Zut alors! Uber wrecked my marriage, fumes French businessman A French businessman is suing Uber for a ridiculous amount of money, with the claim that the dial-a-ride app cost him his marriage. The unnamed monsieur, from the Côte d'Azur in southern France, says he borrowed his wife's iPhone to order an Uber ride. Although he claims to have logged out of the app, his wife still got …
If these companies didn't have such enormous valuations, perhaps people wouldn't go after them for such large amounts of money? The Apple/Samsung case is a good example. Apple thought a small design feature used on a number of other box-like electronic products in the past was worth a billion dollars. It sends a message, whether or not the belief is correct.
I'd go with a different example than Apple/Samsung, seeing as how those companies' values are based off of actual product sold and income unlike companies like Facebook, Twitter, and all the other companies that have yet to make a single penny in profit.
But then your example isn't about the valuation of the companies themselves, but rather the perceived value of a specific assets. The case was that Apple lost a billion dollars in sales because consumers instead purchased a Samsung device for the sole reason it too had corners similar to those covered by their design patent.
Of course, though, you argument doesn't really track in that it is very unlikely people are suing the companies for such large amounts solely because of what they have been valued. I have personally been sued for a $2 million despite living in a modest home without any reason for them to believe I have that kind of money (I really don't). They lost the case (They were suing because their kid jumped over my fence and landed on a slippery concrete pad causing them to slip and receive massive amounts of brain damage). There are many other lawsuits like that where the defendant is being sued for an insane amount of money despite no evidence being present of the defendant possess anything close to that level of assets.
The case was that Apple lost a billion dollars in sales
They would have to lose a billion dollars in profit, not sales.
it is very unlikely people are suing the companies for such large amounts solely because of what they have been valued
One of the first things a lawyer considers in a case like this is how much money the defendant has. Years ago I was constructively dismissed by a small company which I suspected had cashflow problems. My solicitor advised against suing because it would almost certainly bring the company down, and advised me to sit tight. They ended up paying me more than I would have got in a settlement because they needed me to do some work for them as a contractor.
If a lawyer is told a company is unpopular with a lot of people and is worth billions, he or she may well decide it's worth bringing a case and pushing for maximum damages.
In your case, was the case brought by the neighbor or an insurance company? And what's the maximum third party liability on your home insurance? Because that's the calculation they may have done.
"...the husband was enjoying a cinq à sept, a French term for a lover you see after work but before going home to the wife and kids."
I guess us dumb Canucks got that one wrong. Our cinq à sept usually happens in the bar, not the bordello... with beer, and chicken wings.
Ho-Hum...
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