SACRAMENTO - The Nineties set new highs in frivolous lawsuits, arm twisting settlements, and runaway jury awards. The Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC) has reviewed landmark lawsuits in these categories from the past 10 years and nominates the following as California's Most Outrageous Lawsuits of the Decade:

Potty Protest

A man sued the City of San Diego and its baseball stadium's beer vendors demanding punitive damages for the emotional distress he suffered when women, opting for a shorter wait, used the men's room during an Elton John concert. He blamed the beer seller for causing his repeated use of the facilities. Kudos to the federal judge who eventually slapped the man and his lawyer with penalties for filing a frivolous lawsuit.

Risky Recuperation

The Bally Health Club in Torrance was sued by a couple for loss of consortium and emotional distress after the man launched a serious, though temporary, cyberspace romance with a woman he met on the Internet. The couple tried pinning the blame on Bally because, if the man hadn't cut his hand on a towel dispenser there and spent time at home recuperating, he wouldn't have had the time at their home computer to start roving.

Criminal Complaints

A robber making his getaway from an Oakland bank stuffed a bag of money in his pants - not knowing he'd been given marked bills and a tear gas device with a timed delay. The tear gas erupted as planned, the robber was captured, and he filed a $2 million suit against the bank, the police, and the City of Oakland for causing his burns.

"Good Sam" Suit

A mugger sued a San Francisco taxi driver who heroically broke up a mugging and captured the crook by pinning him against a building with his cab. The mugger bounced back from his conviction by suing the cab driver for $24,000 and winning! Congratulations to California voters for passing a ballot measure (Proposition 213 of 1996) which included a provision to end such nonsense.

Life in the Fast Lane

The City of Huntington Beach had to deal with a $60 million lawsuit filed by a driver accusing it of racketeering after its police had awarded him three speeding tickets.

Contentious Kin

A man sued his godmother for injuring his knee when she dropped her end of the piano she'd asked him to help move.

Mickey Unmasked

Disneyland was hit with a lawsuit for the emotional distress incurred by several children who observed some of the park's Disney cartoon characters taking off their costumes and discovered that they were, in fact, make-believe!

Size Matters

Software companies around the state were sued for millions of dollars for selling their disks in shrink-wrapped, retail boxes that were "too large." Special commendation to the California Legislature for passing a law in 1997 to end this attempted legal extortion.

Rocky Road

The City of Simi Valley was stunned by a lawsuit accusing it of maintaining its property in a dangerous condition after an 11-year-old boy ran over his own finger while skateboarding on a city sidewalk.

Wanted: Hot Tub Lifeguard

The YMCA in Santa Clara County was accused of negligence in a lawsuit claiming it had failed to provide a lifeguard for a Jacuzzi that was 7 feet 4 inches wide, 7 feet 10 inches long, and 3 feet 6 inches deep.

The Civil Justice Association also nominated cases for recognition in special categories:

Classless Actions No. 1

Lawyers in a class action "shareholder" lawsuit against Occidental Petroleum were set to get $3 million in fees while the people they supposedly represented were to get zero. When a shareholder tried to protest the lawyers' fees, they claimed he had no right to appear in court because he didn't have a stake in the settlement!

Classless Actions No. 2

A Bay Area attorney bringing a $40 million class action anti-trust suit against United Parcel Service met with a UPS lawyer and offered to drop the suit in exchange for "fees" of $8 to $10 million with no payment to any members of the class.

Lawyers as Plaintiffs

Two attorneys who were longtime friends and ski buddies crashed into one another on the slopes at Alpine Meadows resort. One sued the other for damages, citing a county ordinance requiring skiing "in a safe and reasonable manner."

Wannabe Lawyers as Plaintiffs

A failing law student sued Western State University College of Law for not adequately warning her that students with admission exam scores like hers have a minimal chance of becoming lawyers.