Lost piccolo leads to $15,000 lawsuit

PAINESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — A $700 piccolo has blown into a $15,000 lawsuit as a Northeast Ohio family seeks payback for a 14-year-old girl’s missing musical instrument.

While Stephanie Rolf was on a Disney World trip with her Wickliffe High School swing band last year, her piccolo vanished from the cargo hold of the group’s charter bus.

The Cleveland charter bus company hasn’t responded to a lawsuit filed by Rolf’s parents, and a travel agency and a school official have denied responsibility.

The family’s attorney wants the parties to change their tune. Lawyer Norman Stark says if each chips in $500, the Rolfs will settle.

The suit seeks at least $15,000. The amount had been $5,000 but Stark raised it because of prospects for a long and costly court fight.