5 of the strangest lawsuits making headlines
A bad hair day, an expensive club cover and three more lawsuits in the news
August 07, 2013 at 07:59 AM
9 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Law.com
Ruined Romance
There was no summer loving happening at Massachusett's Camp Emerson, at least according to the parents of a 15-year-old girl who claim that she was kicked out of the camp after kissing a boy. Upon discovering “Jane Doe” and “Dick”'s romantic activities, the camp's director allegedly accused the girl of sexually provocative behavior—which is forbidden in the camp handbook—and had her escorted from the camp by an armed police officer.
The teen's parents claim that other campers who were caught kissing—or even urinating on other campers—were allowed to stay at the camp. They sought more than $600,000 in damages for claims including negligent infliction of emotional distress and defamation, but eventually dropped the suit before trial.
Dangerous Dye
Talk about a bad hair day. Missouri resident Catherine Oldham is suing her hair salon and stylist after a bad dye job allegedly sent her into cardiac arrest. Oldham claims that she went to Geoffred's Hair Salon for a simple haircut and conditioner, but that stylist DeShone Love recommended that she dye her gray hair. Love allegedly proceeded to apply hair color from an unmarked bottle that she borrowed from another hairdresser.
The real trouble started within days of the appointment, when Oldham says she developed severe blisters on her scalp. Those blisters in turn became infected, eventually causing Oldham to go into cardiac arrest, according to her lawsuit. After spending eight days on life support, undergoing several surgeries and receiving an internal defibulator, Oldham sued Geoffred's and Love for negligence, claiming that from now on she will always be in constant pain and limited in her daily activities.
Drugged Driving
A driver who traveled across the U.S.-Mexico border with some unwelcome baggage is suing Ford Motor Co. over the incident. Ricardo Magallanes, a University of Texas at El Paso student, spent six months in jail after U.S. authorities found 112 pounds of marijuana in his trunk while he was trying to cross the border between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Magallanes was convicted on drug charges—and faced up to three years in jail—but the charges were later dropped when the drugs were tracked back to a group of smugglers. The two men would use the vehicle identification numbers on cars to obtain the cars' codes and make duplicate keys, which they then used to stash drugs in the vehicles. Magallanes claims that the smugglers got his car codes from a Dallas Ford dealership, and he is suing the auto company for allegedly releasing the codes without his knowledge or consent.
Drink Discrimination
It won't be ladies' night anytime soon at several New York clubs, if attorney Roy Den Hollander gets his way. Hollander sued Chelsea's Amnesia club for age and gender discrimination after its bouncers allegedly forced the 66-year-old lawyer to buy a $350 bottle of vodka as the price of entry, while letting young women in for free.
Hollander, who has unsuccessfully sued several other Manhattan clubs over their ladies' night drink specials, compared his experiences to being forced to sit in the back of the bus in the 1950's Deep South. A Manhattan Supreme Court justice, however, ruled that Hollander had not been subjected to any discrimination.
Unfriendly Skies
Airlines aren't particularly known for their excellent service, as exemplified in a new lawsuit from a Hawaii man. D. Baraka Kanaan, who has been forced to use a wheelchair since a 2000 car accident, claims that he notified Delta Air Lines of his disability well in advance of a flight to Nantucket. Upon arrival, however, airline staff allegedly told Kanaan that they did not have a wheelchair that could fit down the plane's aisle, and instead watched him as he crawled across the tarmac into his own wheelchair.
The flight crew refused to help the man for fear of being held liable for any injuries he suffered, Kanaan's lawsuit claims. The man is now suing the airline for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
Ruined Romance
There was no summer loving happening at Massachusett's Camp Emerson, at least according to the parents of a 15-year-old girl who claim that she was kicked out of the camp after kissing a boy. Upon discovering “Jane Doe” and “Dick”'s romantic activities, the camp's director allegedly accused the girl of sexually provocative behavior—which is forbidden in the camp handbook—and had her escorted from the camp by an armed police officer.
The teen's parents claim that other campers who were caught kissing—or even urinating on other campers—were allowed to stay at the camp. They sought more than $600,000 in damages for claims including negligent infliction of emotional distress and defamation, but eventually dropped the suit before trial.
Dangerous Dye
Talk about a bad hair day. Missouri resident Catherine Oldham is suing her hair salon and stylist after a bad dye job allegedly sent her into cardiac arrest. Oldham claims that she went to Geoffred's Hair Salon for a simple haircut and conditioner, but that stylist DeShone Love recommended that she dye her gray hair. Love allegedly proceeded to apply hair color from an unmarked bottle that she borrowed from another hairdresser.
The real trouble started within days of the appointment, when Oldham says she developed severe blisters on her scalp. Those blisters in turn became infected, eventually causing Oldham to go into cardiac arrest, according to her lawsuit. After spending eight days on life support, undergoing several surgeries and receiving an internal defibulator, Oldham sued Geoffred's and Love for negligence, claiming that from now on she will always be in constant pain and limited in her daily activities.
Drugged Driving
A driver who traveled across the U.S.-Mexico border with some unwelcome baggage is suing
Magallanes was convicted on drug charges—and faced up to three years in jail—but the charges were later dropped when the drugs were tracked back to a group of smugglers. The two men would use the vehicle identification numbers on cars to obtain the cars' codes and make duplicate keys, which they then used to stash drugs in the vehicles. Magallanes claims that the smugglers got his car codes from a Dallas Ford dealership, and he is suing the auto company for allegedly releasing the codes without his knowledge or consent.
Drink Discrimination
It won't be ladies' night anytime soon at several
Hollander, who has unsuccessfully sued several other Manhattan clubs over their ladies' night drink specials, compared his experiences to being forced to sit in the back of the bus in the 1950's Deep South. A Manhattan Supreme Court justice, however, ruled that Hollander had not been subjected to any discrimination.
Unfriendly Skies
Airlines aren't particularly known for their excellent service, as exemplified in a new lawsuit from a Hawaii man. D. Baraka Kanaan, who has been forced to use a wheelchair since a 2000 car accident, claims that he notified
The flight crew refused to help the man for fear of being held liable for any injuries he suffered, Kanaan's lawsuit claims. The man is now suing the airline for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
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