Trauma from seeing bottled fly: C$340,000

Neither Waddah (Martin) Mustapha, of Windsor, Ontario nor his wife Lynn consumed the dead fly they found in a bottle of Culligan bottled water, nor did they drink any of the water that had come in contact with it, since they discovered the fly before opening the bottle. They were so traumatized, however, that a court has just applied the calamine of cash to their psychic wounds to the extent of a third of a million dollars (Canadian). Mr. Mustapha, a hairstylist, said he had nightmares and lost sleep after the fly incident; he "also testified that he lost his sense of humour and became argumentative and edgy," among other ill consequences. Let's hope the couple never goes on a picnic. (Chris Thompson, "Man wins $340,000 in bottled fly lawsuit", Windsor Star, Apr. 23). Update Feb. 17, 2007: appeals court reverses judgment and awards $30K in costs to defendant Culligan.