Most of us no doubt have heard the sad tale of Jennifer Strange, who died of water intoxication after competing in a Sacramento radio station's water drinking contest. The contest consisted of seeing who could drink the most water without urinating, the prize for the winner being a Nintendo Wii. The stunt was cleverly dubbed "Hold Your Wee for a Wii." Strange, who was trying to win the game system for her children, made it to the final round before leaving the radio station. She later slipped into a coma and died. She had consumed almost two gallons of water, fatally throwing off her body's electrolyte balance
Many people predicted that the family would sue the radio station, on perhaps questionable legal grounds (the full facts, obviously, didn't all come out at once), and that the radio station would settle it quickly to avoid the publicity. The station did act quickly -- by firing the morning hosts who had organized the contest.
The woman's family is indeed taking legal action against the station, though they're not just seeking money: their lawyer is petitioning the FCC to have the station's license pulled.
This is an interesting tactic, and one not likely to garner a lot of sympathy on the part of the family. The morning hosts were idiots, and perhaps legally responsible by some measure for Strange's death. But shutting down the whole station seems excessive.
