Silly suits cost consumers, report finds

Like a cook who throws spaghetti at the wall, one New York attorney files ridiculous lawsuits over and over until he finds the ones that stick, the New York Post wrote in an article covering a report that says American consumers usually foot the bill for silly claims.

Manhattan attorney C.K. Lee, of Lee Litigation Group, has filed more than 1,000 class-action cases in Manhattan and Brooklyn federal courts since 2009, the newspaper reported.

Among them: generic CVS brand candy boxes with too much air inside; air fresheners that only “mask” bad smells; “highly sexually charged” advertising for women’s fashion tights; and oversized Advil bottles.

The cases usually don’t go to trial, according to the Post.

And lawyers such as Mr. Lee tend to make money with such suits, according to a report by the Empire Center for Public Policy.

“Lawyers know that if they file 10 cut-and-paste complaints, five may settle because many businesses are eager to avoid litigation expenses and liability risk,” the Empire Center report says. “In many instances, the lawyers get paid by the defendant to ‘go away’ while consumers get little or nothing.”