Why People Hate Lawyers: $4 of Chinese Food Email Storm

[boedicca]

There is an old joke:

Q) What do you call 100 dead lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
A) A good start.

The lawyer in this story is an excellent example of the overlawyering of our country. Just think of his attitude applied to running the government.


Ben Edelman is an associate professor at Harvard Business School, where he teaches in the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets unit.

Ran Duan manages The Baldwin Bar, located inside the Woburn location of Sichuan Garden, a Chinese restaurant founded by his parents.

Last week, Edelman ordered what he thought was $53.35 worth of Chinese food from Sichuan Garden’s Brookline Village location.

Edelman soon came to the horrifying realization that he had been overcharged. By a total of $4.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a Harvard Business School professor thinks a family-run Chinese restaurant screwed him out of $4, you’re about to find out.

(Hint: It involves invocation of the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Statute and multiple threats of legal action.)....

Images of the emails at the link. They are hysterically horrid.

Ben Edelman Harvard Business School Professor Goes to War Over 4 Worth of Chinese Food

 

[Mad Scientist]

"Price subject to change based on location"

The Defense rests.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Countersue for loss of income having to defend this frivilous lawsuit. Triple damages which are allowed under law.

You could also put in multiple Motions for Continuance, just to make him spend even more money on his case.

"Listen, I'm losing 1,000 dollars a day (or whatever) defending myself here for 3 days. I'll make you a deal. Cut me a check for 1,500 and I'll drop the suit."

 

[Iceweasel]

I'm no lawyer fan but this guy is special. He's a mix of college professor, lawyer and no doubt, uber liberal. I hope it goes to trial and the judge reams him a new one and makes him pay for all fees.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Naw man, Lawyers aint that smart and hardly any of them have much experience at the Trial Level. They Plead most everything out.

A "Flurry of Motions" puts the Fear of God into most Lawyers.

Fun Fact: The Harvard Law school and Snuffy Smithlippery Rock Law school ciriculum are nearly identical because they both have to be ABA approved.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

What a dick that guy is.

 

[bucs90]

Just for fun.....

But how awesome would it be to see a video of this lawyer getting pulled over by an angry roided out white cop and the lawyer start lambasting the cop and then poke him in the chest with his finger while saying "you have no idea who I am"......and then enjoy the rest of the video.

 

[Porker]

But most of them are assholes. Like Ben Edelman for instance.

 

[rightwinger]

Even if the lawyer wins

Is it worth the negative publicity?

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

Just for fun.....

But how awesome would it be to see a video of this lawyer getting pulled over by an angry roided out white cop and the lawyer start lambasting the cop and then poke him in the chest with his finger while saying "you have no idea who I am"......and then enjoy the rest of the video.

No chance of that, that dude is a pussy . Guarantee he doesn't confront face to face.

If he were a MAN, he would have went to the restaurant and talked to the owner face to face. Probably would have gotten a meal on the house as well.

 

[boedicca]

I'm no lawyer fan but this guy is special. He's a mix of college professor, lawyer and no doubt, uber liberal. I hope it goes to trial and the judge reams him a new one and makes him pay for all fees.

He's a GRUBER.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

Even if the lawyer wins

Is it worth the negative publicity?

My bet is the guy never even contacted anyone else. I mean come on, $4. Even if he got the $12 he wanted, the filing fee for a small claims case is easily 10X that.

 

[blastoff]

As the old saying ends, "...Those who can't, teach." And in the case of this jackass occasionally find trivial ways to flex his limited legal muscle to cover for his hopelessly low self-esteem.

Sounds like a good potential dimocrat candidate some day.

 

[boedicca]

Even if the lawyer wins

Is it worth the negative publicity?

My bet is the guy never even contacted anyone else. I mean come on, $4. Even if he got the $12 he wanted, the filing fee for a small claims case is easily 10X that.

I wouldn't put it past him to contact The Authorities - he's fueled by ego rage.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

Even if the lawyer wins

Is it worth the negative publicity?

My bet is the guy never even contacted anyone else. I mean come on, $4. Even if he got the $12 he wanted, the filing fee for a small claims case is easily 10X that.

I wouldn't put it past him to contact The Authorities - he's fueled by ego rage.

True, I'm probably granting common sense where none exists.

 

[rightwinger]

Even if the lawyer wins

Is it worth the negative publicity?

My bet is the guy never even contacted anyone else. I mean come on, $4. Even if he got the $12 he wanted, the filing fee for a small claims case is easily 10X that.

From the article

As for Edelman, he alerted town officials in Brookline about the matter, but told Boston.com he doesn’t expect them to take action. He plans to “take a few days” before deciding whether to pursue any further legal action against the restaurant.

The guy is just being a prick
The restaurant gets alot of sympathy out of it and the lawyer/professor gets a reputation as a dickfaced asshole

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

Even if the lawyer wins

Is it worth the negative publicity?

My bet is the guy never even contacted anyone else. I mean come on, $4. Even if he got the $12 he wanted, the filing fee for a small claims case is easily 10X that.

From the article

As for Edelman, he alerted town officials in Brookline about the matter, but told Boston.com he doesn’t expect them to take action. He plans to “take a few days” before deciding whether to pursue any further legal action against the restaurant.

The guy is just being a prick
The restaurant gets alot of sympathy out of it and the lawyer/professor gets a reputation as a dickfaced asshole

I missed that part.

 

[Iceweasel]

He's a GRUBER.

A Gruber goober.

 

[M14 Shooter]

Feel free to contact him and mention how big of an ass he is.

Benjamin G. Edelman - Faculty - Harvard Business School

I did.

 

[SmarterThanTheAverageBear]

Feel free to contact him and mention how big of an ass he is.

Benjamin G. Edelman - Faculty - Harvard Business School

I did.

I just tried to call, no answer. So I sent him an email