We live in an overly litigious society. I can’t claim cold hard facts to make this type of statement, or even blame shows like The People’s Court or Judge Judy, as much as I may want to, because I honestly don’t know why it is. I just know that when someone sues the manufacturers of Cap’n Crunch’s Crunchberries because she believed the cereal actually contained real berries (and a lawyer took the case), there is, in fact, a problem.
Well, for those of you who don’t want to see the court system get even more clogged up than it already is with silly lawsuits, I offer to you InstantJury.com. Are you arguing with your roommate about who should clean the dishes? Think you got unfairly ripped off when you traded Vince Carter for Tracy McGrady in fantasy basketball because you didn’t realize McGrady hadn’t played a game since late December? Does your girlfriend make you watch American Idol against your will? Then instead of going to court, you can go to InstantJury to initiate a lawsuit.
All it takes is registering on the site, clicking on “Sue ‘Em,” writing a summary of how you’ve been wronged, deciding what the stakes are, then having an email sent to the defendant, who must then plead their case as well. Then, once the case goes live, a decision is made within 24 hours. In fact, married friends of mine just had a case settled, with the guy winning the improved chances of one day getting a dog. Swift, glorious justice.
Sure, the ridiculousness of some of the cases on the site (how someone should dispose of a lizard, for instance) may well trump anything you’ll see on Judge Joe Brown (well, I’m assuming), but at least they’re being decided outside an actual courthouse. And that, I think, is good news for all of us.
Photo courtesy of creationc via stock.xchng.