Local News in Brief : Gas Co. Pays for Dead Bird

A Chatsworth woman who complained that her pet bird died after the gas company improperly turned off her gas--although she had paid her bills promptly--has been awarded $1,500 in small claims court.

Van Nuys Municipal Judge Robert Wallerstein chastised the Southern California Gas Co. for turning off Linda F. Menary’s gas April 29 after she failed to respond to numerous requests to let a crew check for gas leaks on her property.

Wallerstein said he was incensed by the gas company’s “insensitivity” and ordered the utility to pay Menary within 20 days.

Menary, 44, who owns the Rent-A-Pony and Petting Farm in Reseda, said she returned home April 29 from an overnight trip to find the gas turned off during a period when nightly temperatures dipped into the 40s. Her $1,000 toucan, Tookey, died a few days later, she said.

The gas company requested $350 to turn the gas back on, but Menary refused. Instead, she filed suit in small claims court seeking damages including $1,000 for Tookey and $90 for medical expenses from a case of bronchitis, alleging she caught it as a result of her cold house.

Menary said Friday that she still is waiting for her gas to be turned on.

She said she refused to pay the reinstallation fee “on principle. If I’d done anything wrong at all, I would have paid the money.”