Lead Stories
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Contest mania: In August a federal appeals court in Saint Louis forced Nationwide Insurance Company to award an ex-employee who won a slogan contest “his and hers” Mercedes-Benzes despite the company’s claim that it was just kidding about offering the cars as prizes. And in July David Lee filed a lawsuit against the Cafe Santa Fe in Rogers, Arkansas, after it denied him a Jet Ski because he failed to write a reason why he liked a certain menu item on his prizewinning entry form. Lee contends that the required “25 words or less” includes “zero words.”
Questionable Judgments
In July William Keith Fortner, 35, on probation last year for sending three nude photos of himself to a nurse, pleaded guilty in Saint Louis to sending another one–to the judge who gave him probation. Fortner had left a message on the female judge’s voice mail that said: “I really like you. I hope you don’t get upset with the picture I [am sending]. I hope you remember me.”
In August Julian Carlo Fagotti, 30, kicked off his TV ad campaign for a seat on the city council of Curitiba, Brazil, by standing before the camera nude except for one of his brochures held in a strategic spot. Said Fagotti, “[My opponents] are the ones to be ashamed [for how they treat the voters].”
Send your weird news to Chuck Shepherd, Chicago Reader, 11 E. Illinois, Chicago 60611.
