Successful Search?

The 1937 disappearance of Amelia Earhart is one of the world's great unresolved mysteries. Now, a new lawsuit alleges that the mystery was actually solved years ago, but the answer was then kept secret for monetary reasons.

Wyoming philanthropist Timothy Mellon says that he gave The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) $1 million to search for the aviatrix's downed plane. The aircraft recovery group contends that Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, crash-landed on the isolated South Pacific atoll of Nikumaroro, although TIGHAR says it has not yet found the plane. Mellon, however, claims that a series of aerial photos taken in 2010 show the wreckage of Earhart's Lockheed Electra and human remains underwater. According to Mellon's suit, TIGHAR found the debris years ago, but kept the news under wraps to get more money out of him for unnecessary searches.

Slip & Scald

In a case that gives a whole new meaning to the term “freezer burn,” a Long John Silver's employee is suing the restaurant after allegedly suffering serious burns while melting ice in a walk-in freezer. Joshua Shepard says that in early 2011 the walk-in freezer at one of the chain's West Virginia locations sprung a leak, coating the freezer floor with ice. Instead of fixing the leak, restaurant supervisors reportedly asked Shepard to melt the ice with 200-degree water.

As is wont to happen when walking on icy surfaces, Shepard reportedly slipped and poured scalding water all over himself. He suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns over 12 percent of his body, according to his lawsuit. He claims that the injuries resulted in severe pain and interfered with his daily activities, and is now seeking more than $1 million.

Deaf Discrimination

A group of deaf customers are suing Starbucks Corp., claiming that the coffee shop's employees denied them service and repeatedly mocked them because of their disability. One of the 12 plaintiffs, for instance, claims that when he attempted to place a written order at one of the chain's Manhattan locations, a worker told him that the store would not serve deaf patrons.

The most egregious alleged offense came in March 2013, when the plaintiffs say that a Starbucks manager called the police to break up their monthly “Deaf Coffee Chat.” According to the suit, the employee told the police that most of the group members were not paying customers—since some had brought their own coffee—and that they did not have a permit to meet at the store. The police reprimanded the employee for the call, according to the lawsuit, which is seeking unspecified damages.