Another Wacky Lawsuit - the $54M laptop

Today's headlines bring another instant lawsuit classic, up there with the McDonalds coffee lawsuit, the $4 million BMW paint job, the $10 million cheeseburger, and the $54 million pants.  Raelyn Campbell of Washington, D.C., is suing retailer Best Buy for $54 million in damages after it lost her laptop computer while it was in for repairs.  According to one report:

Campbell, who could not be reached Tuesday, filed a negligence lawsuit suit against the company in Washington Superior Court on Nov. 16, seeking fair compensation for replacement of the $1,100 computer and extended warranty, plus expenses related to identity theft protection.

Best Buy spokeswoman Nissa French said in an e-mail that Campbell "was offered and collected $1,110.35" as well as "a $500 gift card for her inconvenience."

Maybe the retailer was negligent.  Lawsuit stories always have two sides.  But $54 million on a $1,110 laptop?  Wacky.

In another report, the plaintiff is described as explaining the exorbitant plea thusly: "Campbell says that she knows $54 million is outrageous, but it’s apparently the only way to get media attention and put enough pressure on Best Buy to do the right thing."

The plaintiff must have gone to school on the media frenzy around Judge Roy Pearson's infamous lost pants last summer.  The outlandish figure in that lawsuit was $54 million as well.