Starbucks is being sued over an unfortunate incident relating to the theft of a tip jar from one of its Missouri stores.
 
On March 3, 2008, then 19-year-old Aaron Poisson snatched the tip jar from the counter of a Crestwood (MO) Starbucks and fled the store.  According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, customer Roger Kreutz, who was ordering coffee at the time, took chase after Poisson.  An altercation occurred near Poisson's car, with Kruetz being thrown to the ground and then hit by Poisson's car as he rushed to escape the scene.  Sadly, Kreutz later died from head injuries related to the incident.
 
Poisson was arrested in St. Louis and eventually pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter.  He was sentenced to one year in prison.
 
Now Kreutz' family is suing Starbucks for the wrongful death of Kreutz, claiming that Starbucks “invited criminal behavior” by having the tip jar in a position where it is easily accessible to customers.  Furthermore the family claims Starbucks failed to have security in place to prevent such a crime and that Starbucks breached its duty to exercise reasonable care.  The amount of damages the family is claiming is unavailable.  Poisson is not named in the lawsuit.
 
Starbucks did not comment regarding the lawsuit. 
 
—Source:  St. Louis Post Dispatch and CBSNews.com

An Indiana junior high school's haircut policy has landed the school and its basketball coach in federal court.

Patrick and Melissa Hayden recently filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, arguing that the Greensburg Junior High basketball team's haircut policy should be declared unconstitutional after their 14-year-old son was kicked off the team last fall following his refusal to cut his hair in compliance with the team rules. Team rules require players' hair to be above their eyebrows, collars and ears.  The Haydens contend that the policy violates their son's rights and also discriminates by gender because it doesn't apply to female players. 
 
"What they're trying to do here is teach [their son] a life lesson, which simply is that you fight for what's right," Ron Frazier, the Haydens' attorney reportedly told news media sources. "This is classic David versus Goliath, and they want their son to understand that."
 
School district officials say the policy didn't violate the boy's rights, partly because extracurricular activities are considered a privilege, not a right. They say he wasn't denied an education or kicked out of school.
 
—Source:  wthr.com (Indianapolis)

Disneyland Resorts is being sued by a man who alleges violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act after he was trapped on Disney's "It's A Small World" ride for 40 minutes.
 
Jose Martinez, who is a quadriplegic, sued Disneyland in federal court for negligence, emotional distress and liability, claiming Disneyland didn't have proper procedures in place for evacuating disabled passengers from the ride.  Martinez alleges Disney employees left him on the ride for 40 minutes after it had stalled while staff evacuated other passengers.  He further alleges employees did not summon paramedics when his blood-pressure spiked while he was trapped on the ride.
 
Disneyland Resorts issued a statement indicating that it is accessible to all guests and has procedures in place for evacuating disabled customers.
 
—Source:  msnbc.com

A Staten Island, New York bar is being sued by a young woman who tripped over a "defective sidewalk" after a heavy night of underage drinking.
 
Ryan O'Leary is suing KJ's Ale House for not maintaining the sidewalk and for getting her drunk when she wasn't of legal age.  O'Leary was only 20 years old at the time of the accident.  According to news reports, the court documents indicate that O'Leary was in "an impaired or intoxicated condition" when she left the bar, and the lawsuit alleges that the bar staff had "knowledge or reasonable cause" to believe she was under 21. 
 
O'Leary seeks unspecified monetary damages in the action.  Her mother also seeks unspecified compensation for her daughter's medical bills and loss of her services. Court papers don't specify O'Leary's injuries.

—Source:  Gothamist.com and SILive.com (Staten Island, NY)