In August of 1948, a 30-year-old Indianapolis resident named Marjorie Boyer had been a passenger on a bus operated by the Indiana Motor Bus Co.
Suddenly she fainted, so the driver, Floyd Irwin, lifted her and placed her on the ground under the shade of a tree to recuperate.
Next thing you know, she filed a $1000 (which would be nearly $10,000 today) damage suit against the bus company. Why? Because she had been wearing a low-back sundress that day. When the driver placed her on the ground, he failed to recognize that there was a patch of poison ivy there.
On March 29th of 1949, a jury ruled against her.
