The Top 7 Most Unbelievable Lawsuits

What are the most unbelievable lawsuits out there? When it comes to inexplicable, unbelievable, or downright idiotic lawsuits, legal courts around the world have heard it all. We’ve searched high and low and selected 7 of the most unbelievable lawsuits to ever reach a court. Prepare to be both shocked and amused!

So, let’s take a look at the countdown.

No. 7: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Photo Credit: Jason H. Smith

Who would mind being mistaken for a popular celebrity? Apparently, Allen Heckard from Oregon does. In 2006 he sued both Michael Jordan and the Nike Company for the emotional pain and suffering his resemblance to the basketball superstar caused him.

No. 6: Gokey v Gokey

Photo Credit: Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection

Curtis Gokey from Lodi, California sued the city for damages that had occurred when the driver of a dump truck backed into his own. What’s so unbelievable about this case, you may ask. Well, the problem is that the driver of that dump truck happened to be none other than Mr. Gokey himself. The claim was dismissed on grounds that you cannot sue yourself.

No. 5: The Wave Thief

Photo Credit: Damian Gadal

While it is perfectly understandable that a surfer would get annoyed when a fellow sportsman steals a wave that was right in front of them, it is more than unbelievable why someone would take such a claim to court. Well, a California surfer found this to be a perfectly valid claim and sued the wave thief for the pain and suffering endured. The case was naturally dismissed.

See the remaining most unbelievable lawsuits on the following pages:

No. 4: The Smelly Feet Discrimination Lawsuit

Photo Credit: mattwi1s0n

Teunis Tenbrook, a Dutch student, sued his University after being thrown out of it an account of his disturbingly smelling feet. The lawsuit dragged on for an entire decade, before a judge ultimately decided that feet odor is not a strong enough reason to prevent someone from attending University.

No. 3: Russia v NASA

Photo Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

In 2005, a Russian astrologer, Marina Bai, sued NASA for moral sufferings she allegedly endured due to the agency’s endeavors in space. Her claim was that NASA had disrupted the balance of the universe and irremediably damaged her business.

No. 2: The Divine Lawsuit

Photo Credit: Waiting For The Word

One might be tempted to think that God is above the common man’s legal issues. However, a Romanian named Pavel Mircea disagreed with this concept in 2005, when he sued the religious figure for failing to protect him from evil. The case, in which the plaintiff demanded he’d be reimbursed for what he had spent on religious goods, such as candles, was eventually thrown out.

No. 1: The Sue-nami

Photo Credit: Rob Crawley

When it comes to suing for the most unbelievable reasons, Jonathan Lee Riches is definitely a tough man to rival with. It was hard to choose just one out of the more than 4,000 lawsuits he has filled over the years to make our top 7, so we granted him instead with the first spot. Riches’ series of inexplicable lawsuits include suing the Somali pirates, Martha Stewart, Nascar, Nostradamus, Che Guevara, and even the Eiffel Tower. Anything you can think of, he probably sued it at one point or another. He even sued the Guinness Book of Records for naming him the world’s most litigious man. Well, isn’t that ironic?