From the real article:

Following earlier testimony by the victim's family, Stengel indicated that he did not believe the family held the funeral with the idea of recouping its cost. Nor did he think the funeral was excessive or outside what's called for in Hmong culture.

This story reminded me of the Indian vegetarians who were accidentally served meat in a New Jersey restaurant. The waiter had promised vegetarian food so there was an actionable breach of warranty. The plaintiffs insisted the restaurant had to pay to fly them back to India for a purification ritual. The appeals court said the remedy was based on reasonable expectations of the parties prior to the incident, not a blank check for whatever the plaintiffs wanted.  Restitution here should be based on a normal funeral, not a three day party.

P.S. It wasn't murder, it was "first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree reckless injury" which sounds like a newfangled name for manslaughter and assault and battery.

That's a Hmongous Funeral.

He who is hmong you without sin, let him cast the first scone

How can legumes for 500 people cost so much?

/Surely, Sherman my dear boy, you've...heard...of...Hmong beans?

Everyone dies eventually. Saying that it's someone's fault that you need to pay for a funeral is stupid.

"As long as it's not cat"

Is this the funeral rite where you leave the deceased in the house while you save up money to sacrifice enough bulls and build a temple or whatever? That was an odd episode of National Geographic.

3 day party with foods and drinks? Excuse me while I try to become acquainted with some terminally ill Hmong people.

I know all of those hmong people in Wisconsin like to raise carp in basements (according to some cops in Milwaukee who've had the displeasure of having to visit their properties)... like their very own ghetto fish market. Why didn't they just fish some out and serve that?

optikeye: That's a Hmongous Funeral.



now look what you made me do.

talkertopc: 3 day party with foods and drinks? Excuse me while I try to become acquainted with some terminally ill Hmong people.

Normally the guests have to pay for it.

$36,000 seems low. $24 per guest per day? Not much of a party.

Good luck collecting from a broke 22-year-old in jail.

ZAZ: From the real article:Following earlier testimony by the victim's family, Stengel indicated that he did not believe the family held the funeral with the idea of recouping its cost. Nor did he think the funeral was excessive or outside what's called for in Hmong culture.This story reminded me of the Indian vegetarians who were accidentally served meat in a New Jersey restaurant. The waiter had promised vegetarian food so there was an actionable breach of warranty. The plaintiffs insisted the restaurant had to pay to fly them back to India for a purification ritual. The appeals court said the remedy was based on reasonable expectations of the parties prior to the incident, not a blank check for whatever the plaintiffs wanted.  Restitution here should be based on a normal funeral, not a three day party.

A three day wake-like party is the norm for their culture... coming from an Irish-Catholic background, I've never been to a funeral with fewer than a couple hundred people, and an excess of alcohol. Usually there's a viewing before too. So two days, plenty of drinking, plenty of friends, plenty of family... we celebrate lives lived... you shouldn't be able to take away from that some sort of mentality that it's a frivolous party or expenditure outside of the norm for my family and friends. The reasonable expectation isn't that murder victims families should have to scale back their celebrations of the lives of victims just so it might be more within the budget of the dick who killed people in the first place.

Dead for Tax Reasons: He who is hmong you without sin, let him cast the first scone

Sounds like a nice funeral, everyone hmong friends like that.

Kevin72: Good luck collecting from a broke 22-year-old in jail.

He'll be out when he's forty, and the court can garnish wages from whatever pittance minimum wage job he can get.

Blood money.

Not a Laosy idea.

Good luck collecting

I attended a Hmong funeral and this is standard. The one I went to was 6 days and went from morning to night. Food was provided at midday and at night. It was a big traditional spread too. It seemed like a cow was butchered in the garage every morning. (just saw the aftermath, not the actual process)

So, food and drink for 300-500 people for 2 meals everyday for a week-ish. 36,000 sounds about right.

LtDarkstar: I know all of those hmong people in Wisconsin like to raise carp in basements (according to some cops in Milwaukee who've had the displeasure of having to visit their properties)... like their very own ghetto fish market. Why didn't they just fish some out and serve that?

Oh please, that's hardly the worst thing that goes on in Milwaukee

firefly212: A three day wake-like party is the norm for their culture... coming from an Irish-Catholic background, I've never been to a funeral with fewer than a couple hundred people, and an excess of alcohol.

See, I'm from a Scottish-Protestant background, so there's like, eight of us, three of whom aren't talking to the other five because of a longstanding grievance.

Note to self, kill friendless hobo...

firefly212: Kevin72: Good luck collecting from a broke 22-year-old in jail.

He'll be out when he's forty, and the court can garnish wages from whatever pittance minimum wage job he can get.

O.I.C. And good luck with that.

Kumana Wanalaia: optikeye: That's a Hmongous Funeral.

[brokentoys.org image 300x301]

now look what you made me do.

That was bad, and you both should feel bad.

You should try a Hmong wedding.

We will need a large supply of individually-wrapped processed cheese...

MellwoodDitworthy: "As long as it's not cat"

Having had Hmong neighbors, their food is farking delicious. Of course I had them over for my cooking as well, they loved the Irish lamb stew I made the most.

Still have them over for dinner a couple times a year, and visit them for dinner too.

LtDarkstar: I know all of those hmong people in Wisconsin like to raise carp in basements (according to some cops in Milwaukee who've had the displeasure of having to visit their properties)... like their very own ghetto fish market. Why didn't they just fish some out and serve that?

Man, are we getting ripped of down here. Back where I grew up north of the Dells the two Hmong clans grew weed and made rice wine in their basements.

I'm from a southern baptist background. The funerals we have involve a couple of hours at church, then fist fights over who gets the good furniture.

Seriously. I got to watch my grandma's elderly brothers and sisters hit each other with chairs over an oak bedroom set. Why yes, this was in Florida.

I wish I could trade my genes up to Hmong. That sounds more fun.

//Death is bad. Celebrations are good.

MellwoodDitworthy: "As long as it's not cat"

Great movie

optikeye: That's a Hmongous Funeral.

Well done, sir. Well done.

Okay... 18 year sentence, $36000 restitution. Are we talking finance or what?

Kevin72: firefly212: Kevin72: Good luck collecting from a broke 22-year-old in jail.

He'll be out when he's forty, and the court can garnish wages from whatever pittance minimum wage job he can get.

O.I.C. And good luck with that.

Ask Ron Goldman's father about all the money he collected from O.J.

wildcardjack: Okay... 18 year sentence, $36000 restitution. Are we talking finance or what?

You can finance an 18-year sentence?

MrDon: Kevin72: firefly212: Kevin72: Good luck collecting from a broke 22-year-old in jail.

He'll be out when he's forty, and the court can garnish wages from whatever pittance minimum wage job he can get.

O.I.C. And good luck with that.

Ask Ron Goldman's father about all the money he collected from O.J.

That's my point?

ModernLuddite: I'm from a southern baptist background. The funerals we have involve a couple of hours at church, then fist fights over who gets the good furniture.

Seriously. I got to watch my grandma's elderly brothers and sisters hit each other with chairs over an oak bedroom set. Why yes, this was in Florida...

JERRY! JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!

/Sorry

Hfark that judgement.

Pure Nguyen.

/ that's Hmong, right?

While I have no problems about the spirit of this ruling, can't we find a more secular way of dealing with funerary expenses? What do atheists get if they get killed? What's stopping people from creating stupid religions that have ridiculously expensive funerals so they can exploit this?

This gets appealed and thrown out.

Wittenberg Dropout: While I have no problems about the spirit of this ruling, can't we find a more secular way of dealing with funerary expenses? What do atheists get if they get killed? What's stopping people from creating stupid religions that have ridiculously expensive funerals so they can exploit this?

They're dead?

Outlaw Thirds: Everyone dies eventually. Saying that it's someone's fault that you need to pay for a funeral is stupid.

He caused a persons death. The least he can do is pay for a party for his family.

Hey math people, how many members of the community would you have to have so that you were perpetually in a state of attending funerals? Seems if the community was big enough and each funeral lasted three days, presumably scheduled over a weekend, woulnd't there be a point where the entirety of your weekend life is spent at funerals?

ZAZ: P.S. It wasn't murder, it was "first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree reckless injury" which sounds like a newfangled name for manslaughter and assault and battery.

Here's two of the stories on the shooting (the dead guy and another were shot):
http://fox6now.com/2012/01/12/charges -filed-in-sheboygan-walmart-shoo t ing/
http://www.hmongpages.com/index.php/c ommunity/5-community/221-20-year - old-hmong-man-killed-at-sheboygan-wal- mart

It's not like it was a bar brawl or traffic accident. Shooting in a Walmart parking lot, from a felon who wasn't allowed a gun, as the guy is running away? Not feeling a ton of sympathy for the funeral expense.

So how much restitution did this guy have to pay?

Hmong food IS delicious, except for the poo stew.

My sister offered to go to a friend's mom's funeral in africa, which unexpectedly ended up with her spending 3 days serving men, sleeping on the floor with dozens of other women, and everyone assuming she was married to the friend. Also, no one there spoke english.