Top 10 Viral Moments That Led to Huge Lawsuits

After his son had an allergic reaction to a smoothie bought from Robeks in Fairfield, Connecticut, James Iannazzo went into the store and aggressively yelled at the teenage staff, who claimed he didnt tell them about his sons nut allergy. Iannazzo also threw the beverage at a worker. In addition to getting probation for the tirade, he was fired from his financial advisor role at Merrill Lynch. But the punishment didnt stop there for Iannazzo. One of the workers he abused issued a $300,000 lawsuit against him for damages. In 2022, the case was settled for $7,500.

In 2017, Bryan Maess, Chris McMahon, and Roni Durham were fishing in Oregons Columbia River. When McMahon noticed a boat racing towards them, he called out. However, it didnt stop, causing the three men to jump into the water as it plowed into their boat, just about escaping serious injury. The shocking footage quickly spread online. Marlin Larsen, who was driving the speeding vessel, claimed he didnt see the group fishing. On top of a criminal case opening against Larsen, Maess and later McMahon also issued lawsuits against him in 2018. However, after pleading not guilty to the charges, a couple of months later, Larsen passed away. Regardless, the lawsuit was still going ahead against his estate.

In 2022, Jodi Brown uploaded footage that got the internet raging. What shouldve been a clip her daughter and friend could look back on with happy memories instead left them heartbroken. While watching a parade at Sesame Place Philadelphia, an actor dressed as Rosita was recorded interacting with white children and adults. Yet when she walked past the Black children, the character shook her head and gestured no to high-fives. Sesame Place apologized, claiming the actor might not have seen the girls, but later confirmed more racial training for workers. While the Browns didnt issue a lawsuit, other families whod experienced similar events at Sesame Place did, looking to get $25 million. However, in 2024, the jury found the theme park not liable.

COVID-19 really dragged out the Karen in many people. In 2020, Lenin Gutierrez was working at Starbucks in San Diego, California, when Amber Lynn Gilles wandered in. However, because she refused to wear a mask, he refused to serve her. For revenge, Gilles took a photo of Gutierrez and uploaded it to Facebook to try to shame him. Instead, the internet turned on her. Soon, a GoFundMe was created by Matt Cowan to raise tips for Gutierrez. By the time donations were stopped, itd received around $105,000, which the barista wanted to use to study dance. Gilles, seemingly looking to become a full-blown Disney villain, issued a defamation lawsuit against Cowan, which was unsurprisingly dismissed in 2023.

Somehow baffling to some, if a person has booked a specific seat on an airplane, you arent entitled to make them move for your benefit. This was the circumstance that Jeniffer Castro found herself in on a Gol Airlines flight in 2024. When she arrived at her designated place, a toddler was sitting there. So, Castro got the kid to move, which caused the child to cry. The toddlers mother tried to get Castro to sit elsewhere, which she refused. Another passenger recorded Castro and uploaded the footage online. The infamy caused her to leave her banking profession. As such, in 2025, she issued a lawsuit against Gol and the person who recorded her.

Internet challenges have become a common pastime. Some, like the Ice Bucket Challenge, can lead to positive outcomes, as it did when it raised awareness and money for curing ALS. However, the Blackout Challenge is not good at all. Originating on TikTok in 2021, it got children, primarily, to choke themselves. Sadly, this led to several deaths. Tawainna Anderson was one US-based person to issue a lawsuit against TikTok for not doing more to protect children, after her daughter, Nylah, passed away from the trend. After the case was originally dismissed, in 2024, the appeal court overturned the decision and allowed the suit to proceed. In 2025, 4 families in the UK who'd lost kids to the challenge also issued lawsuits against TikTok.

For some, people challenging gender norms can be the most terrifying thing theyve witnessedfor example, Samuel Johnson. Rather than a writer like his namesake, he was the CEO of VisuWell. In 2021, Johnson was recorded confronting Dalton Stevens and his partner Jacob Geitmann as they took photos for their prom. Johnson, livid that Stevens was wearing a dress, uttered homophobic comments. Due to the video gaining traction online, including getting celebrities like Kathy Griffin to comment on it, Johnson was fired from VisuWell. So, he issued a lawsuit against UH Cleveland for pressuring his removal. He also issued a suit against Griffin, claiming he was standing up against what he called the woke social mob.

If there was a Hall of Fame for Karens, Amy Cooper would be in it as a first inductee. In 2020, birdwatcher Christian Cooper, no relation, clashed with Amy for not leashing her dog in New York Citys Central Park. This resulted in her calling the cops, falsely claiming that Christian, whos a black man, was threatening her life. The backlash was severe when Christian posted the recording online, especially as Amy was hurting her dog by grabbing its collar. Amy ended up getting fired from Franklin Templeton for her racist behavior. In response, she issued a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal against the investment company. The case was dismissed in 2022, as was Amys appeal in 2023.

In a national park in Indonesia, photographer David Slater went to take images of the endangered Celebes crested macaquesand he got the primates to take iconic selfies. As a result, Slaters work took the internet by storm. In 2011, the photos were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, a free content site. Slater requested the images be removed, which caused animal group PETA to get involved. In 2015, the nonprofit issued a lawsuit against Slater, demanding ownership of the photographs go to one of the monkeys, Naruto. In 2016, the case was dismissed, which PETA appealed. In the meantime, the two parties agreed to a settlement. However, in 2018, PETAs appeal was rejected as animals cant hold copyright.

In 2019, clips from a confrontation at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. went viral. The videos showed Native American activist Nathan Phillips singing in the face of MAGA-hat-wearing Nicholas Sandmann. Stories began to spread online and through the media that Phillips was responding to racist chants from a group of MAGA supporters, including Sandmann. However, the supporters denied the allegations as further videos provided additional detail. Sandmann issued various lawsuits against media organizations for defamation, seeking hundreds of millions in damages. CNN, NBC, and the Washington Post all settled cases. However, in 2022, a suit against several groups, including the New York Times and ABC, was found against Sandmann. He appealed the decision multiple times unsuccessfully.

What viral incident that led to a shocking lawsuit did we miss? Let us know in the comments!