Posted on 02/05/2005 12:26:24 PM PST by beyond the sea
DURANGO, Colo. (Reuters) - A Colorado judge ordered two teen-age girls to pay about $900 for the distress a neighbor said they caused by giving her home-made cookies adorned with paper hearts.
The pair were ordered to pay $871.70 plus $39 in court costs after neighbor Wanita Renea Young, 49, filed a lawsuit complaining that the unsolicited cookies, left at her house after the girls knocked on her door, had triggered an anxiety attack that sent her to the hospital the next day.
Taylor Ostergaard, then 17, and Lindsey Jo Zellitte, 18, paid the judgment on Thursday after a small claims court ruling by La Plata County Court Judge Doug Walker, a court clerk said on Friday.
The girls baked cookies as a surprise for several of their rural Colorado neighbors on July 31 and dropped off small batches on their porches, accompanied by red or pink paper hearts and the message: "Have a great night."
The Denver Post newspaper reported on Friday that the girls had decided to stay home and bake the cookies rather than go to a dance where there might be cursing and drinking.
It reported that six neighbors wrote letters entered as evidence in the case thanking the girls for the cookies.
But Young said she was frightened because the two had knocked on her door at about 10:30 p.m. and run off after leaving the cookies.
She went to a hospital emergency room the next day, fearing that she had suffered a heart attack, court records said.
The judge awarded Young her medical costs, but did not award punitive damages. He said he did not think the girls had acted maliciously but that 10:30 was fairly late at night for them to be out.
How curious are you about who the complainant, Wanita Renea Young, is? If the report is true and the girls didn't want to go to a party where there would be cursing and drinking, I think we can safely say that they are not being raised by left wing liberal parents. I'd say the girls are moral, upright, citizens. The report doesnt say, by my instincts tell me that the girls are also Christians, and Wanita Renea Young is not. But I guess we will never know unless some Freeper lives next door to Ms. Young and fills in the details.
As long as I am speculating, what is the chance that Ms. Young is not married, or perhaps is living with a partner? Is SHE a liberal? Wouldnt you just love to know the real story behind the story?
But Young said she was frightened because the two had knocked on her door at about 10:30 p.m. and run off after leaving the cookies.
Ok, I realize that I'm not a literary genius, but either "run off" is a typo, or Ms. Young is not speaking good English. I'm not even going to get into what that means to me because it's irrelevant, but i have my suspicions, especially since the reports is silent on the subject.
At any rate that is not the point, can you envision two young girls, on a mission of love, "running off" after leaving the candy on the porch? Yes, actually I can. Assuming that they didn't want the credit for their good deed, or they thought it would be more a surprise if Ms. Young just found the candy sitting on the porch.
Now we don't know yet how the candy was packaged, but let's assume the worse, perhaps it was in a plain cardboard box, or a paper bag, with no indication as to what the contents might be? I ask you, would a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities be likely to become so hysterical that she would need medical treatment after seeing the package on her front porch? I don't think so. I'm assuming of course that the neighborhood has not had a rash of front porch bombings. In a bad neighborhood, perhaps at night you would not want to cross paths with- well I can't say or I might be accused of racial profiling and bigotry, but let's just say it's a person who we know from statistics is more likely to be a drug addict than say Mother Theresa.
So to speculate even further, since the Judge evidently thought that a person of ordinary sensibilities would need medical treatment, I assume he is a liberal? Appointed by a democrat, or elected as a democrat. I don't think that statement show bias on my part, just experience. What do you think? You read the papers. You know who makes the ridiculous decisions.
To Be Continued?
You're so right, Joe. An upside down world. Maybe 10:30 adds to the spookiness, but the girls were on their rounds and by definition, they're teenagers...thinking things through absolutely clearly is something they are still learning to do. But what lesson will they learn from this? I hope that all they conclude is that there are some nutty and greedy people in the world.
"I can see why a woman might be upset by the anonymous gift."
Your kidding right? Please tell me you're kidding, because if you're not, then you need to move out of your neighborhood, it must be run by drug lords
If this is a glowing example of the need for reigning in the Judiciary, I don't know what is
Ditto
It's the extremist Judicial belief that if someone is harmed, someone must pay. Regardless if any determinable negligence occured. That is a dangerous belief that promotes incessant litigation
No, I am not kidding. They could easily appear to have been a 'gift' from a stalker.
My own neighborhood here feels perfectly safe to me. I frequently don't even lock the door (I know that's unwise).
She's married. Hubby was out of town. One report said she was home with her elderly mom and 18yr. old daughter. Her hubby now has a restraining order against him from one of the girls family for harrassing phone calls.
Well when you consider the facts, the girls could have been terrorists leaving a IED on the poor woman's porch, whereas the 3 detainees didn't do anything to deserve punishment. (sarcasm)
Upset enough to go the hospital? I don't think so. This is a travesty.
Well, I already said that this was all rather silly, but there are some rather high-strung, foolish people out there...
That being said, how do we know what's in this woman's past that might make her especially skittish about this kind of thing? She may've been an abuse victim.
You may be right. But as a matter of principle do we want to make our societal decisions based on the impact on the most skittish amongst us? There is something known as a "reasonable person" standard. That should have been applied here.
"Sick, greedy, psycho bitch. That goes double to the lawyer that handled the case and triple to the judge."
I seriously doubt that a lawyer was involved. In most states lawyers are not allowed in small claims court.
It seems like the put judges with small brains in small claims court.
Well, that's an excellent point - and I don't think the judgment has very much merit. All I really wanted to say to begin with is that the girls should've signed the cards!
"Going with the Patriots. How about you?"
I was going with the Pats but I just heard that the girls intend to put cookies in their lockers. No way the Pats will be able to compose themselves by game time.
On that we agree!
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