That’s Outrageous!

STOMPING GROUNDS

In January, Californian resident Claudia Ackley launched an ambitious lawsuit against the state. Her goal? To raise awareness about a longcontested creature, the Sasquatch (aka Bigfoot). Ackley hoped it would protect the mythical beast and allow Californians to operate ‘legitimate Sasquatch-related businesses’, such as hiking expeditions. While Ackley has temporarily dropped the suit to rewrite it with the help of legal counsel, it’s clear the Sasquatch community is putting its big foot down.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

You would think that after decades of it being classified an illegal narcotic, marijuana plants would be pretty easily identifiable to law enforcement personnel. But it took three assault rifle-toting Pennsylvania police officers four hours to distinguish between a cannabis crop and Malvaceae, the cultivation of which results in pretty, trumpetshaped flowers with five or more petals ranging in colours from white, pink, yellow, red, orange, peach and purple. Yep, the cops mistook hibiscus plants for marijuana and handcuffed the couple inside the back of a patrol car for hours while they ransacked their house and backyard. The couple is now suing for wrongful arrest.

WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY

Six hundred million dollars. That’s how much New Mexico resident Frank Dickman Jr tried to claim in damages from Microsoft in February after an update to his laptop failed. The device’s manufacturer upgraded his operating system from Windows 7 to Windows 10. After the installation, Dickman’s laptop stopped working – a problem he felt would have been avoided had Microsoft done the work. Dickman eventually received another disappointing update: his case was dismissed after he filed it in the wrong district.