4. Smoker Loses Expensive Cigars In "A Series Of Small Fires"
This one is cheating a bit, as it's widely acknowledged as an urban legend. The story is just too good not to share though, and it fits in quite nicely with the rest of the entries. The tale goes that a man purchased a case of extremely rare cigars, insuring them to the value of $15,000. In a shocking act of greed, the man then smoked all 24 cigars in just under a month. Bemoaning his 'loss', he filed a claim against the insurance company. His reason? The cigars had been destroyed in a series of small fires. The insurance company refused to pay up, and the man took them to court. The presiding judge ruled that the claim was ridiculous, but also that the insurance company hadn't properly defined 'loss by fire'. The company agreed to pay up. Immediately after receiving the $15,000, the company then had the man arrested for 24 counts of arson. He was fined $24,000 and sentenced to two years in jail.
