Judge: Buy wife flowers, then take her to dinner

[tawadi]

Associated Press

Judge: Buy wife flowers, then take her to dinner

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

(02-08) 08:47 PST Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP) --

A spat over forgetting to wish his wife a happy birthday landed a South Florida man in jail on domestic violence charges.

When Judge "Jay" Hurley heard the circumstances that brought 47-year-old Joseph Bray to bond court Tuesday, he issued a unique ruling.

Hurley ordered Bray to buy a birthday card and flowers for his wife before taking her to dinner at Red Lobster and bowling afterward. Hurley ruled the couple should begin seeing a marriage counselor immediately.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/02/08/national/a084737S93.DTL&tsp=1

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. wtf

[MrCoffee]

2. WTF is right...

Red Lobster? Eeeww.

[tawadi]

4. And bowling

Sound like a real winner.

[WingDinger]

10. Elitist much?

[negativenihil]

19. bowling rocks! :P n/t

[hootinholler]

12. Hey it wasn't

Olive Garden.

[Hugabear]

17. Both owned by Darden Restaurants - bigtime RW supporter

n/t

[MADem]

13. It's the wife's dream date, apparently--she named the place and the activity.

It wasn't the judge decreeing that this is where they should go...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/fl-flowers-food-bowling-20120207,0,947444.story

...A woman who identified herself as Bray’s wife attended the hearing and explained that the couple’s argument started on Monday after her husband didn’t acknowledge her birthday.

Hurley asked her is she was hurt or in any fear of her husband. After she said she wasn’t, and Hurley confirmed that Bray had no prior arrests, the judge continued his questioning with a lighter tone.

“Do you have something you like to go to?” he asked. “Is there a restaurant you like to go to?”

The woman answered that she enjoyed bowling and eating at Red Lobster. And so the judge made his decision accordingly.

“Flowers, birthday card, Red Lobster, bowling,” Hurley said. He also ordered that the couple begin seeing a marriage counselor within a week.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. Hey this is a practical ruling. Good for that judge.

You cannot believe they crap they see on the bench. The threats, the violence, the abuse, the suffering kids. If this works, great.

[tawadi]

6. Hope it does work

I'd be interested to see a follow up story.

[southernyankeebelle]

5. As a wife I think it was a good decision. Now I don't like Red Lobster. But instead take her to a

movie she wants to see.

[Renew Deal]

9. This is contempt of court!

[southernyankeebelle]

15. Awe come on take her to dinner. LOL

[Renew Deal]

7. Sounds like a good deal

[unblock]

8. damn activist judges! marriage counseling from the bench!

[KansDem]

11. "Red Lobster?"

The last time my wife and I ate at a Red Lobster, they were out of lettuce and baked potato!

That was 20 years ago and we haven't been back...

[tkmorris]

16. I'm pretty sure the produce truck has gotten there by NOW

It's been 20 years.

[KansDem]

26. Yeah, but who wants 20-year-old lettuce and potatoes?

[Hugabear]

18. I got really bad food poisoning from them back in the 80s

Bad enough to send me to the hospital and get serious IV treatment.

Haven't been back since either.

[KansDem]

25. Sorry to read this

Going out to dinner and not having the choice of a salad or baked potato is one thing, but food poisoning resulting in IV treatment? That’s extremely serious!

Hope you recovered quickly and completely!

[TwilightGardener]

14. Hopefully the husband learned that you can't shove your wife--bad shit happens.

Like court-ordered bowling...

[tawadi]

20. Yes..bad shit

[jorno67]

21. maybe we should all go to Red Lobster and then go bowling...

bring us all together for some quality middle class food and fun?


of course I'd have to order a cheese burger as I am allergic to shell fish

[JDPriestly]

22. Courts should make more decisions like this.

Sensible and not overly vindictive. Of course, the husband should not have used violence on his wife. He should also be ordered to go to classes to learn non-violent ways to communicate with his wife.

[dembotoz]

23. i wish them luck i hope it works out

be a nice story if it did

[renie408]

24. I like it. Good decision. n/t