Tales from the Watercooler: Mum made me wash up, m'lud ...

New Jersey teenager Rachel Canning with friends in court

Two stories this week involving spurious lawsuits. First, New Jersey teenager Rachel Canning is suing her parents for £400-a-week “child support”, as well as demanding they pay her college fees and legal costs.

This is despite the fact that the no-doubt constantly eye-rolling 18-year-old flounced out of the house because she didn't like her parents' rules. Like me, you possibly saw this story and muttered: “Why, that obnoxious little *****. If she was MY daughter I would [insert suitably pre-21st-century punishment]”.

Then there is Mark Johnston, 52, who lost £300,000 in a Vegas casino, but is suing the owners, saying he was too drunk to gamble, having reportedly been so hammered he couldn't even see what cards he had.

I await the outcome of both cases with interest. If Ms Canning wins, I'd be keen to see if I could retrospectively sue my own family for a fortune, having “done one” from home as a teen on more than one occasion, due to some idiotic by-laws about washing up or keeping loaded firearms in the cat's litter tray.

As for Mr Johnston, there are a few bar owners in Glasgow I'd like to haul through the courts for serving me too many pints of Tartan Special, thus putting me on a path towards several ill-advised relationships and even more ill-advised kebabs.

Twitter: @DonaldAMacInnes