Butthurt grad student sues university over mediocre grade.

[Suu]

Just...read it. All of it.

http://news.yahoo.com/lehigh-university-student-got-c-now-seeks-1-124956605.html

So...she went to grad school tuition free because daddy is a professor there.
She gets a job there, because daddy is a professor there.
She gets a C+ in a class because she didn't behave well...as a grad student. (Profanity and crying? Really?)

And now she wants $1.3 Million because her career is "ruined."

Good luck with that.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

The Good Reverend Roger and 3 other assholes Like this display of butthurt proto-right wing rage.

[Suu]

The Good Reverend Roger and 3 other assholes Like this display of butthurt proto-right wing rage.

I can see it now, millions of college students nationwide are going to see this and go, "Wait, we can DO THAT?!"

[The Good Reverend Roger]

The Good Reverend Roger and 3 other assholes Like this display of butthurt proto-right wing rage.

I can see it now, millions of college students nationwide are going to see this and go, "Wait, we can DO THAT?!"

Um.  I can see this ALREADY HAPPENING SINCE 1960 OR SO, and being THROWN OUT OF COURT, RELIABLY AS CLOCKWORK, EACH AND EVERY TIME.

But in the meantime, it is used to generate "outrage" that is in turn used to support tort reform, which is then used by the very rich to FUCK THE REST OF US IN OUR BUNGHOLES.

But let's not that get in the way of our self-righteous chortling, shall we?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Share if you like that Exxon cawk!

[Suu]

Argh.

I hate people.

[Junkenstein]

The Good Reverend Roger and 3 other assholes Like this display of butthurt proto-right wing rage.

Fucking wonderful. 5 Stars.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The Good Reverend Roger and 3 other assholes Like this display of butthurt proto-right wing rage.

I can see it now, millions of college students nationwide are going to see this and go, "Wait, we can DO THAT?!"

Um.  I can see this ALREADY HAPPENING SINCE 1960 OR SO, and being THROWN OUT OF COURT, RELIABLY AS CLOCKWORK, EACH AND EVERY TIME.

But in the meantime, it is used to generate "outrage" that is in turn used to support tort reform, which is then used by the very rich to FUCK THE REST OF US IN OUR BUNGHOLES.

But let's not that get in the way of our self-righteous chortling, shall we?

[Junkenstein]

Something similar in the UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21426396

The High Court has not accepted a bid from school leaders, teachers' unions and councils to change grade boundaries in last summer's GCSE English exams.

Head teachers said they were "bitterly disappointed" the court did not back their claim that pupils had been downgraded in a "statistical fix".

This has been rumbling for a while over here, the point rarely mentioned is funds are allocated to schools in part on performance of pupils. So while the bluster is about "The childrens future" the real push in the first instance was "Our financial future".

I do strongly suspect that exam marking boards are pretty useless. Quite a few of my exam results were identical to others, in one case whole class had the exact same marks and comments on their papers. The school flatly refused to push the matter on our behalf as a number of those grades would have been dropped, leaving a net negative effect for the schools coffers.

This was a number of years ago but I doubt that much has changed.

[Suu]

Something similar in the UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21426396

The High Court has not accepted a bid from school leaders, teachers' unions and councils to change grade boundaries in last summer's GCSE English exams.

Head teachers said they were "bitterly disappointed" the court did not back their claim that pupils had been downgraded in a "statistical fix".

This has been rumbling for a while over here, the point rarely mentioned is funds are allocated to schools in part on performance of pupils. So while the bluster is about "The childrens future" the real push in the first instance was "Our financial future".

I do strongly suspect that exam marking boards are pretty useless. Quite a few of my exam results were identical to others, in one case whole class had the exact same marks and comments on their papers. The school flatly refused to push the matter on our behalf as a number of those grades would have been dropped, leaving a net negative effect for the schools coffers.

This was a number of years ago but I doubt that much has changed.

It's almost comforting to know we're not the only country that tests the kids mercilessly for money.

[trippinprincezz13]

The Good Reverend Roger and 3 other assholes Like this display of butthurt proto-right wing rage.

I can see it now, millions of college students nationwide are going to see this and go, "Wait, we can DO THAT?!"

Um.  I can see this ALREADY HAPPENING SINCE 1960 OR SO, and being THROWN OUT OF COURT, RELIABLY AS CLOCKWORK, EACH AND EVERY TIME.

But in the meantime, it is used to generate "outrage" that is in turn used to support tort reform, which is then used by the very rich to FUCK THE REST OF US IN OUR BUNGHOLES.

But let's not that get in the way of our self-righteous chortling, shall we?

Forgive me if I'm a bit slow on the uptake, my head's not screwed on right today.

To clarify - "outrage" about frivolous lawuit leads to tort reform that theoretically is used to make it harder to file frivolous lawsuits but as an added bonus will also make it more difficult to file legitimate lawsuits against corporations and the like? 

I know from work one of the current preferred methods is "We can afford better and more attorneys than you, who will bury you in mostly frivolous, but mostly legal, paperwork until you (hopefully) just give up.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

To clarify - "outrage" about frivolous lawuit leads to tort reform that theoretically is used to make it harder to file frivolous lawsuits but as an added bonus will also make it more difficult to file legitimate lawsuits against corporations and the like? 

That's the whole point.  That's why all the crazy shit gets so much attention.

I know from work one of the current preferred methods is "We can afford better and more attorneys than you, who will bury you in mostly frivolous, but mostly legal, paperwork until you (hopefully) just give up.

But why pay all that expense when you can just eliminate recourse to law (especially while you're eliminating product standards and worker's rights)?

[LMNO]

There was a documentary about this, I think it was called "Hot Coffee".

Remember that woman who sued McDonalds because she dropped coffee in her lap that burned her, and won millions of dollars?

Big joke, right?  "What is this world coming to," etc.

In the film, they show you the pictures of the burns.  THIRD DEGREE BURNS.  ON HER THIGHS.  It was fucking horrific.  That woman needed reconstructive surgery.  There's no reason coffee needs to be so hot, and McDonalds was clearly at fault.

But instead of being a champion of checks on corporate malfesance, she's a punchline.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

There was a documentary about this, I think it was called "Hot Coffee".

Remember that woman who sued McDonalds because she dropped coffee in her lap that burned her, and won millions of dollars?

Big joke, right?  "What is this world coming to," etc.

In the film, they show you the pictures of the burns.  THIRD DEGREE BURNS.  ON HER THIGHS.  It was fucking horrific.  That woman needed reconstructive surgery.  There's no reason coffee needs to be so hot, and McDonalds was clearly at fault.

But instead of being a champion of checks on corporate malfesance, she's a punchline.

Of course.  Why be honest, when you can spin it?

Also, when you see email forwards about lawsuits, are they talking about people who had the wrong leg amputated at a hospital, or a baby choking to death in a crib that has its slats too far apart?  No.  They list lawsuits that ARE frivolous, and they fail to mention (or just lie) that the cases where thrown out as frivolous.

When they mention huge cash awards, google is your friend.  It's (almost) always bullshit, or - as in the case LMNO mentioned - it didn't happen as presented.

[trippinprincezz13]

To clarify - "outrage" about frivolous lawuit leads to tort reform that theoretically is used to make it harder to file frivolous lawsuits but as an added bonus will also make it more difficult to file legitimate lawsuits against corporations and the like? 

That's the whole point.  That's why all the crazy shit gets so much attention.

I know from work one of the current preferred methods is "We can afford better and more attorneys than you, who will bury you in mostly frivolous, but mostly legal, paperwork until you (hopefully) just give up.

But why pay all that expense when you can just eliminate recourse to law (especially while you're eliminating product standards and worker's rights)?

Oh I do agree with you, was just making sure I was processing it right. I admit, I've been guilty of it in the past, including the McDonald's issue. And while I suspected there had to be something to it for the woman to win the suit, I didn't realize it was as bad as LMNO described. Hard as I try, I get taken in by the bullshit too sometimes.

We don't do a lot of personal injury cases involving corporations, but things are already difficult as it is for legitimate claims and can only get worse with further reform. Then there are the ones "What do you mean I can't sue for the papercut I got at the bookstore/that's all I'm getting?! That lady just spilled coffee on herself and she got a million dollars!" That (and others, but especially THAT) case I have heard referenced so many times with regard to "Why can't I sue/Why don't you just sue xxxx" that I really just want to strangle someone anytime I hear that phrase. People assume that it is/was a frivolous case, which gives them an excuse for their frivolous/relatively minor claims, which leads to more frivolous suits, which leads to more outrage, more reform, ad infinitum.