Gift of Cookies Crumbles; Girls Told to Pay $900

[Galleywench]

This is one of those times when I am quite certain if I happened to have $900 to spare that I would be sending it off to these girls. Knowing how hard it is to get people to do something nice just for the sake of being nice....and shame on that neighbor for the frivolous lawsuit! A phone call to a parent maybe but not to a lawyer. What a horrid sign of our times that a 49 year old woman would have an anxiety attack over a basket of cookies left on her doorstep. I would get nervous at a knock on the door at 10:30 at night...but if this woman is so over wound to be sent the next day to an ER...she has more than cookies to be worried about.



Updated: 08:07 AM EST
Gift of Cookies Crumbles; Girls Told to Pay $900


DURANGO, Colo. (Feb. 4) - A Colorado judge ordered two teen-age girls to pay about $900 for the distress a neighbor said they caused by giving her home-made cookies adorned with paper hearts.

The pair were ordered to pay $871.70 plus $39 in court costs after neighbor Wanita Renea Young, 49, filed a lawsuit complaining that the unsolicited cookies, left at her house after the girls knocked on her door, had triggered an anxiety attack that sent her to the hospital the next day.

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.

It reported that six neighbors wrote letters entered as evidence in the case thanking the girls for the cookies.

But Young said she was frightened because the two had knocked on her door at about 10:30 p.m. and run off after leaving the cookies.

She went to a hospital emergency room the next day, fearing that she had suffered a heart attack, court records said.

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.


02-05-05 08:13 EST

[AnnaFaerie]

Ok.....what is wrong with the judge? This woman is a nut for suing, but the judge should have told her to get herself to a shrink to see what in hell is wrong with her that this would have frightened her so badly that she had to seek medical help. What is this world coming to when a kindness is answered in this maner?

[Adriana Rose]

I saw this on the news last night.

A local radio staion has raised $1,900 for the girls, what is left of the money that they raised is going to go to the Columbine Scolarships.

This is a dumb case and the judge should have thrown it out on the pure stupid nature of it.

All I have to say is whats next? Sueing Girl Scouts?

[Galleywench]

I saw this on the news last night.

A local radio staion has raised $1,900 for the girls, what is left of the money that they raised is going to go to the Columbine Scolarships.

This is a dumb case and the judge should have thrown it out on the pure stupid nature of it.

All I have to say is whats next? Sueing Girl Scouts?

I am glad that someone was able to help them out!

[Magdalene]

My two cents.....

Was the lawsuit dumb? Yes.

However, what the two teenagers did was equally dumb. I do not know how they were raised, but where I come from, you do NOT come pounding on a neighbor's door at 10:30 p.m. unless it's an emergency. When the neighbor asked, "Who is it?" the girls should have responded, not run off. And in this day and age, do they really think somebody's going to eat treats left by persons unknown?

If the girls are so eager to be good neighbors, let them do so at proper visiting hours, where their neighbors can see them.

Hopefully both sides have learned their lesson from this.

[Kae]

I don't know about you guys, but the fact that 2 teenagers went out of their way to be nice - is invigorating to hear. I don't care if they left them at midnight! And if the woman was so afraid she was having a heart attack, why did she wait until the next day to go see a doctor? Kindness should be repaid not fined. If they made a mistake, they can apologize but maybe the neighbor shoudl take another look at how she views life?

Kae

[Lady Laurel]

Another case of frivilous lawsuits. I dont understand what the judge was thinking. They may have gone to the neighbors house a little late but they were doing something kind for the neighbors in thier area. They should have rewarded not fined. Maybe the most they owed thier neighbor was an apology for trying to do something nice for her.

[Mylilpinkpig]

She thought she was having a heart attack but she waited until the next day to go to the hospital? That makes no sense.

[Jessa]

Sounds like the girls were just naive about how disturbing their behaviour could have appeared. I know that if some mystery person knocked on my door at that hour and left behind non-sealed food items, I'd send that cake over to the police lab for inspection. But, I sure wouldn't have a heart attack or blame the girls for wrong doing.

Its a shame that they have to learn so harshly that kindness is repayed with cruelty. A friendly talk about visiting hours and the dangers of undentified foods would have gotten the point across far more justly.

[Branwen]

Just an update to the post. It's an update on the Girls lawsuit.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
True Stella Awards #59: 16 March 2005 www.StellaAwards.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE LONG, SAD TALE OF A GIFT PLATE OF COOKIES
by Randy Cassingham

Out of school for the summer last year, Taylor Ostergaard and Lindsey
Jo Zellitti, 17 and 18 at the time, were looking for a project. One
evening they decided to make some home-baked cookies to bring cheer to
their neighbors. They had to skip a dance to do it, but Taylor asked her
father for permission for the cookie project. He gave his permission with
two conditions: the chores had to be done, and he had to get some of the
cookies!

By the time the cookies were all made the sun was just dipping below
the horizon, so Taylor and Lindsey rushed out to deliver them, only
stopping at the houses of their Durango, Colo., neighbors where lights
were on inside.

Part of the idea was to do anonymous good deeds, so they put a message
on each plate. Written on a big red heart, it read: "Have a great night.
Love, The T and L Club."

One of the nine neighbors they delivered to was the Young's. Wanita
"Renea" Young, 49, was home, and a light was on in her kitchen. The teens
put a plate of cookies on her porch, knocked at the door, and scampered
off -- they were doing anonymous good deeds, after all, so it wouldn't
work if they were seen!

Renea says she was startled to hear someone at the door at night and
called out, "Who's there?" Of course, the two gals were already gone.
With no reply forthcoming, Renea says she was so terrified that she
called 911. The sheriff responded and found no signs of trouble, no
vandalism, no trespass -- just a plate of cookies. The next day she was
still suffering from such severe anxiety she thought she was having a
heart attack. She checked into the emergency room, but she was not having
any heart problems.

When Taylor and Lindsey found out a neighbor had been frightened by
their good deed, they were horrified. Quite understandably, they chose
not to go knocking at Renea's door, so each sent her a letter of apology.
Taylor's said in part she "didn't realize this would cause trouble for
you. ... I just wanted you to know that someone cared about you and your
family."

The Ostergaard and Zellitti families offered to pay Renea's medical
bills -- about $900 worth -- if she would sign a release saying she
wouldn't sue. An over-reaction? Not in this day in age. Renea refused to
sign the release. She said that she was not satisfied with the written
apologies, in large part because they weren't delivered in person, so she
filed suit in La Plata County Small Claims Court. The suit demanded
$3,000 to cover her medical expenses, a motion-sensor light for her
porch, lost wages, and punitive damages.

Taylor and Lindsey quickly learned an important life lesson: good
deeds often don't go unpunished.

The teens brought letters from other neighbors saying they liked the
cookies, they found the gift a lovely surprise -- and noted that they
weren't terrified by the girls' gift. Taylor's parents also wrote to the
court. "We feel that knocking on a door and leaving cookies is a gesture
of kindness," they said, "and would not create an anxiety attack in the
general public."

Judge Doug Walker heard the case. Since the families had offered to
pay Renea's medical bills, he awarded her the $900, but no more -- no
motion-sensor light, no punitive damages, no lost wages, no pain and
suffering.

Taylor "cried and cried" when she and Lindsey lost in court, her
mother Jill says. "She felt she was being punished for doing something
nice." The teens declined to make a statement to reporters.

But Renea was happy to talk. Despite her victory in court, she was far
from conciliatory. She said the girls showed "very poor judgment" and
shouldn't have been "running around" at night since "something bad could
have happened to them." (You mean, some evil Cookie Monster could sue
them or something?) As for her lawsuit, she said she hopes "the girls
learned a lesson." She also appeared on CNN, claiming the girls pounded
on the door so hard they damaged it.

But even with final judgment of the local court, the story was far
from over. The story came out in the state's largest newspaper, and
people from all over Colorado were outraged that someone would be so mean
as to sue two teens trying to do something nice for their neighbors. They
had even apologized, in writing, and offered to pay her medical bills!
Scores of people offered to donate to a fund to pay the legal judgment;
several offered to pay it all. The girls said if they ended up with more
money than the court awarded, they'd donate it to the "Never Forgotten"
scholarship fund for students from Columbine High, the Denver-area school
that was the scene of the 1999 mass-murder shooting spree by two
students. If donors preferred, they'd use the money for their own college
educations. So much money rolled in they added other charities, including
two children's hospitals.

But that's not the end either. Within days the story spread throughout
the country. Taylor and Lindsey were invited to appear on various TV
shows, from "Good Morning America" to "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno".
They turned down most of the requests. "We were afraid Mr. Leno might
make jokes at our neighbor's expense," said Lindsey's mother, Martha. But
they did appear on GMA since they "thought it might be their one shot to
tell the country they're still not afraid to do good deeds." She stressed
the two families were not upset with the Youngs or the judge.

Taylor's mother agreed with the low public profile. "The girls don't
need to go on these shows to defend themselves," Jill Ostergaard says.
"Their best defense is the way they live their lives every day."

Sadly, Richard Ostergaard felt it necessary to go back to court the
day after the judgment: he got a restraining order against Renea's
husband, Herb Young. Herb, he said, was making harassing phone calls to
them. Herb says his phone has been ringing a lot too, and that he and his
wife have been getting insults and threats from "crackpots". They claim
they have been told they "are what's wrong with society" and that they
"should be found dead in a ditch."

"I don't believe the girls meant for this to happen," Herb says. "But
they could have prevented it from happening if they had just shut their
mouths when they came out of court." Yet remember, the girls refused to
make any statement to reporters after they lost their case, and only
relented and appeared on some talk shows after Renea started talking to
the media. The initial newspaper report was built from court records --
and Renea's statements to the press. Yet they complained "their side" was
ignored in the press.

"All this over cookies," Renea says, completely missing the point. She
says she's "devastated" by the reaction to her suit, and is so stressed
she can't return to her part-time job at Wal-Mart.

Let's hope she doesn't sue over her continuing stress. A check of
court records by the Denver Post found that the cookie case wasn't the
first time the Youngs had been in court. They had sued, or been sued, at
least nine times, with at least two of the cases involving restraining
orders, the Post says. They were sued by a bank, a creditor, a
construction company, an employee, and more -- and most of the time they
lost.

"Our home is like a funeral parlor," Renea comlpains. "They've robbed
us of our laughter. My spirit, my soul, is damaged." She says she and
Herb may have to move out of town.

But hey: she won.

[Lady Sarah]

:roll:

this is my favorite part "Our home is like a funeral parlor," Renea comlpains. "They've robbed us of our laughter. My spirit, my soul, is damaged." She says she and Herb may have to move out of town.

I'm sorry, there was laughter in her house? Since when? If she's so stressed she can't go back to work, and a plat of cookies gave her an anxiety attack so bad she mistook it for a heart attack, then it seems to me there was no laughter to begin with.

[Eric McTavish]

I'm sorry, there was laughter in her house? Since when? If she's so stressed she can't go back to work, and a plat of cookies gave her an anxiety attack so bad she mistook it for a heart attack, then it seems to me there was no laughter to begin with.

LOL!!!

I wonder how much the girls got all together???

[WenchyMom]

you know I'm sorry the fact the woman had the issue and thought it best to sue the girls. I would have thought a letter of apology, mailed, would be extremely considerate because it probably costs more to mail the darn letter then to go over to her house. I'm upset that the judge didn't just tell the woman to stuff her Anxiety attack in her ear, but I'm glad he just gave her the medical costs (since that's what the family offered in the first place). To be honest these people just sound like they were wanting easy money since they've had numerous lawsuits anyway and sounds like they've had problems also. Since she called the Sheriff and he told her all he found were those I'd have asked him if they looked suspicious to him if they did I'd have them taken to him, if he didn't feel any "bad vibes" from then, I'd have taken them into my home and gobbled them up like the well meant gift they were. I'm glad the girls are such that they aren't trying to slam this lady and her misdeed of sueing, and that they've offered to give the money back to charities. It speaks well of thier character and upbrining.

[Galleywench]

The girls parents should be very proud of them....thanks for the follow up.

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

Herb says his phone has been ringing a lot too, and that he and his
wife have been getting insults and threats from "crackpots". They claim
they have been told they "are what's wrong with society" and that they
"should be found dead in a ditch."

Uh.... well, yeah. Sounds about right. :)

But while finding them dead in a ditch would be a nice warm fuzzy, I don't approve... never go for the kill when you can go for the pain. :twisted:

It's heartwarming to know that while our courts of law might be fucked up beyond belief, at least the court of public opinion gets it right every now and then.

[Lady Laurel]

It takes one bad apple. I think the girls will over come it and be better for it. Hopefully this lady will find a good doctor to help her. :roll:

[AshleyTheWench]

I heard about that case, but not the update. LOL Omg, that woman was an IDIOT. Oh boohoo soooob, you cant go back to your job at Walmart, oh life is just so terrible for you.

To me, it sounds like Renna young is an attention whore. If she's been in court over nine times before, she must like the attention and have a 'look at me, look at me attitude.

Boohoo, she and her husband might have to move out of town. How horrible for her. Not.

Man, I'd give these girls money too if I wasnt dirt poor. Lol, maybe _I'd_ go make cookies and knock on the womans door.

You know. I could understand her being afraid if she was single, but she has a husband, as soon as he got home, (if he wasnt there at the time) she could of told him she was scared and he could of asked the neighbors if they saw anything.

This woman is a moron.

[Bevin]

I'd love it if everyone in the area got together...say around midnight, knocked on the jackass's door, and left like a hundred plates of cookies LOL

[WenchLadyKate]

I wonder what happened now that it's a year later... ::tinfoil:::runfore:

***EDIT***
After thinking about it, I found out that a local radio station raised the money for them.
Here's the link on an update... (from Feb. '05)
http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/05/news050205_1.htm

[Blue Pixie]

This woman is an idoit! It's just a plate of cookies- I feel bad for the cookies- they didn't get eatten liked they planned!

[Savantage]

(Let me get out the soapbox:rant:) I can see a formal, public apology, but I think the judge was way out of line with the fine. These silly ass lawsuits have got to be stopped; you would think that courts, judges, lawyers, etc... have more important things to do than to have the system soo clogged with stupid, ignorant, silly suits! while that court room, judge, etc... was being used for the suit another more important case was pushed to the side for a later date!! no wonder it takes months and even years for more legit trials and cases to be handled the entire legal system is just overloaded. these days with the media zeroing in on bad behavior of the youth it is comforting to know that these two did something out of the kindness of their hearts I admit that maybe they should have waited til the next day and hand delivered them the lady took it the wrong way. This might have a negative impact on young people. (puts soapbox away)

[Kyrsalynn]

I agree, that woman needs help.

I can see where getting a knock on the door late at night might scare someone. But as was said, she had a husband to check things out and the cops said everything was fine. If she was nervous about the content of the cookies, she should have just tossed them or given them to the cops (I'm sure the cops would have liked them).

But to not accept a written apology because it wasn't hand delivered or verbally made? What? It takes more time and effort to write and mail a nice letter than to walk up and 'hey, sorry you're an idiot'.

The parents offered to pay the medical bill, so I can see why the judge agreed with that.

Maybe the girls could have waited till daylight to deliver the cookies, but a simple call to the neighbors would have solved most of this. Not only is this lady an idiot, she's anti-social!! But despite that, the threating calls from whoever are a bit much.

[Dragonfly]

What angers me immensely these days is the fact that nobody ever stops and says "You know, ~I~ am entirely responsible for everything that happens to me AND how I react to it."
It is always someone else's fault that they got hurt when they were drunk and doing cartwheels on the balcony. It's someone else's fault that the child they weren't watching swallowed bleach...etc....etc...

If a knock on the door late at night was enough to trigger a panic attack over an event from FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, then the woman did not have sufficient psychological counseling the first time around. Furthermore -and this is what really gets me- she refused to acknowledge that she was over-reacting and that she had put a personal, vicious spin on what are normally harmless events. People are being taught these days that they don't need to own up to their reactions, or reign them in. It's entirely okay to go utterly insane about the stupidest thing and for some reason we're expected to sit by and agree that the other person has the right to act that way.

Something to ponder...if they should be free to be offended, or be upset over something that happens, why doesn't the originator of the action or event have the freedom to act or speak as they wish as well? It's so entirely self-centered and one-sided it drives me nuts. And don't try to talk about it because you get the dumb cow stare because it is so far ingrained these days they don't even have the ability to discern when it's happening.

If a plate of cookies showed up at my door, I would call around to ask who might've done it, sure. But that would be because I wanted to thank them, or repay the kindness. My enemies would have more finesse than to poison my sweets. I should hope most of them own blades to dispatch me.

Moral of the story...learn to control your emotions and understand where your triggers lie, then get that crap fixed.

*sigh of relief* Okay, I'm good...sorry...

[SpeedKnight]

Not only is this lady an idiot, she's anti-social!! But despite that, the threating calls from whoever are a bit much.

Everyone on the boards should write to the families of these two girls and urge them to sue that woman for causing great mental anguish to the girls because of the old bats blatant stupidity!

Did I just type that? Yep... and now I will hit "Submit Reply"

[SpeedKnight]

Hmmm... sorry m'ladies... this must be done.

:rant:
"Maybe the girls could have waited till daylight to deliver the cookies"

C'mon. Who on the board has NEVER gone out that late with the sole intention of terrorizing the 'hood? I mean... the bigger part of us "regulars" grew up in the '80s. You know... when bull shit like this didn't happen. Back when if ALL you were doing is knocking on a door at 10:30PM and running off, then you were doing just fine.

Fucking christ... I almost set some guys fucking house on fire as a kid because I lobbed a Crazy Jack in the wrong direction! I never got sued. I got my ass busted like you wouldn't believe, but not sued. The guy watched my dad beat my ass till I couldn't sit down, said "thanks, that'll be well enough," and it was done.

These two girls skipped out on a party where, certainly, they would have gotten into a helluva lot more shit than a fly by cookie delivery! Bloody fucking hell... people like this moistened bent make me wish I could walk around with a .45 caliber pistol capping stupid people. WHAT IN THE FUCK HAPPENED TO THIS COUNTRY?!? Back in the '80s we were laid back like dead flies. The we get bitches putting hot fucking coffee between their legs, getting burnt, and blaming the fast food joint... "I didn't realize the fresh coffee would be piping hot." BULL SHIT... it's FUCKING COFFE. And NOW we have bitches spazzing out over fucking cookies?!? Someone shoot me. *steps down*


Terribly sorry. Dunno what came over me. The censors will likely have a heyday with this one.

[Savantage]

[quote=SpeedKnight]The we get bitches putting hot fucking coffee between their legs, getting burnt, and blaming the fast food joint... "I didn't realize the fresh coffee would be piping hot." BULL SHIT... it's FUCKING COFFE. And NOW we have bitches spazzing out over fucking cookies?!? Someone shoot me. *steps down*[quote]
That's why we had to tell the customers "careful the coffee is hot, please let it cool before drinking" for quite awhile after she burned her lap. What my boss speculated is she took the lid off and sat it between her legs like a cup holder and had to suddenly slam on her brakes and sued more out of embarrassment of a wet lap than the scalding she received.
Now the cookies yup the parents should send these two girls to thearpy and then turn around and sue the lady, she blew the incident way out of perspection. I mean my own hubby opened our door one morning and found a package containing a brand new video game with a note "from a friend" to this day we are puzzled but we didn't call in the cops! I think the girls were admiral in coming forward to admit they had done the cookies instead of hiding even the apology (in my opinion) was done in an acceptable way, yes we all (at least most of us) grew up in the 80's which was a more laid back time period but I really think too many people are taking terroism (I think I spelled it wrong) too far.

[Alianne]

What my boss speculated is she took the lid off and sat it between her legs like a cup holder and had to suddenly slam on her brakes and sued more out of embarrassment of a wet lap than the scalding she received.

He shouldn't need to *speculate* at all. What happened is now a matter of public record. IIRC, the woman did open the lid and sat it on the seat between her knees to put sugar and/or creamer in the coffee. The vehicle was not in motion. The cup tipped and even through the fabric of her pants, she suffered second degree burns on her legs. She was not 'embarrased', she was injured and could have been scarred. The coffee was determined to be approximately 180-degrees Farenheit when dispensed -- *far above* what is considered acceptable for a hot beverage and was considered *excessive*.

(in comparison, it's recommended that the hot water heater in your home be set no higher than 120-degrees to avoid being burned)

I know people like to pick this particular case to try to illustrate 'customer stupidity', but IMHO, it's really the wrong case to do so. The coffee simply did not need to be served so hot as to cause these types of burns *through fabric*. Yes, hot beverages are hot, but they do not need to be so hot as to cause those kind of injuries under those circumstances -- and a consumer should not, without warning, expect them to be *that* hot.

[Savantage]

at the time my boss was speculating the case had not been totally drug through the media. We only knew as the workers to start warning customers that the coffee, tea, and cocoa was hot!

[Ysobelle]

Every time people use that case and whine about how stupid people are, my head comes off. That woman, Stella Liebeck, was horribly burned by the coffee that was given to her to DRINK. She needed SKIN GRAFTS for something sold to be CONSUMED. There is absolutely NO reason for any consumable to be that hot.

http://www.atla.org/pressroom/FACTS/frivolous/McdonaldsCoffeecase.aspx

http://www.lectlaw.com/files/cur78.htm


And I'm sorry, this is a total pet peeve of mine: the past tense of drag is dragged, not drug. Just had to say that.

[Alianne]

at the time my boss was speculating the case had not been totally drug through the media. We only knew as the workers to start warning customers that the coffee, tea, and cocoa was hot!

Oh, so you were working for this boss back in 1992/93?

This incident happened 14 years ago, now.....

[Mistress Lisette]

What happened is now a matter of public record. IIRC, the woman did open the lid and sat it on the seat between her knees to put sugar and/or creamer in the coffee. The vehicle was not in motion. The cup tipped and even through the fabric of her pants, she suffered second degree burns on her legs. She was not 'embarrased', she was injured and could have been scarred. The coffee was determined to be approximately 180-degrees Farenheit when dispensed -- *far above* what is considered acceptable for a hot beverage and was considered *excessive*.


That woman, Stella Liebeck, was horribly burned by the coffee that was given to her to DRINK. She needed SKIN GRAFTS for something sold to be CONSUMED. There is absolutely NO reason for any consumable to be that hot.

http://www.atla.org/pressroom/FACTS/frivolous/McdonaldsCoffeecase.aspx

http://www.lectlaw.com/files/cur78.htm
Alianne and Ysobelle, thanks for posting this. I remember reading about this case and the severity of it--it wasn't a frivolous lawsuit; she was seriously burned by coffee temps that were beyond the standard temperature. Granted, putting your coffee cup btwn your legs in order to put creamer et al in is a questionable act. However, she should not have expected to be burned to the point that she required skin grafts...

If we're going to use examples of stupid lawsuits, there are myriad other ones from which to choose without using the "hot-coffee" one, particularly since there's more to it than commonly thought.

[Savantage]

Oh, so you were working for this boss back in 1992/93?

This incident happened 14 years ago, now.....
yes I was working for this boss back in 1992/1993

[Alianne]

yes I was working for this boss back in 1992/1993

Well, hopefully, he has his facts straight about this now so that he's no longer speaking from conjecture.

[rosefaeries]

Well, hopefully, he has his facts straight about this now so that he's no longer speaking from conjecture.


My understanding of the incident that Savantage is speaking is that it happened prior to the court case. As is before it had gone to trial.


I am sorry that the woman got burned. And yes according to what I just read the coffee was way too hot. However, she should have never put the coffee in between her legs to open it. When I have opened cups with hot liquids in them, I hold them off to the side to prevent being burned if I should spill it. That being said, she does bear some responsibility for what happened to her.

[Alianne]

My understanding of the incident that Savantage is speaking is that it happened prior to the court case. As is before it had gone to trial.


I am sorry that the woman got burned. And yes according to what I just read the coffee was way too hot. However, she should have never put the coffee in between her legs to open it. When I have opened cups with hot liquids in them, I hold them off to the side to prevent being burned if I should spill it. That being said, she does bear some responsibility for what happened to her.

This is the original quote:

"That's why we had to tell the customers "careful the coffee is hot, please let it cool before drinking" for quite awhile after she burned her lap. What my boss speculated is she took the lid off and sat it between her legs like a cup holder and had to suddenly slam on her brakes and sued more out of embarrassment of a wet lap than the scalding she received."

There's no time frame even suggested. It *sounded* like these were not conversations that occurred 14 years ago. (I dunno...I would have said 'at the time' just to be clear, but that's just me).

As far as the woman bearing some responsibility, the courts decided that she was 20% responsible for the incident and the award she received reflected that. McDonalds screwed themselves more than anything else; all the woman originally wanted was 20K to cover her medical expenses. They told her no, leaving her no recourse but to sue -- and a jury decided her injuries, including pain and suffering, were worth more. A *lot* more.

[The Doxie with Moxie]

Sorry about the thread jack!



And I'm sorry, this is a total pet peeve of mine: the past tense of drag is dragged, not drug. Just had to say that.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people say nauseous but they mean nauseated. It's so tempting to say, "You're right, you do make me want to vomit.":yuck:

There is a website that lists a lot of common errors in English usage. www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html#errors

I tend to believe the people on this board are, for the most part, comfortable enough with each other to not sweat the use of certain words or expressions. I don't think it is a question of anyone on the boards lacking knowledge as to the correct conjugation of a verb; rather, people feel comfortable enough amongst this grouping of women that they use colloquialisms.


Colloquialism
A colloquialism is an expression not used in formal speech or writing. Colloquialisms can include words (such as "gonna" or "grouty"), phrases (such as "ain't nothin'" and "dead as a doornail"), or sometimes even an entire aphorism ("There's more than one way to skin a cat"). Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. Colloquialisms are often used primarily within a limited geographical area.
In some areas, overuse of colloquialisms by native speakers is regarded as a sign of substandard ability with the language. However, in the mouth of a non-native speaker, they are sometimes taken as signaling unusual facility with the language as they may be more difficult for non-native speakers to understand.
A colloquialism can sometimes make its way into otherwise formal speech, as a sign that the speaker is comfortable with his or her audience, in contrast to slang, which if used in formal speech is more likely done so consciously for humorous effect.