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Have a Cookie, Have an Attack by Susanne Brown
Have a Cookie, Have an Attack by Susanne Brown 
Here is a lawyer story that you may find hard to believe.
One fine mid summer evening in Colorado did not go as planned for two kind hearted teenage girls. The two young women decided to skip a school dance and instead bake some chocolate chip and sugar cookies for their neighbors. They also left notes with each plate of cookies saying who they were from and wishing each recipient a good night. This gesture was by no means meant to be a prank or trick but simply an act of kindness. They delivered the cookies to nine different homes in their neighborhood later that night around 9:00. Even though it was a Saturday night, the two girls made sure there were lights on in the houses they delivered cookies to. Towards the end of their run, however, it began to get quite late and they ended up making a delivery at 10:30 that would soon an unforgettable experience for both of them.
While most of the neighbors greatly appreciated their sweet treats delivered to their door, the 10:30 delivery did not go as planned as this was the home of Wanita Young.
Wanita was so terrified by the repeated 'bangs' at her door at that late hour she ended up calling the local sheriff. Wanita Young had feared burglars or some neighbors she had run ins with in the past.
Apparently this is not the first time Young has had problems with her neighbors. The sheriff stated that no crimes had been committed and everyone hoped this would be the end of the ordeal.
Unfortunately that was not the case by any means as things were just getting started.
Mrs. Young ended up in the hospital the following day after suffering a full-blown anxiety attack and complaints of symptoms of a heart attack. Her medical bills totaled over $900 and Wanita Young did not feel she was responsible for these bills. When the girls learned of this, they wrote letters of apologies to Mrs. Young. The apology letters even stated "I just wanted you to know that someone cared about you and your family". The girls families also offered to pay the medical bills out of court. However, because the apologies were not executed in person, she found them 'false' and proceeded to sue the two kind teenage girls to recover the costs of her hospital stay. She also declined to agree to indemnify the girls families against legal claims.
What followed horrified the teenage girls and their families. The judge had no choice but to side with Wanita Young and award the payment of the medial bills, which the family had offered to pay anyway. Mrs. Young responded by saying, "The victory wasn't sweet, I'm not gloating about it. I just hope the girls learned a lesson". She also said the girls showed very poor judgment. One of the girls cried and cried and felt that she was being punished for performing a kind deed with good intentions. Her mother stated, "She felt she was being punished for doing something nice". On the up side, Wanita Young was not awarded any compensation for pain and suffering and there were no punitive damages awarded. Finally, the judge said he didn’t think the girls were acting maliciously, but he did agree that they were out too late to be going door to door.
It is unfortunate that these types of events have to happen. They simply teach the world not to be nice to others and gives the false impression that most people are bad when they are not.
Take the Have a Cookie, Have an Attack Quiz
One fine mid summer evening in Colorado did not go as planned for two kind hearted teenage girls. The two young women decided to skip a school dance and instead bake some chocolate chip and sugar cookies for their neighbors. They also left notes with each plate of cookies saying who they were from and wishing each recipient a good night. This gesture was by no means meant to be a prank or trick but simply an act of kindness. They delivered the cookies to nine different homes in their neighborhood later that night around 9:00. Even though it was a Saturday night, the two girls made sure there were lights on in the houses they delivered cookies to. Towards the end of their run, however, it began to get quite late and they ended up making a delivery at 10:30 that would soon an unforgettable experience for both of them.
Mrs. Young ended up in the hospital the following day after suffering a full-blown anxiety attack and complaints of symptoms of a heart attack. Her medical bills totaled over $900 and Wanita Young did not feel she was responsible for these bills. When the girls learned of this, they wrote letters of apologies to Mrs. Young. The apology letters even stated "I just wanted you to know that someone cared about you and your family". The girls families also offered to pay the medical bills out of court. However, because the apologies were not executed in person, she found them 'false' and proceeded to sue the two kind teenage girls to recover the costs of her hospital stay. She also declined to agree to indemnify the girls families against legal claims.
What followed horrified the teenage girls and their families. The judge had no choice but to side with Wanita Young and award the payment of the medial bills, which the family had offered to pay anyway. Mrs. Young responded by saying, "The victory wasn't sweet, I'm not gloating about it. I just hope the girls learned a lesson". She also said the girls showed very poor judgment. One of the girls cried and cried and felt that she was being punished for performing a kind deed with good intentions. Her mother stated, "She felt she was being punished for doing something nice". On the up side, Wanita Young was not awarded any compensation for pain and suffering and there were no punitive damages awarded. Finally, the judge said he didn’t think the girls were acting maliciously, but he did agree that they were out too late to be going door to door.
It is unfortunate that these types of events have to happen. They simply teach the world not to be nice to others and gives the false impression that most people are bad when they are not.
Take the Have a Cookie, Have an Attack Quiz
