News & Politics - Strangest lawsuit in awhile

TokyoNiGHTS · 02-04-2005, 06:27 PM

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Durango - Two teenage girls decided one summer's evening to skip a dance where there might be cursing and drinking to stay home and bake cookies for their neighbors.

Big mistake.

They were sued, successfully, for an unauthorized cookie drop on one porch.

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nside one of the nine scattered rural homes south of Durango that got cookies that night, a 49-year-old woman became so terrified by the knocks on her door around 10:30 p.m. that she called the sheriff's department. Deputies determined that no crime had been committed.

But Wanita Renea Young ended up in the hospital emergency room the next day after suffering a severe anxiety attack she thought might be a heart attack.

A Durango judge Thursday awarded Young almost $900 to recoup her medical bills. She received nothing for pain and suffering.

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"We feel that knocking on a door and leaving cookies is a gesture of kindness and would not create an anxiety attack in the general public," Taylor's parents wrote to the court.

The girls wrote letters of apology to Young. Taylor's letter, written a few days after the episode, said in part: "I didn't realize this would cause trouble for you. ... I just wanted you to know that someone cared about you and your family."

The families had offered to pay Young's medical bills if she would agree to indemnify the families against future claims.

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,...691638,00.html

So now you aren't even allowed to be nice to people? I could understand the story if it were a bunch of kids running from door to door abnging on them with only the intention of bugging people, but they aren't doing that. And then this woman can't even accept their apology?

Lain · 02-04-2005, 08:40 PM

You're right...this is the strangest case PERIOD!! Whoever thought being nice could get you sued.

roswellain_chick16 · 02-04-2005, 08:59 PM

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Originally Posted by angel_boogiepop

You're right...this is the strangest case PERIOD!! Whoever thought being nice could get you sued.

WeIrD!!!!

I will never be nice - ever again!

mh67511 · 02-04-2005, 10:22 PM

Actually I can kind of understand where she was coming from. My parents live in the country and at 10:30 at night it is pitch black out. If I heard someone knocking on the door that late at night I'd be a little freaked out too.

If you're going to back cookies, don't drop them off at 10:30 p.m. For all you know they are sleeping and you'd just be disturbing them. I just can't understand. Why would you do that at 10:30 at night? Doesn't make sense to me. I can understand during the day when it's light out, but late at night. Who knows?

But suing them for it? It's not THEIR fault she had an anxiety attack. She made the decision to go to the emergency room. She could have heard a strange noise outside and had the same thing happen. She should go on some medicine for anxiety maybe.

WalkingOnSunshine · 02-04-2005, 10:30 PM

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Originally Posted by mh67511

Actually I can kind of understand where she was coming from. My parents live in the country and at 10:30 at night it is pitch black out. If I heard someone knocking on the door that late at night I'd be a little freaked out too.

If you're going to back cookies, don't drop them off at 10:30 p.m. For all you know they are sleeping and you'd just be disturbing them. I just can't understand. Why would you do that at 10:30 at night? Doesn't make sense to me. I can understand during the day when it's light out, but late at night. Who knows?

That is the same thing I was thinking. I mean giving cookies to a neighbor is nice & all, but at 10:30 at night? I don't really care how close my neighbor thinks we are I do not want them dropping anything off at that hour. I suppose it depends on the area you are in, but I know at my grandparents' farm it would spook their animals and them if that happened. Sometimes people just do not really think their actions completely through.

I think this is just a case of kids not really thinking though their intentions seem innocent enough. And, a "victim" overacting and yet again taking their problems to court.

TokyoNiGHTS · 02-05-2005, 12:42 AM

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Originally Posted by mh67511

Actually I can kind of understand where she was coming from. My parents live in the country and at 10:30 at night it is pitch black out. If I heard someone knocking on the door that late at night I'd be a little freaked out too.

If you're going to back cookies, don't drop them off at 10:30 p.m. For all you know they are sleeping and you'd just be disturbing them. I just can't understand. Why would you do that at 10:30 at night? Doesn't make sense to me. I can understand during the day when it's light out, but late at night. Who knows?

But suing them for it? It's not THEIR fault she had an anxiety attack. She made the decision to go to the emergency room. She could have heard a strange noise outside and had the same thing happen. She should go on some medicine for anxiety maybe.

I can understand her being upset. I can't understand why you would want to punish kids who had no intention to harm you at all. 10:30 is late to be handing out stuff but it wasn't their intention to cause any harm to the woman. It just seems like she's going over the line for punishing them for being nice. Then she claims their apology isn't real, which is basically her saying that they were trying to cause her harm.

phyco52 · 02-05-2005, 02:20 AM

okay so they didnt go to a dance that was was going to have alcohol and drugs and stuff but stayed home baked cookies and decided to share and knock on doors in the middle of the night.......this is weird........but who would go out in the middle of the night and just start knocking on doors........strange.........did I miss how old they were cuz that might explain somethings

mh67511 · 02-05-2005, 10:37 AM

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Originally Posted by TokyoNiGHTS

I can understand her being upset. I can't understand why you would want to punish kids who had no intention to harm you at all. 10:30 is late to be handing out stuff but it wasn't their intention to cause any harm to the woman. It just seems like she's going over the line for punishing them for being nice. Then she claims their apology isn't real, which is basically her saying that they were trying to cause her harm.

Dude I agree with you, the lady is nuts to sue. I'm just saying it's kind of strange to be going knocking doors at 10:30 p.m.

**TheAngel** · 02-05-2005, 01:34 PM

It's possble that the girls simply lost track of time. If the houses were far apart than it might have taken a while to pass out the cookies, or the baking could have taken longer than expected and they still wanted to pass them out. They probably didn't even think about the time, most teenagers wouldn't. Not out of a lack of consideration but simply not thinking about it. I mean, it's not their fault the lady had an anxiety attack. It sounds like she needs to be on medication anyway.

Lain · 02-05-2005, 11:53 PM

Welp, I know it's a little weird to be delivering cookies at 10:30 at night. Although, I read another version of this story and it said that the neighbors that got the cookies from the girls actually enjoyed it...

***Jerry D*** · 02-06-2005, 05:51 AM

Granted, dropping off cookies at 10:30 PM is a little late, but it could very well be that the girls lost track of time, and it's preposterous that these girls were sued for this and had to pay a fine. That woman should be ashamed of herself.


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