Associated Press

UPDATE*—Town official: “He’s complained of same misfortune in past” DENVER, Colorado (AP)—A man who sued Home Depot last month claiming a prank left him glued to a toilet seat made a similar allegation about another restroom more than a year ago, an official told a newspaper.  Read more
http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/11/08/toilet.man.ap/index.html

BOULDER, Colorado Nov 2, 2005 — A hardware retailer Home Depot has found itself in a sticky situation, defending a lawsuit filed by a man who claims the chain’s Louisville store ignored his cries for help after he fell victim to a prank and was glued to a toilet seat.

Bob Dougherty, 57, of Nederland, said he became stuck to a bathroom toilet seat on which somebody had smeared glue on Oct. 30, 2003, and felt “tremendous panic” when he realized he was stuck.

“They left me there, going through all that stress,“ Dougherty told The (Boulder) Daily Camera. “They just let me rot.“

His lawsuit, filed Friday said Dougherty was recovering from heart bypass surgery at the time and thought he was having a heart attack. A store employee who heard him calling for help informed the head clerk via radio, but the head clerk “believed it to be a hoax,“ the lawsuit said.

Home Depot spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher said she could not comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit said after about 15 minutes, store officials called for an ambulance. Paramedics unbolted the toilet seat, and while wheeling a “frightened and humiliated” Dougherty out of the store, he passed out.

The lawsuit said the toilet seat separated from his skin, leaving abrasions.

“This is not Home Depot’s fault,“ he said. “But I am blaming them for letting me hang in there and just ignoring me.“

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

now THAT would be embarrassing. I couldnt do that to someone ‘cos I’d hate it to happen to me. At the same time however, I giggle

I’d think it was a hoax too I think…

wasn’t going to, but couldn’t resist: (sorry, I know this is crap)
Now that’s what you call a pain in the arse.

Whether you think it’s a hoax or not, you investigate. If it is a hoax, you toss the hoaxer out of the store, and make it clear he’s not welcome to come back.

Otherwise, if it’s not a hoax, you get sued, and not in a good way.

I wish I were there for that, lol…..it would have been funnier if it happened to someone that was healthy….

terry, that depends, our school doesnt investigate hardly anything apart from drugs and weaponds due to the amount of pranks there are. You dont know how many people have pranked this store with stuff.

steph, I wish I was too lol.

Unless it was super glue, I wouldn’t think it would dry fast enough to catch someone.  And even if it was, why didn’t the paramedics have any solvent?  I suppose it could have been a rarer industrial glue.

also, didn’t this guy feel the oozy stuff on the seat?

of course, if he didn’t, I know people *cough cough my dad cough* who spend hours on the loo…

If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.

Charybdis - 03 November 2005 10:38 AM

Unless it was super glue, I wouldn’t think it would dry fast enough to catch someone.  And even if it was, why didn’t the paramedics have any solvent?  I suppose it could have been a rarer industrial glue.

It could have been a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) I suppose.

remember…..this was at the home depot…..they have every glue you can imagine….

hmm, didn’t think about that, your right steph

But most of Home Depot’s glues wouldn’t have set instantly.  He should have noticed something and had time to get up.  Frankly, I’m rather disgusted that he didn’t even wipe the seat off before sitting down.