What the?!

[Sparkster]

I ready in an Australian newspaper today that an Aussie woman in Texas was charged with assault......what a heinous act.....how dare she tap a woman on the shoulder in a cinema to ask her to switch off her mobile phone which was ringing.

That''s right....charged with assault. Apparently, the Texan was so angry that she stormed out of the cinema and laid assault charges. She was given a $200 fine without conviction.

I would have grabbed the woman''s phone and shoved it up where the sun don''t shine - now that''s what I call assault

 

[moon river]

I''d have gave the witch something to charge me for!! If doesn''t know what assault is.....I''d show her alright!!!

 

[FireGoddess]

Can she countersue for disturbing the peace? I mean really, c''mon now. Assault? She deserved it.

 

[Sparkster]

When the Texan filed the lawsuit, she stated that the Aussie had ''invaded her private space'' by tapping her on the shoulder.

Frivolous lawsuits.......gotta love them.

 

[cinnabar]

For some reason, the details of the Texan woman aren''t being released (or publicised). She is being charged with disturbing the peace, and/or affray. When she called the police, they recommended she didn''t press charges against the Australian woman because then they''d have to charge the Texan woman with something much more serious; she still insisted though, and therefore she''s going to have to go to court too.

I have tried pretty hard to find details about her, but so far I''ve failed. The Australian woman went to all the papers and news agencies she could find, so her story is much more prominent.

Webster (which is where it happened) seems to be doing a good job of keeping it under wraps, unfortunately.

 

[monarch64]

I don''t know about everyone else, but if I were the Texan and my cellphone rang in a theater and someone actually had to tap me on the shoulder because I was a flake and forgot to turn it off, I would be apologizing out the yin-yang to the shoulder-tapper! There is NO excuse for her overreaction. I''d love to hear what she comes up with though, because you know there will be some reason she either forgot to turn it off, or she had to have it on. Grr.

 

[bookworm21]

What a b---- and dumba-- that Texas woman is! What decent human being would press charges just because someone politely ask you to please turn off the phone. Arghhhhhh!!!! Reading stories like this makes me really angry sometimes. What a waste of time and money, PLUS, she just made all Americans look bad.

 

[Kaleigh]

Assualt?? Now that woman flipped her lid. I do hate when cell phones go off in the movie theater etc...

 

[moon river]

It''s not like the lady smacked her in the back of the head with a box of Goobers for crying out loud.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 2/17/2006 12:59:39 AM
Author: moon river
It''s not like the lady smacked her in the back of the head with a box of Goobers for crying out loud.

Ha ha, or Junior Mints/popcorn/jujubees! I wonder what the rest of the crowd did in reaction to this? Can''t wait to find out the whole story, if it ever comes to light!

 

[movie zombie]

this arrest has been discussed in a movie forum i belong to.....you cannot believe how much we HATE talkers and cell phones in the movies. the consensus is to try the polite but glaring look at the obtuse person. if that doesn''t work, try the ''shush'' technique , maybe even a couple of times. but if all else fails, the ''shut the f**ck up" technique works quite well...... in my movie going experience, i find canadians to be quite quick and loud in voicing their displeasure to a movie interupted...even more so than we californians.

movie zombie

 

[Caribou]

Hmmm, I heard that this altercation was more heated than a tap on shoulder.

But either way, I HATE when people don''t turn their phone off in the theater.

 

[codex57]

She was arrested, but was she actually convicted? If I had time, I''d have pled not guilty. No way a jury would have convicted. Actually, no way the DA would have pressed charges given enough time and some fight from that Australian lady.

 

[cinnabar]

Date: 2/17/2006 2:14:26 PM
Author: codex57
She was arrested, but was she actually convicted? If I had time, I''d have pled not guilty. No way a jury would have convicted. Actually, no way the DA would have pressed charges given enough time and some fight from that Australian lady.

I don''t know the exact story, but my understanding was that the Australian lady was a tourist visiting her brother and was about to go back home when all this happened. She was advised to plead "no contest" in order for the court to process it as quickly and painlessly as possible for her, otherwise she''d have either had to return from Australia for the "trial", or she''d have been convicted in her absence just because she didn''t show up - and then she''d have had problems with immigration if she''d ever wanted to see her brother again, with a criminal record.

She just wanted to go home, and thought $150 was her best option.