Couple Sues NJ Wedding Venue Alleging $25K Gone After COVID Killed Big Day
A Florida couple is suing a well-known Morris County wedding venue, alleging it refused to return a $25,000 deposit after their 2020 reception was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Shammi Patel and Jankee Dani filed the civil complaint against The Meadow Wood, located along Route 10 in Randolph, in Superior Court in Morris County on Monday, Jan. 19.
The lawsuit says the couple entered into a contract on or about April 5, 2020, to hold their wedding reception at The Meadow Wood on Oct. 4, 2020. The contract called for 300 guests for the ceremony and 375 guests for dinner, according to the complaint.
Before the wedding date, then-New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued executive orders that prevented the reception from taking place as planned, the lawsuit says. The filing alleges the venue was unable to host the event under the terms of the contract and failed to perform the agreed-upon services.
In anticipation of the October wedding, Patel and Dani paid a $25,000 deposit, the complaint says. The lawsuit alleges The Meadow Wood failed and refused to return the money, despite not incurring food-related costs because the couple planned to use outside catering. The complaint further alleges the venue did not incur venue-related costs and knew it could not perform the contract more than 45 days before the scheduled event.
The lawsuit brings claims including breach of contract, fraud, violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, and unjust enrichment. The couple is seeking the return of the $25,000 deposit, as well as additional damages, attorney’s fees, and court costs, according to the filing.
Daily Voice has reached out to The Meadow Wood for comment.
Georgia mom’s arrest puts free-range parenting back into spotlight
Brittany Patterson was arrested after her son walked a mile by himself.
BySally Hawkins, Paulina Tam, Kelsey Klimara, Laura Coburn, and Doc Louallen
7:49
Social media firestorm over free-range kidsA Georgia mom was arrested in front of her children, after her 10-year-old walked alone to the store.
Fannin County Sheriff’s Office
A mother in Georgia has sparked national debate about how much freedom a child should have when she was arrested after her 10-year-old son was found walking alone.
Brittany Patterson was captured on police body cam video being handcuffed and taken into custody after her 10-year-old son left home alone and was found walking in their small town of Mineral Bluff.
“I was shocked, surprised, disbelief,” Patterson, 41, said. “Couldn’t really understand what was going on or why. “They told me to put my hands behind my back and then I had to ask to tell my children goodbye.”
Patterson was charged with reckless conduct, which ignited a nationwide debate about child independence. After her arrest, the Georgia mother of four made headlines.
People everywhere, including on talk shows, social media and news networks, discussed the appropriate age for children to do things independently.
“If any parent has read any of the Beverly Cleary books Ramona or Henry Huggins, those kids were roaming the neighborhood in a way that we would call free range now,” parenting expert Dawn Friedman said. “We used to allow children some freedoms that we no longer allow them. And I don’t think that’s to their benefit or to ours.”
MORE: Parenting style can significantly influence a child’s mental health, new study finds
“The crime was that she didn’t know where her kid was for a little while because she’d left them at home,” blogger and co-founder of “Let Grow” Lenore Skenazy said. “And to her surprise, he didn’t stay home. It’s just so normal. And to make that into a crime is insane.”
Patterson’s ordeal began when she left home in late October to take one of her older children to the doctor. Her younger son, Soren, who was nearly 11 at the time, stayed home.
Later that day, the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office reported that Soren, who is now 11, walked less than a mile into town to visit the local Dollar General store.
Authorities found him walking alone after a concerned resident called police. Police took Soren, who was unharmed, home, but a few hours later they returned and arrested Patterson in front of her children.
The warrant claims she “…willingly and knowingly endangered her juvenile son’s bodily safety.” David Delugas, Patterson’s attorney, disputes this.
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According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children are typically ready to walk alone safely without adult supervision at age 10.
Delugas says that Patterson did not engage in any illegal activities.
Patterson has declined to sign a “safety plan” proposed by Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services, which included using a GPS tracking app on her son’s phone.
“If you call a document a safety plan, maybe what’s in it ought to make the child more safe,” Delugas said. “And by the way, that assumes he was unsafe in the first place, which he was not. Part of why Brittany declines to sign it is he wasn’t unsafe.”
Last month, the Surgeon General issued an advisory regarding the high levels of stress experienced by parents. The report highlights that 41% of parents feel so stressed on most days that they struggle to function, while 48% report their stress is overwhelming compared to other adults. It notes that the demands on their time and concerns about their children’s safety can contribute to this stress.
“I mean, parenting never had to be 24/7 until now,” Skenazy said. “I don’t blame the parents. I blame this culture that talks endlessly about the impact of every parenting decision in every atom of their kids being.”
Skenazy can relate to Patterson’s story. Back in 2008, she also divided the country when she let her 9-year-old son take the subway by himself in New York City and published an article about it.
She didn’t expect the backlash that followed, but at times was labeled as “America’s Worst Mom.”
“I finally realized that that was my real crime, was trusting my kid to do something without me,” Skenazy said. “Being independent, being out in the world. That was the charge against me.”
Skenazy, 17 years later, says she stands by supporting anyone’s choice to prioritize their children’s independence, believing that independence fosters trust.
“If you actually let your kid do something by themselves: you let them walk to the store, you let them walk the dog, you let them make the pancakes,” Skenazy said. “You’re allowed to be imperfect if that’s what we’re going to call it because perfection has never been a requirement for being a parent or a kid.”
Woman accused of DUI in middle school drop-off line in Marion County
Witnesses said Erin Rodriguez was struggling to stay in line
OCALA, Fla. – A Marion County woman was arrested for DUI at the drop-off line at Liberty Middle School in Ocala around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Erin Rodriguez, 39, is facing charges of driving under the influence with a minor in the vehicle.
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Deputies said witnesses reported Rodriguez struggling to stay in the car line and running over several parking cones.
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Marion County Sheriff’s Office released bodycam footage of the incident, video can be viewed below
LIBERTY MIDDLE SCHOOL DUI ARREST
On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, Erin Rodriguez (DOB: 09/08/1981) was arrested for Driving Under the Influence with a Minor in the Vehicle at Liberty Middle School. School Resource Officer (SRO) Shelby Roberts was notified of a woman who was having issues driving in the parent drop off line. Several witnesses advised they observed Rodriguez struggling to stay in the car line, running over several parking lot cones, and appeared to be falling asleep behind the wheel while in the drop off line at the school. SRO Roberts approached Rodriguez in an attempt to find out what was going on. When asked for her driver’s license, she was too intoxicated to provided her driver’s license and instead provided a random card to SRO Roberts. Rodriguez advised she was just upset and had not been drinking, but the smell of alcohol on her breath and failure to speak without slurring told another story. Rodriguez denied all of the driving mistakes she made, however the parking cone she said she “did not” hit was lodged under her vehicle. Thankfully it was just a cone and not a child. Rodriguez became verbally aggressive when SRO Roberts called for assistance with her DUI investigation and claimed lies were being told about her. After further aggression and refusal to remain calm, SRO Roberts detained Rodriguez in handcuffs until Deputy Hunter Osborne arrived. Rodriguez could have hurt or killed any number of students and/or staff when she made the decision to drive drunk to the school. She was placed under arrest and transported to the Marion County Jail.Posted by Marion County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, January 8, 2021
Witnesses said she appeared to be falling asleep behind the wheel while in line.
Deputies said when a school resource officer asked Rodriguez for her driver’s license she was too intoxicated to provide it and gave the investigator a random card.
The suspect said she was just upset and had not been drinking.
The school resource officers said she could smell alcohol on Rodriguez’s breath.
The driving cone was also lodged under the vehicle Rodriguez was driving.
She was placed under arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail.
