Silly lawsuits are not limited to the United States it seems. Today we learn that a German judge lost his lawsuit against Big Chocolate. He claimed chocolate bar maker Masterfoods had gotten him addicted to Mars bars which had then led to diabetes. The linked article is very British in claiming he gained 16 stone. One stone is 14 pounds, so apparently his weight gain amounted to 224 pounds. That's a lot of weight, but it's way more than two Mars and Snickers bars a day will do to you. In any case, his claim was thrown out by a court in Düsseldorf which said that no link between his diabetes and his chocolate consumption could be proved.

Another intesting facet is the amount he sued for: about 5,000 dollars. That's hardly worth going to court for in the US, is it? Had this lawsuit been filed on the other side of the Atlantic, we'd be talking about a claim for at least 5 million dollars. Depending on the sleaziness of the lawyer, perhaps much more. On the other hand, if you really had contracted a disease like diabetes due to others' willful negligence or malice, wouldn't you want to sue for much more?

Having said that, the absurd lawsuits and equally absurd verdicts that we've been seeing in the US are signs that the system is broken and needs to be reformed. But that's hardly a new insight. I need more chocolate.