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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!panda!genrad!decvax!ittatc!sii!dmcnh!gts
From: gts@dmcnh.UUCP (Guy The Schafer)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: $1.4M for hitting a cow (Lawsuits and judges that piss me off)
Message-ID: <212@dmcnh.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 7-Aug-85 09:46:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: dmcnh.212
Posted: Wed Aug  7 09:46:59 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Aug-85 06:56:00 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Datamedia Corp, Nashua, NH
Lines: 25

So much for blaming the jurors and hoping the judges will overturn decisions
to hand money out by the bucketful:

Digital Electronics Corporation just lost a suit for $1.4 million filed by
a woman who was a passenger in a car that hit a dead cow in the road.  That's
right, a cow wandered off of DEC owned land, was killed by a car and then
this second car hit the carcass. 
The jurors in the original case told her to bite burlap, but the judge said,
"Well, what the fuck.  It's not my money, and gee, DEC probably planted
the cow there with malicious intent anyway, so I'll give her $600k." (Probably
not an exact quote.)
But the guy was such an asshole that he forgot that once the plantiffs have
a win under their belt they have nothing to lose by going for more (the
lawyers now have their first payments and will stick to you like used car
salesmen) and can sway the jury by letting them know that DEC has already been
found guilty of setting up cow-baricades.  So, not happy with $600k, she went
for the big bucks ($3M) and got $1.4M!
Goddam it anyway.  The judges are as crazy as the rest of 'em.

+--------------------------------+
| USENET: decvax!sii!dmcnh!gts   |  "It is improper to
| USMail: Guy T. Schafer         |  describe making love
|         14-F Hampshire Drive   |  to one of the daughters of N.H. State
|         Nashua, NH  03063      |  Supreme Court Justice Peter Smith."
+--------------------------------+  - one who dosn't know, but would like to.