Background: In this ESL podcast we discuss an interesting legal situation. What would you do if you were in Chris’ shoes? Would you take as much money as you can get? Would you look down upon people who would take the money?
Discussion forum
Legal Situation:
ESL Conversation
| A: I just saw Chris whip by in a new Ferrari. Where did he get that kind of cash?
B: I think he got it from the settlement. A: What settlement? B: Apparently he was taking a shower at the gym and he slipped, fell and hurt himself pretty badly. He threatened to hire a really good lawyer and sue them. The gym owners agreed to settle out of court because they didn’t want to take any chances. He made a killing.
A: That’s not their fault? Why would they agree to that? B: Chris was claiming that they put too much wax on the floor, which made it too slippery. Apparently they’re not allowed to do that and he has a case. A: That’s so absurd! I can’t believe people can profit from something like that. There’s really something wrong with the legal system. B: I blame Chris as much as anyone. I can’t believe he can sleep at night after exploiting those owners. I can’t believe anyone would actually sue in a situation like that. A: Are you kidding? I’d do the exact same thing if I were in his shoes. Those owners won’t pay directly. Their insurance will cover it. B: Even if its true wouldn’t you have a guilty conscience knowing that most of your wealth was from cashing in on an injury? A: Maybe for a little while, but I’m sure sipping margaritas in the Caribbean would take care of that. B: You’d be judged by everyone. A: Who cares? |
Key vocabulary and phrases that are discussed in the podcast:
Whip by – To go really fast past someone.
Did you see that? That golf ball just whipped past that guy’s ear.
Ferrari – A famous Italian luxury car.
Settlement – A legal agreement.
Apparently – This word means “it seems that”. It’s often used when you understand something to be true but you don’t have proof. For example, you could say, “apparently Dave can speak Japanese”. Or you could say, “apparently drinking too much fruit juice can make you gain weight”. In that case, apparently is used as, “it is said that”. Another example is “apparently listening to really loud music all the time can make your hearing worse when you are older”.
Sue – To start the legal process against. You often sue someone to get money for compensation.
Take any chances – If you “don’t want to take any chances”, it means you want to play it safe. You don’t want to take a risk so you are going to be extra cautious.
I know I probably won’t get struck by lightning if I go outside now but I don’t want to take any chances.
Made a killing – Earned a lot of money. Apparently she makes a killing selling her paintings.
Has a case – If you say that someone “has a case”, that means that they will probably win if they go to court. You may have a case if you tell the judge that you were driving too fast because your wife was about to have a baby and needed to be rushed to the hospital.
Absurd – Crazy, ridiculous, uncommon. Why would we go to the beach today if it’s raining? It’s absurd!
I can’t believe he can sleep at night – We often wonder how someone who feels guilty or really stressed can sleep at night.
I wonder how thieves can sleep at night.
How can you sleep at night knowing that all of your money is invested in one company? What happens if the company goes bankrupt?
In his shoes – In his same situation. If I were in his shoes, I would have handled the situation completely differently.
Cover it – This means that there is enough money to pay for something. Imagine you are at a restaurant with your friends and you need to leave early but don’t know how much money you should pay. You might guess that your meal is around $15. You don’t want to pay less so you put down $20 and say, “I think this should cover my share”.
Or “Do you think $200 will cover the cost of the broken window”.
Cashing in – Cashing in on something means taking the opportunity to make money from something. When we use this we are often talking about a lot of money. You should think about how to cash in on your amazing singing ability.
Margaritas – A type of alcoholic drink. We often associate this drink with relaxing on the beach.
February 14th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Would I sue the gym? — No, even if i would like a ferrari and even I would sleep fine, if a big insurance would have to pay. But there are side-effects:
As I was 20 (that means about 30 years ago) in Germany it was not such a big deal to scratch a car, even it was not the same easy going as in France at this time, where you would treat such a situation more lightly. So, I scatch the car from a neighbor and in fact it was a bit more, it was a big bump. But the neighbor came and said it would be okay, he would fix it himself and that it was. A few years later even if you touched a strangers car very softly, he would usualy look with a loupe for a tiny scratch to sue your insurance. But this mean you have to pay more for that insurance AND it mean, that now many people changed to fusspots. I don’t like this. So I don’t want to be like them, to change to a fusspot in my dayly life, allways seeking for a chance to make money from small mistakes from people around me.
And there is even one more reason: I don’t like to juse police or court for my matters, I prefer to handle things by myself…