Monday, February 07, 2005
Girls fined for giving neighbor cookies
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Girls fined for giving neighbor cookies: "DURANGO, Colorado (Reuters) - A Colorado judge ordered two teen-age girls to pay about $900 (480 pounds) for the distress a neighbor said they caused by giving her home-made cookies adorned with paper hearts."
Can anyone believe this? These teenaged girls, then 17 and 18, decided not to go to a teen dance scheduled for that night because they did not want to expose themselves to all the "drinking and swearing" that goes on at such teen events today, even in rural Colorado.
So, instead, they stayed home and baked cookies for their neighbors. They put little hearts on them saying "Have a great night" and dropped them off anonymously, which has been the custom for Christian giving since the crucifixion of Jesus. One might applaud such selflessness on the part of two so young.
But these girls made one mistake, they didn't deliver some of the cookies until 10:30pm, which the judge felt was a little too late and their late night knocking evidently stressed out one of their neighbors so badly that she had to go to the hospital the next day because of an anxiety attack.
The woman, Wanita Renea Young, 49, says "she thought someone was coming through the door" and that she saw "a strange figure in the window" while "no one responded" when she called out who is there a few times. She became so distraught over the late night knocking at her door that she felt like she was having a heart attack as they drove to a family members house to spend the night on the advice of the sheriffs department.
Even though the rest of the neighbors all wrote letters saying what a nice gesture they thought the girls actions were, the judge awarded Young $900 in medical bills, but thankfully, refused to award any punitive damages since he did not believe the girls had acted maliciously or intended their "victim" any harm.
Who knew it would be safer legally to go to the dance with all the underage drinking and swearing rather than do something nice for your neighbors? I think if someone is that anxious, they should at least post a sign on their door warning others of their condition before they sue for knocking on their door and leaving a tasty surprise.
Can anyone believe this? These teenaged girls, then 17 and 18, decided not to go to a teen dance scheduled for that night because they did not want to expose themselves to all the "drinking and swearing" that goes on at such teen events today, even in rural Colorado.
So, instead, they stayed home and baked cookies for their neighbors. They put little hearts on them saying "Have a great night" and dropped them off anonymously, which has been the custom for Christian giving since the crucifixion of Jesus. One might applaud such selflessness on the part of two so young.
But these girls made one mistake, they didn't deliver some of the cookies until 10:30pm, which the judge felt was a little too late and their late night knocking evidently stressed out one of their neighbors so badly that she had to go to the hospital the next day because of an anxiety attack.
The woman, Wanita Renea Young, 49, says "she thought someone was coming through the door" and that she saw "a strange figure in the window" while "no one responded" when she called out who is there a few times. She became so distraught over the late night knocking at her door that she felt like she was having a heart attack as they drove to a family members house to spend the night on the advice of the sheriffs department.
Even though the rest of the neighbors all wrote letters saying what a nice gesture they thought the girls actions were, the judge awarded Young $900 in medical bills, but thankfully, refused to award any punitive damages since he did not believe the girls had acted maliciously or intended their "victim" any harm.
Who knew it would be safer legally to go to the dance with all the underage drinking and swearing rather than do something nice for your neighbors? I think if someone is that anxious, they should at least post a sign on their door warning others of their condition before they sue for knocking on their door and leaving a tasty surprise.
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