

Woman Follows Google Maps “Walking” Directions, Gets Hit, Sues - jkaljundi
http://searchengineland.com/woman-follows-google-maps-walking-directions-gets-hit-sues-43212

======
what
Is this ever ridiculous. She made the choice to follow the directions. Once
she noticed it was a highway with no sidewalk, why would she keep walking?!

~~~
hga
Well, I've certainly done it a lot since I don't drive and since 1991 have
lived in pedestrian unfriendly locations, but I certainly wouldn't sue a
mapmaker or Google if I was slow/unaware/unlucky/whatever enough to get hit!

------
madssj
Isn't the problem here that the legal system in the US allows for such "made
up" cases?

I mean, like suing someone because you burned your tongue on coffee, which is
a hot beverage. I just don't get it.

~~~
hga
A lot of people say the problem is in a lack of feedback.

The English rule AKA "Loser pays" requires the loser to pay the other party's
attorney's fees and it really dampens frivolous lawsuits.

~~~
madssj
True, but take this case as an example, would that case have even the
slightest chance of winning anywhere else in the world?

It's a major problem that they allow such cases in the court, but that such a
case can win? That's just crazy?

~~~
hga
The points here about feedback are:

Would she sue if the downside is paying Google's lawyers upon likely loss?

If she's not paying for the litigation (likely), then would a lawyer take this
and many other cases on contingency for the chance at one jackpot when he has
to pay the house so much more for each roll of the die?

There's a strong case to be made for restricting lawsuits by this method
instead of having the legal system be even more restrictive about what it lets
people sue for. In the latter case, there's a tremendous pressure for capture
of the court system to prevent legitimate lawsuits from ever filed. Bribing
judges will frequently be a lot cheaper than paying out legitimate damages.

------
OttoSnard
Fucking lawyers.

