The overwhelming reaction to Lady Gaga's new single, "Born This Way," is that it's a rip-off of Madonna's "Express Yourself." Rihanna has just been sued by photographer David LaChapelle for using images inspired by his own in her video for "S&M." Where is the fine line between inspiration and theft?

The Spider-Man crew can breathe a sigh of relief. It seems they're not the only Broadway folks putting people's lives and limbs at risk every time they raise the curtain. Two Kansas City natives are suing the producers of the Broadway musical Billy Elliot, claiming that, while watching the show from the front row, they were both hit by an errant prop and were subsequently hospitalized. They are each suing for $2 million, or roughly two Broadway tickets' worth. (Broadway shows are expensive!) The producers have not yet issued a statement about the lawsuit.

Gather round, children, and listen to the terrifying tale of New York City Housing Authority employee Anthony Dingle: in his workplace of woe, poor Anthony lived in a constant state of dread, fearing the evil cackle of his shrewish supervisor. Career—or calamity? This, we tell you, is a story of the darkest depths of distress and dejection. The story of a man whose boss's voice made him puke.

An Ecuadorean judge yesterday ordered Chevron to pay—wait for it—$8.6 billion, for polluting the Amazon region. It's one of the biggest environmental judgments ever, if not the biggest. It comes after the case had dragged on for 17 years.

Shirley Sherrod, who was fired from her USDA job last year after Andrew Breitbart posted online an edited video of her, has filed a lawsuit for libel and slander against Breitbart in D.C. Superior Court. The suit was filed on Friday, and Breitbart was served with it this weekend, while attending the Conservative Political Action Conference, according to The New York Times.

An Illinois woman yesterday sued McDonald's after she claims she was injured by a "large shard of glass" inside a spicy McChicken sandwich. Just typing that hurts.

In the wake of a federal judge's ruling that parts of Arizona's crazy immigration law are unconstitutional, the state has decided to sue the federal government for "failing to secure the border." The nation collectively rolls its eyes. [KTAR]

Watch out if you plan on filing a race discrimination complaint against FDNY — you just might find a noose hanging in your locker. At least that's what Gregory Seabrook, a communications electrician for the department, says happened to him last Thursday.

Washington Redskins owner and despicable rich guy Dan Snyder has, in typical dumb fashion, followed through on his threat to sue the Washington City Paper, for being mean to him. He also says they are anti-Semitic. What a stupid idiot.

It's become fairly apparent that Rupert Murdoch's UK tabloid News of the World used to hack into people's phones on a regular basis in order to get stories. But nobody wants to take the blame! Instead, we get endless lawsuits.

Almost anyone can nominate someone for a Nobel Peace Prize, and a 26-year-old Norwegian legislator has done just that for Wikileaks.

Last November, the Washington City Paper's Dave McKenna wrote an excellent takedown of Redskins owner and well-known bastard Dan Snyder. It was a textbook example of killing a subject with simple facts. Now, proving its accuracy: Snyder demands McKenna's firing.

A straight, married French man is suing GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of the Parkinson's medication Requip, claiming it turned him into a gay sex addict, crossdresser, and compulsive gambler. Anyone have any idea how we can get some Requip?

Rep. Dennis Kucinich has settled his case against the Longworth House Office Building cafeteria, which sold him a "dangerous" olive pit-filled sandwich in 2008 that destroyed his teeth. Kucinich announced the settlement with a gross statement this afternoon.

A Staten Island man is suing Facebook for $500,000 for deleting his profile. He misses his 340 friends.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich bought a sandwich from the Longworth House Office Building cafeteria in April 2008, and bit into it only to find an unpitted olive that cracked a tooth. This month, he sued the cafeteria for selling "dangerous" sandwiches.

Two cocktail waitresses have filed suit against the Standard Hotel's Boom Boom Room alleging they were fired for being short. When you're half drunk, does it matter if the hottie bringing you another cocktail is 5-foot-4 or 6-foot-11? [NYDN, photo]

James Reynolds spent nearly four years as a copy editor at Rolling Stone publisher Wenner Media. Now he's suing the company for failing to pay him overtime for his crappy work, which required no "creativity or imagination."

Cindy Mauro, half of the sexxxy lesbian teacher duo fired from a Brooklyn high school for a-lezz-edly sexing in a classroom, has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit, just as fellow-teacher Alini Brito did last week. Must they do everything together?