Never a shortage of ridiculous lawsuits in U.S. courts

Like the inmate in a Michigan prison who sued that state's corrections department claiming he had been denied toothpaste, resulting in him losing a tooth. The man only had five of his adult teeth when he was locked up in the first place.

Or like the woman in Nassau County, N.Y., who had an affair with a police officer and then threatened to sue the county and the police department for $10 million — because they didn't keep the officer from visiting her while on duty. As a result of this alleged dereliction, “claimant has suffered and sustained severe and substantial emotional damages,” the notice of claim said.

We're not making this stuff up. Indeed the website FacesOfLawsuitAbuse.org provides a month-by-month breakdown of some of the most incredible lawsuits filed around the country. The site is a product of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Legal Reform, which recently announced its 10 most ridiculous suits from 2012. Topping the list: a lawsuit by a driver in Florida who pleaded guilty to DUI in a fatal accident, then sued a victim.