Time Out New York contemplates "Life Without Lawyer Jokes"
March 30, 2009
In the Own This City section of the March 26, 2009, Time Out New York, Jonathan Shannon writes jokingly that Philip Howard “wants to do away with silly lawsuits. Sue him before he succeeds.”
Shannon recommended that readers “get [their] dose of common sense” at Howard’s discussion last Friday of Life Without Lawyers at The New-York Historical Society. “Howard’s book,” writes Shannon, “criticizes, pretty fairly really, the impact of a litigious culture on our schools and our health-care system, and even the impact of being legally self-conscious on our actions. What would have happened if Captain Sullenberger had considered the legal implications before acting?”
Shannon goes on to list his favorite examples from the book.
“1. A Washington judge sued a dry cleaners for $54 million after losing his (not diamond-encrusted) pants. He is still appealing the case two years later.
2. A jury awarded $6 million to someone who had broken his leg on the sledding hill in Greenwich, Connecticut, causing nearby towns to forbid people from sledding on town property (those killjoys).
3. In 2005, a girl in kindergarten in St. Petersburg, Florida, went on a ‘rampage’, trashing a classroom. Since teachers were wary of placing a hand on a child, police led her away in handcuffs.
4. A five-inch fishing lure, with a three-pronged hook, now comes with the following legend on its side: ‘Harmful if swallowed.’
5. A music teacher was accused of misconduct after positioning a child’s fingers on a flute (the monster—we hated music lessons too).
6. A letter opener, which wasn’t a mini chain saw, included the missive ‘Caution: Safety Goggles Recommended.’
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