m21man 0 Posted January 8, 2004 [b said: Quote[/b] ]Man says he’s addicted to cable; wants to sue CharterBy Lee Reinsch the reporter lreinsch@fdlreporter.com Cable TV made a West Bend man addicted to TV, caused his wife to be overweight and his kids to be lazy, he says. And he’s threatening to sue the cable company. Timothy Dumouchel of West Bend wants $5,000 or three computers, and a lifetime supply of free Internet service from Charter Communications to settle what he says will be a small claims suit. Dumouchel blames Charter for his TV addiction, his wife’s 50-pound weight gain and his children’s being “lazy channel surfers,†according to a Fond du Lac police report. Charter employees called police to the local office at 165 Knight’s Way the evening of Dec. 23 after Dumouchel showed up with a small claims complaint, reportedly intimidated an employee and made “low-level threats†to employees’ safety, according to a police report. The report states Dumouchel gave an employee five minutes to get a supervisor to talk to him or their next contact would be “in the ocean with the sharks.†According to the report, Dumouchel told Charter employees he plans to sue because his cable connection remained intact four years after he tried to get it canceled. The result was that he and his family got free cable from August of 1999 to Dec. 23, 2003. “I believe that the reason I smoke and drink every day and my wife is overweight is because we watched TV every day for the last four years,†Dumouchel stated in a written complaint against the company, included in a Fond du Lac police report. “But the reason I am suing Charter is they did not let me make a decision as to what was best for myself and my family and (they have been) keeping cable (coming) into my home for four years after I asked them to turn it off.†According to the police report, Dumouchel called Charter to stop his cable service in August of 1999 and was taken off the billing but not the cable service. In a written statement, he said he put the family TV in the basement in 1999 after he had called to get cable disconnected, but soon thereafter, his wife had moved it back and hooked up the cable connection, and it still worked. He stated he “made a deal†with her that “she could watch TV as long as the cable worked.†He then went back to Charter and asked that they disconnect his service, which they reportedly never did. He stated that he called Charter several times to get the service disconnected for good because he felt it was addictive, according to the report. Charter’s director of government and public relations for eastern Wisconsin, John Miller, says he doesn’t take the threat of a lawsuit seriously. “Even though we consider our services to be a very powerful entertainment product, I don’t think it’s reached a medical level yet where it could be proved to be addictive,†Miller said. “In our society, any kind of legal action shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone,†he added. Wisconsin Circuit Court records show no civil lawsuit papers filed in Dumouchel’s name. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
denoir 0 Posted January 8, 2004 This is one of those "Only in America" stories Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamme 0 Posted January 8, 2004 Jesus what a moron! [b said: Quote[/b] ]But the reason I am suing Charter is they did not let me make a decision as to what was best for myself and my family and (they have been) keeping cable (coming) into my home for four years after I asked them to turn it off. Who forced you to sit there and watch the goddamn TV?! They didn't stop you to make a decision to lift your fat ass and go out! It's not the cable TV, it's you'r own fault! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cephalid 0 Posted January 8, 2004 Well I am not surprised. Looks like people are not able to take responsibility for their action. Same like people are suing big M, because they realised that they are getting fat when they eat 3 or more Big Mac's a day.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IceFire 0 Posted January 8, 2004 I want to see who wins this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bn880 5 Posted January 8, 2004 Cable is legal, therefore he can not win this case. If you get addicted to a legal service or product it is your own responsiblity to seek professional help if you think it is unacceptable. The only thing this might achieve (when pigs fly) is that cable providers will have to put warning labels on advertizements. EDIT: Tomorrow Ferrari will get sued when someone gets addicted to driving... or driving fast. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m21man 0 Posted January 8, 2004 [b said: Quote[/b] ]Cable is legal, therefore he can not win this case. Cigarettes are legal . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 8, 2004 Let me get this straight. He is sueing because cable made his wife overweight and his kids lazy, but for compensation he wants: [b said: Quote[/b] ]$5,000 or three computers, and a lifetime supply of free Internet service from Charter Communications to settle what he says will be a small claims suit. LMFAO!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m21man 0 Posted January 8, 2004 [b said: Quote[/b] ]$5,000 or three computers, and a lifetime supply of free Internet service from Charter Communications to settle what he says will be a small claims suit. He decided that he needed to get addicted to porn too . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bn880 5 Posted January 8, 2004 (m21man @ Jan. 08 2004,11:00) said: [b said: Quote[/b] ]Cable is legal, therefore he can not win this case. Cigarettes are legal . Yeah and according to law no one should win a case against those companies until they are required to post health warnings. If they ignore to make the warnings public then I can see how htey would have to pay up. Basically I htink the US justice system is a joke. EDIT: It is ridiculous to have money awarded from Cigarette companies if they have not broken any laws. Either they are required to do or not to do something or they are not. I don't believe in suing people on the basis of "in our hindsight you should have known" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theavonlady 2 Posted January 8, 2004 I drank a freezing cold coffee in a fast food joint and caught pneumonia. Where's my lawyer's number? I would try the boiling coffee suit scheme but a McDonald's customer beat me to it several years ago - and won. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m21man 0 Posted January 8, 2004 [b said: Quote[/b] ]EDIT: It is ridiculous to have money awarded from Cigarette companies if they have not broken any laws. Either they are required to do or not to do something or they are not. I don't believe in suing people on the basis of "in our hindsight you should have known" I don't how judges took the "I didn't know that inhaling smoke was bad for me" argument . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bn880 5 Posted January 8, 2004 Yeah I'm not sure, but actually the whole plot I think was that the Cigarette companies DID know and covered up that they did. that would make a case. Selling harmful products to someone, and marketing them as harmless, I can see that's not right. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 8, 2004 (bn880 @ Jan. 08 2004,17:13) said: Yeah I'm not sure, but actually the whole plot I think was that the Cigarette companies DID know and covered up that they did. Â that would make a case. Â Selling harmful products to someone, and marketing them as harmless, I can see that's not right. Yep, that was the point of the lawsuits. Whether people should have known it was bad for them....well that's debatable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Placebo 29 Posted January 8, 2004 m21man please edit your original post so that it contains the actual article (or summary) instead of just posting a link, otherwise the thread will be closed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m21man 0 Posted January 8, 2004 I think Cigarette companies relied on people knowing that smoke was bad for their health. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theavonlady 2 Posted January 8, 2004 (m21man @ Jan. 08 2004,18:17) said: I think Cigarette companies relied on people knowing that smoke was bad for their health. Listen to cig ads in the US on the radio back in the 40's. The commercials actually had doctors recommending one brand as being healthier than others. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m21man 0 Posted January 8, 2004 @ Placebo - Done . As for cigarettes, I believe that they actually lower your risk for getting Parkinson's. So they could be advertised as healthy (I guess ). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R. Gerschwarzenge 0 Posted January 8, 2004 (m21man @ Jan. 08 2004,18:49) said: As for cigarettes, I believe that they actually lower your risk for getting Parkinson's. So they could be advertised as healthy (I guess ). You probably don't live old enough to get Parkinson's if you smoke. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DKM Jaguar 0 Posted January 8, 2004 This is like the one about the european guy who got addicted to coca-cola and tried to sue them becuase he got diabetes from the ton-and-a-half of sugar in every litre. There is no label on the pack saying you could develop any problems due to insane consumption levels of the product.. If so I might have a go, I'm beyond addicted Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoOB 0 Posted January 8, 2004 There are some really odd people out there... Willing to blame everyone but themselves for things that goes wrong because of what they bring upon themselves. Really sad that they can't get a grip on life... EDIT: Jaguar, I am hooked on Cola too. Perhaps we should start some sort of legal rights group or something together? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DKM Jaguar 0 Posted January 8, 2004 (GoOB @ Jan. 08 2004,20:37) said: There are some really odd people out there... Willing to blame everyone but themselves for things that goes wrong because of what they bring upon themselves. Really sad that they can't get a grip on life...EDIT: Jaguar, I am hooked on Cola too. Perhaps we should start some sort of legal rights group or something together? Â I've drunk about 4 litres a week. They should be paying ME to drink that much, for my services to cola. (its not a huge amount i guess) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m21man 0 Posted January 8, 2004 I'm addicted to Mozzarella cheese sticks and Fresca . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tamme 0 Posted January 8, 2004 (DKM Jaguar @ Jan. 08 2004,21:50) said: (GoOB @ Jan. 08 2004,20:37) said: There are some really odd people out there... Willing to blame everyone but themselves for things that goes wrong because of what they bring upon themselves. Really sad that they can't get a grip on life...EDIT: Jaguar, I am hooked on Cola too. Perhaps we should start some sort of legal rights group or something together? Â I've drunk about 4 litres a week. They should be paying ME to drink that much, for my services to cola. Â (its not a huge amount i guess) Kinda like me, but I drink Pepsi Max, dunno if it's very healthy. I drink orange juice too so I should be somewhat safe. EDIT: I'm addicted to these forums too. I should go to bed, but there's so many interesting threads going on in here that I really wouldn't want to. I'll sue BIS for this! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m21man 0 Posted January 8, 2004 I'm willing to bet that stuff like Koolaid stains inside you . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites