Sue ‘em! : A Failed Lawsuit Attempt at Legal Riches
In the US, I often heard those “get rich quick” stories where regular folks filed lawsuits against big corporations over minor mistakes and ended up with a fortune in settlements. It seemed like winning the lottery. I often wondered why such luck never came my way. Then, one day, my moment finally arrived —or so I thought.
During my lunch breaks at the office, when I got tired of the repeating menu, I’d swing by a nearby Mexican fast food restaurant for a chalupa. On this particular day, I pulled into the drive-through and ordered a Bean Chalupa. The man confirmed my order, and I drove up to the next window to collect my food. I was starving, so I dug into it while driving. But as soon as I took the first bite, something felt off. The taste wasn’t right, and it certainly didn’t taste like beans. It tasted more like a weird paste of brown beans. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and took another bite. Same thing.
“No way is this a bean chalupa! Did they mix up someone else’s order with mine? Or did they give me the…? Oh my God!”
Realizing my worst fear, I immediately picked up the receipt to check.
It was a beef chalupa! The man had misheard me!
“How the hell could they make this mistake? Don’t they know the difference between ‘bean’ and ‘beef’?” I fumed.
I wanted to throw up right then and there, but I kept driving back to work with my mouth clamped shut, not even daring to swallow my own saliva. I rushed into the parking lot, parked my car hastily, and sprinted to the restroom, where I poked my throat to expel my guts out.
When I did some research on Google, I found out that a Hindu man had sued Taco Bell for a similar mix-up and won a settlement. “Jackpot! Maybe I could do the same and retire,” I thought optimistically.
So, I called a local lawyer to explore my options.
“Did it make you sick?” he asked.
“No, but it made me feel sick,” I replied.
“Well, the chances of proving any kind of damage from this mistake are slim to none. You should let this one pass,” he advised.
Disappointed but not ready to give up, I reached out to reputed law firms in New York, hoping for a different response. Unfortunately, they echoed the same sentiment. No one seemed interested in taking up the case.
“I’m not going to retire now after all,” I thought, feeling hugely disappointed.
Determined to at least get some compensation, I took the chalupa back to the same restaurant to see what they would do about it. “Maybe they’ll give me a $100 gift card to make up for the mistake,” I hoped. But I was too optimistic. The store manager only offered to replace the chalupa.
In an attempt to soothe my bruised ego and disappointment, I quipped to him as I left, “Well, you just dodged a bullet and saved yourself a boatload of money.”
The manager just smiled awkwardly as I walked away, realizing that my dream of early retirement would have to wait.
