(02-01) 16:24 PST San Francisco (AP) -- An owner of Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod music player filed a federal lawsuit against the computer maker, claiming the device causes hearing loss in people who use it.
The portable music players are "inherently defective in design and are not sufficiently adorned with adequate warnings regarding the likelihood of hearing loss," according to the complaint, which seeks class action status. The suit, filed on behalf of John Kiel Patterson of Louisiana on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., seeks compensation for unspecified plaintiffs' damages and upgrades that will make iPods safer.
Unbelievable. It today's sue-happy culture it almost seems like people treat situations like the one above as though they were winning lottery tickets.
Did you listen to your iPod for too long or at too high a volume? Congratulations, you can sue Apple.
Slip and fall in the grocery store? Congratulations, you can sue Wal-Mart.
Eat too many Big Macs and now you can't fit in your car? Congratulations, now you can sue McDonald's.
Of course, I do understand the necessity of lawsuits. But the decline of personal responsibility in this country is nothing short of appalling.