Frivolous Lawsuits

My fellow classmate Kyle wrote an editorial last week about frivolous lawsuits. I must say that I have to completely agree with him.  The idea that someone can drink coffee from McDonald's, burn their mouth because the coffee is so hot, and then in turn sue McDonald's because the coffee was too hot, it not only embarrassing, but it is also an absolute joke. Lawsuits such as these make a complete mockery of the system, people looking for a free handout turn to our courtrooms in efforts to make a quick buck. Hello?? Coffee is supposed to be hot last time I checked, and furthermore I'll tell you each and every time I purchase coffee, or make it at myself, my first instinct is not to take a giant gulp of it when it fresh out of the pot, unless maybe I get it from Starbucks, who have somehow managed to serve coffee at the perfect drinking temperature. These types of lawsuits may appear to cost the company being sued but in reality in cost you.  What happens when McDonald's loses a ridiculous lawsuit like this one , they raise the prices of their product, and in the end, its the public, the customers, who end up paying the bill.

This article supplies a list of ten of the most ridiculous lawsuits of all time.  Look many lawsuits are legitimate and necessary, but as you can see on this list, some of them are just flat out atrocious and have no business even being entered into a court room.  These lawsuits cost the taxpayers money and it costs the courts time, that they could be using to handle other more serious claims and offenses. A reform of some sort should be taken into consideration, the problem is, like Kyle points out, who decides what is and is not a legitimate lawsuit?