The Stella Awards were inspired by Stella Liebeck. In 1992, Stella, then 79, spilled a cup of McDonald's coffee onto her lap, burning herself. A New Mexico jury awarded her $2.9 million in damages. Although most people find that award ridiculous and insist on Tort reform (the ability to sue), they do no know the whole story. You decide: The court stated that McDonald's should have had a warning on the coffee cup stating that it was HOT (duh!). It was also stated in the suit that to keep it fresher, McDonald's serves its coffee extra hot (210° instead of 190°). Were it not for these two factors, Stella would not have been so severely burned. (This is America after all. Heaven forbid we should accept any responsibility on our own behalf.)


Information on stories like this is readily available on the web. The internet, though, is famous for bogus (false) stories, urban legends or myths, and for perpetuating hoaxes on the public. You may have been duped, for example, by the big Applebees hoax. An email (an FWD) from a friend will say "Send this message to 10 friends and receive a code to obtain a $50 Applebees gift certificate." Sure enough, if you send out 10 emails, you will get a response with a code number. Unfortunately, despite the code, this is a hoax. What's interesting is that when you go to the Applebees website, the first item to pop up is a message of apology for the email hoax (try it by clicking on the Applebees link, although it will not work if you have a pop-up blocker).

As an extra credit assignment, research on the internet the following items. Determine whether the items are real or fake. In your journals, record the item and what you have found to prove or disprove the information. Use google as a resource. It may be helpful to visit stellaawards.com or snopes.com.

Real or Fake?:

Utah prison inmate Robert Paul Rice, serving 1-15 years on multiple felonies, sued the Utah Department of Corrections claiming the prison was not letting him practice his religion: "Druidic Vampire". Rice claimed that to do that, he must be allowed access to a "vampiress". In addition, the prison isn't supplying his specific "vampiric dietary needs" (yes: blood). Records show that Rice registered as a Catholic when he was imprisoned in 2000.

Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $780,000 by a jury after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running amuck inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving tyke was Ms. Robertson's son.

In 1994, a student at the University of Idaho sued that institution over his fall from a third-floor dorm window. He'd been mooning other students when the window gave way. It was contended the University failed to provide a safe environment for students or to properly warn them of the dangers inherent to upper-story windows.

Carl Truman, 19, of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran his hand over with a Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice someone was at the wheel of the car whose hubcap he was trying to steal.

In November 2000, Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32 foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip home, having joined the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the Winnie left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the handbook that he could not actually do this. He was awarded $1,750,000 plus a new Winnebago.

Washington's Teeth (No, not wood)
That's enough silliness. Your assignment is to show proof that these items are real or fake, but more it is to understand just how difficult it is, despite the evidence, to prove a case. In 1996, for instance, Tommy Hilfiger was accused of making racists remarks on the Oprah Winfrey show. It was a myth and Tommy's name has been cleared, but the legend goes on. Despite the fact that Tommy Hilfiger has never been on the Oprah Winfrey show and is an advocate of civil rights, his name is still associated with these internet rumors. Be careful out there. Seek the truth. It's not always easy to find.

As you will see, many of the so called Stella Awards are merely hoaxes posted by people with seemingly too much time on their hands. Urban legends, internet hoaxes and even novels and films are often willfully misleading (The Da Vinci Code and the film National Treasure are two examples). These last two references are fine works of exciting fiction and should be seen as such. Unfortuantely, people are all too eager to believe what they will, despite evidence to the contrary. In literature and in film we should be ready to suspend our beliefs, but when we suspend our belief in reality the danger lurks.