Suing for whatever strikes your fancy

**Pepper** · 01-20-2006, 08:31 AM

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/59322.htm

This really makes me sick. Yes I am a smoker, and yes I know all about all the health issues associated with smoking. It irritates me to no end when people sue over stupid stuff, such as coffee being hot, but it really irks me when people sue the tobacco companies! It is widely known that cancer is prevalent and if you are gonna pay to smoke you are obviously going to have to pay for any health care you will need for making that choice. JMO

**homesteadmamma** · 01-20-2006, 09:08 AM

I won't say whether I agree or disagree, however I do see suing becoming a trend in Canada.

**missymomof3** · 01-20-2006, 03:42 PM

I thought the same thing about the coffee suit until I was in a law class and read the rest of the story. The burns were third degree and Mcdonald's knew that the coffee was hotter than it should be. Her's was not the first burn. McDonald's chose to keep it that hot so that people would still have hot coffee unil they got to work. There are alot of fraudulent cases that never even make it to court but there are alot that do, too.
As far as the smoking thing I entirely agree. People know the risks and take them anyway. If someone chooses to jump off a building to you sue the building's owner? or the person who built it?

**fernykins** · 01-20-2006, 04:52 PM

Well I don't think if you are a smoker you should sue......but what about me...... I dont smoke and never have........ my whole family smokes or smoked.......... my dad died of lung cancer ,death cert says causes from smoking........ my mother died of respotoriy failure. I have copd croinic asthma caused from being around and living with a smoker . Its no fair to me...... but will sue no.......
Fern

**kaykwilts** · 01-21-2006, 04:02 PM

I think it is ridiculous. People know the risk with the first puff and smoke anyway yet when they get cancer they want to blame everyone but themselves for making a poor choice in the first place.

guest7 · 01-21-2006, 08:30 PM

I think that PM can argue and probably win- that they have the warnings on the label.. if you do not heed the warnings... you do so at your own risk.
Originally, the lawsuit was for the older generation- who did not know of the risks and became addicted to the cigarettes- then got cancer. PM and the other tobacco co's knew of the dangers.. but did not tell anyone.. for years- even when faced with the facts. This scenerio- I can see the need to sue.
But to sue now is preposterous. Society has been fully educated on the dangers of smoking. You are of you're own free will to begin smoking (or not). PM did NOT force you to start smoke. Just my 2 cents here.
Plus, there are many people who have quit smoking (me) because of the dangers. So, I know it's possible to quit. Those who have difficulty quitting- it's usually because of some underlying psychological addiction that the person is not fully aware of. If one is not aware if it - one can not break the addiction. PM or other tobacco co's shouldn't have to pay for the individual's lack of self-awareness. The physical addiction ends after 3 days- which is the end of half life for nicotine in the body. Anything beyond that is a psychological addiction. It can be overcome... if the person understands it's there.

We could take it a step further.... alcohol, for instance, clearly is a health danger to pregnant women---> Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Would a pregnant woman sue the alcohol company because her child has FAS?
Alcohol is a danger when driving... would one sue the alcohol co. if one got into an automobile accident while drinking? Just wouldn't fly.
Smokers need to start excepting responsibility for their actions. Stop wining when the inevitable cancer bug bites.
Hope I didn't sound to mean.

**Pepper** · 01-22-2006, 01:14 AM

Originally posted by frugalfanny
Smokers need to start excepting responsibility for their actions. Stop wining when the inevitable cancer bug bites.
Hope I didn't sound to mean.

Some smokers do

guest7 · 01-22-2006, 05:41 AM

Pepper.. didn't mean to sound mean.. probably shouldn't have generalized the smokers.. I know many have accepted.

**AmyBoz** · 01-22-2006, 07:19 AM

I agree. Frivolous lawsuits are getting out of hand. I just read an article the other day where some parents are getting together to sue Nickolodeon and Kellogg's for their children being overweight because these companies show commercials during children's programming that are for unheatlhy foods. Then, the kids want the foods, and when they eat them, they become overweight.

Um...excuse me...as the parent, do you NOT have the right and the responsibility to monitor what your child eats? You do the grocery shopping. Say, (as I do), no, we're not buying that. Here's an apple. If you don't have the unhealthy alternatives in your home, they will eat the healthy food when they are hungry enough. But, you can't sue the people who make the food!

**Pepper** · 01-22-2006, 03:37 PM

frugalfanny.......I don't think you were mean at all.....was just pointing it out!!

**KKCondrey** · 01-23-2006, 11:05 AM

I agree Pepper.....people will sue over anything now a days.....I've heard of a few stupid ones in the past that I don't think should have won, but they did anyways.

**missymomof3** · 01-23-2006, 12:09 PM

"Um...excuse me...as the parent, do you NOT have the right and the responsibility to monitor what your child eats?"

That is so true! I get tired of people blaming everyone and everything else for their actions. Why is it so hard for some to take responsibility?

**missymomof3** · 01-23-2006, 12:17 PM

"Um...excuse me...as the parent, do you NOT have the right and the responsibility to monitor what your child eats?"

That is so true! I get tired of people blaming everyone and everything else for their actions. Why is it so hard for some to take responsibility?

**frugalbutterfly** · 01-24-2006, 09:18 AM

Umm, you bet anyone can sue anyone for any reason, getting a jugde/jury to agree and win now that is another ball game but, this is basically what society is now, it is all about me, my wants, I can sure over being 500lbs, because I would not stop shoveling food into my motuh, you say something "out there" to me, I am a heavy smoker and my actions have cause me to get cancer, your kid looked at me "ugly", oh gosh, anything in general and my actions have no concequences and well why should it if you can find someone who feels for you, you can win!
You know even my sis. who was doing wrong, a criminal, on drugs, breaking the law, had done a big drug pick up, and the police chased the truck and the driver wrecked and sis arm was borke, well she lied and pretened to be me, found out later about that for all the warrents she had, I managed to get her arrested a few weeks later, she was hiding, so, she had time to get back to the doctor but had not and was not going to, so she went to prison, and they "mistreated" her so badly(yes, I am being sarcastic, can you tell

), did not fix her arm, blah, blah, blah and blah

, so she has since had it repaired but even skipped on doing therapy and is now "attempting" to sue the system for her pain and suffering, hello she caused it in the first place and oh yeah she is playing it up big time, oh our dad works for this same exact system she is trying to sue and of course, it is thought by parents to be all ok because she was a n addict in the first place, it was not her it was the drug?

So, I could sue my neighbor for saying hey friend to me, and it starled me(now I get very starled at tiny things) or my neighbors dog went to the bathoroom in my yard but just cause yo can sue for something rediculous, does not mean you should.
It is crazy and some people jsut want to make a quick buck and feel they are owed something for their careless actions, whatever. Someday it comes back to haunt those who behavbave in this way with no "legitamite" cause/reason to use but, hey who are we to say you can't sue whomever you feel like.