German Court Tells Woman 'Fear Of Letters' Is No Excuse

A German court has ruled against a woman who claimed a phobia of official letters was what kept her from responding to government correspondence which led to her child support benefits being cut off.

The court in western Rhineland-Palatinate state said that the woman was sent a letter in May 2007 asking that she supply evidence to support continued payments for her daughter.

After she failed to respond, she was notified that the money was being cut off and she had a month to appeal. However, she only replied and supplied the requested documents months later.

Authorities threw out her appeal at once because it was too late which is when she claimed that she had a phobia of official correspondence.

The woman said "she had already suffered many financial disadvantages" due to the phobia because it had made her leave important mail lying around. She said "she was and still is petrified of the contents of official letters" and had thought about seeking psychological treatment, but had been too ashamed to follow through.

Unfortunately for her, the court rejected her claim and said she had plenty of time to seek help from her daughter or others.

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