Faulty Weather Forecast Leading to The Emergence of a Lawsuit

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By:

Team of Hukumindo

Previously, the www.hukumindo.com platform has talk about "Knowing the Terms of Visiting Visa in Indonesia", "I Have a Contract Whose Goods Have Not Been Delivered, How Do I Sue Under Indonesian Law?", you may read also "What Language Must Be Used In The Agreement In Indonesia?" and on this occasion we will discuss about 'Faulty Weather Forecast Leading to The Emergence of a Lawsuit'.

How do you feel about rainy days? Most people love the sunshine and hate the rain. That certainly seems to be the case with a woman in Tel Aviv, Israel who decided that she should sue a television station over their weather report. She knows that the forecasters can’t change the weather, but she thought they could at least get the weather right. When they didn’t, she decided to sue.[1]

A woman in Haifa sued Channel 2, along with weather forecaster Danny Rup, in small claims court. She wanted to receive $1,000 because Rup had predicted on television that the day would be sunny. It turned out to be rainy and stormy. The woman had listened to Rup’s forecast and decided that she could leave home dressed lightly, and that turned out to be very inappropriate as the day turned nasty. Because she was out in inclement weather, she claims that she caught the flu and missed out on four days of work. She also spent $38 on medication, and suffered from stress because of the incident. At least she left out a claim for her messed hair.[2]

The woman says that she not only wants to have financial compensation for the suffering and sickness she endured, but she also wants Rup to apologize for getting the weather wrong. Most of us have watched weather reports on the news, listened to them on the radio, and read them in the paper for most of our lives. While the best forecasters using the latest state of the art equipment are right much of the time, they are never right all of the time. They are forecasting and predicting the weather, and many things can cause changes that turn a day from beautiful to bitter rather quickly. It is the way nature works, and even with the best guesses no predictions will be 100% accurate.[3]

Understanding courts? well not really. The TV station actually settled this case out of court for $1,000. Most would see this as a frivolous lawsuit, and many still find it hard to believe that she actually received any compensation. Further, she also received her apology. However, at least she was only suing for a small amount to cover what she felt were the damages against her. It does seem to set a precedent, at least in Israel, though.[4] And if you have any legal issue with this topic, contact us then, feel free in 24 hour, we will be happy to assist you. 

*) For further information please contact:

Mahmud Kusuma Advocate

Law Office

Jakarta - Indonesia.

E-mail: mahmudkusuma22@gmail.com

________________

References:

1. "Israeli Woman Sues Television Station Because of Rain", kahanelaw.com., Diakses pada tanggal 28 Mei 2022, https://kahanelaw.com/wacky-wednesday-weatherman-sued-for-wrong-prediction/

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.