on both sides that the pitchers had been aiming for the batters' heads. The second fight broke out when an employee of the Red Sox, who was assigned to the New York Yankees' bullpen, started loudly cheering for his own team. Yankees team members attacked him.

Teacher throws 2 boys out the window
October 7, 2003 Morocco
Two students, ages 9 and 10 were injured when their teacher threw them out of a first floor classroom window for being too noisy. One of the boys needed to be hospitalized. In defense of the teacher, a spokesman from the Education Ministry said that the teacher had warned them she'd throw them out, but they didn't listen.

Family brawl in church - for the third time!
October 5, 2003 Rhode Island
During Sunday morning mass a family brawl broke out in the pews, resulting in four injuries and two arrests. A witness noted that this was the third time that this family had got into physical fights at church

Mother of workplace shooter files for death benefit
October 5, 2003 Missouri
Last July a man who went on a shooting spree at work, killing 3 people, wounding 5 others and then killed himself. Now his mother has filed a workers’ compensation death- benefit claim from the company because he was injured and died on company time. She had been financially dependent on her son, and said, "I don’t feel I should have to pay for the actions that he chose to do."

Toddler burned by smoldering cigarette. Mother sues tobacco company
October 5, 2003 Texas
Philip Morris Tobacco company paid a settlement of 2 million dollars to a woman who locked her toddler in the car and left a smoldering cigarette on the seat. The seat caught fire and the child was burned on 75% of her body. The mother sued the tobacco company, claiming that the Marlboro cigarette had a defective design which allowed it to continue burning when no one was sucking on it.

Mom sues fireworks maker
September 26, 2003 Mississippi
The mother of 2 boys who retrieved an unexploded shell floating in the water after a fireworks display, is suing the manufacturer. The boys opened the shell and emptied it. There was an adult with them, the father of a third boy, who said, "See if it will light." They did and were seriously injured. The mother claims that it was the fireworks company's fault that the children got injured.

Couple faked daughter's leukemia for money
September 24, 2003 Ohio
A couple was sentenced to prison for faking their daughter's leukemia to collect donations. The mother shaved her daughter's hair, gave her sleeping pills to induce fatigue, made her wear a protective mask and put her in counseling to prepare for death. 65 people and businesses donated $31,000 before the scheme was discovered.

Athletes parents get "code of expectations"
September 17, 2003 Chicago
Parents of athletes at a high school in an upscale suburb are to be issued a "code of expectations." This is in response to last year's rash of rudeness and incivility among the adults. Rules that seem to need to be spelled out for them include refraining from "verbal indignities," not questioning officials' decisions while the game is underway, and treating others with respect. Parents who violate these rules will be banned from the games.

Athletes parents get "code of expectations"
September 17, 2003 Chicago
Parents of athletes at a high school in an upscale suburb are to be issued a "code of expectations." This is in response to last year's rash of rudeness and incivility among the adults. Rules that seem to need to be spelled out for them include refraining from "verbal indignities," not questioning officials' decisions while the game is underway, and treating others with respect. Parents who violate these rules will be banned from the games.

Judge fired for rudeness
September 11, 2003 California
A state supreme court judge was removed from his position because of repeated rudeness over a period of several years. His tactics included insulting lawyers, staff members and jurors in open court; losing his temper; condescending and contemptuous attitude; and using his bench to bully rookie attorneys.

Man sets fire to avoid sex
September 11, 2003 Croatia
A 26-year-old man set fire to the woods behind his house because he wanted to avoid having sex with her. Firefighters were called and the couple had to be evacuated from their home. The man was charged with arson and sentenced to 2 years in jail.

Another hot coffee jury award
September 11, 2003 Florida
A jury awarded a man $668,000 for injuries suffered when a waitress accidentally spilled a pot of hot coffee on his lap two years ago. The coffee scalded him, causing blistering and changes in pigmentation to his genitals and groin.

Man threatens son over haircut
September 8, 2003 Philippines
The father of a 25-year-old man brandished a gun at the son, and threatened to shoot him. Why? Because the son refused to get a haircut.

Judge throws out McDonald's lawsuit
September 4, 2003 New York
The lawsuit by two teenagers who claimed that McDonald's was responsible for their obesity and health problems, was dismissed by a District Court judge. This is consistent with a recent Gallup poll, which showed that 89% of Americans believe that restaurants should not be held responsible for where and what people choose to eat.

Nearly half of workers report civility has decilined
September 4, 2003
A USA Today poll reports that 44% of workers say workplace courtesy has declined over the past five years. 20% of respondents said they didn't know or that there was no change people's manners at work. 36% said that workplace courtesy increased.

Mother claims daughter's expulsion unfair
September 3, 2003 Pennsylvania
The mother of a 13-year-old girl who was expelled for engaging in oral sex on a schoolbus, tried to appeal the expulsion on behalf of her daughter. She claimed that the school's written policies had no specific rules against oral sex on a schoolbus. The girl herself admitted to the act, but claims she did it because of peer pressure.

Litigation lawyers increase advertising
September 3, 2003
If you think you've been seeing more lawyers advertising on TV you're right. The Television Bureau of Advertising reports that attorneys spent $311.3 million on television commercials in 2002, a rise of 75 percent from 1999. They have become more aggressive in soliciting clients to sue product manufacturers, drug companies and other entities with "deep pockets".

Prisoner gets over $100,000 for falling out of bed
September 1, 2003 Australia
Prisoners in Australia cannot sue for injuries from other prisoners, but they can sue for negligence. A prisoner recently won a settlement of more than $100,000 after falling out of a bunk bed. He claims the Corrective Services Department failed to bolt down the bed and failed to provide a safety bar.

Full apologies may deter lawsuits
August 28, 2003
Two recent studies by a University of Michigan researcher showed that apologies can reduce the likelihood of being sued. Subjects were asked to read a scenario about an accident involving a pedestrian and a cyclist, and to take the point of view of the injured party. Details included the seriousness of the accident, the extent of injury, the amount of settlement offered, and who was at fault. Results showed that when a full apology was offered, subjects said they were more willing to accept a settlement. Furthermore, the greater the injury, the more important was the apology in determining the outcome.

Bride flips out over closing of bar
August 28, 2003 Connecticut
An 18-year-old bride became enraged at her wedding after the restaurant closed the bar. She started throwing wedding cake and gifts. When police were called and took her into custody, she cursed at them, kicked the door and window of the cruiser and tried to bit an officer. She was convicted of criminal mischief and ordered to pay a fine and damages. She was also advised to get anger management counseling.

Male stripper attacked at bachelorette party
August 27, 2003 W. Virginia
A male stripper was attacked by a group of women at a bridal bachelorette party, because he was not the man they had requested, he arrived late and quit early. The women, including the bride and her mother, punched and kicked the man, and hit him over the head with a bottle. He required medical treatment.

Man angry, sets car on fire
August 27, 2003 Romania
A 31-year-old man set his new car on fire because he was angry afer failing his driving test.

Dispute over seating ends school committee meeting
August 26, 2003 UK
The chairwoman of a school committee adjourned a meeting before it began, after one of the members refused to change seats. The member, complaining that her seat assignment had changed 3 times already, sat behind the nameplate of another member who was not in attendance. "I don't really care where anyone sits," said the chairwoman. "What I care about is the rules being followed." She added that she will adjourn the next meeting if the same thing happens.

Woman puts baby in oven, claims it was an accident
August 22, 2003 Alabama
A woman who placed her 18-month-old daughter in the oven and turned on the broiler, was sentenced to 25 years in prison. When she was first charged, she claimed that the child fell into the oven by accident and that the oven door accidentally closed.

Student slacks off, then sues college that rescinded its offer
August 20, 2003 North Carolina
A high school student is suing the college that rescinded its offer of admission. The college had admitted the student on the basis of his perfect SAT scores and high grade point average. Their offer was conditional on the student's maintaining his high level of academic achievement. However, during his senior year of high school he got Cs, Ds and Fs. After the college rescinded its offer, the student sued for breach of contract. In defense of his bad grades the student claimed that he had been "disillusioned by the high school experience."

Fans at TV show riot over elimination of contestant
August 19, 2003 Lebanon
A riot broke out on the Arab TV show, "Superstar," which is similar to the US "American Idol." When the Lebanese contestant was eliminated in the semifinals, fans from different countries in the audience pelted each other with chairs and other objects. The live broadcast came to a halt.

Coach counter-sues father of player
August 14, 2003 California
A high school baseball coach who was sued by the father of a player, is now counter-suing. The player's father alleged that because the coach had made his son pitch too many innings the young man's arm was damaged, thus ruining his chances for a professional career in baseball. His lawsuit was dismissed by the court. The coach is counter-suing the father for malicious prosecution and tarnishing his reputation.

UK is road rage capital of the world
August 13, 2003 UK
90% of respondents to a motor magazine survey said that they had been victims of road rage at least once. 70% admitted they had committed road rage, and most of them claimed that the victims deserved it. The most common road rage behavior was hand gestures, but verbal and physical abuse were not uncommon.
These statistics are consistent with a recent Gallop poll.

Woman convicted of injecting kids with HIV & hepatitis
August 12, 2003 Cameroon
A woman has been sentenced to death for injecting two of her lover's children with HIV- and hepatitis-contaminated blood. The woman, who is a nurse, confessed that she went to the school and told the children she was there to immunize them. She says she was seeking revenge on their father because he broke his promise to marry her.

Man arrested for drugging son's tennis rivals
August 5, 2003 France
The father of a young tennis player has confessed to spiking the drinks of two of his son's opponents with an antidepressant. One of the players was so sedated that he died after falling asleep while driving after a match. Police are also investigating the girls' tennis circuit, where the man's daughter is a top player.

Litigation soars in UK
August 3, 2003 UK
The Woolf Reforms Act of 1999, which was designed to help poor people gain access to the law, has had inintented consequences. Because of its "no-win, no-fee" stipulation, people have become more litigious, as in the U.S. Compensation claims against the National Health Service rose from £53 million in 1990-1 to £446 million in 2001-2. Also,increases in insurance have been so costly that public events such as Bonfire Night fireworks and the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling event, have been cancelled because of liability fears.

UK Appellate Court calls for end to "culture of blame"
August 3 2003
The Appellate Committee of the House of Lords rejected a claim by a man who had been paralyzed in a diving accident. The man acknowledged that there were warning signs posted at the lake in which he chose to dive, but he argued that park officials should have taken more stringent measures to prevent him from swimming. The court went on to say: "The pursuit of an unrestrained culture of blame and compensation has many evil consequences and one is certainly the interference with the liberty of the citizen."

Alcoholics sue booze manufacturers
July 21, 2003 UK
Twelve alcoholics are suing brewers and distillers for failing to warn them of the dangers of addiction. Their attorneys are optimistic about winning the case, citing the successful prosecutions of the tobacco industry in the U.S.

Defendant leaves courthouse, punches juror
July 17, 2003 New York
A woman convicted of robbery but given probation, punched a juror outside the court. She ran off, but was later arrested and charged with assault, resisting arrest and contempt of court. She faces up to 4 years in prison.

Mike Tyson sued by bodyguard and by psychiatrist
July 15, 2003 Florida
A bodyguard of boxing promoter Don King is suing Mike Tyson for damages, after Tyson punched him in the face, causing injury which required stitches. In another lawsuit, Tyson's ex-psychiatrist is suing him for backpayment of $26,000 of unpaid therapy bills.

Woman fakes her own kidnapping
July 10, 2003 UK
A woman faked her own kidnapping, complete with her blood-stained car, in order to get her estranged husband's attention. After she called police, saying she had been abducted by two men, there was a massive investigation. Meanwhile, she hid at a friend's house. She was later convicted and given 2 years' probation.

Workers irritated by colleagues' habits
July 4, 2003 UK
A survey of 1500 workers by the employment agency, Office Angels, shows that one in three workers get so frustrated with their colleagues' habits, that they often want to quit their jobs. Sources of frustration include co-workers listening to voicemail
messages on speaker phones, swearing at their computers and refusing to take their turns making tea.

Road rage driver demands $100 from victim
July 3, 2003 New York
To avoid an erratic driver in a BMW who repeatedly tried to cut her off, a woman drove into a restaurant parking lot. The driver followed her, spat at her, blocked her car and demanded $100 to end his harassment. She paid him, but took down his license number, which she reported to police. The man was subsequently arrested.

Man assaults woman who beat him in arm-wrestling
July 3, 2003 New Hampshire
After his girlfriend beat him in an arm-wrestling contest and called him a wimp, a 44-year-old man dragged her outside by the hair, knocked her to the ground and punched her in the head. Both had been drinking. The man was charged with assault.

Man sues Wal-Mart for dog-bowl accident; case dismissed
July 2, 2003 Ohio
A judge dismissed a $1 million lawsuit against Wal-Mart by a man who claimed damages of mental anguish after a stack of dog bowls fell on him in the store. He acknowledged that he only received two minor cuts less than an inch long on his neck and shoulder, but they took a long time to heal. The Court not only dismissed the suit, but also ordered the plaintiff to pay $800 in court costs.

Victims' families sue gun shop and manufacturer
June 30, 2003 Washington State
The nine families of victims of the "Beltway sniper" are suing the gun shop from which the murder weapon was stolen, as well as the manufacturerer of the weapon. The gun shop was known to have more weapon thefts than other comparable businesses. The victims' families allege that the gun manufacturer was negligent in selling weapons to that store, and that the store was negligent in not securing its firearms.

Argument over paint ends in death
June 26, 2003 Germany
A dispute between a man and his wife over home decorating ended in death. When an argument escalated over what color to paint the wall, the man got a knife from the kitchen and told his wife to use it on him. She did, stabbing him in the heart.

Mother sues hospital for wrongful breastfeeding
June 25, 2003 North Carolina
A woman who was brought the wrong baby for breastfeeding (on one occasion) after giving birth two years ago is suing the hospital for damages, including fear of contracting diseases and severe emotional distress. According to the hospital medical tests were subsequently administered and were negative. The woman claims that as a result of the hospital's mistake she has been unable to have a normal relationship with her child, and that the child is developmentally disabled because of this.

Woman with road rage curses and injures officer
June 25, 2003 Massachusetts
A woman on her way to work was so furious that the freeway traffic was blocked, she cursed at a police officer. When he stood in front of her car to block her she moved the car forward, throwing him on the hood and causing him injury. She was finally blocked by a tractor-trailer and arrested.

Man spikes wife's ice cream in retaliation for nagging
June 18, 2003, Wisconsin
A man retaliated against his wife's nagging him to do chores by spiking her ice cream with a painkiller tablet. When she complained about the bitter taste, he pretended to exchange it for another, but did not actually do so. The wife subsequently alerted the ice cream stand and the police. Analysis of the bitter substance revealed that it was the same painkiller that the man had received after recent surgery. He faces up to 11 years in prison.

Man calls in bomb hoax to delay plane departure
June 3, 2003
A man who was running late for his America West flight, tried to delay its departure by calling the airline and announcing there was a bomb on board. All passengers had to be evacuated and the plane had to be thoroughly searched. The man was arrested when he approached the ticket counter to board.

Barbeque rage
June 3, 2003 Germany
A fight between two children in a park ended in a mass brawl among three families attacking each other with fists, belts, folding chairs and barbeque spits. It took 60 police officers to break up the fight.

Rape defendant files $20,000 complaint for fly in dinner
June 3, 2003 California
A man in jail awaiting trial on a rape charge has filed a complaint for $20,000 against the county for "mental stress and anguish" he suffered as a result of finding a fly in his mashed potatoes. The man faces possible life imprisonment (because it would be his third conviction) for the alleged rape which has been linked to him through DNA evidence.

Former Goodwill president charged with embezzlement
May 29, 2003 Los Angeles
The former president of Goodwill Industries was arrested and charged with money-laundering and wire fraud, directing $26 million to personal bank accounts instead of job training programs. 7 other high-ranking Goodwill employees have already been convicted of embezzlement.

Survey: bogus sick days
May 27, 2003 UK
According to a recent survey, 35% of British workers feel justified in taking sick days when they are not sick. Government workers take off an average of 2.6 days more than workers in the private sector. It is estimated that employee absence costs British businesses £11.6 billion per year.

Air rage incidents on the rise on Swissair
May 23, 2003 Switzerland
Compared with 1996, the annual number of air rage incidents on Swissair last year increased from 285 to 471. This means that at least once every day there is an unruly passenger flying Swissair. The most frequent triggers of passenger rage include: smoking (113 cases), alcohol (101 cases) and arguments over seat allocation and luggage storage (45 cases). Flight attendants will receive more training on how to deal with unruly passengers.

Man awarded $3 million for injured thumb
May 21, 2003 New York
Jurors determined that a missing doorknob was the main cause of injury to a man's thumb, and awarded him $3 million, including $750,000 to his wife for loss of consortium. Upon leaving the bathroom at his workplace, the man had reached his hand through a hole where the doorknob should have been and pulled the door toward him. At the same time another person pushed the door in, causing serious injury to the tendons of the man's thumb, which required surgery and resulted in his missing 6 months of work. The building's owner and manager were held responsible for the injury.

Auto makers discontinue leasing in certain states
May 20, 2003
Honda, Ford and General Motors will stop leasing cars to residents of
New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. These states have outdated "vicarious liability" laws, which hold the owner of a vehicle responsible for damages, regardless of who is driving at the time of an accident. In the recent past, leasing companies have been successfully sued for tens of millions of dollars when a driver of a leased car causes damage to others.

Journalists capitalize twice on deception
May 15, 2003
Jayson Blair and Stephen Glass are two journalists whose names have been in the news in recent weeks. While employed by prestigious publications, they plagiarized some stories and made up others. Not only did they profit from their plagiarism and fictionalization -- receiving promotions and awards during their employment -- but now they are drawing attention to themselves and profiting once again in the media with book deals, movies and TV guest spots. They each project a victim-like image and claim to want to help others through venting their transgressions in public.

Man retaliates by setting fire to neighbor's house
May 12, 2003 Germany
A drunk man rang his neighbor's doorbell in the middle of the night and asked to take their dog for a walk. When the neighbor refused, the man set fire to the house. Fortunately firefighters arrived in time to prevent serious damage. The man was arressted for attempted arson.

Amusement park closes because of insurance costs
May 12, 2003 Georgia
An amusement park will not open this year because of a spike in liability insurance premiums. Their premiums rose from $8000 to $58,000 per month. This jump follows on the heels of lawsuits filed by visitors to amusement parks, and their big awards for not only injury by also "pain and suffering."

France hosts air rage conference
May12, 2003
France is holding a 3-day conference on air rage. European air carriers, pilots' associations and police are meeting to discuss this growing phenonmenon, and to propose new regulations. Incidents of unruly passengers on airplanes has risen to over 5,000 per year.

Man blames club for fall when drunk
May 12, 2003 Australia
A man is suing the private club that served him alcohol two years ago at a luncheon. After getting drunk the man fell down a flight of stairs and was injured. He contends that the club, by serving him too much alcohol, failed to exercise "reasonable care" in ensuring the patrons' safety.

Families of illegal border crossers sue U.S.
May 6, 2003
Familes of 14 people who died while crossing illegally into the U.S. are now suing the Dept. of the Interior for $42 million. They claim that there should have been water stations in the desert where the illegal immigrants were walking.

School bus driver charged with child abuse
May 6, 2003 Wisconsin
The driver of a school bus that transports special-needs children was charged with child abuse and disorderly conduct. A voice-activated tape recorder, placed in the backpack of one of the students, revealed that the driver had threatened the child with taping his mouth shut, beating "the hell out of you" and other things. The driver also admitted slapping the the child, but claimed that he did not "wind up" as he hit.

Defendant claims his black victims were "not human"
April 30, 2003 South Africa
A white man who shot dead 3 people on a bus, claims that he is not guilty, because the 3 victims were black, and therefore "not his fellow human beings."

Donut shop employee killed over too much sugar in coffee
April 29, 2003 Chicago
A donut shop employee was killed by a regular patron who had complained over the past weeks that his coffee had been oversweetened too many times. The murderer evidently planned the attack, walking in one day and shooting the employee 3 times. This man was considered sane enough to be employed as an armed security guard.

Man shot neighbor who mowed his lawn too much
April 29, 2003 New York
A man pleaded guilty to shooting his neighbor with a pellet gun, while the neighbor was on a riding mower. He claimed that, among other gripes, he was angry because the neighbor mowed his lawn too much.

Lawyer billed 81-hour workdays
April 27, 2003 Pennsylvania
A lawyer working for a school district submitted bills totalling over $421,000 last year. An admitted workaholic, he nevertheless claimed on several occasions to have worked over 24 hours in one day. He attributed these to innocent errors in record-keepng. He also submitted a bill for $10,500 for a 45-minute meeting, which he later corrected to $105, stating that he misplaced the decimal point. He did pay back $19,000 as soon as the "errors" were discovered. "I would never intentionally overcharge them," said the attorney.

Road rage is increasing around the world
April 22, 2003
A recent EOS-Gallup Europe survey shows that road rage is on the rise. The worst statistics are from Austria, France, US, Russia and Belgium, where two thirds of the respondents said they had been victims of aggressive drivers in the past year. The fewest reports (but still 23% -33%) came from Sweden, Italy, Finland and Spain.
Different types of rude driving behavior predominates in different countries. British and Australian drivers flash two fingers. Japanese and German drivers tailgate, and Argentinians shout verbal expletives.
Headlight-flashing is also popular in many European countries.

Airline executives pocket millions while workers take pay cut
April 22, 2003
While American Airlines pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and baggage handlers took pay cuts of 15-23% to help their employer avoid bankruptcy, the CEO was secretly promising bonuses and secure pensions to 45 top executives, which would effectively double their already stratopheric salaries. When this was exposed to the public, CEO Donald Carty apologized for his "mistakes" and "naivete." "It was never my intent to mislead anyone," he said.
This is not an isolated case. Most airlines are in financial trouble, yet their executives continue to enjoy salaries and bonuses in the millions.

Selfish parents abandon babies
April 15, 2003
In Georgia a couple arguing in a parking lot over who was going to take care of their 9-month-old infant, ended up leaving the baby in a carseat on the ground, and they both drove off.
In Florida a man with a baby was viewed on security cameras shoplifting in a department store. When questioned by security personnel he ran out of the store with a DVD player, leaving his baby behind.

Iraqi looters raid hospitals and museums
April 12, 2003
Post-war looters in Iraq emptied government office buildings of furniture, equipment, staples, paperclips, and even light fixtures, leaving nothing but bare walls. After years of pent-up frustration with a cruel regime, this is not surprising. However, looters also raided hospitals and museums. Now sick people can't get treated, and the Iraqi people have lost priceless culltural artifacts dating back to Mesopotamia. Historians and archeologists are concerned that even if some of the treasures are recovered, they have probably suffered irreparable damage from rough handling.

Woman claims bad hair job ruined her life
April 11, 2003
A woman who experienced dry hair, flakey scalp and some temporary hair loss after having her hair straightened at a salon, sued the salon for damages, including depression and job loss. The jury awarded her $6000, based mainly on the fact that the salon had not done a strand test prior to the straightening.

Man refused curly fries, pulls a gun
April 1, 2003, South Carolina
When a fast-food manager refused to replace a man's order of regular fries with curly fries, the man pulled out a gun, shot at the window and drove off.

Teacher sues student
March 29, 2003, New Jersey
A teacher sued a 13-year-old student who collided with her in the hallway. She claims that the student inflicted permanent injuries.

Ousted Tyco chief claims he is owed millions
March 14, 2003
Former Tyco CEO Dennis Koslowski, who resigned last year after being accused of stealing $600 million from the company, claims that the company owes him millions in deferred compensation, which he was unable to collect because of the charges pending against him.

Anger management grad loses it
March 12, 2003 California
Two men who met in anger management class became friends and worked together on a remodeling project at the home of one of the men. When the homeowner found that his puppy was missing and that one of his pet chickens was dead, he became enraged. He attacked the other man with a knife, smashed his car windows and slashed his tires.

Hockey rage
March 5, 2003 New York
A man was charged with assault after choking a teenage player and throwing a linesman to the ice. He was angry that his son's team was losing. The rink manager said that this incident was not the first time unruly parents got out of control. In fact, there was a special supervisor at every game just to manage the parents.

Tort costs jump significantly
March 3, 2003
A study from Tillinghast Towers Perrin reports that the cost of liability lawsuits in the US in 2001 was $205 billion, or $721 per U.S. citizen. This is a 14.3% increase over the previous year, and represents over 2% of the gross domestic product. To put this in perspective, over the last 50 years the GDP rose by a factor of 14, while the cost of the tort system increased over 100 times. 2002 data are not complete yet, but they show a continuing trend.

Man jailed for road rage sues victim
February 28, 2003
A man who was sentenced to three years in prison after a road rage incident in which he grabbed a woman's dog out of her car and threw it into traffic, is now suing the woman for "mental pain and anguish, humiliation, embarrassment, fright and shock, and mortification." He claims that her statements to the media about him were defamatory.

Angry father opens fire after daughter struck by snowball
February 25, 2003 Philadelphia
A girl was struck by a snowball as she walked by a group of children having a snowball fight. Her father later drove to the scene, and with a gun he opened fire into the group of children. A 10-year-old girl was critically wounded in the head.

Law firm appeals to inner brats
February 21, 2003
In an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal, a law firm that specializes in litigation uses a picture of a toddler in mid-tantrum. The caption reads, "In litigation, getting what you want is everything." Walter Olson, owner of Overlawyered.com and author of "The Rule of Lawyers," a scathing critique of the class-action lawsuit industry, commented about this law firm, "If Bingham wants to make itself the law firm for clients' inner brats, the sad truth is that it will have a lot of competition."

Soccer referee threatens players with axe
February 17, 2003, UK
In response to taunting after he disallowed a goal, a referee at an amatuer soccer match briefly withdrwe from the game. He returned a few minutes later, stripped to the waist and wielding an axe, yelling, “Who f***ing wants it?”

Family of heart attack victim blames doctor, collects $3.5 million
February 12, 2003, Ohio
A jury awarded $3.5 million to the family of a man who died of a heart attack. They determined that the physcian who was treating him for various health problems was negligent in not being aggressive enough in making a referral to a cardiologist. The man had been a smoker, overweight and diabetic, and had been told numerous times to quit smoking and lose weight. He was also advised to consult a cardiologist, but the jury decided that the doctor should have made the appointment for him.

Frauding money manager pleas for leniency
February 11, 2003, New York
A money manager who cheated union workers out of millions of dollars while lining his own pockets was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He pleaded for leniency, claiming that he has become a Christian and has applied to Divinity school.

Man calls destruction of school "a stupid mistake"
February 11, 2003, Maryland
A 20-year-old man who was arrested for driving a stolen bulldozer into a school under construction, apologized in court, claiming that he had been drunk and that his actions were "a stupid mistake." He was also charged with previous incidents of sex crimes including child pornography and second-degree assault involving two minors. He claimed that the sexual activities were consensual.

Lawsuits from disgruntled students
February 9, 2003
In the past week there have been several lawsuits against schools. Here are two of them:
A student who was caught cheating on the SAT and who was expelled, is now suing the school for over $1 million for defamation, loss of reputation and loss of invaluable childhood friendships.
Another student is suing his school for not changing his grade in a class from A to A-plus, thus denying him the opportunity to be class valedictorian.

Woman sues bank for lack of sex life
February 4, 2003 UK
After her house was repossessed and sold by the bank, a woman claims she was forced to move into "dirty, nasty accommodation" with nowhere to have an intimate relationship with a man. For this she is suing the bank for selling her house at auction for less than it was worth.

Woman slashes 60 cars to get even with former boyfriend
February 4, 2003, Italy
A 28-year-old woman went on a 2-month spree of vandalizing 60 Alfa Romeo cars with a pair of scissors - scratching paint and slashing tires. When arrested, she claimed she did it because the cars reminded her of her former boyfriend who jilted her, and it was her way of getting even with him.

Couple sues McDonalds over bagel
February 1, 2003, Florida
A man who broke teeth and bridgework after biting into a bagel is suing his local McDonalds franchise that sold him the bagel. He is also suing for damages to his marriage. As a result of his injury, his wife allegedly "lost the care, comfort, consortium and society of her husband."

Teen throws baby in toilet because he "had no choice"
January 29, 2003 Wisconsin
An 18-year-old father threw his newborn son into a park toilet because he and his girlfriend didn't want it. When the baby was found alive the father was tracked down and arrested. He claimed that he was sorry, but that he "had no choice" because he didn't want the baby.

Taxi drivers sent to behavioral seminars
January 24, 2003, Greece
Greek taxi drivers, known for being rude and unruly, will be attending day-long behavioral seminars in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. At these seminars they will be taught how to act with international visitors. If they pass they will earn more money.

Teen and mother seek damages from school
January 23, 2003 Oregon
A boy who was expelled from school two years ago because he had a private website in which he threatened to kill specific people, is now suing the school district for violating his First Amendment rights. His mother and their attorney claim that as a result of the expulsion the boy has been "traumatized."

Nurse suspended for yelling profanities at child
January 19, 2003, UK
A hospital nurse was suspended after being heard yelling at a 4-year-old boy who was being wheeled out of surgery. When he screamed in pain, she yelled at him several times to "shut the f*** up!" The parents of the child were distressed to learn that the nurse was reinstated in her job two weeks later.

Striking workers file for unemployment compensation
January 15, 2003, Hershey, PA
2700 employees of the Hershey Chocolate plant who staged a 6-week strike last spring, tried to file for unemployment compensation. Last week a court judge denied their claim. It did not accept their contention that the company locked them out. The union intends to appeal.

Passengers aren't the only ones with air rage
January 13, 2003
Although most air-rage incidents are committed by passengers, flight attendants are becoming increasingly testy and rude, according to a survey conducted by American Express. Incidents include a flight attendant yelling at a passenger whose cell phone was beeping in an overhead bin; a flight attendant who refused pretzels to a passenger, retorting that he needed to watch his weight; a flight attendant who was so rude that the pilot had to make an emergency stop to remove her from the plane.

Weight Watchers being threatened with lawsuit
January 9, 2003, U.K.
An anti-diet activist and author of the book, "Fat is a feminist issue" is planning to sue Weight Watchers on behalf of the thousands of people who regained weight after completing the program. She claims that Weight Watchers preys on dieters' failures, because that means more repeat business.

79-year-old woman arrested for assault and other charges
January 8, 2003, Ohio
A 79-year-old woman was arrested on charges of assault and carrying a concealed weapon after raising a ruckus in a supermarket and being escorted out by a security guard. She kicked him and brandished a gun. When police arrived she kicked them as well as their car, bending the door frame. What was she so upset about? The long checkout lines.

Victim of drunk driver sues alleged designated driver
January 6, 2003 Colorado
A woman who was injured when her car was struck by a drunk driver is suing both the driver and the person who had allegedly promised to be the designated driver, but who instead allowed her drunken friend to drive the car. The injured woman claims that the accident was a result of "civil conspiracy," a Colorado law that applies when two people collude to violate a law.

Man sues cinema for 4-minute delay in starting movie
January 6, 2003, China
A man is suing a movie theater in China because the screening was delayed by four minutes while advertisements were shown. He claims that the theater has violated its contract by not presenting the movie at 9:30, the time printed on the ticket.

Claim of first cloned human
December 28, 2002
The cloning company, Clonaid, claims to have successfully produced the first cloned baby. This baby is an exact genetic replica of her mother. Regardless of one's moral stance on the issue, this reflects a striking degree of narcissism on the part of the mother.

Teenager sues school over detentions
December 25, 2002, Scotland
A 15-year-old girl who received 11 detentions in the 2001-2002 school year is suing the school board for violating her human rights and disrupting her education. The detentions were for minor infractions such as drinking soda pop in class and using fire exits. She claims that the detentions left her so upset that she could not return to school in September.

Man sues casino for allowing him to gamble
December 24, 2002, Indiana
A man who lost his life savings at a casino is suing the establishment for targeting him as a compulsive gambler. The casino had previously
sent him a letter banning him from the premises, after a friend told them the man was very depressed. He stayed away for almost a year, but began gambling again. Since no one stopped him from entering the casino this time, he believes they are responsible for encouraging his addiction.

Woman sues Burger King after spilling coffee
December 13, 2002, Oklahoma
A woman was seriously burned when she poured hot coffee from a Burger King paper cup into her own plastic cup. The lid accidentally popped off, spilling coffee onto her legs, thighs and buttocks. She is now suing Burger King alleging that they could have provided a safer lid, and that they failied to warn her that the hot coffee could cause injury if spilled.

Man gets life for shooting friend over last beer
December 6, 2002, Texas
A 42-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison for shooting to death a friend who drank the last beer in his refrigerator. "There was only two beers left, so I took one, and I told Willie not to take my last beer," he said in a taped statement. He admitted shooting his friend but claimed it was an accident.

Spammer threatens to sue
December 6, 2002 Detroit
A man who claimed without apology that sending out spam emails has made him a millionaire, is now threatening to sue an antispam group for harassment. When a newspaper article was written about him, antispammers found the address of his new $750,000 home, and signed him up to receive ads, catalogs and brochures, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. He is now deluged with junk mail. He complained, "These people are out of their minds. They're harassing me."

Woman smashes 18 cars in jealous rage
December 5, 2002, Singapore
Jealous over her husband's alleged affair, a woman took a sledgehammer to 18 cars in the lot of a used car business that she and her husband own. "I hit first, then ask later," she said. She also defended her actions: "It is my shop, my cars, I can do what I like to them."

Man sentenced for beating girlfriend's grandmother and spraying her with fire ants
December 3, 2002, Georgia
A 19-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to several charges involving theft and assault of his girlfriend's 62-year-old grandmother. He beat her up, stole $300, threw a cup of fire ants he had previously dug up, and drove off in her car. He pleaded guilty when arrested, and claimed that he hated the woman and he owed money to a drug dealer.

Study finds that employees will steal, given certain circumstances
November 28, 2002, Columbus, Ohio
An experimental study of employees at a large corporation found that they were almost all likely to steal small amounts of money after they were underpaid for participating in an after-hours project. This occurred less frequently in the offices that had an employee ethics program, or if they thought the money came from their own managers rather than from the company. This study demonstrates that ethics programs might help prevent employee theft. However, it is also a sad commentary that adults need such training.

Executive arrested for threatening flight attendant
November 21, 2002, Orlando
An airline passenger was arrested for assaulting and intimidating flight crew. According to a crew member, the passenger, a corporate executive, took a bottle of wine without paying for it, and when questioned about it, began poking the flight attendant and threatening him with bodily harm. The passenger acknowledged that he may have behaved inappropriately, but he denied taking the wine. He complained that the flight attendant was very rude to him.

Kids and parents sue McDonald's
November 21, 2002 New York
Eight overweight children and their parents are suing McDonald's, claiming that the fast-food chain violated consumer fraud laws by failing to adequately disclose the health effects of its menu. They say that they didn't realize that a steady diet of burgers and fries would make the kids fat. One of the mothers said that she would never have let her son eat so many Big Macs if she'd known how much fat and salt they contained.

Travel agency advises complainers to stay home
November 11, 2002, UK
A British travel company has sent letters to all travelers who have booked trips with them for the holidays. They warn that passengers who complain and make the trip miserable for everyone will not be welcome: "As a company, we will not entertain people who . . . are unreasonable and unfair. This includes persons who are virtually `professional moaners' and `freeloaders'."

Author who writes about stupidity is caught soliciting a minor online
November 8, 2002
A man who has published two books on stupidity has been arrested for making a date with a 15-year-old girl that he met in an Internet chatroom. Unfortunately the 15-year-old girl was, in reality, a 40-year-old male detective. Ironically, the suspect's book on stupidity included the following passage: "the arrogance inherent in this 'We can do anything' attitude came to characterize the general stupidity of our age and contributed to the monumental problems we have created for ourselves."

Man sues hockey association when son is not chosen MVP
November 7, 2002, Canada
A man is suing the amateur hockey association because his 16-year-old son failed to get the Most Valuable Player award. As a result, claims the father, his son has become psychologically damaged. The man also demanded that the trophy be taken away from the boy who won it, and be given to his son.

Patients can be rude too
November 4, 2002, UK
The number of incidents of violence and abuse within British hospitals rose to 84,300, an increase of 20,000 in two years, according to a report titled, "Violence, Disorder and Incivility in British Hospitals." This has required hiring security, having on-site police stations, and equipping ambulance staff with flax jackets. Besides being violent, patients are increasingly rude. They use ambulances like taxis, talk on cell phones during medical procedures, have sex with visitors in full view of other patients, and act indignant when requested to curb their behavior.

Hospital cancels flu shots because of road rage
October 25, 2002 Texas
A hospital had to cancel its popular "drive-through" flu shot program. Fights broke out when drivers waiting in line got angry at those who tried to cut in front of them.

2-year-old shot in dispute over discipline
October 14, 2002 New Orleans
A 21-year-old woman and her sister were arguing over how to discipline children. During the argument, the sister left the room and returned with a handgun, which she pointed at her 2-year-old nephew and shot him in the head. The bullet did not pierce the child's skull, but it did cause a blood clot on the brain which required surgery.

Surgeon fired for rude behavior
October 22, 2002 U.K.
A surgeon was fired for professional misconduct. He told one patient, "you have cancer, I have asthma, we all have to die sometime." This was just one of a string of abrupt, insensitive comments he made toward patients when giving them bad news.

Woman sues after being fired for eyebrow ring
October 19, 2002, Utah
A woman who was fired from Costco for violating the employee dress code by wearing an eyebrow ring, is suing for $2 million on the basis of religious discrimination. She claims that she belongs to the Church of Body Modification, and that her various facial piercings are worn as a sign of faith and help to unite her mind, body and soul.

Bus driver attacks passengers who accuse him of being rude
October 19, 2003, Portugal
When passengers complained to the driver of their bus that he was being rude, he stopped the bus at a red light, punched a passenger in the face, breaking his glasses, and ordered everyone off the bus. When another passenger said he was crazy, the driver kicked him and attempted to strike him with a rock.

Soccer coach yells at son, then claims damages
October 18, 2002 Minnesota
A soccer coach who yelled at his son during a game was reported to the soccer association, and was found guilty of using inappropriate language and harassment. He sued the association, claiming that his right to free speech was violated, and that as a result of the proceedings against him, he suffered "loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, embarrassment and injury to reputation."

Falwell apologizes . . . again
October 14, 2002
Once again Jerry Falwell has apologized for making insulting statements. This time it was for his recent allegation that the prophet Muhammed was a terrorist. He justified his apology, however, claiming that his comments were made in response to a "loaded question." In September, 2001 he blamed the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on "the pagans, the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians." He later apologized, but claimed his remarks were taken out of context. In 1999 he stated that the Antichrist is probably alive today, and is a Jewish male, but when he was publicly criticized, he apologized, but declared that his statement was "misconstrued."
. . . Stay tuned for future empty apologies

Air rage incidents down when passengers have to pay for booze
October 13, 2002
In the three months since Continental Airlines started charging coach passengers for alcohol on flights from the UK to US, the number of air rage incidents has declined, according to airline staff. They attribute this to the fact that people drink less when they have to pay for each drink, and that they are subsequently less unruly during the flight.

Men complain about wives at all-female police station
October 12, 2002, India
A police station staffed by women officers, set up to take care of women who are being harassed or beaten by their husbands, is visited more by men. These men complain that their wives spend money "irrationally," that they show no interest in taking care of children, and that they force the men to do household chores. The men have been turned away, with advice to try to work things out at home.

Longshoremen's strike continues
October 7, 2002
The longshoremens' union, on strike along the US west coast, turned down a proposal for increased salary and benefits, including full health insurance with no copay and $50,000 guaranteed annual pension. The average salary for longshoremen is $114,500, and for marine clerks is $137,500. (Not bad for a job that requires a high school education.) The union is fighting computerization of shipment records, which they claim will cut jobs.

Woman get $28 billion in damages from cigarette smoking
October 4, 2002, California
A jury awarded $28 billion to a 64-year-old woman who developed cancer as a result of smoking. This eclipses a $3 billion award last year (which was later reduced to $100 million.) The woman reported had told her daughter that she was aware of the dangers of smoking, but that she was an adult and could make her own decisions.

A new low in excuses
October 1, 2002, New York
The attorney of a couple accused of engaging in sex on a train defended their behavior. He claimed that they were acting responsibly because they had been drinking, and instead endagering themselves and others by driving a car, they chose to take the train.

Bully caught on videotape
October 1, 2002
A 40-year-old man was tormented for three years by a bully who lived in his apartment building. He complained to his landlord and to the police, but they said he had to have evidence. So he rigged up a videocamera pointing through a small hole in the wall from his apartment to the hallway. The bully was caught on tape calling the victim a "faggot" and saying he picked on him just because he could. He also threatened him with a machete. The bully has been sentenced to 2 years in prison.

Boys kill mother over cheeseburger argument
September 27, 2002
16-year-old twins charged with strangling their mother admitted killling her after an argument . She had yelled at one of the boys for bringing home only a milkshake for her dinner, not a cheeseburger as she had requested. The twins plotted her murder and even rehearsed it. This argument was apparently the last straw for the boys who claim that their mother was abusive.

Teen didn't make cheerleading squad. Mother sues school.
September 27, 2002
A mother of a teen is suing the school district because her daughter was not picked for the cheerleading team. She claims that the coach rigged the tryouts against the teen who had recently won a beauty pageant.

After heart attack, woman blames doctors for not telling her to diet or quit smoking
September 17, 2002
A woman is suing her doctors for not doing enough to help her quit smoking or lose weight. As a result, she claims, she suffered a debilitating heart attack.

Woman sues city, taxi and emergency workers
September 16, 2002 Winnipeg, Canada
A drunk woman who was taken home by emergency workers in a taxi is suing the taxi, the city and the people who helped her. After she was dropped off at home she found herself outside in the cold the next morning, with her jacket open and her pants down. She claims that she almost froze to death because the taxi driver and the emergency workers should have made sure she entered her house.

Father sues church when daughter fails to make the cut
September10, 2002, UK
The father of a 13-year-old girl is suing the dean of a cathedral for not appointing his daughter to one of the four special honorary positions in the chorus. He claims that his daughter has suffered mental anguish as a result of this " breach of duty of care."

Woman sues man, who had seizure, for post-traumatic stress
September 9, 2002, UK
A man who accidentally hit a woman's car when he had a seizure while driving, has been ordered to pay damages -- including compensation for the woman's "post-traumatic stress" that she suffered from having seen the epileptic victim's contorted face.

Robbers hold hostages, then ask them to lie to police
September 7, 2002, Boston
Two men who took hostages in a pizza shop robbery were caught red-handed by police. While police entered the building, the robbers asked the hostages to tie them up so that the police would think that they, too, were victims. The hostages refused, and the men were arrested.

Woman stabs roommate for tying up the phone
September 6, 2002, North Carolina
A 35-year-old woman was charged with assault and battery after stabbing her roommate. The roommate was trying to connect to the Internet. The accused, who claims she had been waiting for a phone call, pulled the roommate's telephone cord out of the wall and stabbed her in the neck and chest.

BMW drivers are the rudest, according to survey
September 5, 2002, U.K.
A survey commissioned by Mitsubishi Corporation questioned 900 motorists about their driving habits and those of others. They named drivers of BMWs as the rudest, more so than drivers of Volvos, Vauxhall Cavaliers, Porsches and Nissans. The survey also found that 60% of men and 20% of women admitted to aggressive, "road rage" driving, and that one of the main irritants on the roads was "not being thanked when appropriate."

French play closes early because of actors' row
September 4, 2002, Paris
The French stage version of "The Full Monty" was closed in mid-performance when two of the actors got into a physical fight backstage during a scene change. One of the actors was angry about backstage noises during his solo. The show was to have run until September 15, but was shut down after the fight.

Judge dismisses case against drug manufacturer
August 23, 2002, West Virginia
A woman who had abused a variety of drugs crushed, liquified and injected the painkiller, Oxycontin, and died. Her family filed suit against the manufacturer, but the judge dismissed the case, stating that the woman had ignored warnings that were included in the drug's packaging.

Hookers and homeless demand compensation from film production companies
August 21, 2002, Vancouver BC
The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, which includes prostitutes, drug users and homeless people, has sent letters to 30 film production companies, demanding compensation for lost income, which resulted when film crews closed off streets. The letters state, "Sex trade workers must be compensated for displacement they experience at your hands in the same manner you would compensate a business if you were to use their locale during operating hours." The association also demands compensation for lost income by panhandlers, for displacement of homeless people from doorways and under bridges, and for drug abusers who are forced out of the neighborhood park.

Office rage in Britain a growing problem
August 13, 2002
A survey of 450 office employees across Britain found that “office rage” is alive and well. In this study, over half the respondents (more women than men) admitted to feeling on the brink of punching someone. The most frequent reasons given: loud-mouthed colleagues, equipment breakdowns, excessive workloads and interruptions. Self-control may be a growing problem: Britain’s latest crime survey reports 1.3 million incidents of violence at work.

Some lawyers are even litigious in play
August 12, 2002
Of all the organized softball leagues in New York, the Central Park Lawyers softball League is the most cutthroat and litigious, says journalist Colin Miner. When players have disputes or disagree with an umpire's call they file quasi legal briefs, sometimes creating a mountain of paperwork from arguments and counter-arguments.

Drunk man lies under parked truck; truck moves and kills him; family sues
August 10, 2002, West Virginia
A man left a bar drunk (.19 alcohol level), and ended up underneath a tractor-trailer parked in front of a pizza shop. When the driver of the truck drove off, the man underneath was killed. His mother is suing the restaurant, the truck driver, the trucking company and the bar because they were all negligent in taking steps to keep her son alive.

Soccer coach assaults 12-year-old player
August 2, 2002 Ontario, Canada
A 39-year-old soccer coach ran onto the field of a girls' soccer game and struck a 12year-old player from the opposing team in the stomach. She had to be treated for bruised ribs. The coach was not suspended because the rules stipulate that coaches can be suspended only for assaulting a game official.

Survey: Adolescents condone bullying
July 31, 2002, Vancouver
A recent survey of 500 high school students in an upper middle-class school showed that even though only 13% admitted to bullying others, 70% said some kids get picked on because they deserve it. This justification of bullying is an example of what psychologists call "moral disengagement." The study points out that dealing with the problem requires more than just punishing the bully. It requires an attitude change of the whole school.

Air rage sensors?
July 27, 2002, UK
A British company has invented a thin filmy cover for airplane seats, which contains sensors that measure stress and anxiety levels of passengers. Most passengers who exhibit unruly behavior are agitated before the behavior occurs. The seat covers will be able to detect this agitation (as well as anxiety and possible medical conditions), so that the crew can monitor specific passengers more closely, and posssibly prevent an outburst. This may not be such a good idea -- imagine the lawsuits that could arise: "My seat cushion signalled to you that I was angry, but you didn't prevent me from smacking the flight attendant. So it's YOUR fault, not mine!"

Male teachers fight in front of 500 students
July 25, 2002, India
Two male teachers got into a physical brawl over a woman colleague, each accusing the other of sabotaging his chances of a romance with the colleague. They rolled on the ground, pulled hair and flung stones and mud at each other, all in full view of 500 students. Both teachers were reprimanded and suspended, and the school has been shut down, pending investigation.

Fast food chains sued
July 25, 2002
McDonald's and three other fast food chains are being sued for creating obesity and other health problems in people who, by virtue of frequent visits to fast-food restaurants, become addicted to foods high in fat and salt. The lawsuit is building into a class action suit.

Cell phone Courtesy Month
July 19, 2002
Rude, obnoxious cell phone users have become so ubitquitous that it has been necessary to declare July as the "National cell phone Courtesy Month" in the U.S. It is a sad state of affairs that we have to be reminded of common-sense behaviors such as turning off cell phones in places where they might disturb others, speaking discreetly when on the phone, and observing safety rules while using the phone in the car.

Jury awards $8 million to carpet installers who ignored label warning
July 10,2002
Two carpet installers who admitted they read and understood the label of an adhesive they used, which was clearly marked, "Do not use indoors because of flammability," used it inside anyway. There was an explosion caused by an electric spark and they were burned badly. They sued the adhesive manufacturer and won $8 million. The jury, which was initially deadlocked, finally based its opinion on the fact that "explosion" was not mentioned on the warning label.

Corporation execs under investigation blame others
July 9, 2002
As one coroporation after another in the US restates its earnings because of "accounting errors," their top executives place blame on others. It's an epidemic of the bratty whining that "it's not my fault." While workers are laid off, executives who walked away with millions after exercising stock options, seem oblivious to the damage they've done. Not one of them -- from Enron, Worldcom, Tyco, or Qwest Communications -- has made a public apology.

Another baseball strike?
July 8, 2002
Baseball season is in full swing (pun intended) and major league players and owners in the U.S. are already anticipating contract renewals this fall. There is talk of another strike. The negotiations focus, of course, on money. One of the terms implies putting a cap on players' salaries. With current average salaries of $2.38 million, it's hard to sympathize. Next, many of the players don't want to be subject to drug testing. It's apparent that they feel entitled to obscene salaries and to not having to be accountable. Team owners aren't exempt from brattiness either. They get cities to build stadiums at taxpayers' expense, then charge an arm and a leg for admission, not to mention food and drink. They claim that these high prices are necessary because they have to pay players' salaries. Players and owners each blame the other for being greedy, but neither side is willing to give up any dollars. After all. . . . in their own eyes, they’ve EARNED it!

TV movie depicts parents who lose control at kids' sports events
Mark your calendar. On July 15, 2002, Lifetime TV, in collaboration with the National Alliance on Youth Sports, will present “Crossing the Line,” a two-hour movie focused on overly competitive parents who lose control while watching their children play sports. The movie will be repeated on July 24, July 27 and August 11

Profile of road rager
July 1, 2002
Recent research and survey results suggest that road rage is not a random, temporary condition, but part of a long-term pattern of behavior. Drivers who engage in overly aggressive or threatening tactics, such as tailgating, chasing or cutting off another car, tend to have a history of traffic tickets, are more likely to drink and drive, and to get into accidents. They also tend to have hostile components in their personalities. [Dallas Morning News]

Out-of-control fires started as deliberate, personal deeds
June 30, 2002
Recent blazes in Colorado and Arizona have been attributed to firefighters who started the fires for fairly trivial reasons. This is not the first time that fires have been set by individuals who were angry or who were seeking attention. In the past year several fire departments have reported firefighters who wanted to look heroic or who wanted extra pay for fighting the fires they started.

City council proposes new rules for adults' disorderly conduct at youth sports events
June 11, 2002, Macon GA
In response to the growing number of violent outbursts at youth sports events, the city council has proposed an ordinance specifically aimed at adults who engage in such conduct. It recommended mandatory attendance at code-of-conduct classes by parents, certification of coaches and increased police security. The ordinance also calles for mandatory probation of 50 days and the banning of violators from all youth sports events on city property. [Macon Telegraph}

Teachers' conference cites unruly parents
June 7, 2002, Torquay, UK
A teachers' conference addressed the topic of unruly children and their parents. An overwhelming majority said that bullying parents were more of a problem than their children. These are the parents who are vindictive and nasty when their children are disciplined by the school. It is feared that if this trend continues, rule-abiding parents will remove their children from state-run schools. [BBC online]

A new alibi for unfaithful husbands
May 29, 2002, Brasilia
Unfaithful husbands who spent the night with their mistresses, have reported to the police the next morning that they were victims of "flash-kidnapping." Such kidnapping has been a legitimate problem, but at least 4 of the 30 cases this year were bogus complaints by wayward husbands who needed an alibi. The men are being charged for wasting police time. [Reuters]

Convicted rapist sues hospital for negligence
May 21, 2002
A 47-year-old man is serving a 10-year sentence for raping a sick and helpless patient in a hospital. He is now suing the hospital for "inadequate security in protecting visitors as well as their patients." As a result of their negligence he is demanding $2 million for his pain and suffering. He is also suing his attorney for $250,000 for giving him bad advice to plea bargain.

Nurses admit revenge tactics for rude patients
May 15, 2002, UK
In the TV show "Confessions" nurses admitted retaliating against rude patients. One said she catheterized a man who didn't need it, because he had pinched her bottom. Other nurses admitted "forgetting" to give pain medicine or deliberately making injections painful. [Ananova]

Frustrated bank customer sets self on fire in protest
May 3, 2002. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Recently, in the midst of a national economic crisis, Argentinian banks have put a freeze on cash withdrawals. When a 54-year-old woman went to withdraw funds from her bank, she was told that she could not. in protest she then doused herself with alcohol and set herself on fire. [Reuters]

Three surfer dudes arrested in "wave rage" incident
April 12, 2002, San Francisco
Three surfers were arrested for beating another surfer who was riding "their" wave. They grabbed the man's surfboard and punched him in the head, drawing blood. The attorney for one of the suspects said, "There's much more to this story than what has been reported." [SF Chronicle]

Woman threatens repairman at gunpoint
April 11, 2002, Argentina
Frustrated by a washing machine that never worked properly, a woman called the repair man. When he arrived she threatened him with a gun and made him fix the machine and sign a statement promising it would never break down again. [Ananova]

Italian court rules that father must support 30-year-old son
April 6, 2002, Rome
Italy's highest appeals court rejected a father's plea to stop supporting his 30-year-old son, a law school graduate. Giuseppe Andreoli, a wealthy former parliamentarian has been paying $680 per month to his son; the young man also has a sizable trust fund. The high court stated: "You cannot blame a young person, particularly from a well-off family, who refuses a job that does not fit his aspirations. The parents have to pay for their upkeep." [The Independent}

Rudeness survey
April 3, 2002
A survey published in the USA by non-profit organization Public Agenda, reports that 79% of respondents believe that people are less considerate and more selfish in general. Half the people said they left stores because of bad service. 58% complained about rude drivers. Other issues: people talking loudly on cell phones in public; rude and aggressive parents at children's sporting events; crude or nasty emails; recorded greetings by customer service telephone lines. Most respondents conceded that people were more thoughtful and caring after September 11, but didn't expect it to last. [Public Agenda]

31 students caught cheating on ethics assignment
March 28, 2002, Ottawa, Canada
31 engineering students at Carleton University were caught plagiarizing essays by copying major sections (and in one case the whole document, except for four words) from the Internet. The essay topic was ethics. [Reuters]

Man causes traffic jam when he leashes dog to car
March 21, 2002, Kalmthout, Belgium
A 42-year-old man needed to take his dog for a walk, but didn't like to be out in bad weather. So what did he do? He drove his car at 20 mph while his dog ran alongside on the leash. This caused traffic jams in both directions, and also frightened the dog. The man has been charged with cruelty to animals. [Ananova]

Student shoots classmate after paper fight
March 13, 2002, Sao Paulo, Brazil
During a paper fight at school, an18-year-old boy was hit on the head with a paper ball by a classmate. After school he waited for the classmate and shot him dead. He later claimed that he killed the other boy because he felt humiliated by him. [Ananova]

"Stop the Violence" program canceled due to fighting
March 7, 2002, Port Arthur, Texas
When several fights broke out among students after the first performance of an anti-violence play about conflict resolution and the consequences of violence, subsequent performances were canceled. The play was part of the school district's annual "Peace Week" events, which encourage peaceful solutions to problems. [Beaumont Enterprise]

Man sues Roads and Traffic Authority after hurting his back
March 4, 2002, Australia
After consuming several beers, a 35-year-old man stepped over a guardrail in the dark, in order to relieve himself. He did not see the precipitous drop-off of 40 feet, and fell, injuring his back. He sued the Roads and Traffic Authority and won an award of $31,000.

Fugitive from the law develops frostbite and threatens to sue police
February 27, 2002, Bangor Maine
A 48-year-old man was on the run from authorities in Florida for probation violation. He fled to Maine where he lived under an alias for a few years. However, when police received a tip that there was an extradition order for him, they started investigating him. He ran into the woods, where he got lost for 3 days and developed frostbite on his toes. He was finally arrested and had to have toes amputated. He told reporters that he was going to sue the police detective: "If he had done his job properly I wouldn't be in the condition that I'm in right now. I would have been in jail that very same day."

Worker's death from alcohol ruled as a "workplace accident"
February 18, 2002, France
Three years ago a French electrician died of alcohol poisoning in Russia after a party with Russian colleagues. His widow applied for his pension but was refused because the company said that her husband had not died on the job. Now the French court has ruled that her husband's death should be considered an industrial accident because he had been required to attend the party as part of his job.

"My Way" leads to death outside Karaoke bar
February 17, 2002, Manila, Philippines
In a karaoke bar, a 21-year-old criminology student who was singing (off-key) the Frank Sinatra classic "My Way" shot and killed a heckler who was sarcastically applauding his performance. He also injured the heckler's friend. This is the second time this song has resulted in death. Many bars in Manila have banned the song because it tends to trigger fights.

"Express checkout" rage
RR 2002, Lowell, Mass.
When one woman went through the express checkout line at the grocery store with one item over the 12-items-or-fewer-lane, the woman who was in line behind her, yelled at her, followed her out of the store and beat her.

Woman wins lawsuit against Hoyt Cinemas
February 12, 2002, NSW, Australia
A woman who fell and injured her tailbone when she fell against the frame of theater seat, has won her case in Appeals court. The injury occurred when she got up out of her seat to calm a child sitting next to her, and when she went to sit back down, she hit the frame because the seat had flipped up automatically while she was standing. She claims that she did not know that when one gets up from the seat, the seat retracts.

Man claims depression caused him to rob banks
February 12, 2002, Turin, Italy
A 37-year-old man confessed to robbing 21 banks, but claimed it was because he was depressed after his wife left him. He added that the robberies gave him "a great thrill." He said, "I suddenly found out that the only way to escape from the tunnel of depression was to have very strong experiences, and robbing banks really gave my peace of mind."

"Ride" rage
February 10, 2002, UK
The British Horse Society has been the target of angry examinees who failed their riding tests. In the horse world these qualification tests are crucial to one's professional success. One examiner, after issuing a failing grade to a young female student, was grabbed on the neck by the girl's father. Another examiner reported being sworn at by a middle-aged woman who failed the test. In a third incident a father and son got into a fist fight and threw stones at each other in anger after the son failed his test. To avoid future violence, the British Horse Society now mails the test results to students' homes rather than giving them the results in person on the day of the test.

Woman sues church for $4 million
February 5, 2002, New York
A 65-year-old woman claimed that she was injured and disabled during the course of a Pentecostal church service, when the minister "placed his hands on her head and caused her to fall backwards." It is common during a service that church members quake and tremble when the spirit moves them and then fall backward when the minister gives them a push. In this woman's case, she hit the floor in a manner that caused injury requiring hospitalization and surgery for a fractured arm. She sued for $4 million, claiming that the church should have provided "safety devices . . including ropes or cushioning" to catch falling worshipers. The case was recently settled for $80,000.

Woman bites son-in-law over music
February 3, 2002, Bihor, Romania
An argument between a man and his mother-in-law ended when she bit his hand, injuring some tendons. He wanted to listen to music, but she would not allow it because it might wake the children. After he grabbed her neck she bit his hand so hard that he couldn't use it for 2 weeks.

Man killed in spat over lights
January 31, 2002, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2 roommates, ages 56 and 58, were arguing about whether the lights should be left on or turned off in the house. One switched them on, the other turned them off. Both were drinking. Finally, one of the men hit the other over the head with a machete, killing him.

Enron execs still feel entitled to live in style
January 31, 2002
Although Enron Corporation has filed for bankruptcy, its top executives are still flying in coporate jets at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars per trip. They are also building and remodeling luxury homes with the profits they made when they sold their stock holdings early last year. Meanwhile, lower level employees who lost their retirement funds when Enron stock plunged, didn't even get reimbursed for the money they had paid in advance for on-site daycare.

Rioting school boys try to set headmaster on fire
January 30, 2002,
When a boarding school refused to put a television in the dining room for the boys to watch the African Nations Cup football game, 300 pupils, led by a nine year old boy, rioted for two days. The riot culminated in their tying down the headmaster and trying to set him on fire. Fortunately he was saved by military police from a nearby barracks. The school has been closed because of violence.

Mike Tyson bites again
January 22, 2002, New York
At a press conference in which boxers Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis appeared, Tyson walked menacingly toward Lewis. When the bodyguard tried to restrain him, Tyson pushed him aside. Lewis and Tyson ended up in a skirmish onstage. In the process Tyson bit Lewis on the leg. After order was restored Tyson continued to shout obscenities at the audience. His reason? "I was provoked by a member of the audience who was shouting obscenities at me and I defended myself as I saw fit. " Later he apologized for having offended members of the audience, but added, "I am not a role model or Mr. Politically Correct. I am a boxer, and from now on I will let my boxing talk for me."

Wave rage
January 11, 2002, Wailuka, Hawaii
A 54-year-old surfer was charged with second-degree assault for deliberately slamming into a kite surfer. Witnesses said that he deliberately navigated his surfboard into the man's legs, which required 9 stitches. This is just one of many recent incidents of territorial disputes between surfer, which has come to be known as "wave rage".

Despondent man stirs up excitement with coast guard
January, 10, 2002, Yokahama, Japan
A 41-year-old man called the Japan Coast Guard and told them he saw 5 or 6 people in wet suits emerging from a miniature submarine. This set off an investigation mobilizing 17 vessels, 10 aircraft and 380 personnel, and costing 10 million yen (about $77,000). Turns out it was a hoax. The man confessed to police that he was just trying to cheer himself up after a recent argument with his wife. The Coast Guard is considering making the man pay for the costs of investigating this bogus report.

Rail passengers vandalize building in protest
January 9, 2002, Durban, South Africa
About 250 passengers, angry about delayed commuter trains, used sticks to smash up the rail company offices. The rail company provided busses after the protesters threatened to set the building on fire.

Customer throws Whopper at Burger King manager
January 4, 2002, Sandusky, Ohio
A 60-year-old man complained that the Whopper he ordered didn't look anything like the one pictured on the Burger King billboard. Not only did he throw the sandwich at the restaurant manager (he missed); he also called the police. When they arrived they got him a refund and escorted him out of the restaurant. He was told by the manager not to return.

Parolee commits crime, blames Parole Board
January 2, 2002, Toronto, Canada
A convicted robber who has been in and out of jail since the 1970's, is suing the National Parole Board for $1.6 million. He was released on parole in 1987 and served as an informant, but was arrested and convicted in 1993 for conspiracy to commit robbery. Two years later he began his lawsuit, claiming that authorities were negligent in releasing him too soon.

Mike Tyson's temper
January 1, 2002, Havana, Cuba
Boxer Mike Tyson, on vacation in a Havana resort hotel, was enraged when he saw 5 journalists waiting for him as he emerged from an elevator. He yelled insults at them in English and Spanish, and then picked up three grapefruit-sized crystal balls from a decoration in the hotel lobby, and threw them at the journalists. Fortunately the balls missed and shattered on the floor, but he did manage to hit a cameraman with his fist.

Honeymoon rage ends marriage
December 27, 2001, Cayman Islands
Three days into their honeymoon while on a cruise, a young couple have called it quits. While spending time ashore, they missed the boat and had to take a plane to the ship's next destination. The 20-year-old bride told a newspaper reporter, "Our marriage is over. It was his fault we missed the boat." Said the 23-year-old groom: "That's fine by me."

Cyclist's finger is bitten off in road rage incident
December 26, 2001, Bologna, Italy
A cyclist, passing an automobile in busy traffic allegedly scratched the car. The driver and cyclist insulted each other until they both parked and left their vehicles. They then got into a fight. The car driver bit off the little finger of the cyclist's left hand. Both men were taken to the hospital and charged with assault.

Turkey rage in parking lot
December 24, 2001, South Wales, GB
Two women in a supermarket argued over the last turkey in the store, ending in one woman grabbing it and protecting it in her shopping cart. Later in the parking lot the other woman insulted the woman with the turkey, saying, "I hope you burn it on Christmas Day." In response the woman with the turkey clobbered her over the head with the 18-lb frozen bird. The whole incident was recorded by security cameras.

Christmas tree rage
December 21, 2001, Shreveport, LA
A suspect arrested on drunk driving and drug possession charges, was being escorted from one floor to another in the courthouse, when he suddenly attacked an artificial Christmas tree in the building. He grabbed the tree, shook it, and tried to tear off some limbs. The tree had to be replaced. Criminal property damage was added to his list of charges.

Prisoner's complaint over undercooked chicken sparks riot
December 18, 2001, Pelham, Georgia
Incited by an inmate's complaint that the chicken dinner was not thoroughly cooked, other prisoners at Autry State Prison set off a riot of destruction, damaging lights, breaking sprinkler heads and setting fire to mattresses. A SWAT team had to be called in to restore order. A spokesman for the Georgia Department of Corrections commented, "These are tough people. They're not in prison for making rational and evenhanded decisions."

Celebrity brats in the news
December 15, 2001
In London, Madonna is impatient to get her house built. She complained that British construction workers aren't working hard enough. "I'm used to people in America working seven days a week. It's irritating. They leave work at five and there's Bank Holidays every minute here."
In Taiwan, Tom Cruise, in an interview promoting his new movie, became irritated when the reporter's cell phone rang. The first time he merely looked annoyed. The second time he snatched the phone from the reporter, answered "hello" in Chinese, and told the caller in English that they were in the middle of a press conference.

Teen injured while asleep on tracks sues Railroad
December 8, 2001, Grover Beach, California
A young man who was run over by a freight train is suing the Union Pacific Railroad, the train’s conductor and engineer. At the time of the accident he was asleep on the tracks, with a blood alcohol level of .229. He lost both legs and one arm. He claims that the conductor and engineer breached their duty by not sounding the train’s horn or bell as soon as they saw him.

Man attacks police with axe over parking ticket
December 6, 2001, Essen, Germany
A 26-year-old man attacked police with an axe, threatening to kill them for "damaging his honor" by giving him a parking ticket. The police locked themselves in their car and called for help. The man was subsequently arrested and also lost his license.

Woman gets physical over earthworm
December 5, 2001, Cologne, Germany
A 66-year-old woman out walking her dog, confiscated an earthworm from a group of children because she thought they were going to hurt it. One of the children's mother ran after the woman and grabbed the handkerchief she was holding, which the mother thought contained the worm. However, when she found that the handkerchief contained the woman's dog's droppings, she kicked her. The victim is suing for damages.

Man couldn't resist walking on wet concrete
November 22, 2001, Germany
A man was charged with criminal damage for walking half a kilometer on a newly poured concrete road, leaving footprints that will cost $25,000 to repair. When arrested by police he said he simply couldn't resist the temptation to leave his footprints in wet concrete.

19-year-old girl stabs sister in rage over food
November 22, 2001, Malawi, Africa
A woman was arrested after stabbing and killing her sister, whom she accused of having taken more than her fair share of a meal. She is expected to be charged with murder or manslaughter.

Bus driver stops to punch wife's lover
November 21, 2001, Germany
While driving his bus, a German bus driver spotted his wife with her lover. He stopped the bus in the middle of the road, ran out and punched the man who was at a pay phone. The other man hit him with the telephone receiver, knocking him out. The bus driver had to be taken to the hospital, leaving his passengers stranded.

Man drives car into shop as revenge
November 21, 2001, Socoraba, Brazil
A man was charge with criminal damage after driving his car at high speed through a clothing shop. He had been hired by the store to do some remodeling, but later was told he wasn't needed.

Man gets 60 years for shooting teens who laughed at haircut
November 17, 2001, Illinois
A 22-year-old man was sentenced to 60 years in prison for shooting and injuring two teenagers who laughed at his half-brother's haircut while in a fast-food restaurant. The half-brother, whose head was shaved except for a long patch in back gathered into a pony tail, called the man on the phone, telling him to bring a gun to the restaurant. He arrived just as the teens were leaving, and he fired his gun into their car. He won't be eligible for parole until age 73.

Soccer fan throws TV out the window in disgust
November 16, 2001, Romania
A 39-year-old man had a lot of money riding on a soccer game between Romania and Slovenia. When his Romanian team falied to qualify for the World Cup, he was so angry that he threw his TV from his third-floor apartment.

Man sues CocaCola after developing diabetes
November 14, 2001, Germany
A judge in Neubrandenburg, is suing CocaCola, blaming them for the diabetes he developed from drinking 2 bottles of coke every day over a period of several years. Next he plans to sue Masterfood, a candy company that makes Snickers and Milky Way bars, as also contributing to his diabetes. He claims that there ought to be warning labels on soft drink and candy wrappers.

Anti-violence advocate arrested for battery
November 8, 2001, Sarasota, FL
A father and coach of a 7-year-old's flag football team, was arrested and charged with battery for punching a referee during a game. This was after he yelled at the ref for allowing the game to get too rough. He is president of the local chapter of a youth anti-violence group.

Nicotine-craving bus passenger causes injury to 33
Novembe 5, 2001, Phoenix, AZ
A man who was smoking on a Greyhound bus was told that smoking was not allowed. He tried to exit the bus, which was traveling 70 miles per hour, but when the door did not open, he grabbed the steering wheel from the bus driver. The ensuing scuffle caused the bus to go off the pavement and roll over on its side, injuring 33 passengers.

Dennis Rodman fined $80,000 for harrassment
November 3, 2001, Las Vegas
A jury ordered former NBA star Dennis Rodman to pay a casino dealer $80,000 for humiliating him by rubbing dice on the dealer's bald head. Rodman's attorney claimed that this was a good-luck gesture. In unrelated incidents, Rodman has other charges pending against him, including sexual harrassment and assault.

Elevator rage results in partial evacuation of office building
October 25, 2001, Montreal, Canada
When two office workers in an office building got into an altercation about whether the elevator should be going up or down, one of them attacked the other with pepper spray. The pepper spray seeped into several floors of the building, each time the elevator stopped. The building had to be partially evacuated and firefighters were called to the scene.

Injured woman claims train conductor should have known she was lying on the track
October 18, 2001, Sant Fe, NM
A is suing a railway company over a 1998 accident in which a train severed her feet as she was lying on the tracks under a brown blanket, at a crossing. She claims that the conductor and brakeman failed to keep a proper lookout for people on the tracks, and that they "knew or should have known" she was there.

Firefighter admits starting fires to boost his wages
October 11, 2001, San Diego, CA
A 26-year-old man, pleaded guilty to starting two fires in the Cleveland National Forest, burning 50 acres of trees. He said that he started the fires because he wanted "a little extra on his paycheck." His arrest came after members of his fire station became suspicious of his extraordinary ability to detect and report fires to his supervisors.

Man kills friend in drunken argument over toy trains
October 11, 2001, Berlin Germany
A 33-year-old man stabbed his best friend to death, cut off the man's testicles and threw the body out of a ninth-floor window. He was angry that after 3 years of working on a model railroad together, the friend wanted to end the project and to take back his share of the equipment. The accused faces 5 years in prison for manslaughter, but is seeking a shorter sentence because he was drunk at the time of the stabbing.

80-year-old mother stabbed after insulting dogs
October 6, 2001, New York
When a woman's two springer spaniels tried to steal food from her 80-year-old mother's Yorkshire terrier, the older woman said that the spaniels deserved to be killed for their behavior. The daughter's reaction? She stabbed her mother with a carving knife, killing her.

Man stabs pool hall workers because his dog was refused entrance
October 1, 2001, Melbourne Australia
Two men with a dog in a pool hall were asked to to take the dog outside. The men started fighting with pool hall employees. One of the men took the dog outside, but the other stabbed the two employees, one in the abdomen and one in the lung. Both men then fled. Police are looking for them.

Pilot has tantrum over confiscated nail clipper
September 27, 2001, Rapid City, SD
After airport security confiscated his nail clipper and scissors, a Northwest Airlines pilot overreacted in anger. A witness reported, "There was a lot of commotion, like he was throwing a tantrum." Apparently the pilot didn't think that the new rules banning such items applied to him.

Woman bites man's thumb in queue rage
September 12, 2001, Germany
A woman waiting for a taxi was so enraged at a man who jumped ahead of her in line that she bit his thumb, almost severing part of it. The police intervened before she caused any further injuries.

Inmate complains prison food isn't like at home
September 26, 2001 Hong Kong
A man serving 20 months on his fifth conviction, appealed to the court to cut his prison time short because the food is too bland. He said, "I am a native of Hunan and I like spicy food, but there is no spicy food here." The court refused.

Hoaxers add insult to injury
September 16, 2001
Believe it or not, the horror of the September 11 terrorist attack has spawned hundreds of hoaxes. Although most people have shown increased sensitivity and kindness to others, there are a few bratty ones who find amusement in alarming others who are already stressed to the limits. For example on a web site designed for people to share information about survivors, some immature and self-absorbed hoaxers posted the names of cartoon and comic book characters, celebrity names and joke names. Others posted names of missing people, claiming that they were found when in fact they were not.

Dozens of phony bomb threats have been called in across the USA to airlines, hospitals, shopping malls, recreational areas and government buildings. Bomb threats have been made directly on planes themselves. And these haven’t been limited to the USA. On September 14 a 35 year-old IBM employee from New Zealand emailed a bomb threat to Singapore Airlines from a computer at an airport lounge in Singapore.

19-year-old stabs father for his bad manners
September 10, 2001, Japan
A 19-year-old teenager was arrested for stabbing her father during breakfast. Police quoted her explanation: “He won’t get out and get a job and the sight of him sitting down and making a pig of himself at the breakfast table made me sick.” They were apparently arguing at the table, when she picked up a knife and stabbed her father. He is expected to recover from the wounds.

Man kills brother because he left the toilet seat up
September 7, 2001, Egypt
A 39-year-old man beat and stabbed to death his younger brother because he always left the toilet seat up. At first he reported to police that the victim had died when a wall collapsed on him, but later he confessed to the murder.

Don King says TV brawl was good for boxing's integrity
September 2, 2001
On August 30, 2001 during a taping of ESPN's "Up Close" program, boxing rivals Hasim Rahman and Lennox Lewis got into an argument after Rahman said that Lewis had "acted in a gay manner". The argument turned into a brawl, in which the boxers wrestled on the floor and broke a table. Later, boxing promoter Don King said that the spontaneous fight restores credibility to boxing's integrity. "It was something that they couldn't control," said King. "They were overwhelmed by the extremity and intensity of the hostility for each other. Both want the same thing but one can't have it - it means that we have a quality match."

93-year-old woman trashes son's crops
August 30, 2001 Kenya
A 93-year-old woman slashed 12 of her son's banana plants after an argument with her daughter-in-law. She was charged with malicious damage of property and ordered to pay a fine. When she failed to pay the fine, she was sent to jail.

Anti-bully insurance
August 29, 2001 France
This school year students in France are offered "bully insurance" which will reimburse them for injury and for property damaged or stolen by other children. For example, they will be compensated for broken bones, shattered eyeglasses, stolen textbooks and ripped clothing. These policies came about as a result of parents' requests for such insurance.

Angry nun charged with assault over classroom behavior
August 28, 2001 Philippines
A nun has been charged with assault after hurling a blackboard eraser at an 11-year-old student who was talking in classs. The boy was hit in the face with such force that his face was cut by the eraser and he received a black eye.

Computer game ends in stabbing
August 25, 2001, Singapore
At a computer gaming center where players on different terminals can join one another's games, a 21-year-old man stabbed a 16-year-old who killed off his game character. The man, who also acknowledged being on drugs at the time, was sentenced to 6 lashes of the cane and 6 years in prison. The 16-year-old victim received stitches for the knife wound to the back.

Firefighter sues for back pay after arrest
August 24, 2001, DesMoines
After being arrested on 3 counts of third-degree sexual abuse, a firefighter took a voluntary 6-month leave of absence. These charges were eventually dropped after he pleaded guilty to assault with intent to inflict injury and harassment. He is now suing for back pay for his leave time, alleging that because he is Hispanic, he was treated unfairly by his employer.

Gossips may lose their jobs
August 21, 2001, Romania
Employees at a clinic for high school and college students were threatened with fines and possible dismissal if they are caught gossiping at work. The measure was deemed necessary after a new director took over the clinic. He was not liked by everyone, ostensibly because he expected employees to work harder. Gossip and false rumors escalated to the point of conflict and mistrust among staff, as well as time wasted gossiping instead of working.

Superior Court judge removed from office for lying about his past
August 17, 2001
A Superior Court judge was removed from his position. Investigators over the past year found that not only had he lied on his original application, claiming that he had a master's degree, that he was a Vietnam veteran, and that he received a Purple Heart, he also continued these and more lies throughout his term in office. His defense lawyers contend that he suffers from "pseudologia fantastica" (a medical term for pathological liar.) However, the Commission on Judicial Performance, who rendered the decision to remove the judge from the bench, noted that according to expert testimony, a defining parameter for pseudogia fantastica is that the lying is not intended to promote the liar's self-interests. In this case, the lying was definitely intended to promote self-interest.

Man convicted in fatal drunken driving crash, then sues party host
August 16, 2001, Nashua, NH
In 1998 a man got drunk at his boss's party, crashed his Jeep into a sandpit, seriously injuring one of the passengers, who died two days later. He was convicted of driving while intoxicated, sentenced to 2 1/2 to 5 years in prison and ordered to pay fines and restitution. Now he is suing the hosts of the party for letting him get drunk for not warning him of the dangers of driving in the sand pit. He is also suing the owner of the sandpit who should have taken measures to keep people out.

Lover's quarrel causes 10-hour delay in take-off
August 17, 2001 Manchester, UK
A heated argument between a couple on a plane resulted in a 10-hour delay in departure. While the plane was on the runway in line for take-off, the very bratty woman demanded to be let off the plane. All the baggage had to be unloaded to find the woman's suitcase. As a result the flight missed its take-off slot and the 170 passengers had to wait all night in the terminal for the next available take-off slot, because all nearby hotels were full. The other passengers were so enraged that police had to be called. After all that, the enraged woman settled down and decided she wanted to fly after all. No dice, said airline officials, as they escorted her and her husband out of the terminal. They are considering suing her for expenses incurred as a result of her outburst.

Deputy sheriffs sue the man they beat up
August 16, 2001 Maryland
In 1998 two deputy sheriffs stopped a man who was driving erratically. Assuming he was drunk, they stopped him. When he didn't come out of the truck, the deputies broke a window to his truck, doused him with pepper spray, beat him and sent a police dog into the truck. The man was not drunk, but slipping into a diabetic coma. He spent 4 days in the hospital for dog bites and other wounds, He later filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit alleging that his civil rights were violated. The two officers are now suing him for portraying them unfairly, which has affected their careers.

Woman sics dog on man who complained about poop
August 16, 2001 Japan
Maybe it's not always a good idea to complain about your neighbor's dog befouling your property. When a man in Japan did this, the pit bull's owner, a 49-year-old woman, allegedly forced the dog to attack him. He ended up with bodily injury that took weeks to heal. She claims that it was an accident. She was arrested and charged with inflicting bodily injury.

Survey shows "sports rage" is on the rise
August 16, 2001
A survey by the men's magazine, FHM Bionic, reports that men participating in sports are having trouble controlling their anger. 3,000 men, average age 24, responded to an online questionnaire. While the results are not scientific, they do indicate that men are acknowledging losing control. 78% of rugby and football players, 36% of tennis players, 29% of swimmers and 22% of weight lifters admitted to losing their tempers while engaged in sports activity. Furthermore, 43% of the respondents said that they had been physically injured in a sports rage incident.

Man threatens to blow up plane because seat is too small
August 2, 2001 Halifax, NS
An Atlanta man, on his way to Scotland on a British Airways jet, complained that his seat was too small, and that he'd have a panic attack if he didn't get an upgrade to business class. Several times he went into the lavatory to smoke, setting off fire alarms. When crew members tried to confiscate his cigarettes, he threatened to set off a bomb. The plane made an emergency landing in Halifax and the man was arrested. At his arraignment he said: "This was totally out of character for me. I'm a grandfather."

Firewalker upset when his feet are burned
August 9, 2001
A California man claims he suffered severe burns and nerve damage when he participated in a firewalk at the American Association For Nude Recreation convention in Jacumba last year. The case has now reached the Superior Court. The plaintiff claims that the organizer of the event promised the nudist participants that the walk would be "a safe and spiritual experience". The owner of the resort, a co-defendant, stated that the participants were warned of the dangers, and that they agreed not to sue if they were injured.

Man sues over stale jellybean
July 13, 2001, Maine
A 62-year-old man who broke his dentures after biting down on a stale jellybean is suing the Rite Aid drug store chain, where he purchased the jellybeans, as well as the manufacturer of the candy. He is asking for $9,000 to cover the cost of new dentures and to compensate him for pain and suffering.

Road rage brawl injures five
August 7, 2001, Montreal
After one car cut off another in traffic, the seven occupants of both cars got into a brawl, using golf clubs and crow bars. Police report that five of them were taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries to the head. Two men and one woman were charged with assault.

Absentee father tries to claim daughter's estate
May, 2001Raleigh NC
A father who never saw his daughter after she was born, and who never paid child support, suddenly appeared on the scene after she was killed at the age of 18. It seems that there was a $100,000 award from her wrongful death lawsuit, and the father felt entitled to collect "his" share. The judge denied the request, citing the fact that the man had abandoned his child. However, the father is appealing because the daughter turned 18 before she died, and was technically no longer a child.