Batman beware: the next time the Dark Knight sets off to foil the plans of a villainous mastermind determined to wreak havoc upon the good people of Gotham City, he better be gentle in his crime fighting efforts or else he could wind up embroiled in an expensive lawsuit.  At least that’s the lesson to be learned from a contender in this month’s Most Ridiculous Lawsuit Poll, in which a would-be bicycle thief is suing the three men who captured him, claiming he is the victim of a rough citizen’s arrest. 

After a resident of St. Petersburg, Florida, noticed that his car was broken into and his bicycle missing, he and two other men quickly tracked down the thief and put him in a shoulder-hold until police arrived.  Now, even though the burglar was convicted of the crime, he is suing his apprehenders for $500,000.  While half a million dollars might be chump-change to Bruce Wayne, a $500,000 judgment would likely put quite a dent in these crime fighters’ bank accounts.

This suit is just one of several ridiculous lawsuits competing in this month’s poll.  Here are the others:

• A passenger sues an airline claiming it should have protected her from a screaming toddler;
• Customers bring a class-action lawsuit against the 99 Cents Only store for raising prices by less than a penny;
• A lawyer brings a lawsuit claiming to be LeBron James’ father, arguing that DNA results proving his paternity were tampered with; and
• A couple staying overnight in a Wal-Mart parking lot sues the store after an intruder tried to break into their motor home.

Go to FacesOfLawsuitAbuse.org and cast your vote before the month is up.  And while you’re there, check out last month’s Most Ridiculous Lawsuit winner: a woman who walked into traffic who sued Google for providing unsafe directions.