Stella Awards Exposed!

Received an email yesterday about the so-called illustrious Stella Awards, apparently so named after an 81-year old woman called Stella Liebeck who took the lid off a coffee she had just bought from a McDonalds in New Mexico, USA, and then proceeded to put the cup between her knees while she was driving. The coffee inevitably spilled all over her and she in turn successfully sued McDonalds. The email then went on to outline seven cases that typified this brand of justice. Here's an example of number seven on the list:

Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers are breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The store owners were understandably surprised by the verdict, considering the running toddler was her own son.

I was suitably amused and shocked but also rather skeptical about the content of the email, as I have come across fake emails before. Turns out my instincts were correct. Another person on the circulation list provided a link to the Snopes.com Rumor Has It website, which exposes the Stella Awards and the claim of "six outrageous-but-real lawsuits showcas[ing] the need for tort reform" as being utterly false. 

This is a fabulous website and I'm adding it to my 'must read' list. Some of the categories that dispell myth, legend and innuendo and that I'll be reading first include: Disney, Titanic, Weddings, Critter Country, Hurricane Katrina, and Lost Legends. Check it out, folks!