7 Most Bizarre Court Cases Of All Time

While courts play a major role in sustaining society by ensuring justice, sometimes things take an unexpected turn. Courts have to deal with a wide variety of cases, but some of these seem to test the very concept of justice. Some lawsuits are so bizarre that it makes one wonder if courts are really the center of justice or just a staged show for entertainment. To get a better idea, here’s a look at some of the weirdest lawsuits of all time.

Too hot coffee – This is among the most publicized court cases that drew everyone’s attention. The case involved Stella Liebeck who filed a case against McDonald’s Restaurants for causing injury due to hot coffee. She had accidently spilled the coffee on herself, resulting in third degree burns. The jury found McDonald’s at fault in most parts and awarded $2.7 million in punitive damages and $200,000 as compensation. The matter was eventually settled in confidentiality between the two parties.

Change my age – While scientists are trying to find ways to reduce and possibly eliminate ageing, an old Dutchman filed a case to legally reduce his age. His argument was that his age, as mentioned in official records, was acting as a hindrance in various aspects of his life. For example, he was not able to find appropriate matches in dating app Tinder. Thankfully, the judge saw into the frivolity in this lawsuit and rejected it.

Sugar in jelly beans – California woman Jessica Gomez filed a case, stating that the manufacturers of jelly beans cheated her by terming sugar as ‘evaporated cane juice’ in the description. While the reasoning was good, the judge dismissed the case. That’s because even though the terminology was different, the sugar content in the product was clearly mentioned on the packaging.

Footlong sandwich – A case was filed against Subway for selling smaller rolls that were marketed as 12-inch long. According to the teenager who filed the case, the length of the rolls was only 11 inches. While this case continued for around three years, it was later dismissed by the judge.

Red Bull fails to energize – Businesses often make outlandish claims to promote their product. Usually, no one questions them. But in case of Red Bull that markets its products as ‘Red Bull gives you wings’, the company was faced with a lawsuit. The plaintiff said that let along giving wings, the drink does not even give the claimed energy or improve one’s focus. The case was settled out of court for $640,000.

Kidnapper sues hostages – After the couple kidnapped by Jesse Dimmick escaped, the kidnapper filed a breach of contract lawsuit. He said that the hostages were supposed to hide him from police, as per their oral agreement. The case was obviously dismissed.

Ugly baby – In a bizarre case, Chinese Jian Feng filed a lawsuit against his wife for delivering an ‘ugly’ baby. Upon investigation, it was found that the woman was not really born beautiful, but had achieved so via multiple plastic surgeries. As the case merited false pretenses, the court ordered the wife to pay $120,000.