14 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits You Won’t Believe Are Real

Frivolous lawsuits are a staple of courts around the globe, especially here in the United States. There’s no better way to make an idle threat than by claiming you’ll sue someone. While most people are just bluffing, a handful of people go the route of filing the most ridiculous lawsuits you can imagine.

Every year individuals file hundreds of meritless lawsuits using frivolous litigation to bully or threaten another individual. These lawsuits often tie up the courts and prevent the legal system from focusing on important matters. The good news is due to so many of these bogus lawsuits being filed, reforms are continually being put in place to stop people from making outrageous claims. 

Examples of these ridiculous lawsuits include people going up against giant corporations because of a nasty burn from hot coffee or taking on a famous celebrity due to the fact they look the same as the plaintiff.  It’s not just big corporations that end up in court either, with a high school student once filing a suit against a teacher for disturbing nap time.

There are too many hilarious examples to list, but we have selected some of the funniest, mind-numbing, and pointless lawsuits you won’t believe are real for you to read about below. 

14 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits You Won’t Believe Are Real

1. Stella Lieback vs. McDonald’s Restaurants 

Stella Lieback suing McDonald’s Restaurants is among the most notorious frivolous lawsuits. At the time, the media positioned McDonald’s as the victim. In hindsight, Lieback’s suit wasn’t frivolous after all. On February 27, 1992, 79-year-old Lieback ordered a cup of coffee from an Alburquerque McDonald’s for 49 cents. While sitting in her nephew’s car, she held the cup between her legs and pulled the lid off, spilling the coffee on herself. While many weren’t sympathetic to her, she suffered third-degree burns to 6% of her body. She spent eight days in the hospital, underwent a skin graft, and an additional two years of medical treatment.

She attempted to settle with McDonald’s for $20,000 to cover her medical expenses. Her lawyer filed the suit when McDonald’s refused to settle. Lieback’s lawyer argued that the temperature of the coffee should be between 266 and 240 Fahrenheit. Instead, it was a scorching 356 to 374 Fahrenheit. The jury awarded her $2.7 million in damages, but the judge reduced it to $640,000, noting Lieback deserves 20% of the blame. 

2. Judge Sues Dry Cleaners $54 Million for Losing His Pants

In 2005, Judge Roy L. Pearson was furious when dry cleaner Custom Cleaners supposedly misplaced his pants. Pearson sued the owners, the Chungs, and demanded $67 million, which he reduced to $54 million. Better known as the “$54 million pants case,” Pearson claimed the signs “Satisfaction Guaranteed” and “Same Day Service” were misleading.

Dubbed “The Great American Pants Suit” by the media, Pearson broke down and cried on the first day of the trial over the mental anguish of losing the pants. Judge Pearson lost the case and, subsequently, his ten-year position as a judge. As a result of the case, Pearson gained the nickname “Judge Fancy Pants.” He then won the Stella Award for the most frivolous lawsuit in 2007.

3. Michael Jordan Lookalike Sues Michael Jordan 

The legendary Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest NBA player of all time. He spent most of his career playing with the Chicago Bulls, winning six championships and five MVP awards. He’s also the face of the iconic Nike Air Jordan brand. Jordan was living the dream until 2006 when he and Nike found themselves in the middle of the most epic frivolous lawsuit.

For 15 years, Chicago native Allen Heckard endured people pointing out he looked like the legendary Jordan. Anytime Heckard stepped onto a court to play ball, people would approach him and tell him he resembled Jordan. Heckard could no longer handle the burden and stress looking like Jordan caused him.

Heckard noted that he was older, so Jordan looked like him and not the other way around. So Heckard sued Jordan, Phil Knight, and Nike for a whopping $832 million for causing him emotional distress and suffering. The court case revealed Heckard is six inches shorter than Jordan and eventually the judge dismissed the case. 

4. Richard Overton vs. Bud Light

In the 90s, Richard Overton’s life changed when he watched a Bud Light commercial. The commercial made the typical promise: drink our beer and get beautiful women. So like any normal person who believes everything they see on television, Overton began drinking copious amounts of Bud Light Beer.

Strangely beautiful women weren’t throwing themselves at Overton. He still found himself single without any prospective dates. Overton then sued Anheuser-Busch for $10,000 for financial loss, emotional distress, and mental injury. As you would expect, the judge dismissed the case before the jury could even open their first beer. 

5. David Roller Sues David Blaine & David Copperfield 

David Blaine and David Copperfield are two of the most famous magicians in history. That didn’t stop David Roller from suing both men for stealing his life and his “godly” power. He claimed that Blaine and Copperfield employed witchcraft to steal his magical powers.

Roller was no stranger to controversy and wild theories, having previously claimed Bill Gates would run for the Presidency against Roller in the 2008 election. Despite his passion, the judge dismissed the case after hearing all the evidence. 

6. Robert E. Brock Sues Robert E. Brock 

In 1993, Robert E. Brock drank some alcohol and chose to commit breaking and entering and grand larceny. He went to jail for his crimes, but a few years later in 1995, Brock felt it was time to hold the man responsible for getting him into this situation: himself. Yes, Brock sued Brock.

While in prison, Brock sued himself for $5 million for causing himself to violate his religious beliefs. During the court hearing, Brock furiously demanded he pay himself the total. Since he was a “warden of the state,” Brock felt the government should foot the bill and pay him $5 million. The judge wasted no time dismissing the case. 

7. Rachel Cronin Sues Lip Balm

Rachel Cronin was frustrated with her EOS lip balm. She claimed it caused a rash and blisters around her lips. Cronin noted the brand claimed the user could use the lip balm to the bottom. Instead, she could only use about 75%. Cronin felt betrayed by the lie, especially since stars Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian endorsed the brand, and decided to sue.

The EOS Brand thought it was in its best interest to settle the case out of court. Furthermore, many people and celebs even supported the case. While it might seem frivolous, several customers had a similar experience although they didn’t take matters as far as Cronin. 

8. GM Sues Ford for Using the Word “Cruise”

Two of the biggest and most powerful automotive companies wasted their time with a frivolous lawsuit when they should be working together on creating flying cars. GM sued Ford in a lawsuit that took meritless lawsuits to new levels.

In 2021, Ford introduced their new hands-free tech, BlueCruise. It turned out GM had trademarked the word “cruise” for its hand-free tech Super Cruise and subdivision Cruise. So they sued Ford over the use of the word “cruise.” Ford countered, demanding the court rescind GM’s trademarks. The two companies settled out of court in what was one of the biggest wastes of money and resources. 

9. Lauren Rosenberg Sues Google for Giving Bad Directions

In 2009, Lauren Rosenberg pulled out her trusty cell phone to use Google Maps for directions. Google Maps instructed Rosenberg towards Utah State Route 224. Furthermore, Google told her to walk along the busy, dangerous highway without sidewalks.

Instead of assuming the directions were wrong, Rosenberg tried crossing until a car hit her. She sued Google and the driver for $100,000 in 2010, but the judge dismissed the case. 

10. Lindsay Lohan Sues Grand Theft Auto for Stealing Her Likeness

Actress Lindsay Lohan was once a rising star in Hollywood until she suffered several setbacks due to her personal life. She’s had her fair share of court dates, but few compare to her case against Grand Theft Auto V. The popular game hit stores in 2013, but the cover caught the attention of Lohan. She felt the female character, Lacey Jones, looked just like her and that the makers of GTA V, Take-Two, had copied her appearance, voice, and fashion sense.

While Jones is a prominent character on the cover, she has a minor role in the game. That didn’t stop Lohan from suing the creators in 2014. After the original judge dismissed the case, Lohan fought the decision on appeal. In 2018, six New York State Court of Appeals judges rejected her claim noting the Jones character was simply a generic young woman.

11. Man Sues Home Depot Over 4×4

Home Depot has been helping people with their projects for decades, but even they aren’t immune from frivolous lawsuits. In 2018, Mikhail Abramov purchased a pile of 4×4 lumber for a home improvement project. However, he discovered that one of the 4x4s was actually 3.5×3.5.

Abramov was devastated by the betrayal, so he sued Home Depot for deceptive practices. Home Depot’s lawyers countered that 4×4’s a common term and not an exact measurement. The judge sided with the lumber giant and dismissed the case. 

12. The Case of the Scary Dexter Poster 

There are often countless threats of frivolous lawsuits daily in New York City. One case was so frightening it caught everyone’s attention. In 2013, Anjanaffy Njewadda was walking in Grand Central Station when she noticed a poster for the season’s release of Dexter. The poster featured Dexter Morgan with his face covered in plastic but eyes wide open.

Njewadda was so frightened by the image that she fell down the steps, injuring her ankle. Njewadda took legal action and filed suit against the New York Transit Authority and CBS/Showtime. Njewadda lost but the case led to renewed discussions about legal reform.

13. The Sleeping Student Case

There’s always a risk of falling asleep during class and getting caught by the teacher, but who would think of suing their teacher for interrupting their nap? 16-year-old student Vinicius Robacher, that’s who. Robacher fell asleep during math class in 2008 and her Danbury High School teacher, Melissa Nadeau, smacked the palm of her hand on his desk to wake him up.

According to Robacher’s parents, Nadeau hitting the table caused “severe injuries to his eardrum.” So, Mr. and Mrs. Robacher sued the Connecticut Board of Education, Danbury High School, and Danbury City on Vinicios’s behalf. The judge dismissed the case. Unfortunately for Vincious, his classmates sentenced him to a lifetime of mockery and jokes after the lawsuit.

14. Pasta & Order

Barilla is best known for their dried pasta that comes in recognizable blue boxes. Instead of making special boxes for each type, all pasta goes in the same size blue box. This means the boxes contain 16 ounces of regular elbow-shaped pasta but only 14.5 ounces of Protein PLUS elbow pasta and 13.25 ounces of whole-grain elbow.

In 2016, furious customers filed a frivolous class action lawsuit against Barilla for misleading consumers and false advertising. The judge listened to the evidence but dismissed the case and moved on to subsequent frivolous lawsuits.