Daily Archives:March 26th, 2012

Legal Foundations

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.

 

 

 

© Copyright Quentin Stafford-Fraser