Boise woman’s 50 cats left feces in destroyed motel room. She may not have to pay for it.

Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman

(Idaho Statesman) — Heather Lee Hawking’s cats near her Boise motel room a mess, pinch furnishings destroyed, urine and feces everyplace and a litter of kittens calved nether nan container outpouring of nan bed.

But that doesn’t needfully mean she owes nan motel proprietor money, according to an Idaho Supreme Court decision issued Thursday.

Hawking took astir 50 cats to nan Super 8 motel connected Elder Street by nan Boise Airport for respective days successful July 2018, according to tribunal documents. While there, nan cats scratched “furnishings, fabrics and fixtures,” nan tribunal sentiment said, and urinated and defecated passim nan room. Hawking was charged pinch misdemeanor malicious wounded to spot for nan damages.

After astir 3 years of tribunal proceedings, 4th District Judge David Manweiler ordered Hawking to salary Super 8 $3,700 successful restitution. But by then, nan motel had been sold to a caller owner. The U.S. District Court of Idaho besides agreed pinch nan restitution bid aft Hawking appealed nan lawsuit complete nan caller ownership.

But nan Idaho Supreme Court reversed nan erstwhile tribunal rulings.

A erstwhile wide head for nan Super 8 testified during a restitution proceeding erstwhile nan lawsuit was still nether Manweiler, according to nan justices’ opinion. The head had told nan magistrate judge that she wasn’t judge whether immoderate parts of nan damaged room had been replaced earlier nan edifice was sold to nan caller owner. She besides wasn’t judge whether nan acquisition value of nan motel included nan replacement costs for immoderate remaining damage. Hawking based on that nan caller proprietor whitethorn not person incurred immoderate monetary damages from her stay.

The Supreme Court said successful its sentiment that nan authorities of Idaho grounded to see nan position of nan motel waste successful its argument, leaving successful mobility who was really nan unfortunate successful nan case.

The Thursday determination doesn’t adjacent nan book connected nan case. The Supreme Court reversed nan restitution ruling, but it returned nan lawsuit to nan Ada County magistrate court, wherever proceedings will continue. Hawking, who does not title nan truth that her cats damaged nan motel room, whitethorn still beryllium restitution if nan authorities determines who nan due unfortunate is.