A lawsuit filed by an Ottawa woman against the City of Ottawa has come to light on social media recently and has drawn the ire of Ottawans and others as well. The Kansas Justice Institute filed the suit for Ellen Finnerty stating that Ottawa law has violated Finnerty’s rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The suit was filed after Finnerty made public that she had been told by a city codes worker that her plan to put beehives in her backyard and sell the honey for extra income was illegal under Ottawa ordinance. Apparently, Finnerty did not seek to get the code changed by going through the Ottawa City Commission. At a court hearing recently, Ottawa lawyers asked a judge to throw out the case and argued that she should push for city code changes or a conditional exemption outside the court.
So far, city commissioners have not commented on the case, citing that pending litigation prevents them from commenting. Ottawa Mayor, Eric Crowley did send a statement to an area news outlet when the suit was initially filed says it was the first he had heard of the issue and typically citizens speak up and communicate with elected commissioners and request to consider amending a city code.
