Man Sues Woman for Texting During a Movie Date
‘CAN I PICK THAT?’
The Legalities of Eating Found Fruit
In many parts of the U.S. right now, apples are dangling temptingly over fence lines and ripe pears are dropping onto sidewalks. This is the prime season for fall fruit, but if you live in an area where food grows rampant, then you probably think of it as both delicious and confusing. Be honest: How many times have you strolled down the street, spotted something tasty that was potentially on private property, and wondered, “Is it legal to pick that?”
THE 3 COMMANDMENTS OF PICKING FRUIT
1. Thou May Pick From Public Lands In most places, it’s perfectly legal to pick fruit from what the law website Nolo describes as “public trees” — trees that grow on public lands, in state or city parks, or in medians. This doesn’t include sidewalks, which are explained in the next section. 2. Thou Shall Not Pick Thy Neighbor’s Fruit Unfortunately, when it comes to who owns a fruit tree, the trunk is what matters, not the branches! This means that even if your neighbor’s apple tree is bowing temptingly into your yard, the apples still belong to them because the tree was planted on their property. Unfortunately, in most places, this also applies to trees dropping fruit on the sidewalk. If the tree appears to be planted on private property, it’s best to leave the fruit be — or knock and ask if you can have it! (Note: This gets hilariously complicated when your neighbor’s fruit falls onto your lawn. Now, you can’t legally eat it without permission, but they also can’t take it without permission! To resolve this, sit down with your neighbors and hash out an agreement.) 3. When In Doubt, Thy State Wins Out The laws around picking fruit can be complicated. Some states don’t even follow the first two commandments! For example in California, you can legally take fruit from branches of a neighbor’s tree that extends into your yard. With this in mind, it’s always wise to research your state’s laws. If you’re still stumped after thorough research, then email a local lawyer or get in touch with a forager (visit RobGreenfield.org/FindaForager to locate one in your state) who will likely know the rules.
We’ve probably all found ourselves annoyed with someone who uses their phone during a movie at the theater, but have you ever been so annoyed that you sued them? That’s what Texas resident Brandon Vezmar decided to do back in 2017, following a “first date from hell” (as Vezmar put it) with Crystal Cruz. According to Vezmar, about 15 minutes into “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Cruz was texting on her phone. When Vezmar asked her to stop texting, she refused. Then, Vezmar suggested that she step outside of the theater to text. Cruz took his suggestion and never returned. Most people would chalk the experience up to a bad date and move on, but Vezmar was so indignant that he reached out to Cruz the next day and requested that she compensate him $4 for the pizza and $17 for the movie ticket he’d paid for. If she didn’t pay, he threatened to go after the money in small claims court. When Cruz initially refused, Vezmar made good on his threat and filed a petition in Austin, Texas. Vezmar made the case that Cruz had violated the cinema’s no cellphone policy and had negatively impacted his and other moviegoers’ experiences of watching a raccoon and a talking tree (among other beings) save the day. He claimed that while he sought modest damages, it was the principle of the thing that really mattered to him. He called Cruz’s behavior “a threat to civilized society.” As entertaining as it might have been to see that case fully make its way through the legal system, the lawsuit was eventually dropped after the TV show “Inside Edition” reunited Cruz and Vezmar and filmed her paying him back for the date. As the camera rolled, he counted his cash and considered them square. Unlike “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” there were no good guys in this story — but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining to read about after the fact!
2 REARDONANDERSON.COM
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