NYC man sues for every penny on earth

Derek Andersen

Newser staff

Sheets of freshly made $20 bills lay in stacks at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C., in 2011.

(NEWSER) – Anton Purisima is a man who knows how to think big. The New Yorker has filed a 22-page handwritten suit in a Manhattan court for two undecillion dollars. The sum, written as two followed by thirty-six zeros, is likely a new record for a demand in a lawsuit, the New York Post says.

It's also more money than even exists in the world by a long shot, Gothamist notes, but at least there are more than a thousand defendants to bear the brunt. They include the New York City Transit Authority, the entire city of NYC, Au Bon Pain Store, LaGuardia Airport, a Kmart store, a dog owner, several health care providers, and 1,000 John Does.

At the center of Purisimia's dissatisfaction seems to be a dog bite sustained on a city bus, a "Chinese couple" photographing him while he was being treated for it, and being overcharged for coffee at the airport. He characterizes these incidents as "civil rights violations, personal injury, discrimination on national origin, retaliation, harassment, fraud, attempted murder, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and conspiracy to defraud," according to Lowering the Bar, which notes Purisima is seeking punitive damages, too.

This appears to be at least his 20th suit since 2004, according to Justia.com. Purisima has sued casinos, banks, and the People's Republic of China, among others.

(Click for more frivolous lawsuits.)