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  • SATURDAY FEBRUARY 5 2005 12:31 PM

Neighborly Act Results in $900 Fine

Submitted by SquidProQuo

Edited by SquidProQuo

Two Colorado teenagers have been ordered to pay $900 in medical and court costs after a gift of cookies and paper hearts caused the recipient to experience anxiety and panic attacks.

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.


Forty-nine year old Wanita Renea Young, one of the neighbors who received the cookies, filed suit after being seen in the emergency room of a local hospital the next day. She claims that the gift, left on her doorstep at 10:30 p.m., had frightened her so badly that she thought she had experienced a heart attack.

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.

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Comments
SquidProQuo

SquidProQuo

Horsham, PA
April 2004

FEB 05, 2005 12:32 PM

Such is life in an overly litigious society. Where's the three-eyed surreal smiley-face when you need it? surreal Oh wait, there he is.

lovexasxarson221

lovexasxarson221

Martinez, CA
August 2004

FEB 05, 2005 12:38 PM

Thats lame... this why humanity is fucked, do a nice act for someone and you get sued.... they need a smiley face that shakes it's head in disgust...

DarthVayne

DarthVayne

Charlotte, NC
September 2004

FEB 05, 2005 12:41 PM

This is what I hate about our society... Do something nice, open yourself up to a lawsuit... so I always just say Fuck 'em All

wolfwood

wolfwood

Madison, WI
March 2003

FEB 05, 2005 12:41 PM

She was scared by COOKIES?! Wtf.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Krim

Krim

San Diego, CA
June 2003

FEB 05, 2005 12:43 PM

Yay for frivelous lawsuits. So much for those two people ever wanting to do random acts of kindness for the rest of their lives.

Next there will be a panhandler sueing someone because their dollar bill gave him a paper cut which he decided not to clean and instead wiped his ass with his hand and got infected and had medical expenses.

RiffProphet

RiffProphet

Palm Harbor, FL
January 2005

FEB 05, 2005 12:50 PM

I always wonder about the manhood about lawyers who take these cases. I mean is money more important than their manhood and their integrity as humans? smile Same for judges. Cant they get REAL jobs?? smile smile

[Edited on Feb 05, 2005 by RiffProphet]

Hati

Hati

Los Angeles, CA
December 2003

FEB 05, 2005 12:56 PM

That cookie tin better have said "This is a huge fucking bomb" on it, or that woman will forever be damned for suing sweet little girls.

I'm guessing it didn't.

daniyell

daniyell

Ottawa, ON
December 2003

FEB 05, 2005 12:58 PM

This is ridiculous. Some kids actually do something nice for people, and they get fined. Kids do something bad, they get fined. What the hell are kids supposed to do these days??!!

Xertion

Xertion

Brooklyn, NY
December 2004

FEB 05, 2005 01:20 PM

They left out the most important part. Why was the old woman so scared? There has to be a reason. Even though it shouldn't cause a damn lawsuit.

WaTed

WaTed

United Kingdom
September 2002

FEB 05, 2005 01:23 PM

Xertion said:
They left out the most important part. Why was the old woman so scared? There has to be a reason. Even though it shouldn't cause a damn lawsuit.



She thought the terrorists had invaded and left her a cookie bomb?

hermetica

hermetica

Cook Islands
January 2004

FEB 05, 2005 01:28 PM

Hati said:
That cookie tin better have said "This is a huge fucking bomb" on it, or that woman will forever be damned for suing sweet little girls.

I'm guessing it didn't.



I agree.. though I wouldnt call 17 and 18 year olds 'sweet little girls'.. I'm wondering if theres some other reason she didnt like the girls and this was her excuse to go after them..

Chitin

Chitin

New York, NY
December 2004

FEB 05, 2005 01:30 PM

I'm thinking this woman has serious issues.

dem_z

dem_z

United Kingdom
June 2004

FEB 05, 2005 01:36 PM

I bet they were cat's head cookies.

threejane

threejane

San Francisco, CA
November 2004

FEB 05, 2005 01:37 PM

daniyell said:
This is ridiculous. Some kids actually do something nice for people, and they get fined. Kids do something bad, they get fined. What the hell are kids supposed to do these days??!!



Go to a dance where there might be cursing.

dem_z

dem_z

United Kingdom
June 2004

FEB 05, 2005 01:38 PM

Wait, you missed a photo. They look FUCKING EVIL mad eeek eeek mad eeek eeek



See?

EDIT: Wait, I didn't mean "FUCKING EVIL", I meant "sweet and cute", but not in a shaggable way.

[Edited on Feb 05, 2005 by demetrius_z]

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