6 of the strangest lawsuits making headlines
Donald Trumps birth certificate, a failed doggie facelift and four more strange lawsuits in the news
February 20, 2013 at 07:59 AM
11 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Law.com
Security Snafu
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), never the most popular of federal agencies, is now facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit for an incident involving a jar of gourmet peanut butter. Frank Hannibal says that he was trying to take a jar of Crazy Richard's peanut butter through airport security when a TSA worker objected to the layer of oil on top of the peanut butter and pulled him out of line.
At that point, according to court papers, Hannibal sarcastically told his wife and daughters, “They're looking to confiscate my explosives.” The TSA didn't take well to his joke, however. Officers reportedly arrested Hannibal and kept him in jail for 25 hours. The peanut butter junkie is now seeking $5 million from a TSA employee and the Port Authority officer who arrested him.
Walrus Whisperer
Stealing a walrus doesn't seem like an easy task, but that's what one marine animal trainer planned to do following his departure from Marineland Canada, according to a $1.5 million lawsuit filed by the popular Niagara Falls theme park. According to the lawsuit, Philip Demers, who has been dubbed the “Kanye West of walrus training” because of his outspoken demeanor, left the park when his idea for a reality television show called “The Walrus Whisperer” was rejected in August 2011.
Following his departure, Marineland says, Demers trespassed onto park property, intimidated its employees and plotted to steal Smooshi, a walrus with which he had worked closely. Demers has denied Marineland's allegations, and maintains that his departure was motivated by concern for the welfare of the park's animals.
Failed Facelift
Several months ago, a Chinese man won $120,000 from his ex-wife, after she allegedly tricked him into marriage by changing her appearance with extensive plastic surgery. Now another Chinese man is suing over a plastic surgery procedure…that was performed on his dog.
The dog owner, whose surname is Yu, says that he decided to bring his Tibetan mastiff in for a facelift to make it more attractive to other dog owners, who would presumably pay more money to breed their female dogs with the pooch. Unfortunately, the dog died during surgery, reportedly due to a problem with anesthesia. Yu says he bought the Tibetan mastiff, which is among the most expensive breeds in the world, from a breeder for more than $140,000 last March, and he is seeking that amount from his veterinarian.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllCoinbase Hit With Antitrust Suit That Seeks to Change How Crypto Exchanges Operate
3 minute readBaker Botts' Biopharma Client Sues Former In-House Attorney, Others Alleging Extortion Scheme
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250