Yale student files $1 million suit over stolen Xbox 360

For most people, losing some or all of their luggage at the airport is a headache. For Jesse Maiman, it's an opportunity. On Monday, the 21-year-old Yale University student filed a lawsuit in the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court against US Airways for the loss of his Xbox 360. His asking price in...

For most people, losing some or all of their luggage at the airport is a headache. For Jesse Maiman, it's an opportunity. On Monday, the 21-year-old Yale University student filed a lawsuit in the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court against US Airways for the loss of his Xbox 360. His asking price in damages? One million dollars.

Disbelieving snickering aside, Maiman claims that the console, which sported a "specialized hard drive," was stolen from his luggage as he travelled from New Haven, Connecticut, to Cincinnati, Ohio. The student is seeking $1,700 in relief for the loss of his console, as well as the maximum damages allowable, or $1 million, the Associated Press reports. The most expensive Xbox 360 retails for $399, begetting the obvious question of just what this "specialized hard drive" contains.

In language befitting a man of Yale, Maiman called his ordeal with US Airways "an unconscionable run-around." For its part, US Airways told the AP that it had not yet been informed of the suit, noting only that liability limits set by the government are $3,300 per bag.

237 Comments

  • jayme22

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 3:25 pm PT

    PLEASE GUYS: If the said hardrive was a dev kit witch being a yale student it could have been! If it had the only copy of a game he had been working on it could have cost him millions in the long run.

  • Cabal23

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 7:29 am PT

    Intelligence is relative. Book smart and street smarts are NOT the same thing. This guy has had his mother wiping his arse for him so long he has never really experienced the real world.

  • CreatureRising

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 11:45 am PT

    Well the guy goes to yale so ATLEAST we know he some intelligence

  • Cabal23

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 10:58 am PT

    It might have been said, but if this guy goes to Yale, then why doesn't he possess a modicum of intelligence to know not to ship an electronic device through standard baggage handling means?

  • okassar

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 4:35 pm PT

    OH MY GOD!!!!That's frikkin' crazy.This guy is the definition of opportunist,I don't know if that's a good or bad thing:personally,I think US Airways deserve this,they also shipped a coffin to a guy instead of exotic birds,and by the time they realized their mistake the exotic birds died of exhausted oxygen supply---and they lost my luggage,along with that of many others....no excuse.

  • boxofwit

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 1:39 pm PT

    WTF? all i can say.

  • rann89

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 1:08 pm PT

    This is almost as retarded as trying to sue McDonalds for not writing "Hot" on a hot coffee cup. Good luck with that.

    Oh wait...

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 12:21 pm PT

    wow, about all I can come up with.

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 12:04 pm PT

    I cant see him being let back in yale

  • Xecutar101

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 11:23 am PT

    I highly don't think he will get 1 million dollar, that's a fact.
    Yet he can still get quiet a bit of money from the suing due to the fact
    that he can have a credit card saved on his Live Account and that $H!t
    is serious I would be pissed if I were in his position too, but $1 M I don't
    even think a hobo would ask for that much. I would say no higher than $15,000 for all that he can get

  • buffdaddy69

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 11:15 am PT

    SOmeone probably had the same exact luggage as him. like, color and shape and everything. And probably mistook it for their own and walked away with it. Also. All Airlines state that they are not liable for the loss of electronics and such and, they actually say when it comes to stuff like that you should bring it with you on the plane in a carry on.

    Its funny, because he isn't going to win. Even if he does, He's only going to get 600 bucks probably. Not a million.

  • m30w_cP

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 5:27 am PT

    I hope he gets thrown in jail for filing a frivolous lawsuit.

  • rickster34

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 4:45 am PT

    How does he know if the airline stole it

  • Blood_Diamond

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 4:04 am PT

    Moral of the story kids... don't download porn

  • Nyvlac

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 8:54 pm PT

    The airport's Terms and Conditions clearly state that they don't cover electronics lost. They also recommend that all electronics go with you in your carry-on. So...yea...Yale student = fail.

  • THORINATOR

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 5:52 pm PT

    Seriously, if this guy gets anywhere near a million dollars, I'm sure US airways would be flooded by claims for lost or stolen 360's, lol!

  • gdude5678

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 5:08 pm PT

    He probably was mad because he wanted to buy Resident Evil 5 two days later.

  • PumpkinBoogie

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 5:02 pm PT

    @ necronaux,

    Well of course with his asking price for damages in the suit, I'd definitely say 'yeah' he'll get some under-the-breath chuckles in the courtroom. However, I don't think they will NOT take his case seriously just because he's a gamer. For one, he at least has some merit by being a student of one the most prestigious Ivy League schools in the country--so at least he may be heard out with a straight face. And no matter how subconsciously they really want to laugh their asses off at this kid, he does still have a very valid case--as his system WAS stolen in transition at USAirway--there's no getting around that fact for USAirway.

    So he will definitely get something from them....just not a mil.

  • Vambran

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 3:40 pm PT

    that panda on south park would have a few words to say about this.

  • dRuGGeRnaUt

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 2:32 pm PT

    Thats no good to have stuff stolen, but seriously? 1 million? wow.. we always new people at yale aim big... but 1million?! anyways.. he compounds his injury by publicly announcing that he has a modded hard drive.. watch him get the 1million and then get sued by microsoft for 2 million for breach of contract/license.. HAHAHA
    3,330$ is all he should get (and thats still alot). if he got the 1million where do you think it would come from? from all the other passengers of the airline, because they would just raise seat prices.. I know people say insurance would cover this, but that money comes from somewhere.. and usually its you and I that pay the final price.
    Stop sueing people for more than you should.

  • gdude5678

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 1:28 pm PT

    He was just mad about losing his Fallout 3 saves.

  • YoungDab

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 12:28 pm PT

    He had the cure for all diseases,inventions that could save the world from ending.His bank account,his winning lotto ticket and his girlfriend all installed on that HDD LoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooL Ya WiLDiN!

  • pwnzord

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 10:18 am PT

    He'll get nothing if he can't prove who stole it. He is alleging that US Airways took it. They assume some level of liability for handling it but we really have no idea where in the transportation process it was stolen. Perhaps it made it down to the carousel and someone else walked off with it, that's certainly not uncommon.

    Or they'll settle, or he'll get the $3,300. He has a reasonable but not great claim to the replacement price. Life sucks, things get stolen, not everyone is going to pay you egregious amounts of money because you're sad. Tough, move on.

  • DoeJohn531

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 8:23 am PT

    The only thing I would worry about if my Xbox was stolen is the fact all my credit card information is saved to my live account and can't be easily removed.

  • ps3thabest

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 7:53 pm PT

    LOL, A million dollars?

  • snoop_rogg

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 7:32 pm PT

    You should not steal a mans video game console, sad thing is, it was most likely an airport worker that stole it.

  • PumpkinBoogie

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 4:14 pm PT

    I sympathize with dude, really I do, and I hopes he gets something out of this--even if it's not a mil--because really nobody has the right to steal stuff out of people's luggage.

    Having said that, I have to judge the true intelligence of this Yale kid. I mean, for one thing why the hell didn't he just pack his damn system for carry-on?? Airlines, after all, do allow for at least one carry-on on flights. I don't have a special 360 like this dude but I do own a ceramic white import PS3, and I can tell you if I did want to take it somewhere with me that required me to take a flight--you'd best believe it'd be with me from the time I left point A until the time I touched down at point B. I don't trust airlines when it comes to things like that especially when--not saying all people that work with luggage inspection are shady--they make it explicit they WILL open your stuff whether you like it or not. Seeing as though that's the case, then why give somebody a early Xmas gift?? People take things like laptops and whatnot on flights all the time so I can't see why he wouldn't have thought to do the same for his system. Surely with the number of years that 360 has been out you mean to tell me this dude couldn't find a special travel bag for it? Hell, he could have just used a freakin' sturdy backpack and I'm sure that would've done the trick all the same.

    Yeah the airport had some thieving hands working there and that's unfortunate for this dude. But at the same time packing your 360/PS3/Wii or whatever into your large luggage that you KNOW is going to be opened and check is sadly asking for the inevitable scenario like this to occur.

  • BattleSword1

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 3:50 pm PT

    He deserves the $3,300, but aking for $1M is going to get him laughed out of court.

  • zeroking420_666

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 11:53 am PT

    meh not going win the 1m but hopefully he can get the $399 to replace his 360.

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 11:32 am PT

    are they sure the special harddrive wasnt a bomb and they were just doing there job by taking it away

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 11:31 am PT

    yea great way to fight the credit crunch

  • LaraCroft15

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 10:59 am PT

    think about all the achievements lost, oh no lol
    since 360 stores cards info when you buy dlc they also buy all kinds of stuff with his account

  • xXZak-ataKXx

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 10:03 am PT

    w0w,that kid is a retard he will be laughed out of court

  • necronaux

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 9:59 am PT

    I'm sure he'll be laughed out of court, as if they'd take any gamer seriously (grow up, stop playing video games, etc.). I'd love to see him win, but he'll be lucky if he even gets the $3,300... or even the $399 replacement value.

  • sieg6529

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 9:16 am PT

    I hope he gets as much as possible. Those baggage handlers have sticky fingers, and they aren't paid enough to care about being fired. I just carry everything onboard or check my bags at the gate.

  • xIronMaydenx

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 8:55 am PT

    $1 Million Dollars is quite laughable, but he should get the $3,300.

  • RavenXavier

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 8:48 am PT

    i hope he wins

  • SyrusKahn

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 8:21 am PT

    what happen to the good old days when someone stole something, you just find them, beat their stupid-arse up and take back whats yours.

  • cosz71

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 6:36 am PT

    has anyone lost your luggage before? i have. on US air as a matter of fact, and i have to say they are i bunch incompetents that don't deserve the minimum wage they get. why do people think this hurt the economy? i don't get it. airlines, banks, car company, ect, keep taking our tax dollars and just asking for more, while they have cut the services we get to the bone. our economy is hurt by incompetent CEOs who line there pockets first, then worry about how they will return pension money they have pilfered to support there extravagant life styles. and it's not just enron, but most of them. corporate culture is coming to an end, and i hope lawsuits like this are nails in the coffin of corporations who suck the taxpayers dry. if people think companies like this are holding up our economy, they are wrong. this what's destroying our economy. the truth is airlines have been making payroll with our tax dollars supplementing there financial shortcomings for decades. they should just charge more up front for tickets, and if you can't afford it tough. drive. cause guess what? the way things are right now we are all paying whether we get on a plane or not. and lastly, i bet this kid decided to sue for what every he could based on the way they treated him.. which from having dealt with a similar situation i can tell you was not well. the people at US Air are a bunch of ignorant jerks who don't care about your luggage or your security. the only thing they seemed to me to care about was when there shift ended. i could only hope this is the lawsuit that breaks the back of a lousy company. only it won't because congress will just give them more of our money. i really can't wait for all the financially insolvent companies go away for good. corporate welfare is killing our country.

  • shkar

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 4:47 am PT

    Poor Gil Bates !!!! He could not stay a president for the discovery of such a special HARD DRIVE !!!!

  • nomyaw

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 3:52 am PT

    If it costs 1 million dollars why didn't this guy just have the 360 with him?

  • marco0798

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 2:48 am PT

    instead of claiming on the number of hours played on his save games the retard goes off and claims on a special hard drive which could get him behind bars with Msolft lol. Aveerage game= 30 hours+ online games are generally 100+ hours then any rpg's e.g. Lost odyssey 100+ hours and his gamer tag could easily back up his hours spent playing.

  • KoruKinshi

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 12:41 am PT

    Well, this ought to be interesting...

  • Cyclonus86

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 12:16 am PT

    Hard Drive contained 20 hours of brutal sex footage of Father & Son that's why the sum of ONE MIILLIION DOLLARS "Dr. Evil" is somewhat justified.

  • foodme

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 11:57 pm PT

    i would like to be his lawyer.

  • Dreski83

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 8:32 pm PT

    So I take it this kid from Yale doesn't mind coming off as an over zealous douche

    I wouldn't blame anyone for stirring up the hive when their property turns up damaged or missing, yet asking for such an amount is more than snickering inducing... its kind of dumb... which in turn, reflects on gamers as a whole. Oh joy

  • LtPrino

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 8:30 pm PT

    This crap epitomizes what is wrong with this country. Someone trying to get something for nothing. I am sick of this! A couple grand maybe, for the replacement and the irritation, but a Million! Absurd!!!

  • TheMoneyShot13 posted Mar 12, 2009 8:26 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    TheMoneyShot13

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 8:26 pm PT (hide)

    i allready hate my xbox 360, if it where stolen id simpley take it as a sign from the heavans that i need to invest in a ps3

  • lowkey254

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 6:46 pm PT

    His 360 would have had rrod in 2 more days, what does it matter.

  • Dem0nD0nkey

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 6:11 pm PT

    OBSESSED much

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