Re: Instructions for Stupid People (and litigation)

[Joe Fockler <jfockler -at- IPHASE -dot- COM>]

According to George Hasty :

+ Randy Allen Harris (raha -at- watarts -dot- uwaterloo -dot- ca) wrote:

+ : A Maine farmer who wanted to work on his barn roof in October put a ladder
+ : up against the side of the barn first thing in the morning, placing one leg
+ : in a frozen cow-pie.  Yes, that's right.  When he came down at lunch time,
+ : the pie had thawed out and become a pudding, the ladder skidded off, he
+ : collapsed, broke something important, and sued the ladder company,
+ : successfully, for lots of cash.  Now the ladder company has a warning about
+ : frozen cow plops.

+ : (This may be myth, but my recollection is of seeing the report as part of a
+ : story about loopy litigation successes on _Sixty Minutes_.)

+ Many of these kinds of stories have been promoted by insurance companies
+ trying to push the "tort reform" movement, and many of them, even those
+ featured on tv news, have been found to be untrue or grossly distorted.
+ They do however make good stories -- try the newsgroup alt.folklore.urban
+ if you enjoy this sort of thing. But don't post one of these there un-
+ less you like to hear howls of derision.

+ Cheers,

+ _____________________________________________
+ George Hasty                    ghasty -at- io -dot- com
+ Illuminati Online                  Austin, TX

George, do you have any documented sources that substantiate the claim
that they are untrue? I have heard of many similar type incidences, e.g.,
someone dives into a shallow swimming pool from a neighbors garage roof,
becomes paralyzed and sues the swimming pool manufacturer because the "Do
not dive" warning could not be seen from the roof top.

I would really like to follow up on these stories. Thanks

Joe
jfockler -at- iphase -dot- com