From CNN :
— A former handyman has won more than $400,000 in a lawsuit over a penile implant that gave him a 10-year erection. Charles “Chick” Lennon, 68, received the steel and plastic implant in 1996, about two years before Viagra went on the market. The Dura-II (not shown above – ed.) is designed to allow impotent men to position the penis upward for sex, then lower it.
But Lennon could not position his penis downward. He said he could no longer hug people, ride a bike, swim or wear bathing trunks because of the pain and embarrassment. He has become a recluse and is uncomfortable being around his grandchildren, his lawyer said.
In 2004, a jury awarded him $750,000. A judge called that excessive and reduced it to $400,000. On Friday, the Rhode Island Supreme Court affirmed that award in a ruling that turned on a procedural matter.
Without wishing to scoff at Mr. Lennon’s pain and suffering, there does seem to be a missed opportunity here. Admittedly, I’ve not spent a lot of time in Providence over the past decade, but if my memories of the town are in any way accurate, it was most definetly the kind of place where a man named Chick with a permanent hard on could become very, very popular.