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The Super Bowl of Sports Lawsuits Michael Arnold Glueck & Robert J. Cihak The Medicine Men By now you've probably recovered from your Super Bowl alcohol-induced high or salt-precipitated coma - whatever may be the diagnosis. In honor of Super Bowl XL, Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) introduced its starting lineup of the 10 most outrageous sports-related lawsuits of all time. This purpose of this column is not our usual condemnation of greedy plaintiffs and glutinous trial lawyers but to shed a little lightness and humor after delivering some pretty hard hits and tackles on some medical practice dummies. "Lawsuit abuse can put everyone on the Injured Reserve list," said Maryann Maloney, executive director of Newport Beach, Calif.-based Orange County CALA (OCCALA). Even when frivolous lawsuits are eventually dismissed, it still costs the courts valuable time (delay of game) and wastes taxpayer money (off-track betting). Introducing the winning team of all-time outrageous sports related lawsuits:
1) Personal Foul - Uniform Not NFL Regulation A woman in Tennessee filed a lawsuit for billions of dollars against Super Bowl half-time performers Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, as well as the broadcasters. She claimed she was injured by the performers' lewd actions when Timberlake ripped off part of Jackson's costume. According to her suit, she suffered outrage, anger, embarrassment and serious injury. (Associated Press, February 5, 2004) 2) Ball Out of Bounds in End Zone A New Jersey man sued a baseball team and the owners of a food service company for getting hit with a baseball while buying a beer in the concession area at the stadium. (WKMG-TV, July 13, 2004)
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3) Fake Field Goal
A man was injured when fellow Ball State students toppled a goal post after a football upset and filed a lawsuit against the goal-post maker. He claimed the aluminum posts were designed and constructed in a manner which allowed them to suddenly snap and collapse. (USA Today, September 30, 2003) 4) Dangerous Field Conditions A popular softball tournament in Arizona was canceled because of a lawsuit filed by a player who broke his ankle in the tournament the year prior. The man was injured sliding into third base in a game at the city-owned sports complex. According to the suit, the city is responsible for the dangerous condition existing at third base. (Arizona Daily Sun, September 15, 2003) 5) Loss of Yardage From Illegal Block A California father filed a lawsuit seeking $1.5 million in damages from a school district after his 15-year-old son was demoted from the varsity to the junior varsity basketball team. The suit claimed the demotion was messing up his son's future and professional earnings. (Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2003) 6) The Quarterback Sack A high school football star from New Jersey filed a lawsuit against the coach at the University of Miami for not naming him the starting quarterback, something he claims the coach promised through an oral contract when he was a high school senior. (Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2003) 7) Illegal Use of Hands By Defensive Team A family of four sued the Los Angeles Dodgers for false imprisonment and battery by security guards after one of the family members assaulted a female usher. (California Bar Journal, June 2002)
8) Penalty for Removing Helmet During Game A woman injured by someone lunging for a ball in the stands during a Notre Dame football game filed a lawsuit against the university for failing to exercise care to protect her. (Associated Press, September 28, 1999) 9) Too Many Players on the Field A Florida father sued a youth baseball league because his son was told he had made the league's all-star team when he had not. As a result of the lawsuit, the baseball league was threatened with cancellation the following year due to costs of the case. (Liability Week, June 29, 1998) 10) Unnecessary Roughness Latrell Sprewell, a guard for the Golden State Warriors basketball team, filed a $30 million lawsuit against the National Basketball Association, attempting to recoup the salary he lost while carrying out his one-year suspension for choking his coach. (National Basketball Association News, May 21, 1998) So the next time you think about filing a stupid sports related lawsuit - remember you too might be elected to the CALA Outrageous Sports Lawsuits Hall of Fame. Editor's Note: Michael Arnold Glueck, M.D., wrote this week's game plan of silly sports trivia.
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