Worst of the compensation culture

FinnLizzy · 17-04-2012 01:09AM #1

The mother of a guy I went to school with was notorious for taking anything to court to make a quick bit of money.

Take note that she is notoriously white trash. Our primary school banned McDonalds food, even though she was the only one bringing it to her fat children.

Anyways, one of her little darlings broke into a building site and starting messing around with the slabs, etc. He ended up breaking his leg. She took the construction company to court because there weren't enough barriers preventing her son from breaking in. As if there was an ASBO magnet dragging him in.

Another time, she sued the Four Lanterns (popular fast food restaurant in Sligo and Donegal) because he other son got soap in his eyes in the bathroom.

Now, these are the type of sinks that are caved in the wall, you'd have to stick your head inside a hole in the wall for that to happen.

The worst part is, she won that case.

Any other examples of ridiculous compensation

AnonoBoy · 17-04-2012 02:22AM

I know a guy with a very small willy who drives a big car.

policarp · 17-04-2012 02:30AM

Ambulance chasing solicitors are just as bad IMO. . .

skinny90 · 17-04-2012 03:04AM

Sure do ya not remember the scumbag who poured milk on the floor in a shop and "slipped" and then went to call his solicotor...good thing the shop keeper has it all on CCTV

17-04-2012 03:10AM

I remember hearing a story about a dodgy paving slab somewhere in Dublin, that attracted entire families of chancers who "tripped" over and tried to sue the council! :rolleyes:

Chuck Stone · 17-04-2012 03:12AM

There was guy who worked in a place that I worked in who sued the company after he cut himself with a stanley blade.

Yep.

Claimed he wasn't trained properly.

He won his case too.

It's political correctness gone mad I tells ya.

RiseToTheTop · 17-04-2012 03:14AM

I say we're league below the US though.

Thankfully.

skinny90 · 17-04-2012 03:30AM

RiseToTheTop wrote: »

I say we're league below the US though.

Thankfully.

I was just gonna say people are seeing it on tv and chancing their arm

skinny90 · 17-04-2012 03:33AM

Another big one was a law student who sue against a driver who kocked her down after she tried to run across a duel carriageway instead of walking acros a junction 2 mins up the road,she was awarded 1million in damages

MrStuffins · 17-04-2012 03:36AM

policarp wrote: »

Ambulance chasing solicitors are just as bad IMO. . .

Works on contingency?

No, money down!

Father Damo · 17-04-2012 03:39AM

Murder One??? Wow, even if we lose I will be famous!

u_c_thesecond · 17-04-2012 03:42AM

im mortified to even say that, ive a family member that sued the corporation last year and won.

He fell and split his head off the kerb , now it wasnt a loose slab, he just fell, and he got 20 grand:eek:

He has no shame, a lot of the family stopped talking to him over it . he did need a few stitches- but he was on the medical card so its not like he had to pay for his treatment.

Wompa1 · 17-04-2012 04:53AM

There was a family of a certain background in my home town that three times were involved in car crashes in the same spot where drivers had bad visibility and could only go straight forward.

Won all cases

homerjay2005 · 17-04-2012 08:21AM

the problem is how on earth are the judges awarding these people damages? and the amounts are normally obscene to go with it.

Father Damo · 17-04-2012 08:29AM

homerjay2005 wrote: »

the problem is how on earth are the judges awarding these people damages? and the amounts are normally obscene to go with it.

Is it actually the courts usually awarding them? Sometimes a business owner would rather throw three or four grand at someone rather than have embarassing costly legal nonsense through the courts at higher cost.

Fulton Crown · 17-04-2012 08:33AM

Easy pal ...they just don't mind spending someone elses money.

Think of the Bull O'Donoghue with the limos...that Waterford IT guy who got TAXIS to Dublin for meetings.

It's a common human trait....suck it up !

Gyalist · 17-04-2012 08:40AM

Father Damo wrote: »

Is it actually the courts usually awarding them? Sometimes a business owner would rather throw three or four grand at someone rather than have embarassing costly legal nonsense through the courts at higher cost.

It's usually the insurance companies who settle small claims rather than run up huge legal bills. There was a student who claimed that she slipped on the stairs in my shop and we had the whole "incident" on CCTV. I was prepared to fight it but the insurance company settled with the her solicitor and I was only informed after the fact.

Pompey Magnus · 17-04-2012 08:54AM

I got a graduate job working for a city council a few years ago and while I was there a cyclist was taking the council to court after riding into a temporary road sign which was warning about road works ahead. He was suing on the grounds that there was no warning given that there was going to be a temporary road sign ahead (presumably if there was a warning sign given then the council then would also have needed to place another sign warning about the first warning sign ahead etc etc etc).

I never found out how the case worked out but it wouldn't surpise me if he won.

LittleBook · 17-04-2012 09:12AM

Gyalist wrote: »

It's usually the insurance companies who settle small claims rather than run up huge legal bills. There was a student who claimed that she slipped on the stairs in my shop and we had the whole "incident" on CCTV. I was prepared to fight it but the insurance company settled with the her solicitor and I was only informed after the fact.

Did that affect your premium?

17-04-2012 09:16AM

Pompey Magnus wrote: »

I got a graduate job working for a city council a few years ago and while I was there a cyclist was taking the council to court after riding into a temporary road sign which was warning about road works ahead. He was suing on the grounds that there was no warning given that there was going to be a temporary road sign ahead (presumably if there was a warning sign given then the council then would also have needed to place another sign warning about the first warning sign ahead etc etc etc).

I never found out how the case worked out but it wouldn't surpise me if he won.

A warning for a warning? By all rights, there should be a warning for that warning.

Gyalist · 17-04-2012 09:25AM

LittleBook wrote: »

Did that affect your premium?

Yes, and public liability is already very costly as it is.

Truley · 17-04-2012 09:50AM

My OH has told me that of an incident where a mother in my area sued (or tried to sue) a county council because her son broke his wrist skateboarding outside their building. This would be a real p*sser for the skating community because this is exactly the kind of thing that they are consciously trying to avoid and what stops the rest of them being able to skate or have skate parks.

davet82 · 17-04-2012 09:58AM

I'm currently suing five boards members for upsetting me with their posts so i cant really talk...

mikemac1 · 17-04-2012 10:08AM

Every few months or so there is outrage on Joe Duffy show that a hotel or restaurant won't warm the baby's bottle

Lazy staff they scream. And I'm sure there are a few on boards who would join in

The reason I've refused to do it is because I was told to by the management

The microwaves in the kitchen are industrial type and powerful, thirty seconds in this compared to the one at home is different
If I don't heat it enough I'll get given out to. But if I overheat it and the baby gets scalded, then boom, see ya in court
Sure a mother is to check the heat first but I'm not taking that chance.

And what we tried to do was let the mother into the kitchen and let her use the microwave. But she wouldn't have non-slip shoes so if she fell then that's another court case

We had a microwave in the lobby that anyone could use but the drunks were coming back and messing with it and using it on their feed from the chipper. Get out :mad:
So that was taken away

What we will do is give you a bowl of hot water and leave it on your table.
Determining the heat is then up to you.
Sorry it has to be that way but every business must protect themselves

blackwhite · 17-04-2012 10:18AM

FinnLizzy wrote: »

The mother of a guy I went to school with was notorious for taking anything to court to make a quick bit of money.

Take note that she is notoriously white trash. Our primary school banned McDonalds food, even though she was the only one bringing it to her fat children.

Anyways, one of her little darlings broke into a building site and starting messing around with the slabs, etc. He ended up breaking his leg. She took the construction company to court because there weren't enough barriers preventing her son from breaking in. As if there was an ASBO magnet dragging him in.

Another time, she sued the Four Lanterns (popular fast food restaurant in Sligo and Donegal) because he other son got soap in his eyes in the bathroom.

Now, these are the type of sinks that are caved in the wall, you'd have to stick your head inside a hole in the wall for that to happen.

The worst part is, she won that case.

Any other examples of ridiculous compensation

Know the family that you are on about........ nothing them feckers wouldn't chance. A number of shops around Sligo town have warned staff to watch every move she makes when she's on their premises because they reckon she's likely to pull a Drogba if given the slightest opportunity

mikemac1 · 17-04-2012 10:20AM

davet82 wrote: »

I'm currently suing five boards members for upsetting me with their posts so i cant really talk...

You were looking at the thread last night to see which posters have the most savings

I'm on to ya, only suing the rich posters

suicide_circus · 17-04-2012 10:26AM

A woman in work walked into a piece of equipment we use and hurt her leg. I dont understand how she didnt see it there as its petty hard to miss, or how she hurt her leg so badly she felt she had a case to take. But what I really dont understand is how she won in excess of 10k !

dilallio · 17-04-2012 10:28AM

There was a case in Galway where a lad tried to sue Supermacs from slipping in the bathroom.
Supermacs had CCTV images of the lad and his mate, taking water from the sink and throwing it on the floor.
The lad then proceeded to take a few practice slides on the wet floor befory lying down while his mate called for a manager.
All captured on CCTV.
The case went to court but the complainant withdrew the complaint when the CCTV evidence was shown.

Edit: Here's a link to the story.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/I%27M+SUPER+SORRY%3B+Compo+conman+regrets+scam+for+pounds+38,000.-a083017241

THE compo conman who tried to cheat a fast food chain out of pounds 38,000 said yesterday: "I'm sorry now."

The fraudster, who made a false compensation claim against Supermac's, has always kept his identity secret.

But we can reveal he is convicted car thief Ronan Quinlivan from Newcastle, Co Galway.

In an exclusive interview with the Mirror, Quinlivan said: "I truly regret it now.

"It was a stupid thing to do and the only excuse I have is that I was too young to know what I was doing.

"But I have learned my lesson and will never do anything of the sort again."

Quinlivan, 21, tried to sue the company after saying he slipped and fell on a wet toilet floor.

But his lies were exposed on a security camera that showed him deliberately putting water on the floor.

He and an unnamed friend then practised slipping before falling on the ground.

Concerned staff at the res-taurant - who at the time were unaware of the hoax - called an ambulance.

It was only after the video was viewed that they realised they had been duped.

But Quinlivan now maintains he regrets trying the scam.

He said: "I did that years ago - I was only 16 then and hadn't a clue what I was at.

"I thought it would be a quick way of making money and I didn't think about the consequences.

"The money just came into my head and it seemed a good idea .

"But now I am older and know it was not right. One thing for sure is that I will never pull a stunt like that again."

Quinlivan said he was embarrassed by the security camera pictures that were all over the newspapers and TV this week.

He said: "It was me in the video and my friends and relations all know that. But now I just want to put it all behind me. As far as I am concerned it is in the past."

The con attempt took place in the Galway Eyre Square branch of Supermac's in 1997.

The case came to court last November, but Quinlivan withdrew his claim when it was revealed the company's lawyers had damning video footage of the incident.

Quinlivan, of Inishannagh Park in Newcastle, has been up in court before.

In 1998 when he was 18 he was convicted of attempting to steal a car and with the unauthorised taking of a car.

He was ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service when he appeared before Galway District Court.

The court heard he had fallen into bad company.

The Supermac's video was shown last week to Irish business leaders who met at a conference in Dublin.

They joined with Supermac's in demanding tougher penalties for fraudsters who cost Irish businesses millions every year.

Mark Fielding of the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises said: "Our members have indicated that due to rising insurance costs they will be forced to operate with reduced cover or reduce costs in other areas which will put jobs across the country at risk."

Supermac's chief executive Pat McDonagh said Quinlivan's false claim was not the first that the company had come up against.

He told of another case where a drunk prankster tried to sue after he slid down the handrail of a stairs in another branch.

That case never went to court because the video footage also proved the claim was fake.

AnonoBoy · 17-04-2012 10:31AM

Chuck Stone wrote: »

There was guy who worked in a place that I worked in who sued the company after he cut himself with a stanley blade.

Yep.

Claimed he wasn't trained properly.

He won his case too.

It's political correctness gone mad I tells ya.

Or health and safety - people always get those confused!

mikemac1 · 17-04-2012 10:31AM

Only a fool or a brave man would mess around in Judge Mary Fahy's court :eek:
Galwegians know the court reports in the advertiser

swingking · 17-04-2012 10:35AM

It's gas just as I'm reading this post there is an ad at the bottom of the page for personal injury lawyers. Hmm.....

Worst of the compensation culture

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