Mother Sues Hazelwood for Her Childrens' Right to Sell Girl Scout Cookies

The now faces a lawsuit regarding last month's in which it enforced its code against allowing the sale of food from a residence.

Carolyn Mills and her two teenage daughters sell Girl Scout cookies for their troop in the driveway of their home. They have done so for several years despite the city verbally warning them of the being a violation of city occupancy code, according to the city.

The Freedom Center of Missouri plans to file a lawsuit in state court Thursday that will challenge the city's constitutional authority to prohibit the cookie stand.

The family will hold a news conference to further discuss the lawsuit.

Tim Davidson, the City of Hazelwood's communications coordinator, said city officials have not seen the document as of yet.

"We haven’t seen the lawsuit yet," he said, "And, we can’t make any comments on pending litigation."

The city has stated that the code enforcement regarding the cookie stand has always been about enforcing the law and the safety of residents in the neighborhood.

Members of the Mills family said they will continue ignore the city's warnings regarding violation of the ordinance and sell cookies at their home stand.

Stay with Hazelwood Patch as we follow this story.

UPDATE: 10:30 a.m.

The Mills family held a press conference at 10 a.m. Its attorney Dave Roland, the director of litigation for the Freedom Center of Missouri, said he's hopeful the courts will see the bigger picture and define the constitutional limits on property rights.

"We're hoping that if the constitution on property rights stands, the kids can run their cookie stand," he said. "They are harmless."

Roland added that the case isn't about money. "This is about a constitutional issue," he said.