AGOURA, CA – The case of a man who sued himself was the overwhelming choice of citizens throughout Los Angeles County who recently voted in the L.A. Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA), according to the Web site www.theacorn.com. The purpose was to cite the most outrageous lawsuits of the year. The contest highlighted CALA’s “Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week,” a nationally recognized event in October. CALA groups inform consumers of the human and financial costs of lawsuit abuse, encourage legislators to enact common-sense reforms to the legal system, publicize the importance of serving on juries, and help ensure the legal system is used for justice, not greed.

In the case of the Lodi, Calif., man who sued himself, according to an article in The Lodi News-Sentinel, Curtis Gokey decided to sue the City of Lodi for damages when a dump truck backed into his car. However, Gokey, a Lodi city employee, was driving the dump truck. Even admitting the accident was his fault, Gokey filed a claim for damages to his car. The city denied Gokey’s claim because, in essence, he was suing himself.

However, Gokey and his wife then decided to file a new claim under her name, but the city attorney said this claim also lacked merit because she couldn’t legally sue her own husband. According to Gokey’s wife, she had the right to sue the city because it was a city vehicle that damaged her private vehicle. Eventually, the Gokeys dropped their suit.