German woman claims phobia of official letters

updated 8:28 a.m. ET June 18, 2008

BERLIN - A German court has ruled against a woman who claimed a phobia of official letters in her appeal against authorities' decision to cut off child support benefits.

The finance court in western Rhineland-Palatinate state said Wednesday 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 in July 2007 that the money was being cut off and given a month to appeal. Only in September did she reply and supply the requested documents — telling authorities, who threw out her appeal because it was too late, that she had a phobia of official correspondence.

The woman, who was not identified by the court, said that "she had already suffered many financial disadvantages" as a result of leaving mail lie around or throwing it out, a court statement said.

It added that she sought to justify her actions by saying that "she was and still is petrified of the contents of official letters." She said she had long considered seeking psychological treatment, but had been too ashamed to go through with it.

The court, which said it delivered its ruling in late April, rejected the woman's case. It said that, since she said she had long suffered the problem, she had had plenty of time to seek help from her daughter or others.

More from msnbc.com In slump-hit areas, suicide rates on the rise Brokaw:  The night the wall came down Germany still coping with ‘wall in the mind’ Is the swine flu shot as safe as regular vaccine? Signs of the sacrifices of military life On Twitter: Breaking news updates | Weird and wild

MORE FROM WEIRD NEWS

Weird news Section Front

Woman passes driver's test on 950th try Vanished Persian army said found in desert Man provides photo for his own wanted poster Airplane part falls onto N.Y. home’s front lawn Miss. gov’s son gets 2 holes-in-one in one round SUV sideswipes elephant in Oklahoma Giant snake capture in Florida was a hoax Brazilian makes surprise visit at own funeral Want to own more than 3 cats? Get a license S.C. man gets 3 years for sex with horse Weird news Section Front   Add Weird news headlines to your news reader: