Home visitors: beware of backyards in the dark

Maybe we should all watch our steps when visiting other peoples’ homes after dark. At least that’s what one recent case suggests. A mother and her son were guests of a married couple. As the visitors attempted to leave in the evening through their hosts’ back door, the son fell down a flight of steps and impaled himself... More

CVS Sued for $9 Trillion Over Return of Duffel Bag

A woman who sued CVS for nine trillion dollars because it wouldn’t exchange a $31 duffel bag for some makeup, lipstick and perfume has had her lawsuit rejected by a federal court in Rhode Island. A CVS manager refused to accept the duffel bag because the woman didn’t have a receipt, she had purchased it more than 90 days earlier, and the bag was... More

Rival Makers of Fart-Sound iPhone Apps Head to Court

Two rival companies that sell iPhone applications that produce farting noises are headed toward a flatulence showdown in a federal court in Denver. The trouble began when Air-O-Matic, which makes the “Pull My Finger” app, demanded $50,000 from a rival called “iFart Mobile.” Air-O-Matic accused iFart of trademark infringement after... More

Judge: Woman Not Really Worth 300 Gazillion Dollars

A woman who was jailed for defrauding people by claiming to be the world’s wealthiest person has been ordered to pay restitution despite her plea for an adjournment so she could prove to the court that she really was worth a million billion trillion dollars. Elda Beguinua told the court her net worth was “300 followed by 41 zeros,”... More

Man Is Jailed for Whistling Addams Family Theme Song

A man has been sent to prison for harassing his neighbors for four years by whistling the theme song from “The Addams Family” every time he saw them. Michael Sharpe, 68, testified that neighbor Leopold Wroble “very nearly succeeded” in his effort to “destroy our lives,” and that his wife was so upset by the whistling that she started losing... More

Did University Plagiarize Its Anti-Plagiarism Policy?

A committee charged with developing an anti-plagiarism policy for Southern Illinois University has been accused of plagiarizing its policy by copying one from Indiana University without giving it credit. The 10-member committee of academics and administrators produced a 139-word definition of plagiarism that is nearly identical to the one... More

Hiring Only Capricorns Isn’t Illegal Job Discrimination

A company that wants to hire only Capricorns – or people with other specific zodiac signs – is not illegally discriminating, at least under the law of Austria. That’s because the law only bans discrimination based on race, gender, age, and so on. And people of every race, gender and age can be Capricorns. The issue came up because an insurance... More

University Faces Lawsuit Over Lizard-Poop Blunder

A British Ph.D. student who spent five years in jungles in the Philippines collecting excrement from rare Butaan lizards is suing his university after it accidentally threw away a 77-pound bag of lizard poop. Daniel Bennett claims that when he returned from a stint of field work, his lab space had been cleared. “My personal effects... More

Court Orders Lawyer’s Fee Paid in Fashion Gift Cards

A lawyer who sued a young women’s clothing store for a technical violation of state law will get a $125,000 fee – in the form of gift cards to the store. Attorney Neil B. Fineman of Yorba Linda, Calif., brought a class-action lawsuit against Windsor Fashions, a popular purveyor of prom dresses, for asking customers for their phone... More

Air Passenger Arrested for Hiding Pigeons in His Pants

A man who flew from the Middle East to Australia with a pair of pigeons hidden in his pants was arrested after alert Customs officials discovered the concealed birds. Customs agents first became suspicious when they found two eggs in a vitamin bottle in the 23-year-old’s luggage, said investigations manager Richard Janeczko. Further investigation... More

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