An Inclusive Litany

4/18/96

Robert Atwood, a Florida man sentenced to five years for his fourth drunk-driving conviction, filed over 200 lawsuits against his jailers—one over a chilly cell and one over a turkey leg with too much gristle on it.

In Michigan, six killers and a rapist sued for coffee mugs, coat hangers and other items that could conceal drugs or be used as weapons. The case has dragged on for more than seven years and has cost taxpayers over half a million dollars.

A New York inmate who claimed that he was improperly locked in his cell for taking an extra piece of cake in the mess hall was awarded $200 in damages by a federal court.

A Utah inmate was awarded the Buddhist prayer beads he sued for; he then filed another suit to obtain Native American religious paraphernalia. The inmate filed 57 lawsuits in all, one under the theory that he is an Australian Aborigine.

A South Carolina inmate who is a former police officer sued the police and sheriff departments for issuing him the gun with which he shot his wife.

An Arizona convict sued the Board of Pardons and Paroles for failure to rehabilitate him properly since, after he was paroled, he was arrested and convicted of another crime.

A Florida multiple murderer sued members of the media who called him a "serial killer."