Stolen from The Mirror.
1. In 1999, the parents of 27-year-old Daniel Dukes, who was found naked and dead on the back of a killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando, sued the Florida marine park for several million dollars. Patricia and Michael Dukes alleged that the dangerous orca was portrayed as a huggable stuffed toy.
2. A man who changed his name to 'Jack Ass' in 1997 sued media giant MTV owners Viacom for $10million, saying the hit show "Jackass", which first screened in 2000, had plagiarised his name.
3. In 1995, Anna Ayala brought a fraudulent lawsuit against a Wendy's hamburger restaurant in San Jose, California, claiming she had found a finger in her chilli sauce. After a huge investigation, it later turned out that it was Ayala herself who had placed the amputated digit in her meal. The fast food chain claimed negative publicity surrounding the claims cost the company $2.5 million in lost revenue. Meanwhile, Alaya was handed a nine year jail term for her scam.
4. In 2000 a Californian surfer sued a rival for "taking his wave." The case was dismissed because they were unable to put a price on "pain and suffering" endured by watching someone ride the wave that was "intended for you".
5. A woman who got drunk at an office party and crashed her car successfully sued her employer in 1995 for allowing her to drive -- even though her firm offered a cab ride or accommodation if she gave up her keys. Linda Hunt, 52, from Ontario, Canada won more than $300,000 in damages and interest from Sutton Group Realty Ltd, after arguing her boss should have stopped her from driving home in a snowstorm.
6. In 2006, Allen Heckard sued basketball legend Michael Jordan and Nike founder Phil Knight for $832 million. Heckard claimed he had suffered defamation, permanent injury, and emotional pain and suffering because people often mistook him for the basketball star. Heckard ditched his legal battle a few months later.
7. Beer lover Richard Overton slapped brewer Anheuser-Busch with a $10,000 lawsuit against, claiming false advertising and failure to deliver on its promises. No matter how much Bud Light Richard drank, the scenes depicted in the commercials of young friends and women with tiny bikinis frolicking on beaches never materialized. So in 1991 he sued, alleging emotional distress brought on by Anheuser-Busch's failure to provide "unrestricted merriment." Initially a trial court threw out the case, but Overton inexplicably won after taking his case to the Michigan Court of Appeals.
8. An audience member sued NBC's Tonight Show for $22,000 after being hit in the eye by a free T-shirt fired into the audience with an airgun by the warm-up comic.
9. In 1999, a Canadian tourist sued Starbucks, claiming a faulty toilet seat in one of the chains New York coffee shops crushed his penis. Edward Skwarek claimed that as he leant forward for toilet paper, the lavatory seat shifted, causing his manhood to be clamped between the seat and the bowl. Skwarek wanted $1 million for "dire and permanent" injuries to his member, while his wife Sherrie claimed $500,000 in damages for the deprivation of husbandly services.
10. A music fan unsuccessfully attempted to sue the city of San Diego for the "emotional trauma" he suffered at an Elton John-Billy Joel concert. Not for the music, however, but for being subjected to the sight of a number of women using a urinal in the mens toilets. Bob Glaser, who filed a $5.4 million lawsuit, said he was "extremely upset" at the incident, claiming his rights to privacy were violated by the women who were using the men's loos because of huge queues outside the ladies.
