Lawyers of Reddit recount most outrageous cases they've been asked to take

Reddit top voted answers...

A year out of law school I once had a potential client who wanted me to sue Canada. Apparently he could not get into the country due to his felony record. I tried to reason with him, that it was up to the sovereign nation to set its own rules regarding entry to the country but he insisted that we could make a lot of money suing Canada. I didn't take the case but I told him I might be able to get him a letter that said "sorry" -from Canada

I'm not a lawyer but as a child I was taken into foster care and then returned to my father's custody so he had custody of me from ages 4-16. When I was 22 he tried to sue me for the costs involved in caring for me for that time, saying that he had no obligation to take custody of me and had only done so to "save" me from foster care. It was obviously dismissed and I don't talk to him any more.

While working at a plaintiffs employment firm, two memorable consults came in

1. Guy gets fired for being late too much, wants to sue for discrimination because he has a sugar addiction and needs to stop and 7-11 for a big gulp before shift begins, and he usually ends up missing the bus.
2. A woman comes in, she was a bus driver& was terminated during her probationary period, she had three accidents in 6 weeks. She wants to sue for discrimination because she has anxiety & a therapy rabbit. All the while sitting at the conference room table petting the therapy bunny.

An older retired man came to me because his condo association claimed he owed $300 in condo fees. He had refused to pay because he believed they provided no value - apparently they put the money towards BBQ events rather than snow clearing or upgrades to the building.

It was a matter of principle for him despite the fact my bill would go beyond $300 very quickly. So I wrote letters to the condo association demanding an accounting of their funds (which he was entitled to under their bylaws). Eventually they hired a lawyer who I had fun dealing with, explaining to him he would just have to sue him to recover the $300 because it was a matter of principle for my client and we went back and forth on it for awhile. I knew the condo association would never go forward with it because they would have to pay their lawyer way more than $300 to recover. It ended up just being a big game of chicken.

He must have spent a couple grand defending it, but he didn't care at all. He just wanted to stick it to his condo association.

Cruz's eligibility to appear on Illinois primary ballot to be challenged in court

Lawrence Joyce, an Illinois voter who has objected to Cruz's placement on the Illinois primary ballot next month, will have his case heard in the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago. Joyce's previous objection, made to the state's Board of Elections, was dismissed on February 1. He appealed the decision and was granted a hearing for Friday before Judge Maureen Ward Kirby.

...Sanford Levinson, constitutional law professor at the University of Texas School of Law, said Joyce would have to prove standing – or why Cruz’s potential ineligibility affects him specifically – for the judge to proceed with the case.

Even if the judge declares Cruz to be ineligible to run, the GOP candidate’s campaign would undoubtedly file an appeal, potentially tying the case up for months, he said.

It’s surprising that a lower court would even agree to hear the case, which is entangled in broader constitutional issues, Sanford said.

“I’d be very, very surprised if [the judge] were to say he’s ineligible,” he said. “At that point, all hell would break loose."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/02/18/reports-chicago-court-hear-case-knock-cruz-off-white-house-ballot/80586608/