Heartbreak pays off in courtroom

Los Angeles Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse has announced its "Loony Lawsuit" for this month.This month's frivolity looks at how you can sue someone for anything-even a broken heart.

According to a May 2006 article in the Los Angeles Times, Anne Majerik, a 60-year-old widow, was awarded $2.1 million after suing Orly Hadida, her Beverly Hills matchmaker, for failing to produce the love of her life.

In return for the $125,000 Majerik paid Hadida, a 25-year veteran of the matchmaking business, she expected an "extremely successful and highlyeducated, charismatic, kind, down-to-earth romantic who enjoys a life of fine dining, travel and leisure," and who

earns a minimum of $1 million a year with an estate valued near $20 million.

When the two women met, Majerik had been involved in another legal dispute with her former matchmaker in San Diego. "The lady is a serial matchmaker suer," said Hadida's attorney.

According to the jury foreman, the $2.1 million award was meant to punish the defendant, not reward the plaintiff. "They were both wrong," said the foreman. The jury hoped the money could have been awarded to a charity rather than the plaintiff but according to the judge that wasn't possible.

"So many in our sue-happy society think the best action is clogging the courts with meaningless lawsuits instead of working towards mutual resolution," said Peter Bylsma, executive director of the Los Angeles Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse.

"Even when frivolous lawsuits are dismissed, it's still at great cost in time, money and personal grief for the person being sued, and it can happen to anyone."

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse is a nonprofit, grassroots public education organization dedicated to serving as a watchdog over the legal system and those who would seek to abuse it for undeserved gain. For more information, visit www.losangelescala.org.