Yeah, Right, Whatever

Dang. Why can't I have neighbors like these girls?

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.

So... as the sun was setting, these two girls (who had parental approval- under the condition that Dear Old Dad got some cookies, too, of course) set out to deliver their treats to their neighbors.

Just as dusk arrived a little after 9 p.m., Taylor and Lindsey began their mad spree. They didn't stop at houses that were dark. But where lights shone, the girls figured people were awake and in need of cookies. A kitchen light was on at Young's home.

Court records contain half a dozen letters from neighbors who said that they enjoyed the unexpected treats.

The cookies were good. It was a nice surprise. They weren't scared.

So, what's the big deal, you ask? Have these girls not received their medals for kindness yet or something? Far from it. They were sued!

But Young, home with her own 18-year-old daughter and her elderly mother, said she saw shadowy figures who banged and banged at her door. When she called out, "Who's there?" no one answered. The figures ran off.

Yeah, she called the cops. They stopped by, basicly said, "yum, cookies! may we?" and left. So, she left, spent the night at her sister's house, and then went to the hospital the next morning because she thought she was having a heartattack.

This is where it gets... weird. When the girls' parents found out what happened, they (and the girls)were horrified. They wrote her a letter of apology, offering to pay her medical bills. But, nooooooo.

The families had offered to pay Young's medical bills if she would agree to indemnify the families against future claims. Young wouldn't sign the agreement. She said the families' apologies rang false and weren't delivered in person.

So... she sued (the article didn't say on what grounds... I didn't know you could sue someone for scaring the bejesus out of you... dang... wish I known that... ) The judge ruled in Young's favor, awarding her almost $900 to cover medical expenses (not bad for an ER bill).

The judge said that he didn't think the girls acted maliciously but that it was pretty late at night for them to be out. He didn't award any punitive damages.

So, here's what I'm thinkin'... she had a bit of a scare. Granted. Makes sense to me. (Although, when I was scared by someone at the door, it was a suspected drug dealer at 3am, but that's a story for another day.) Anyway, when the "We're sorry! Please don't sue us!" she saw stars... or, more likely, dollar signs. She figured she could pick up the cost of the medical expenses plus enough to maybe put her daughter through college and maybe have enough left over to take her mom to Branson for that vacation she's been looking forward to. And I think maybe the judge knew that, too.

Am I being too harsh on Ms. Young? Uh... no. If she was honest about wanting to teach the girls a lesson, then she should have accepted the original offer with the addendum that the girls perform some sort of community service or something like that. She didn't want to teach them a lesson. She wanted to stick it to their parents.

This was definitely a frivalous lawsuit, and I'm glad the judge didn't feel like "teaching these girls a lesson." Think this will serve as a warning to others who think they can make a quick buck off of a misunderstanding? Neither do I.

And, just a note to the teenage girls... feel free to leave cookies on my door anytime you want. I promise not to call the cops, and I promise to share with my friends.