Girl Scouts Sue City For Right To Sell Cookies

Most girl scouts earn badges for their behavior as upstanding junior citizens, and for selling sugary treats far and wide. But in Missouri, two scouts are instead standing up to a law they they feel is unjust -- and threatens their cookie sales.

According to court documents, 16-year-old Caitlin and 14-year-old Abigail Mills of Hazelwood, Mo., are girl scouts who have sold cookies in their driveway for the last six years. This year, when the girls tried to begin their sales, city officials told their mother, Carolyn Mills, that the girls must shut down their stand as it violates city ordinances. As reported by KMOX, the St. Louis CBS affiliate, a neighbor complained anonymously about dogs barking at all the people and traffic backing up for the cookie stand.

Before the stand was closed down, the station reported that the girls sold an estimated 1,700 boxes this year.

"It never even crossed my mind that my girls might need to get permission from the city before setting up their cookie stand," their mother said in a brief accompanying the official court filing. "I was even more shocked when city officials told me that you couldn’t even get a permit for it."

This case is not the first of its kind, said the girls' attorney and Freedom Center of Missouri Director of Litigation Dave Roland. When speaking to local television station KDSK, Roland cited many comparable cases where cities banned child-run businesses across the country.

"It's time that there was a case that addresses the question, because it keeps popping up," Roland told KMOX. "We're trying to find out what can you do on your property without the government's permission."

On Monday, a judge denied a petition to dismiss the case, so it appears a Missouri court will be hearing arguments on the scouts' constitutional rights to cookies.

Comments

[jkevinm80]

05:38 PM on 03/18/2012

Whichever public official responded to this complaint, should be identified and run out of town. These elected officials should not have the time to respond to such complaints. And I hope the neighbors appropriately shun the person who complained, although anyone who would file such a complaint, probably won't care.

[AndrewNY2011]

02:55 PM on 03/16/2012

They are girl scout cookies. The whole point of the girl scout cookie program, beside offering America delicious cookies, is to teach girls financial responsibility and entrepreneurship. Same thing goes for Lemonade stands, etc. The city is just unhappy that they can't collect tax revenue. I hope the girls win.

[SoulOfDespair]

12:26 PM on 03/15/2012

I rather let them do that than get a door knock from every scout...

[geddy lee is a god]

11:07 AM on 03/15/2012

10 bucks says the complaining neighbor is an angry, middle-age recluse. It's bad enough to read the stories of Girl Scout troops that are being robbed of their money. Now we have neighbors complaining about the troops selling cookies on their own property. This neighbor should concentrate on keeping on eye out on criminals that prey on innocent people rather than calling the po-po over some thin mints.

I hope the Troop wins their suit. If not, they should probably just ask a store manager for permission to set up a table on their property.

[kareemachan]

11:37 AM on 03/15/2012

And the neighbor was chicken enough to do it anonymously.

[Nora Bahr]

05:25 AM on 03/15/2012

YOU GO GIRLS!!

It's stuff like this that Scouting is actually about. Yes, this might be a little on the extreme end of things, but it's going to teach these girls about the legal system, government, their community, and much much more. I do hope they win though.

[Chefrob88]

12:09 AM on 03/15/2012

Honestly? First off, what is wrong with that "neighbor" for complaining? Somehow I doubt the selling of these cookies caused gridlock in this neighborhood. Second, the public officials for pulling this type of nonsense. I have to agree with George Carlin on this one, common sense is dead.

[rca5chi]

11:30 PM on 03/14/2012

I would like to say thank you !! This so called girl scout cookie crap is one of the biggest scams around today! who ever is running the racket these days got a set of huge ones. years ago the cookies were not so bad and there were cookies inside the boxes, most importantly they were affordable! today you pay 3 times as much and get half the amount, the boxes get smaller and the prices go up and up.It's pretty sad when you get screwed by the girl scouts and they can't figure out why people think it's a scam! are they really helping the girls or just using them for child labor?

[kareemachan]

11:38 AM on 03/15/2012

rca5chi sez, "And by the way, get off of my lawn!"

[AndrewNY2011]

02:58 PM on 03/16/2012

Wow, I bought three boxes for under $10. I don't think that is very expensive, plus each box had about 30 cookies in it.

[gbrooks]

10:09 PM on 03/14/2012

Government knows best. Don't question your superiors.

[mjr91]

08:53 PM on 03/14/2012

How freakin' un-American can you get, banning lemonade stands and kids with Girl Scout cookies? For shame.

[heboprotagonist]

08:04 PM on 03/14/2012

For the love all things holy and just-

HuffPo quit it already with the automatic start videos. I browse this site because I like to READ articles. If I wanted videos to read the news for me I'd watch TV.

[gbrooks]

10:10 PM on 03/14/2012

+ a bazillion

They're lucky I had the computer muted as I just put my baby down to sleep.

[heboprotagonist]

10:14 PM on 03/14/2012

I've had that very thing happen to me. Now, I almost always leave the earbuds plugged in (but not in my ears).

Never wake a sleeping baby.

[nanaofmysky]

05:14 PM on 03/14/2012

I never see a girl scout at all. The last time anyone came around it had to be 7-8yrs. ago. Do not know what they are called (daiseys or something ) really cute little one along with her mom came to the hose. My son( really softy for cute blonds ) ended up buying 6 boxes of cookies. LOL Let the girls sell their cookies. At least their parents know where they are.

[galvin1105]

10:54 AM on 03/14/2012

It' s only for one day.

[acarioti]

08:44 AM on 03/14/2012

City, County and Home Owner Association ordinaces and rules generallt state that a home owner cannot operate a business from their home when it involves public invitation. They would have done better selling the cookies over the internet.

Exceptions are garage sales which are considered on-time events and require permits and permission. If the cookie stand is permitted, the boy scouts will want to sell their popcorn this way.

Then the parents will want to open car lots and dollar stores on their front lawns.

No, the girls scouts need to go sell their goods in front of legal businesess.

[andreavan1]

01:18 PM on 03/14/2012

I agree. I used to be a Girl Scout and if you sold 100 boxes of cookies you were considered successful. These girls do not need to sell a few thousand boxes. At that rate, there would have to be, at the very minimum, several hundred cars coming and going from their home.

Our homes are our refuge and the neighbors of these girls shouldn't be forced to put up with that. If they are allowed to run a business from their home, then it would be unfair to tell someone else that they can't open a carwash/detail shop in their driveway -- like a neighbor of mine tried to do.

[splenetic]

02:52 AM on 03/14/2012

I thought that their parents sold the cookies at work. I'm not sure what Girl Scouts do.

[Nrawlings84]

12:42 AM on 03/14/2012

I seen a couple people commenting on safety. Uh there's no safe place. In the front yard they could be hit by a car, in a store they can be kidnapped and depending on where they set up they can also be hit by a car...... Truthfully I feel that my own front yard is more safer