Home » Business Crime and Fraud • Topical • US business news » The man who sued basketball legend Michael Jordan for looking like him and other extraordinary lawsuits

The man who sued basketball legend Michael Jordan for looking like him and other extraordinary lawsuits

Elon Musk wins securities fraud lawsuit over 2018 Tesla tweet

Over the years, there have undoubtedly been some bizarre lawsuits that make you shake your head and wonder what people are thinking.

Most of the cases come from the US.

Some people have strong views, and sometimes their thoughts cloud their judgment and common sense, to the point they spend a lot of money going to court to fight what they are convinced is a gross injustice.

These cases tend to result in failure and ridicule for those involved, as well as a massive legal bill.

Student sues teacher over a C+ grade

Students often believe flattery and extra work might lead to better grades.

Some more unscrupulous pupils have even tried to bribe their teachers.

In one case, a pupil decided to take legal action when they didn’t get the grade they wanted.

It’s normal for students to beg for better grades, offer extra credit tasks, and even bribe teachers to increase their scores.

Megan Thode, a graduate student, was appalled when she learned that her rather average C+ grade would stop her from getting the degree she intended and ruin her aspirations of becoming a licensed therapist.

She claimed the grade meant her missing out on $1.3 million in lost earnings.

The case made it court, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Judge Emil Giordano said: “Thode nonetheless failed to prove her grade was based on anything other than ‘purely academic evaluation’ and her professor’s conclusion that she ‘was unprepared to move on to the next level’ of her course.”

The case was dismissed.

Man tries to sue Michael Jordan for looking like him

Who doesn’t want to be told they look like Michael Jordan?

The freakishly athletic NBA legend is one of the most recognizable sportspeople on the planet – despite having played his final game 20 years ago.

However, one man, Allen Heckard, from Portland, wasn’t happy when he realized he looked a lot like him.

In 2006 Heckard filed a lawsuit against Michael Jordan and Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, for a total of $832 million.

$416 million out of the total amount was aimed at Micheal Jordan simply for having facial features similar to his.

The other $416 million was directed at Nike for turning Micheal Jordan into the public figure he is.

Heckard had always been mistaken for the NBA superstar over the last 15 years of his life and had got fed up with it.

Heckard told the court that he experienced emotional pain, torment, slander, and personal injury.

It seems blindingly obvious that it was neither Jordan’s fault for looking like Heckard, nor Nike’s desire to sponsor the man who, at the time, was the most famous sportsman in the world that caused any of this pain.

Heckard eventually dropped the suit against the two in 2006

He filed the case without a lawyer of his own, and perhaps realized the mighty Nike lawyers and Jordan’s own, no doubt highly paid, legal team might also be a formidable opponent.

Heckard eventually dropped the suit against the two in 2006.

Not so happy meal

A father sued McDonald’s for selling Happy Meals to kids.

That might sound as ridiculous as the other lawsuits mentioned, but this is actually based around Canadian law and was successful.

Antonio Bramante, from Quebec, would visit the fast food chain regularly and would usually bring at least one of his children.

However, he objected to Happy Meal advertisements which were intentionally placed at children’s eye level, with their collectible toys fully displayed.

His children would see the advertisements and naturally beg for a Happy Meal to get a new toy.

Bramante felt pressured by McDonald’s to comply.

There is an existing law in Canada banning advertising to children under 13.

The only exceptions to this law are children’s magazines, store windows, and advertisements for kid-based shows.

Bramante argued that McDonald’s did not count as one of these exceptions, and of course, McDonald’s countered this by claiming it did.

The parties reached a Happy Meal class action settlement in January 2020.

The case was actually resolved, to the benefit of four local charities.

McDonald’s agreed to pay $1 million to four charitable hospital foundations in Quebec: Fondation CHU de Québec, Fondation CHU Ste-Justine, Jewish General Hospital Foundation; and Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Each foundation received a lump sum payment of $250,000.

McDonald’s also agreed a number of changes to its advertising policy over the toys, including moving them out higher in the displays.

Follow us on YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook