Family names often come with steady traits. Maybe it's an ear for music or a green thumb, a knack for storytelling or a generous spirit. Whatever the talent or tendency, many members of the family have it, and it gets passed down from generation to generation.
Here in Jefferson County courts, the Diggles name is building a reputation. It suggests a propensity for falling down and hurting oneself, then suing the parties deemed responsible for the mishaps.
Are folks named Diggles uncoordinated, unlucky, or what? Is there's a talent here for turning a trip and spill into a dip in the till?
Latosha Diggles of Beaumont claimed to have suffered a personal injury of some sort in 2006 and filed suit against Maintenance Enterprise in Jefferson County District Court.
The following year, she claimed to have been injured again, falling down a flight of stairs while holding her son in her arms, and filed suit against the Autumn Cove Apartments. She sought damages, for herself and her son, for past and future mental anguish, pain, lost earnings, disfigurement, and medical expenses.
Now Cassandra Diggles is suing Chuck E. Cheese for an injury she claims her daughter received in January 2009 after falling and hitting her head on a ride at the peewee pizza parlor. Cassandra filed suit just before Christmas of 2010, seeking damages for loss of parental consortium and her daughter's mental anguish, impairment, disfigurement, and future diminished earning capacity.
It's easy to sympathize with a parent whose child has been injured, but it's not unfair to ask questions of a family prone to suable injuries.
Were Latosha Diggles' vision and coordination impaired by the child she carried down the steps at Autumn Cove Apartments? Was Cassandra Diggles paying sufficient attention to her daughter in the midget mayhem of Chuck E. Cheese? The court must decide.
If they ever come to visit, however, you might consider asking Latosha and Cassandra Diggles to sign a waiver before letting them in.