One of my favorite legal blawgers, Craig Williams at May It Please the Court reports on a recent lawsuit filed in Monongalia County Circuit Court involving an exploding porta-john. I saw a number of news items on this unique lawsuit and just hadn't gotten around to posting on the lawsuit. I am sure this West Virginia case will make the rounds on Letterman, Leno and Conan.
It reminds me of a portable toilet company from my days of visiting my mother's relatives in Bannock, Ohio and Flushing, Ohio. There was a local porta-john company named "John's Johns". The side of the modern day outhouses said "John's Johns of Flushing, Ohio". If that ain't great advertising I don't know what is.
Following is Mr. Williams post:
WLF May it Please the Court Law Weblog of legal news and observations, including a quote of the day and daily updates: "The Dangers Of Smoking
For some reason the headline 'Man Sues Over Exploding Toilet' sounds much too much like a Monty Python skit or a headline from the onion.com.
Not being a smoker, I am not sure if it is commonplace to sit down and light up or not. If it is, just imagine the additional warning labels that are going to have to be placed on packs of smokes. If words can’t get the message across, perhaps a picture (see photo) would do. This may be the best way to keep kids from every picking up the habit. "
Brian Peterson's West Virginia Legal Weblog also recently posted on this new lawsuit. Brian points out in a followup post that the case might not be as "unique" as first thought. See Supreme Court Tom Rodd's comment citing West Virginia precedent for the case. Dowler v. Citizens' Gas & Oil Co., 71 W.Va. 417, 76 S.E. 845 (1912).
