Overlawyered: Chronicling The High Cost Of Our Legal System

The $33 million window

Secretary Caryl Dontfraid claims that her disability requires her to have a desk by a window at her New York law firm (Binder & Binder, which specializes in social security disability claims), rather than one three feet away from a window; when she didn’t get her preferred seating assignment, and refused to try the desk […]

Secretary Caryl Dontfraid claims that her disability requires her to have a desk by a window at her New York law firm (Binder & Binder, which specializes in social security disability claims), rather than one three feet away from a window; when she didn’t get her preferred seating assignment, and refused to try the desk she was assigned, she was fired. “She wanted to work closer to a window with good light,” her attorney, Robert Campos-Marquetti told the New York Daily News. “This is a request that could have been easily accommodated.” The damages claim is $33 million, or about half of a pair of pants. (Mike Jaccarino, “No window desk? That’ll cost you $33M, she says in suit”, May 26 (via Kevin MD)).

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7 Comments

  • $33 million? You could put professional-grade stadium lighting on her for less than 1% of that…

    Do they use a random number generator (and add 6 zeroes on the end) or something?

    • By Deoxy

  • But on the plus side, if they have to pay $33 million, they’ll probably have to scale back on their annoying commercials with the too-serious announcer voice.

  • Just imagine how much it would have been if they had taken away her stapler.

  • But the irony is that she is suing a disabilities racket, uh firm regarding her alleged disability.

    • By nevins

  • Is there just one trial attorney out there with the temerity to admit that they troll the reported pro se prisoner filings for their inspiration as to new theories of tort action? This is the kind of thing that only someone with no demands on their time, legal resourses at others’ expense, and a desire to bollix the system could come up with.

  • But did she specify that she wanted to be on the inside of the window? Perhaps they could have put her on the ledge.

    Of course sometimes the law allows hypersensitive plaintiffs to recover under the Eggshell Skull doctrine, but it used to be that the injury had to be something that would foreseeably cause *some* harm. Now sensitivity itself is your cause of action.

  • Adam,

    You may not have suggested defenestration but you have given me that chance to use one of my favorite words.