Peeps Experts to Testify in Wrongful Eviction Trial
Lawyers are planning to call several Peeps connoisseurs on behalf of their Colorado client who claims she was wrongfully evicted for her hallway Easter display.
Among those testifying on behalf of plaintiff Carol “Chay” Burdick are a former art teacher who works with Peeps, a Denver man who hosts an annual Peeps barbecue, and the third-place winners of a Peeps diorama contest, the Boulder Daily Camera reports. The newspaper is live blogging the trial in Boulder County Court.
One self-proclaimed “Peeps expert” expected to be called is Andrew Novick, a former punk rocker who was lead singer of the Warlock Pinchers, according to 9News.com and a separate story in the Daily Camera.
Burdick contends the investment trust that managed her apartment building, Aimco, breached its lease agreement when it warned her to take down her Peeps holiday display that adorned her doorway and hallway, and she withheld rent as a result. The company sued for nonpayment of rent, and Burdick countersued for breach of her lease agreement.
One of the first pieces of evidence introduced at trial on Tuesday was a box of yellow Peeps, the Daily Boulder says. “After some inspection for authenticity by Aimco’s attorney, Jon Sands, the Peeps were placed on a desk in the middle of the courtroom for the jury to see,” the story says.
Sands said the case is about a woman who didn’t pay her rent. Although the lease didn’t specifically ban decorations in common areas, he said, there are limitations to what can be put in those areas. “One person’s artwork is another person’s mess,” he said.
