Philip Greenspun's Favorite Lawsuits

When Maria Ramos and Darryl Johnson decided to have sex on a New York subway track, their passions were interrupted by an oncoming train. Johnson suffered a dislocated pelvis, neck injuries and lost part of his left foot; Ramos was unhurt. The couple sued the transit authority for $10 million, alleging "carelessness, recklessness and negligence" because the transit authority sent a train along a rarely used track without warning commuters of the change.

Two ex-GIs brought a suit against the Veterans' Administration before the Supreme Court, arguing that they had missed the entire ten-year eligibility period for veteran's educational benefits because they were too drunk to notice the time slipping by.

Beer lover Richard Overton brought a $10,000 lawsuit against Anheuser- Busch, claiming false advertising and failure to deliver on its promises. No matter how much Bud Light he drank, the scenes depicted in the commercials -- that 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." A trial court threw out the case, but Overton took it to the Michigan Court of Appeals, which ruled for the defendant.

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Reader's Comments

Your facts couldn't be further from the truth. I'm Richard Overton, happily married for 21 years, don't drink. You've fallen prey to a defaming release by a second rate punster, who I sued.

Alcohol related incidents are the number one killer of young people 16 - 24. I took exception to Ad's by A-B and Coors in two separate suits. While Michigan was dismissing mine, check to see what the State of New Yorks Attys General did to Coors for the exact same reasons raised as fact in my suit.

Richard Overton Decatur, MI

-- Richard Overtron, June 28, 1999

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