Insurance behometh Mutual of Omaha has sued Oprah, claiming she misappropriated the phrase "aha moment" that Mutual has used in its recent commercials. This is an example of one of the most stupid frivolous corporate lawsuits I've seen lately. This is exactly the kind of lawsuit that clogs our legal system and delays legitimate lawsuits.
C'mon folks. Can't something as trivial as Oprah occasionally using a commonly used phrase be worked out short of a federal lawsuit? Perhaps an exchange of a few letters, or their people could "do lunch" over a nice, overpriced green salad (with lots of fruits and nuts with low fat dressing on the side) and solve this pressing legal issue (insert sarcasm here). The hypocrisy of this lawsuit is that business groups and insurance companies love to thrash personal injury lawsuits like the McDonald's "hot coffee" case as the poster child for frivolous lawsuits and why we need legal reform. Funny, but I never hear these same groups rail on stupid CORPORATE frivolous lawsuits.
Here's my "aha moment." Hey Mutual of Omaha, stop whining about Oprah using your little phrase--in fact, her occasionally using it might just be good publicity for you. I liked you a lot better when you were sponsoring "Wild Kingdom." At least the segues were funny ("Jim has stuck his head into the lions' cage. Jim needs protection...Mutual of Omaha offers protection with its life insurance policies..."). There's nothing funny about this dud of a lawsuit.
C'mon folks. Can't something as trivial as Oprah occasionally using a commonly used phrase be worked out short of a federal lawsuit? Perhaps an exchange of a few letters, or their people could "do lunch" over a nice, overpriced green salad (with lots of fruits and nuts with low fat dressing on the side) and solve this pressing legal issue (insert sarcasm here). The hypocrisy of this lawsuit is that business groups and insurance companies love to thrash personal injury lawsuits like the McDonald's "hot coffee" case as the poster child for frivolous lawsuits and why we need legal reform. Funny, but I never hear these same groups rail on stupid CORPORATE frivolous lawsuits.
Here's my "aha moment." Hey Mutual of Omaha, stop whining about Oprah using your little phrase--in fact, her occasionally using it might just be good publicity for you. I liked you a lot better when you were sponsoring "Wild Kingdom." At least the segues were funny ("Jim has stuck his head into the lions' cage. Jim needs protection...Mutual of Omaha offers protection with its life insurance policies..."). There's nothing funny about this dud of a lawsuit.
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