It''s not my fault! Honest!

Mon Sep 20, 2004 11:45 am by The Evil Thing

I'm feeling particularly annoyed today, so I'll spend this topic complaining about the new British and American phenomenon - (no, NOT pre-emptive strikes

) The Compensation Culture.

Let me give you an example; unless explicitly stated otherwise IT IS NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER YOUR FAULT if **** happens in some way or another. It seems to be the latest fashion to sue people for all their worth because they (stupidly) ASSumed people had a plank length of common sense and didn't put some sort of disclaimer.

CASE STUDY 1: Someone spills Starbucks coffee on their legs, and scalds themselves. This person shifts from being an unfortunate someone to some idiot (or genius depending on how you look at it) when they get the idea of suing Starbucks because they didn't put a warning on their coffee cups saying the coffee would be hot and he had no way of knowing the coffee could scald him . Let's take a look at this; the cups are made of insulating material (styrofoam?) but clearly some heat is going to escape. Inevitably, a lot of steam or heat will come out of the top of the cup anyway, and the cup bottom is slightly thinner than the top so heat is going to get out of there. In short, you would have to have no heat sense in your hands NOT to be able to deduce that the product was hot.

Oh, by the way, he won and got more money than your average Western person will earn in a lifetime.

CASE STUDY 2: Remember when Janet Jackson (I think) 'let slip' during some awards ceremony on MTV? Well, some genius (or idiot depending on your perspective) woman decided to sue MTV for being "embarressed". Good grief! If I sued for every time I was acutely embarressed I would have ALL the money in the world

. MTV managed to get out of this one without any "May contain scenes of embarressment" warnings by putting a slight time delay to allow the censor blur to go to work. Phew! Hooray for them!

I noticed recently just how many "Personal Injury Solicitors" (semi-PC for lawsuit lawyers, PC for money-grubbing scum) etc there are being advertised. And not only is it disturbing, but it also makes me sad. One group (shan't point fingers) actually showed someone checking pavement slabs in a street! Aaah! Someone is suing a council because they tripped in the street!?!, how cheap is that! This is one step towards the Nanny State, but it's not the government who are instigating this, it's innocent industries trying to cover all angles of stupidity. The only trouble is that idiots are so ingenious.

Damn, I talk far too much, if you're still reading this then congratulations.

I'm not evil, just morally challenged

Edited by - The Evil Thing on 9/20/2004 12:47:09 PM

Mon Sep 20, 2004 12:07 pm by Codename

Unfortunately it's really not that new. The "American Dream" has always been about getting more than you deserve for way less work than you should be doing.

If this sort of thing depresses you then please, for your sake, don't click here.

Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:15 pm by Chips

what is really appalling is the payout.

Justify the amount of money that person received for spilling coffee on their legs. Its not possible - far too much money was paid out.....sadly this is getting so bad that even kids start saying they will sue people for anything - really stupid stuff, which is bad because SOME of them may try.

Twas shown in a paper that the average bogus claim costs a company over 2k just to get a barrister to look at the case. They highlighted one which was fabricated - the person got fined 35 pounds for wasting time - but that stupidity cost the company 10,000 pounds in fees for representing them and the four court appearances needed to solve it.

Companies pay out up to 2k just to get people to go away, because fighting bogus claims may cost more than the 2k itself - so from a money saving perspective they are better off.

If even half of the dumb asses who say they will sue actually do, then we are in big trouble! Take the idiot who said they would sue TLR for with-holding the cloak mod. He ranted about how it was his right to have the mod, and since he bought the microsoft game he had a right to access any mods he wanted. Needless to say we laughed at him for being retarded....but imagine him actually one day having a lawyer and suing someone for just as farcical things. The really bad thing is that he may succeed in other spurious claims - as they will want to avoid having to pay out lawyers costs.

Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:31 pm by Locutov

hmmmm Chips is right there, if the guy did, I think he was fined a hundred quid for just wasting time, clearly because this site is in private ownership and all that, he just doesn't have one single toe to stand at, but things might get worse, if he is overruled, he might seek his asylum with the court of appeal to review his case, he would just go on and on, costing Bargib tons of cash, which would clearly result in closing down the site, although, I don't even think his case might make it to the court, I think the guy lived in the US, Bargib lives in Denmark, so the case would be solved according to international law, which, just doesn't have time ofr such a Bogus claim.

to remain on Topic: yes it is pathetic in my opinion, why sue when you can have a decent talk and solve the lot?? simply because the Kapitalist spirit of today (no offense meant to anyone) people see money so they go for it, the free market jumps in with the foundation of a new industry, sue your arse off!! got trouble because the neighbour has his stereo a notch too loud?? sue him!! a loose tile on the sidewalk?? why not sue the entire city legislation for a couple millions?? you could have broken your nose and made a complete arse out of yourself in public, so why not go for a double or nothing with the Double or nothing rule?? Its plain bloody western Pathethic Money grubbing free marketism, and by that, the apparent lack of IQ with the majority of the common populace!!

Honestly, im disgusted by this, and if these things ever occur in Holland, ill be damned to let it happen, Viva el revolucion!! (sorry for that last bit)

Edit: Erhm.. Loc, you forgot to include the words "Communism", "Stalin", "those capitalistic pigs" and so on in your post

Edited by - Wizard on 9/20/2004 2:37:11 PM

Mon Sep 20, 2004 2:29 pm by Tawakalna

..but I'm suing someone for personal injury, am I not?

Mon Sep 20, 2004 2:43 pm by bret bretonian

taw, your suing for personal injury that isn't farcial to say the least. Your job caused mental and phsical pain to you and no doubt your family. Therfore, sod your old company, screw them. Like i said before. I don't know the ins and outs of what happened with you at your last job, but just by some of the things you have said in your topic make me think they treated you worse than s***. Not to mention working with idiots can drive anyone insane. I hate working with brown nose dickwods. They drive me insane. Working with loads of them would make me insane! Your case is legit.

The compensation culture is getting rediculos (sp). People suing Marlboro because they didn't know smoking could lead to cancer and this guy got throat cancer. Suing McDonalds because they spend everyday in there getting fat when no one warned them this could happen (Duh!)

I read in the paper that someone who tripped up at work sued and actually got more compensation than a rape victim

If i tripped up at work, which i have done on many occasions, i don't sue them, i just say "look, this cable is out here, how can we stop this from happening again"

Simple, how easy was that. A 1 minute conversation and problem solved. If i wanted to, i could sue for 20 grand for failing to obide by health and safety regualtions, but i would become what i hate!

Edited by - Bret Bretonian on 9/20/2004 3:44:15 PM

Mon Sep 20, 2004 3:31 pm by H.Q. Victor

For the coffee spilles out ther, you order HOT coffee, not luke warm. Now, after sueing some one for selling you what you wanted, who will you sue if you make coffee at home and spill it on yourself? *shakes head*

We had a similar thread on this a while back, it seems the spillers and so forth still have not learned to behave themselves and use common sence. Maybe, we can find a way to market that and sell it everywhere, Hmmmm?

Mon Sep 20, 2004 9:25 pm by The Evil Thing

@Finalday

Clearly you would sue whoever made the appliance which made the water hot because there is no health warning saying that said appliance does in fact make water hot.

Forgot to mention before, I see this whole TCC thing as parasitic. Probably the best way to describe it.

It warms my heart to see that in the rest of the world this doesn't seem to be a serious problem. In most countries they'll tell you to go to hell and be done with it. For example, in Spain if you fall down some stairs it's your own damn fault and no-one else's (unless you were pushed

). In France if you fall off a bus it's your own fault (it's quite hard to fall off a bus actually). Phew! Thank goodness! Hooray for Europe! (That last bit put me in a good mood, it's good to know that people still have responsibilities in some parts of the world).

I'm not evil, just morally challenged

Tue Sep 21, 2004 2:21 am by kimk

maybe we should reinstate the ruling by duel thing. and the supporters of each side are allowed to take up arms and go against the opposing side. it just lets the masses decide, and its alot more fun! democracy at its best!

Tue Sep 21, 2004 3:06 am by Esquilax

Perhaps American should be like Australia and make people pay legal fees when suing people. The only problem is that you have to be rich in order to sue somebody here in Aus. *sigh*. Hmm, there MUST be a happy medium. Somewhere.

Tue Sep 21, 2004 6:03 am by kimk

you can never please everyone, you know that esq. my idea is the best!, assuming of course, we have more rational people than irrational.

Tue Sep 21, 2004 6:47 am by Dark_Shadow2004

to be honest i agree kink on this one. People think the medevil times were barbaric and uncivilized to say the least...but those times had the right idea....

you got beef....here's a sword lets take it to the field and have at it!!!

Hell war was even more respectable back then...no "I can shoot a nuke from 4,000 miles away and blow your entire country up so

"....back then they would march to the field and line up, charge, swung, bleed and fight fo what they thought was right....

in the case of legality...well they were more straight forward....F*** up and get punished..that simple....none of this...your car was parked 5 inches to close to my property line and i am suing you for oil stains on my driveway...(actually happened in my neighborhood...sad thing is the stains were under the homeowners car...not the guy parked 5 inches over the prop line...strange?)

Modern society is too damn soft to put it bluntly...we hide behind seats of enourmous power,,,,fear nothing but STD's and Poverty. Hell poverty is not even an issue anymore...go broke...sue the first company you find for all they are worth for a bogus claim....or cry assult and battery on a person you are having rough sex with...(Again happened in Florida

)...

Oh here is a good one, Back in 1996 a person was robbing a house in i think it was Ocala, and the robber fell on the broken glass when he entered the home. I am not sure but i think it was like 5 months later a lawsuit came up..(not sure on details) and the robber SUED the victim for the injuries he aquired at the residance. and won 25k !!!

Gotta love the American legal system...favors whoever pays the most. An makes the person who pays the least..PAY restitution to whoever they see fit...pretty scary if ya ask me

"To live is to die....but living is to die slowly..why waste time on trivial things just play as hard as you can"

Tue Sep 21, 2004 7:46 am by zlo

@The Evil Thing: yes, in Europe the situation is normal in this rspect... so far... I tend to think that this crappy stuff will eventually cross the Atlantic.
@Dark Shadow: it's kimk, not kink (good that you didn't say "kinky"

Back to the medieval? Hrm.. not sure. I think it would be just the same, but instead of money physical force would be the decisive factor. Imagine calling into a duel a guy who's 2 times bigger and stronger than you. I don't think feeling right would help you much

Besides, there also were people in power who could do anything they wanted and got away with that (a peasant duelling a landlord - now, would that be a sight

)
What is needed is an amendment of the legal system stating that "Stupid charges are to be dismissed, the charger covering all expenses and paying a fine for wasting the court's time" or sth similar.
Heck, if it goes on like that, evenutally a convict will charge the state for violating his/her human rights!

Tue Sep 21, 2004 9:46 am by The Evil Thing

physical force would be the decisive factor

Erm, zlo... think Agincourt and other decisive battles where the leeltle Eeengleesh were outnumbered something like 5-1 at least and still whooped the French asses big time. Then some random girl kicked us out.

D'oh!

More on topic, any of you Britons remember that farmer chap who shot a couple of burglars, killed one and wounded the other (think his name was Tony Martin). After being released from prison after serving the British definition of a life term (I think) the chap who was wounded promptly tried to sue him for loss of income. Presumably as he lost whatever income he was going to get from his bag of swag, perfectly legal under British law (the suing part that is

). Eventually, after sufficient media demonisation he dropped the charges. The story has a happy ending as the Daily Mirror in its kindness gave Martin a nice big sum of money to tell his story.

EDIT: BTW Zlo, a kink is a twist or curve so doesn't have any rude implications (that I'm aware of)

FURTHER EDIT: No offense to any French people about the reference to Saint Joan d'Arc; bien sûr .

I'm not evil, just morally challenged

Edited by - The Evil Thing on 9/21/2004 10:49:02 AM

Tue Sep 21, 2004 9:56 am by bret bretonian

convict will charge the state for violating his/her human rights!

Already happens zlo. British prisons are full of PS2's and luxury items incase it breachs Human Rights.

Many other things aswell.

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