(846 votes, average: 3.22 out of 5)Hugs — even those from family members — can be uncomfortable, and even unwanted. But can they be “negligent?”
That’s what one New York woman claimed in a recent bizarre and ridiculous lawsuit … against her own nephew.
Four years ago Jennifer Connell attended the 8th birthday party of her nephew, Sean Tarala. Apparently Tarala was so enthused at the presence of his “Auntie Jen” that he leapt into her arms. The jump caused Connell to fall to the ground, breaking her wrist.
The next present Connell gave Tarala to unwrap was a $127,000 lawsuit.
Connell named the boy as the defendant in a lawsuit for the cost of her legal bills, claiming her injuries were caused by Tarala’s “negligence and carelessness,” arguing that the 8-year old birthday boy “should have known that a forceful greeting such as the one delivered by the defendant to the plaintiff could cause the harms and losses suffered by the plaintiff.”
Citing the difficulties she faced since the injury, Connell attested in her lawsuit that she “was at a party recently, and it was difficult to hold [her] hors d’oeuvre plate.”
After deliberating for only 20 minutes last week, the jury returned awarding Connell nothing.
We’re not sure if the parties involved will try to settle this dispute another way, but we can be pretty sure they won’t try to hug it out.
