Regardless of how a lot we love them, automobiles make individuals do dumb issues. Whether or not it’s willingly overpaying for them to being clueless whereas driving, automobiles can have an effect on judgment within the worst methods. Car accidents can actually deliver out the dumb in individuals. Take the person who tried to sue himself after a collision on this unusual story I got here throughout from practically 20 years in the past.
Curtis Gokey was each a resident and dump truck driver with the town of Lodi, California, a small northern California metropolis simply exterior of Stockton. In accordance with Gokey’s spouse Rhonda, throughout a winter storm that December, Gokey backed the dump truck into his privately owned automobile, inflicting harm.
Apparently Gokey’s insurance coverage wouldn’t cowl the harm as a result of not lengthy after, he filed a declare with the town for $3,600 in harm to his automobile — a automobile that was in each he and his spouse’s identify. He even admitted to the town that the accident was his fault, but he nonetheless filed the declare. Let me reiterate that when you didn’t catch what’s occurring right here: this man backed into his personal automobile with a metropolis truck that he was driving and anticipated the town to foot the invoice for the harm. It will get higher.
The town denied the declare in fact for apparent causes: you’ll be able to’t sue your self. So, considering that she was intelligent or one thing, Rhonda Gokey determined to file one other declare, however this time the declare would simply have her identify, not her husbands. Her reasoning was that the town denied her husband’s declare as a result of he’s the one which brought on the accident. Placing her identify on a brand new declare would eradicate “her husband’s alleged battle of curiosity” because the Lodi Information described. She additionally elevated the harm quantity to $4,800, saying “I’ve the suitable to sue the town as a result of a metropolis’s automobile broken my non-public automobile.” She continued, nearly threateningly. “I’m not as good as my husband is. I’m entitled to a substitute automobile and insurance coverage for the automobile.” Okay girl.
After all her declare was thrown out too. Lodi Metropolis Lawyer Steve Schwabauer primarily stated the declare was dumb, particularly since Curtis had admitted he was liable for the accident to start with. And keep in mind, California is a group property state; what’s mine is yours and all that. Schwabauer pointed this out to NBC Information on the time.
You possibly can sue your partner for divorce, however you’ll be able to’t sue your partner for negligence. They’re a married couple underneath California legislation. They’re one entity. It’s harm to group property.
So if ever end up so incompetent and entitled that you just’d attempt to sue your self to get another person to pay for automobile harm you referred to as, suppose twice earlier than you do. You’ll most likely find yourself nonetheless being talked about and laughed at practically 20 years later.