An elderly woman in Manhattan walked into the door of an Apple store. Rather literally: the door was too shiny and clean, and she broke her nose on it. Now, that’s no fun for anyone, but she’s suing Apple for a million dollars. Must have been quite a nose.
I wonder what the success rate for this sort of case is? I mean, could I make a living out of walking into doors, slipping on floors, etc? I’d be willing to sustain quite a few minor injuries at $1M a time.
The law of costs is a wonderful thing, and it helps most nations avoid a great deal of the silliness that afflicts the American legal system. This case is very reasonable compared to some. I don’t think Apple should be fined $1M, but something should probably be done – they should apologise and should be required to buy a roll of stickers to put on their doors. Giving her an iPad would be a nice gesture.
It really bugs me that so many people in the world seem to operate on this basic principle:
IF
- Something bad happens to me
AND
- You have lots more money than me
THEN
- It must be your fault
AND THEREFORE, NATURALLY
- I should have lots of your money
If exactly the same thing happened at, say, your sister’s house, would you ask her for a million dollars? Of course not. It’s attempted redistribution of wealth through forceful means, that’s what it is. Communists.
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Not convinced I’m afraid. The fact that abuses of the legal system like this still turn up regularly in the media suggests the opposite, which is that not many people operate according to the principal you outlined.
Also, I think I’d characterize it as a form of unpleasant individualistic opportunism, a long way from the collectivism I associate with communism.