NFL punter takes neighbor to court over wild cats

A judge could decide today a professional football player's claim that he deserves to be compensated for the "forced entry" of a family of cats that caused $2,000 in damages to the crawl space under his Carmel ...

[why]

I'm not sure what the point of mentioning Baker's salary was. You didn't mention the salary of the woman, Middleton. Are you making a point that he has the money to fix this problem and shouldn't have gone to court? That's a bit biased and judgemental then. The legal system is there for the wealthy as well.

[wally]

Jason Baker...WHAT A JERK!!!!!

[zionsville]

Substitute "racoon" for "cat" in the above story, and the case gets thrown out of court.

What's next - suing your neighbors because birds defecate on YOUR patio enroute to THEIR feeder? Could be an interesting case!

[patty]

What a shame. A "professional" athlete making hundreds of thousands of dollars to play a game has no compassion for a homeless mother and her children. It doesn't matter if we are talking about humans or animals, they are all God's creatures and deserve a little help. How pathetic. Be a man and get over it.

[Randy Moss]

"Baker made $600,000 last year playing for the Panthers, along with a $400,000 signing bonus. He is expected to make $700,000 this year."
Yet he has to get his neighbor to pay for his problem. A few of these professional athletes leave much to be desired and taint the reuptations of the rest.

[Hmm]

If a cat came into my house, I'd kill it.

[Randy Moss]

Reputations, not reuptations

[Rub some dirt on it]

I can't believe this story is considered newsworthy.

[Scavenger]

Guess you'll have to break into that $700,000 this year, Jason. You are on your way to the poor-house. My sympathies. Boo-hoo!

[Adam]

Indy is really going down the tubes. Shootings every day, misappropriated funds, troubles in local government, and feral cats. If it is ok with Mr. Baker, I think we should call in the National Guard to protect against the cat onslaught on his house. God Bless this man.

[Accountability]

Middleton causes the problem by feeding the cats so she needs to do the right thing and pay for the damage. We all need to take responsibility for our actions.

That was low of the Star to print Baker's income.

[Sad voter]

The guy makes $1,000,000 last year, and whines about $2,000. Jeesh, I bet he spent a lot more than that on useless everyday life items. But I figure $2,000 to someone who makes a million is equal to $200 for a person making $100,000. So get over it, and make sure your crawl space is more secure. What does he expect our already overloaded court system to do with his small insignificant problem? I would say the Judge handled it correctly.

[Randy Moss]

why wrote:

I'm not sure what the point of mentioning Baker's salary was. You didn't mention the salary of the woman, Middleton.

As a flight attendant, she probably makes ten percent or less of Baker's salary, and I seriously doubt she got a signing bonus! But the real point is, this isn't due to her negligence or deliberate actions to cause her neighbors harm. Just another example of someone (Baker) trying to blame everything on someone else.

[Always a Hoosier]

zionsville wrote:

Substitute "racoon" for "cat" in the above story, and the case gets thrown out of court.
What's next - suing your neighbors because birds defecate on YOUR patio enroute to THEIR feeder? Could be an interesting case!

That is so true. If the roommate knew the cats were around and wanted to do something about it he should have taken them to a shelter.

[Yummm]

Hmm wrote:

If a cat came into my house, I'd kill it.

Then eat it they taste just like rabbit, give it a try. My neighbor has stocked my freezer....

[Mike in Indy]

What does Jason Bakers' salary have to do with the above story? If his salary is relevant then the salary of Helen Middleton should have been given as well.

[mike]

looks like some libs are responding to this story. Doesn't matter how much money someone makes. The party responsible for the damage should pay the piper. typical re-distribution of weath tactics by the libs. Personally, a couple of 10 cent .22 rifle shells would have done the trick. Let the woman complain and tell her to prove in court that her cats weren't damaging personal property. By the way, it is absolutely NOBODY'S business what anyones salary is unless you work for the government.

[What is Right Here]

The thread I'm seeing here is: If you're rich or well off, it is okay to destroy parts of your house and you have to pay for it?

[Right Front Tire]

I take care of cat problems all the time!!

[Carolyn]

I'd say Ms Middleton sounds like a great neighbor. She advised Baker via his roommate that the cats were there. And when Baker and roommate failed to do anything, she spent her own money to have the cats fixed so they would not add to the "heinous" feral cat population. I'd have her as a neighbor any day.