ShortcutsUS news This article is more than 9 years oldThe man who sued for two 'undecillion' dollars – and other optimistic lawsuits
This article is more than 9 years oldA man is currently suing the City of New York for more money than actually exists. But there are still other unlikely litigation titles up for grabs …Unusually litigious people of Earth, it's time to up your game. After being bitten by a dog on a bus – and then, worse, having his photo taken without permission during treatment – a man named Anton Purisima is currently suing the City of New York and other defendants for $2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or two undecillion dollars, or more money than actually exists on the planet.
But don't be disheartened. Purisima might have beaten you to filing the world's largest ever lawsuit, but there are other stupid lawsuit titles that you can still win. Why not try to beat these?
Most precedent-setting lawsuit
Amount: Around $500,000
A 79-year-old woman called Stella Liebeck made history by suing McDonald's after dropping a coffee in her lap and suffering third-degree burns to her thighs and groin. As a result, the Stella Awards – highlighting ambitious or ridiculous lawsuits – was initiated, and now companies treat us like idiots by printing "Warning: contents hot" signs on everything.
Most expensive reaction to missing trousers
Amount: $67 million
In 2005, an administrative judge in the District of Columbia had a suit dry-cleaned. When the trousers went missing, because the shop had a "satisfaction guaranteed" sign in the window, he sued for $67m in compensation for the suit, legal fees, car hire and emotional distress. He later reduced the amount to $54m, but still lost.
Most desperate attempt to win money from a celebrity.
Amount: $832 million
In 2006, Allen Heckard attempted to sue Michael Jordan and Nike for $416m each, all because Michael Jordan looked like him. So much so, in fact, that Heckard claimed he couldn't ride public transport or eat in restaurants without being mistaken for Jordan, who is 6in taller than Heckard and looks nothing like him.
Most desperate attempt to win money from a movie studio
Amount: undisclosed
In 2008, The Dark Knight became a worldwide smash, much to the chagrin of the mayor of a Turkish city called Batman, who attempted to sue Warner Bros for using its name without permission. "There is only one Batman in the world," the mayor said, wrongly.
Most unsuccessfully misdirected anger
Amount: £50,000
In 2004, Marcy Meckler left a shopping centre in Skokie, Illinois, was attacked by a squirrel and tried to sue the centre for £50,000 for both encouraging the squirrel and not warning customers that squirrels live outside sometimes.
Most successful misdirected anger
Amount: $1.5 million
In 2005, Michelle Knepper had a liposuction procedure performed by a dermatologist she picked at random from a phonebook. There were complications, so she sued the phone company for making the phonebook in the first place. She won $1.2m from them, and her husband won an additional £375,000.
This article was amended on May 20, 2014. The original stated that the damages in the Stella Liebeck case amounted to $2.7m. This amount was awarded by a jury in New Mexico but reduced on appeal to around $500,000. The original also stated that Liebeck "scalded" her thighs and groin. Detail has been added to reflect the severity of her injuries.
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