Woman appeals fine for profane bird

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WARWICK, R.I., Sept. 26 (UPI) -- A Rhode Island woman fined $15 for the noise generated by her profanity-spouting cockatoo is appealing the ruling, her lawyer said.

Stephen Peltier, a lawyer for Lynne Taylor of Warwick, said his client is appealing the ruling by Municipal Court Judge Joel Gerstenblatt, who determined Sept. 17 that Taylor has violated an ordinance barring pet owners from allowing their animals to create habitual noise, The Providence Journal reported Wednesday.

Peltier said Taylor, who was accused of allowing her cockatoo to spout profanity, is appealing to the Superior Court on the grounds that the ordinance is unconstitutional because it provides no parameters to determine at what point a pet's noise is a violation.

"Warwick's statute merely says if it annoys somebody, it's a public nuisance," Peltier said.