The adage that no good deed goes unpunished was tailor-made for the case of Taylor Ostergaard and Lindsey Jo Zellitti, a pair of teenage girls who were slapped with a lawsuit when their baked gift backfired. In the summer of 2005, Ostergaard and Zellitti — who were 17 and 18 at the time — baked chocolate-chip and sugar cookies as a surprise treat for friends and neighbors. It was a nice gesture, but when Renea Young heard the two outside her home, she suffered an anxiety attack that spurred a hospital visit.
"It's not about a couple of girls out spreading cheer. It's about a horrible experience for me and my family," said Young. The two girls were forced to pay almost $900 for Young's hospital bills and court costs. And that's not even including the cost of the chocolate chips.