Judge Awards $45,480 In Cat's Death

Seattle Times ^ | May 9, 2005 | Warren Cornwall and Craig Welch

[MississippiMasterpiece]

Paula Roemer keeps two urns with ashes of beloved pets. Yofi's ashes, at left, are with a booklet Roemer created for court featuring pictures of the pet.

[EagleUSA]

Only in a blue state...

[Knute]

It's a CAT... These things happen. Good grief!

[dionyza]

And if it was a smaller dog being mauled, would you still say, 'these things happen'?

Or a parrot? Hamster? Child?

[Rennes Templar]

Insane.

[New Orleans Slim]

Hmmm, actually since that company that clones cats does so at $50k a pop, the person who brought this suit should have sought an additional $50k as the cost of replacement. Now that would be an interesting case.

[Constitution Day]

Cha-ching!
"Cashin' in" must be use #102...

[Hischild]

Excuse me, but I would hardly classify a child with a parrot, hamster, or cat.

[Sacajaweau]

Some judges shouldn't be judges. Her loss was not worth $45,000 no matter how you explain it. What's the hidden relationship here?

[dionyza]

However, if it's something, or one, you care deeply about, then why not?

[neutrino]

Good! And I hope she pursues aggressive collection procedures, including (but not limited to) ex parte' garnishment of bank accounts, seizure of real property, and (my personal favorite) getting a court order to enter the debtor's house with a sheriff's deputy to inventory non-exempt property.

The nice thing about garnishment of people's bank accounts is that the bank tacks on a service charge of about $400 per garnishment. Yes, it comes out of the debtor's account and is not counted as part of the satisfaction of the judgment.

Make the debtor's life pure, unmitigated Hell.

[bboop]

The inmates are running the assylum.

[najida]

I'm glad a judge at least understood that the cat had value to the owner...and that the idiot with the dog was responsible for the destruction of someone elses 'item of value'.

Hrmpt,
as for birds,
check out what a Black Palm or Major Mitchell's Cockatoo is going for these days ;)

[FreedomCalls]

Insane.

Literally. Anyone who "keeps two urns with ashes of beloved pets" is certifiable as a mental case. IMO.

[Zacs Mom]

VK ping? ~

[FreedomCalls]

Or a parrot? Hamster? Child?

Do you seriously value a child the same as a hampster or a parrot? If so, you are insane.

[FreedomCalls]

I'm glad a judge at least understood that the cat had value to the owner

I think it's the size of the value that's appalling, not just the fact of the existence of a value attached to a cat.

[ikka]

Gray did not appear in court for the case and was not represented by a lawyer, Karp said.

They better be very certain that they have proof of serving the papers to him.

That aside, NO CAT IS WORTH $45K . The cat was 13 years old and would have died soon anyways.

[martin_fierro]

[sandydipper]

Where did the dog kill the cat?? Was the free roaming cat(s) in the dogs yard?

My neighbor lets his cats roam around the neighborhood killing birds - that I love - with immunity. Ask me if I like it!