Halloween Related Lawsuits that are Downright Bizarre

Halloween is one of the most celebrated holidays, with people dressing up for fun, giving out candies, immersing in all things scary and bizarre. A lot can happen in one night, and that includes mishaps.

Despite Halloween being one of the busiest and entertaining nights of the year, some instances did not go the proper way, resulting in a lawsuit.

With that being said, here are some of the bizarre lawsuits that happened during the Halloween season:

Flammable underwear

In 1984, Frank and Susan Ferlito from Michigan attended a Halloween party. Susan dressed up as Mary of Mary and Her Little Lamb, and Frank was her animal sidekick.

Susan created Frank's lamb look by gluing cotton batting made by Johnson & Johnson to his long underwear. Unfortunately, Frank decided to light a cigarette using a butane lighter. His left arm was caught on fire, and he suffered burns on over a third of his body.

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The couple sued Johnson & Johnson, and in 1989, a jury awarded Frank $555,000 and Susan $70,000.

In 1991, Johnson & Johnson successfully petitioned for a new trial since Frank admitted to knowing that cotton would burn if exposed to flames. In 1992, a Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled in favor of Johnson & Johnson.

Inflatable pumpkin

Jon Majdoch from Milwaukee had a seasonal business that operates during Halloween; it was called "Halloween Express." The shops were housed underneath a giant, 100-foot diameter inflatable pumpkin.

Though the winds had once blown one of these inflatable pumpkins along a freeway, there were no major issues recorded.

In 2017, Majdoch custom ordered a smaller inflatable pumpkin to set up a smaller store in the parking lot of a home goods store.

The item came from the company "Larger Than Life Inflatables," and the company "House of Bounce" assembled it. However, it rained so hard that water pooled on top of the pumpkin. Thus it collapsed. Although no one was injured, Majdoch's inventory was ruined.

Majdoch's insurance company, Hastings Mutual, paid out the policy and sued both "Larger Than Life Inflatables" and "House of Bounce" for the defects.

Contact lenses

Every Halloween, thousands of people wear contact lenses that goes with their custom. That means numerous retailers have faced lawsuits from consumers regarding eye damage caused by lenses that are not prescribed.

In 2016, Christ Koster, the attorney general of Missouri, filed a lawsuit against "Gotcha Costume Rental" for selling the lenses without a prescription, which is a violation of both state and federal laws.

The owner of the company, Aaro Froese, agreed to comply with the law and only sell contacts to customers with prescriptions.

Banana costume

Dozens of costumes are made all over the world, which means it is easy to find similar products on store racks. However, the banana costume may be subject to copyright law.

In 2017, costume manufacturer "Rasta Imposta" sued numerous companies, including Kmart and Kangaroo Manufacturing, for selling a banana costume that they thought was similar to their design.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia agreed that Rasta Imposta's banana costume was distinctive after they cited the color and the shape of their costume.