中英對照讀新聞︰Accountant loses 300,000 pound grape lawsuit---會計師輸了30萬英鎊的葡萄訟案

◎胡立宗

Accountant loses 300,000 pound grape lawsuit

會計師輸了30萬英鎊的葡萄訟案

An accountant who tried to sue Marks & Spencer after he slipped on a grape and injured himself lost his case and was ordered to pay legal costs.

一名會計師在踩到葡萄滑倒受傷後控告Marks & Spencer公司，但他的案件敗訴，並被下令給付訴訟費用。

Alexander Martin-Sklan, 55, sued for more than 300,000 pounds over the 2004 incident in which he said a squashed grape from the store got lodged under the sole of his right sandal, causing him to slip and fall.

55歲的亞歷山大．馬丁—史克蘭為這起2004年的意外求償逾30萬英鎊，他聲稱因為店裡一顆壓扁的葡萄黏在他右腳涼鞋鞋底，讓他滑倒。

He said he suffered a ruptured quadricep, adverse psychological effects and depression following the incident, which meant that his business suffered and he could no longer ski or play tennis.

他說，意外導致他的四頭肌破裂，心理承受負面影響，和心情鬱悶，讓他的事業不順，他也不能再滑雪或打網球。

But the judge ruled against him, determining that while there may have been a grape or some "crushed fruit or similar" on the sole of Martin-Sklan’s sandal, he was not persuaded that it "caused the claimant to slip".

但法官並沒有判他勝訴，認定就算有葡萄或其他「壓扁的水果或類似物品」黏在馬丁—史克蘭的涼鞋鞋底下，他（法官）還是不相信這會「造成當事人滑倒」。

"In my judgment it was one of those accidents that could happen to anyone," the judge said.

「照我的判斷，它是可能發生在任何人身上的諸多意外之一，」法官說。

新聞辭典

lodge：動詞，卡住、嵌入、提出申訴、抗議。 lodge a complaint against …（控告、抗議…）。

adverse：形容詞，逆向的、不利的、反對的。Adverse situations inhibited their would-be success.（負面因素令他們無法成功。）

claimant：名詞，主張（權利）者、原告、索賠者。The claimant of the case made ridiculous demands.（案件原告提出荒謬的要求。）

來源：自由時報

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