Silly News Items Not Covered In The Shoutbox That Don't Warrant Individual Threads

RJ Reynolds told to pay wife of cancer victim $23.6bn

Ms Robinson argued that RJ Reynolds was negligent in informing consumers of the dangers of consuming tobacco.

A US court has ordered the country's second largest cigarette company to pay $23.6 billion (£13.8bn) to the wife of a smoker who died of lung cancer.

RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company was hit with the punitive fine in addition to $16.8m (£9.8m) in compensatory damages.

Cynthia Robinson took action against the firm in 2008, seeking compensation for her husband's death in 1996.

A company official said the verdict was ``grossly excessive and impermissible under state and constitutional law.''

During the four-week trial, lawyers for Ms Robinson argued that RJ Reynolds was negligent in informing consumers of the dangers of consuming tobacco.

This negligence, the lawyers said, led to her husband Michael Johnson Sr contracting lung cancer from smoking after becoming "addicted" and failing multiple attempts to quit.

'A message for tobacco firms'

"RJ Reynolds took a calculated risk by manufacturing cigarettes and selling them to consumers without properly informing them of the hazards," Ms Robinson's lawyer Willie Gary said.

"We hope that this verdict will send a message to RJ Reynolds and other big tobacco companies that will force them to stop putting the lives of innocent people in jeopardy," he added.

RJ Reynolds plans to appeal against the court's decision, vice president and assistant general counsel Jeffery Raborn said in a statement.

"This verdict goes far beyond the realm of reasonableness and fairness, and is completely inconsistent with the evidence presented," he said.

``We plan to file post-trial motions with the trial court promptly, and are confident that the court will follow the law and not allow this runaway verdict to stand.''

The punitive damages awarded to Ms Robinson were said to be the largest of any individual case stemming from a class action lawsuit filed in Florida.

Several similar cases have resulted in smaller payouts after the state's highest court ruled that smokers and their families only had to prove addiction and that smoking caused their illness.

Goodfellas Actor Suing Fox Over Simpsons Character

Frank Sivero, a character actor who played Frankie Carbone in “Goodfellas,” filed a $250 million lawsuit against Fox on Tuesday, claiming that his likeness was ripped off for use as the wiseguy Louie character on “The Simpsons.”

Sivero claims that he was “the originator of the idea and character” of Louie. He contends that “Simpsons” producer James L. Brooks was aware of who he was and that he created the role of Frankie Carbone and that Louie would be based on the character. In his lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Sivero argues that, in 1989, he lived in the same apartment complex as writers from “The Simpsons” and “they saw each other almost every day.”

The character of Louie is a mafiosa and second in command to mob boss Fat Tony. Louie has appeared in 16 episodes of the show, starting on Oct. 10, 1991.

Sivero claims that he was told by Brooks’ production company, Gracie Films, that he would be “part of the future in connection to the success of ‘The Simpsons.’”

Neither Brooks nor Gracie Films is named as a defendant.

The suit claims infringement of the right of publicity, misappropriation of name and/or likeness, misappropriation of ideas, interference with prospective economic advantage and unjust enrichment.

A spokesman for Fox could not immediately be reached.

Footballer banned for 50 - FIFTY - years after referee incident

A footballer in Switzerland has been slapped with a 50-year ban from playing the game after a remarkable incident with a referee.

Ricardo Ferreira of Portugal Futebol Clube was an unused substitute for his side in their 1-0 defeat by SC Worb in the Bern league, but he still managed to make quite an impact.

Ferreira, according to Swiss newspaper Blick, kicked the ball in the referee's face and then proceeded to spray him with water.

That response came while he was busy hurling insults at the official as he left to depart down the tunnel at full-time.

As for why the ban is so long for the offence, the lawyer of Switzerland's amateur football league attempted to explain.

"We do not want such a player in our league,” said Robert Breiter, the lawyer of Switzerland’s amateur football league.

"Unfortunately we encounter such cases about once a year."

As for Ferreira, he was left utterly bewildered by the whole situation and was left sounding pretty distraught.

"I had expected one or two years maximum. But 50 years? Football’s my life," he said.

Given that football is his life, it's perhaps a shame that he has not been able to control his emotions so he can continue to participate in the sport.

It is not the first time for the volatile player, who was once banned for 45 matches after being found guilty of assaulting opposition players and abusing officials.

His new suspension means that he will be free to return to football on June 5, 2064, when he will be at the ripe old age of 78. Maybe he will have found some self-control by that stage of his life.