Author Archives: Kristen Povolny

Amazon Workers Subjected to Short Lunch Breaks

Amazonians Unite!

A lawsuit was filed in federal court last week against the popular online retailer, Amazon. The details of the suit claim, “company’s workplace policies don’t leave them with reasonable time to eat their lunches”. South Carolina employees state they were required to continue working, even when their scheduled 30 minutes break began. Once they got through the mandatory security screen and sat down with their lunch, they were left with all of 18 minutes or less to enjoy their lunch breaks. The complaint states that workers are unable to have a comfortable mealtime. Read More

Domesticated Duck Attacks Unsuspecting Civilian

Duck for cover

In May of 2012 a woman was visiting her mother in Oregon when she was ambushed by a neighbor’s pet duck. The Huffington Post states, “Cynthia Ruddell, 62, of Washougal, Washington, was on her mother’s property in Estacada, Oregon, about 25 miles southeast of Portland, when a neighbor’s duck attacked her without provocation, according to the suit filed in Oregon state court last Friday”. When attempting to run away from the agitated animal, Ruddell fell, breaking her wrist and spraining her elbow and shoulder. The retired nurse is seeking up to $275,000 in damages. Roughly $25,000 is for medical expenses, while the remainder is for pain and suffering that she has endured because of the incident. Read More

Woman Dies Trying to Escape Morgue

Frozen alive

No one expects to find themselves trapped in a morgue freezer while they are still alive. “A California family who claims a loved one was prematurely declared dead, and then “frozen alive” while trying to escape a morgue freezer, has filed a lawsuit against the hospital”. In 2010, 80 year-old Maria de Jesus Arroyo was pronounced dead from a heart attack at White Memorial Medical Center in Boyle Heights, CA. At this time she was laid out for her family to pay their respects, then was put in a body bag and taken down to the hospital morgue. She was then placed in a refrigerated compartment, awaiting pick up by the mortician; this is where the nightmare began. Read More

Not Just Another Hot Coffee Lawsuit

Not just hot coffee this time…

In the past, whenever McDonald’s is involved in a lawsuit, we usually expect it to be because of another victim of their hot coffee. Not this time, “McDonald’s workers in three states filed lawsuits against the fast-food chain this week, saying the company engages in a variety of practices to avoid paying them what they’re owed”. The states involved are California, Michigan, and New York; lawyers targeted McDonald’s because it is an industry leader. The suit mentions a variety of labor violations, which could potentially affect 30,000 employees. The lawsuit seeks back pay and other damages for the affected parties. Read More

New Jersey Teen Sues Parents For Funds

Kids these days…

Rachel Canning is one of the most talked about teens in the country as of late. This Lincoln Park, NJ resident is suing her parents, “accusing them of tossing her out of the family home when she turned 18 and refusing to pay for her private high school and college education”. The lawsuit filed is demanding that Rachel’s parents not only fund her college education, but also her current private high school tuition, living expenses, and also her legal fees. Rachel claims that she is an honor student and a cheerleader, who could potentially lose her opportunity to attend college after being cut off from her family. However, her parents tell a different tale; they state Rachel was not kicked out, but left willingly because she did not want to abide by their rules. Read More