Personal Injury Law

Dennis Kucinich Wins Personal Injury Settlement After Olive Incident

By guest-writer

A recent lawsuit prompted by a painful run-in with a hidden olive pit finally ended in a settlement for Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.

The bizarre personal injury lawsuit, which pitted (pun partially intended) Rep. Kucinich against the operators of a cafeteria in the U.S. House of Representatives, received widespread national attention.

The olive-related personal injury occurred back in 2008 when Kucinich bought a sandwich that allegedly claimed to contain pitted olives, or olives with the hard pits removed. This, however, proved to be a false assumption, as Kucinich allegedly suffered serious injuries to his teeth when he bit into the sandwich.

According to sources, Kucinich told supporters in a recent letter that the incident led to three different dental surgeries. Allegedly, the internal structure of several of his teeth was compromised, which caused “excruciating pain.”

Adding injury to injury, Kucinich’s jaw bone eventually became infected, and the antibiotics he took to combat the infection caused an intestinal obstruction. By the end of the ordeal, Kucinich had to have six teeth replaced and undergo extensive bridgework.

Kucinich, who has launched two unsuccessful presidential campaigns and is currently serving his eighth term in the House of Representatives, sought $150,000 in the original personal injury lawsuit.

Sources indicate that details of the settlement were not disclosed, but Kucinich stated that the personal injury settlement “reflects the actual out-of-pocket expenses” that Kucinich incurred as a result of the injury.

The congressman, noted for his strong anti-war sentiments, also expressed gratitude for the fairness of the settlement. He had also attempted to prevent media coverage of the lawsuit by declining to respond to interview requests.

In addition, in his letter to supporters, Kucinich expressed a desire to avoid dental work for a long time. Notably, Kucinich did not state whether he would avoid olive-laden sandwiches in future trips to the House cafeteria.

Kucinich’s ordeal reflects a growing trend in personal injury law. The majority of injury cases are typically settled out of court through non-trial alternatives such as arbitration and settlement. In most cases, these settlements still cover all the losses, damages and expenses experienced by the victim.

Personal injury law is dependent on a complex web of state and federal laws, particularly in product liability cases. As a result, a local injury attorney may be a helpful resource to learn more information about your injury claim.

Settlements or arbitration may lead to a significant collection of damages while sparing both parties the cost and time commitment of a trial.

If you have suffered an injury as a result of a defective food or other faulty product, contact a local injury lawyer today to learn more about your legal options.

Full post as published by The Injury Blog on February 15, 2011 (boomark / email).