Watching Seinfeld as a [insert profession here]?
i like watching television. I’m also a lawyer. Sometimes shows do law stuff in a way that doesn’t make a ton of sense. While I can generally keep it in perspective, it’s hard not to let it bother me some at times.
Example: Ping’s case against Elaine.
First, it looks like there’s a good dispute as to liability. It’s not clear that either of them violated any traffic laws. Ping said he had the green light and that Elaine was jaywalking. Elaine said she wasn’t jaywalking and that Ping was going too fast. Also, Ping wasn’t wearing a helmet, declined medical care right after the accident, and seems more or less fine pretty quickly. He certainly doesn’t miss any significant amount of work (and he likely doesn’t earn much, meaning this category of damages wouldn’t get that high anyway). Plus, Elaine tended to him in the immediate aftermath just to be nice, which can make her look good. And Elaine thinks Marla’s account will support her position.
So there’s a dispute on liability and the damages don’t seem that great. and the defendant, Elaine, doesn’t really seem to have the deepest pockets for satisfying a judgment. So she’s not the best target for a lawsuit.
And it went straight to court without any apparent period of negotiation. It’s not like there was any statute of limitations approaching. They’d have had plenty of time to try to work something out.
Plus, it happened while Ping was on the job, so you’d think worker’s comp would take care of whatever his damages are.
Then, after dismissing the case, they re-file with a claim for double the damages. Right after his lawyer had a series of dates with one of the best friends of the defendant who was present after the accident and was played by him and another close friend of the defendant, whom she formed an attraction to. All of which significantly undercuts the credibility of the claim.
if you've read this far, LOL, my point is just that watching the show through the lens of my profession, I can’t help but see the holes in certain plot lines. Wondering what others—cops, restaurateurs, health care professionals, comedians, fellow lawyers, whatever—roll their eyes at.