You Can't Make This Up Archives - Page 29 of 34

Bat Maker Liable for Batted Ball that Killed Pitcher

Independent Reporter: A Helena, Montana, jury found a baseball bat manufacturer liable for $850,000 for manufacturing an aluminum baseball bat used by a batter who hit a pitched baseball that struck and killed an 18 year old pitcher. The defendant is the maker of the Louisville Slugger bat weapon used by the batter.

“We just want to save someone else’s life,” Debbie Patch explained, adding she hopes other players and parents now will get adequate warning about the dangers she perceives with aluminum bats.

There is no truth to the rumor that the plaintiff’s bar will next go after the manufacturers of wooden pencils because these writing instruments inherently dangerous weapons might be used to stab and kill an unsuspecting and unarmed elementary school student.

See my earlier post on this lawsuit.

Food Police Go After Oysters

The Times-Picayune: “the FDA announced new rules this month that will require any oyster served from April through October to undergo a sterilization process before it can be sold in restaurants or on the market. The rule will essentially eliminate raw oysters — at least as Louisianans know them — from restaurant menus for seven months of the year. Even oysters that will eventually be cooked during those months would have to go through the same cleansing process before being added to any dish, a move some say would undermine the culinary integrity of some of New Orleans’ most famous delicacies.”

“It’s not only going to include raw oysters. You can’t fry oysters for a po-boy, you can’t put oysters in a gumbo and you can’t charbroil oysters unless they’re post-harvest processed,” said Tommy Cvitanovich, owner of Drago’s restaurant, a mainstay for oysters in the metro area. ‘That’s ludicrous.’”

Accused Wife Murderer Sues Lender for Cutting Off His Line of Credit Because He Is in Jail

CBS Channel 2 in Chicago: “Drew Peterson, accused of killing his third wife, sued JP Morgan Chase in federal court late Monday, accusing the bank of illegally cutting off a sizable home equity credit line. The suit claims in May 2005 Peterson received a home equity credit line from Chase for $220,000. The credit line — which the former Bolingbrook cop now wants to use to post part of his bond, pay his attorneys and hire expert witnesses — was suspended by the bank in May 2009.”

Warner Brothers Nixes Harry Potter Theme Party for Copyright Infringement

London Telegraph: “A Harry Potter themed dinner at a house in West London has been banned by Warner Brothers, because they say it infringes its copyright.”

Man Sues Hanes Because Under Pants Damaged His PP

Above the Law: “Let’s get the boring stuff out of the way. Albert Freed . . . won a trip to Hawaii . . .. As part of the vacation celebration, Mrs. Freed bought her husband some new Hanes brand briefs. But Mr. Freed is a husky gentleman, and apparently the new trunks couldn’t contain all of his junk. He sued Hanes, claiming they made ‘defective’ underwear.”