What is this world coming to if girls think they can bake cookies for their neighbors and get away with it? Have they no shame, performing acts of kindness upon unsuspecting people? Here’s an example of the “vandalism” these two girls, Taylor and Lindsey, performed upon their neighbors:
The July 31 deliveries consisted of half a dozen chocolate-chip and sugar cookies accompanied by big hearts cut out of red or pink construction paper with the message: “Have a great night.”
The audacity! The horror! What kind of evil intent did these two girls have? Why just look:
The notes were signed, “Love, The T and L Club,” code for Taylor Ostergaard, then 17, and Lindsey Jo Zellitti, 18.
What’s worse, the parents were in on it:
But Taylor had asked her father’s permission to bake cookies for the neighbors after livestock-tending chores were done.
“I said, ‘Go ahead, as long as I get some cookies,”‘ Richard Ostergaard said Thursday.
Children Protective Services should get involved. What were these two girls thinking? Avoiding an after-hours activity at the school, maybe?
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.
One of the neighbors did not like it. No, she did not like it one little bit that girls would knock on her door and leave cookies. Wanita Renea Young had this to say about these two hooligans:
Young said the girls showed “very poor judgment.”
Wanita Young had a panic attack from two teenage girls knocking on her door (horrors!) and sued the little rascals. That’ll teach them!
How did the girls respond? Why, they apologized and offered to pay her medical bills! This can not be tolerated!
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.
No way, says Wanita Young. Sue the girls! Sue them! Sue them! Sue them for their own protection!
“Something bad could have happened to them,” [Young] said.
Of course she shouldn’t settle. What sort of message would that send to other sugar cookie baking rascals?
Young wouldn’t sign the agreement. She said the families’ apologies rang false and weren’t delivered in person. The matter went to court.
The judge, wisely, threw the girls in prison and forbade them from baking cookies ever again fined them $900. They got off light, if you ask me. Should have received jail time.
How did Wanita react?
“The victory wasn’t sweet,” Young said Thursday afternoon. “I’m not gloating about it. I just hope the girls learned a lesson.”
She’s disappointed the girls didn’t get jail time, either. But the girls sure learned a lesson:
Taylor’s mother, Jill Ostergaard, said her daughter “cried and cried” after Judge Doug Walker handed down his decision in La Plata County Small Claims Court.
“She felt she was being punished for doing something nice,” Jill Ostergaard said.
Jail time. That’s what I say. Mandatory jail time for possession of cookies with intent to distribute. Throw the whole lot of them in the slammer and let them rot.
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.
“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.
A half a dozen letter of support? About tasty cookies?!? Throw those so-called “thankful” neighbors in jail, too, on conspiracy charges.
No kindness should ever go unpunished. Bah.
[…] tes
Here’s an amazing little news item. Go read what Chasing the Wind has to say about it. Me, I am just shaking my head in astonishment that people like […]
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I kept waiting for the punchline. Then I realized this was not a joke, not satire, but instead about the most despicable act of anti-neighborliness I can imagine.
I remember once when I was in second grade we learned about May Day. So after school I picked some wildflowers, went to the neighbors, put them on the porch, rang the bell, and left. That is how I understood the tradition. The neighbor lady came out screaming (she thought I had pulled the old ring the bell and run trick). Oh she was going on and on and then she looked down and saw the flowers….Well, she was very touched and gracious and apologetic. So at least I had a happy ending and was not scarred for life. Otherwise, I would have sued her ass! 😀
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Girl Scouts beware….
Here’s an amazing little news item. Go read what Chasing the Wind has to say about it.
Me, I am just shaking my head in astonishment that people like this neighbor actually exist. That she was successful in court says more about our litgious soc…
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Beware of cookies
Thanks to Michael from Chasing the Wind for highlighting an amazing story from the U.S.
This article from the Denver Post tells about a couple of girls who decided to do something nice for their neighbours and ended up being dragged through the co…
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can anyone get this bitch’s address, it would be kind to send her a thoughtful card.
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I googled Durango, CO and found their local newspaper, The Durango Herald. In their piece, it mentions that Wanita, the ‘bitch’, ‘lives off of County Road 214 in a rural area on the mesa south of Durango’. She also works as a cashier at the local Walmart. Figures.
I decided to write her and tell her exactly how I feel…
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be sure to let us know how your trial goes then, having the nerve to send a letter and all..
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be sure to let us know how your trial goes then, having the nerve to send a letter and all..
LOL!!!
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I blame the judge. The bitch neighbor clearly overreacted and wanted to be a victim, and the judge went along.
Those are the worst people we have in our society, the ones who want to be victims.
She said she was attacked by a neighbor in the past… I wonder why.
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I wrote to Electa Draper, the reporter who wrote this story, last week and received an out of office auto-response that gave an email address to reach these two cookie criminals. Here is an email I received from them:
Dear Folks: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 5, 2005
 In regard to the outpouring of sympathy and support for my daughter Taylor and Lindsey.  I want the express to you a heart felt thanks and sincere appreciation that you, and so much of America and Canada, have shown them.   This alone more than makes up for the stress and worry they have experienced the past six months as well as the big disappointment of the trail ruling.
For any letters or anything else that you wish them to receive we have set up a  post office box. for them. It. is:
Taylor Ostergaard
Lindsey Zellitti
P.O. BOX 2528
Durango, CO Â 81302
Were not out of the woods yet as we understand there may be another case building against our families on this.
Be sure and include your address and e-mail address as they hope to return a  Thank you and I would like to send a short Bio,/History of each of these girls so that you again might understand how great they are.   We so appreciate the extended gesture of friendship to each of you and truly hope that this finds you health .May your smiles be many and come easily.If your ever in Durango, give us a holler:
Sincerely Yours
Richard F. Â and Jill Ostergaard
415 CR 307
Durango, CO 81303
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I’d like to see these young women give their story on Letterman or Leno, actually it was my daughter’s idea. I posted a suggestion to both Letterman and Leno sites, anyone else?
Brian_c_gar
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Something similar happened to my kids. A month or two after we moved to our new home they thought that taking Christmas cookies to the neighbors would be a good way to introduce themselves.
They excitedly and painstakingly baked some choc chips and brownies for the holidays and then spent several dollars of their own money at the dollar store getting little decorated tins to put the cookies in.
There they stood on the very first doorstep, clutching their tins and so proud to be able to share with our new neighbors.
A wizened old man cracks open the door and barks out “who is it?” My daughter (about 7) holds out the cookies and says “I am your new next door neighbor, I made these for you and Merry Christmas”.
He stiff arms her, and barks out “I can’t eat those, my wife and I are diabetics,” then he slams the door.
After I got my kids to stop crying it took me forever to explain to them that some people are unworthy ashholes, and they shouldn’t let it get them down. But I really wanted to go to Mr Smith’s (real name) house at night and leave him another present on his porch. 👿
Don’t worry, I didn’t. 😆
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This is truly crazy. Maybe legal action against this woman is in order, and the judge for that matter! The Good people of the United States vs. Wanita Young. Can’t believe the judge on this, it’s a disgrace!
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You know, what Wanita did is making me very angry; ohh no, I feel my blood pressure rising from anger, arrgggghhh!-heart attack maybe-must go to doctor, feel lawsuit comming on…..
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Wow. I post this before a weekend, and I’m amazed at all the comments. I see it’s hit the big news, too. Some of you new visitors, you anonymous people are funny. 😛
I think the judge erred big time here, but that’s the way our American court system works. They were sued for medical expenses caused by ringing a doorbell. Could the girls rationally forsee medical issues caused by ringing a doorbell? Isn’t that what a doorbell is for?
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If everybody writes O’Rielly and the rest, these fine young women will get the recognition for being the upstanding examples of the best our youth has to offer. That woman (I can’t even spit out her name) should be ashamed to look at herself in the mirror. I feel sorry more so for her daughter having to put up with something such as that for a mother. What a horrible example of a human being. 😦
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I am so upset by all of this. PLEASE post some paypal account information so that I can send this family money for their legal expenses. This old woman is WAYY out of line with this “lawsuit” and is a sad person indeed. I thought this story was a joke, that it COULD’NT really happen. But it HAS and its scary. Scary because of the comment it makes on our society as a whole.
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Cookie Girls’ Family Responds to Lawsuit, Blog Supporters
I recently wrote of what must be the dumbest lawsuit of the year, wherein a Colorado woman was awarded $900 for her medical costs associated with an anxiety-induced trip to the ER after two teenagers harassed her by leaving homemade
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for anyone who would like to send Wanita some cookies:
Wanita Young
753 Broken Wheel
Durango, CO 81303
970/259-6130
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I’d like to make a request – when you make your response, whether to the girls, to the neighbor, or to the judge, that you remain positive. Don’t mail stuff that will get you in trouble.
Trying to be mean to mean people is like trying to mud wrestle with a pig. Eventually you realize the pig likes it.
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Thats the best line I have heard in a long time. 🙂
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You can have it. I’ve got more somewhere. 😛
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this was not vandalism however tresspassing is. did the youngs’ have a sign posted ‘no cookie deliveries after dark’ WARNING !!! Girl Scouts delivering cookies will be in violation– ha!!! what’s the world coming to. I would enjoy receiving a surprise like that from a neighbor. When i was active in the morman church, we did a surprise night like that — however we only ‘visited’ members of the congregation. where’s the old neighborhood – the ones where block party bbq’s,baseball games, streetlight shadow tag — can’t we get everyone to at least say hello or a smile to their neighbor- not sue them because they carelessly scared a neighbor – it wasn’t vandalism — where property is damaged that’s vandalism – this was simply a good deed that has gotten blown way out of bounds
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I work with a company that offers lawsuit protection as a part of their monthly pre-paid legal plans, so I can tell you that cases like this one occur everyday. It is so easy to sue someone these days; you can do it on the internet for as little as $35 in some states. Its not going to stop until more people start complaining about it and we reform our legal system.
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I am absolutely flabbergasted!
How in the world could the judge even consider a fine? How could it be proven that these two girls had malicious intent?
I have been sitting here for quite some time trying to organize my anger into rational words. But in the end I am just speechless!
This puts fear into me.
Please for goodness sake don’t shovel your neighbors walk, don’t pick up the trash you seen on his front lawn near the street. And PLEASE don’t bake him/her cookies!
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I think this goes to show exactly the state of our nation in the year of 2005. People are always looking for something for nothing now and this Wanita character is obviously one of those people. I do not believe that she was so much scared into an anxiety attack as it was she saw a way to make a quick $900 in court. The judge in the case should be ashamed of himself/herself for even entertaining this lawsuit. Those girls were doing what I do every Christmas, but will think twice now before doing, which is give cookies to my neighbors. This nation is sorely lacking in the kind of generosity that these two girls showed their neighbors. I commend them for showing kindness and would hope that this misguided cookie fearing woman would not derail their efforts. (Just a side note to Wanita, hire someone to unhook your doorbell. I would hate to think what would happen if someone rang it again.)
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I am shocked when I heard this story on the radio today. I don’t know if this is a reflection of the collective consciousness in Colorado or if this is the State of our Nation. I also didn’t know that I didn’t have to take responsibility for my feelings, according to the court system. I didn’t know that I could blame and sue for my reactions, such as fear, anxiety and other natural human feelings. Clearly, these families, after showing an act of kindness, did everything they could to satisfy her feelings of victimization. Obviously, that wasn’t good enough. I have one message for Wanita: There are NO Victims, just choices. I am ashamed of her behavior in this case and using our tax dollars for her “WIN” in court. I feel sorry for these girls, because they were just taught a lesson about random acts of kindness. I hope they don’t generalize about all people and realize that Wanita is just a miserable person. She is really pathetic.
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I don’t mean to put anybody down, but how in the world could you sue two girls for delivering cookies ❓ That is just ridiculous, what is this world coming to? 😕
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