Best & Worst Lawsuits of 2015

By Staff Writer

2015 was quite a year for interesting lawsuits. Here are just a few of our favorites:

A Monkey’s Rights

Photographer David Slater was sued by PETA, a well-known animal rights group, for taking ownership of photos that were technically taken by a macaque monkey named Naruto. Slater was photographing a group of the Indonesian monkeys and momentarily left his camera on a tripod. Naruto picked up the camera and started taking “monkey selfies.” Slater then copyrighted the photos under his name. PETA believes the monkey deserves sole credit for the photos and all of the revenue, suing Slater for the copyright.

Worst Aunt Award

Did you ever think a hug could cost you $127,000? It almost did for an 8-year-old boy named Sean. After his aunt, Jennifer Connell, gave him his birthday present, he got excited and jumped into her arms. The hug caused his aunt to fall and break her wrist. She proceeded to sue him for $127,000. According to a CNBC article, “Connell said that she loved her nephew, but wanted the court to hold him liable for the hug that caused her to fall to the ground and break her wrist.” Luckily for Sean, the court decided to rule against Connell’s claim.

Oh, the Irony

In perhaps the most bizarre of 2015 lawsuits, Utah resident Barbara Bagley decided to sue herself. As it turns out, she may have actually had a stroke of brilliance. Her story, however, is quite tragic. In 2011, Bagley was driving when she and her husband were involved in an accident. After being thrown from the vehicle, Bagley’s husband died from his injuries. She inherited her husband’s estate, but she also took on the burden of his credit card debit. In 2015, she decided to sue herself for negligent driving in order to avoid having to pay the debt. How is this possible? An article on alternet.org explains, “If she wins her suit against herself, and finds herself legally negligent, then her insurance company will pay the creditors, instead of payment coming from the estate. If she wins, in essence, Bagley will collect money from herself for her own negligence.” In this case, being sued could actually solve Bagley’s problems.

If you have a case you’d like to discuss with Sid or one of our skilled Tennessee personal injury lawyers, contact us today! Browse our site to find out more helpful information about the legal field, including Calculating the Value of Your Personal Injury Claim and What to Do After an Auto Accident.

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