Woman Sues Nephew For His ‘Leap Of Joy’ That Broke Her Wrist – Jury Delivers Swift Verdict

A woman suing her own nephew might seem odd to read, but that’s exactly what happened. Fortunately, the jury had the sense to see through it all. A New York woman who sued her own nephew for causing her bodily harm when he leapt at her had her case thrown out by the jury. The jury accepted the argument that the boy may have been responsible for causing her injury, but they strongly maintained that he cannot be held liable for his actions.

Fifty-four-year-old Jennifer Connell, a New York resident, had sued her own nephew, Sean Tarala. The boy, a mere 8-years-old at the time of the incident, was accused by his own aunt of breaking her wrists. The incident happened on the boy’s birthday over four years ago when, in the state of excitement, he leapt into the arms of his aunt. The woman alleged that her nephew’s “leap of joy” was too much for her arms to bear, resulting in the fractures to her wrists.

Not to be confused with actress Jennifer Connelly, this 54-year-old woman is a human resources manager who lives in Manhattan. Her lawsuit, filed recently in the Bridgeport Superior Court, said that her nephew’s energetic leap into her arms ended up damaging her wrist four years ago. Connell claimed the Westport boy acted unreasonably when he leaped into her arms at his eighth birthday party, reported NBC New York.

“All of a sudden he was there in the air, I had to catch him and we tumbled onto the ground. I remember him shouting, ‘Auntie Jen I love you,’ and there he was flying at me.”

Interestingly, the woman is claiming $127,000 in compensation not because of the hospital expenses or mental and physical trauma, but to teach the boy a lesson in manners, reported E! Online. The woman maintains that it was the frontal impact that caused her to fall backwards and break her wrist. The injury, the woman claims, made life quite difficult for her, and she particularly faced quite a challenge going upstairs.

“I live in Manhattan in a third-floor walk-up so it has been very difficult. And we all know how crowded it is in Manhattan.”

The aunt added that she was at a party recently and couldn’t even hold her hors d’oeuvre. Needless to say, her wrists have been giving her problems, and she squarely blames her nephew for jumping off his new bike and into her arms.

She testified that she still loves her nephew but feels he should be held accountable for his actions, which resulted in causing her physical harm.

“The injuries, losses and harm to the plaintiff were caused by the negligence and carelessness of the minor defendant in that a reasonable eight year old under those circumstances would know or 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.”

The accused, now 12-years-old, sat in the courtroom with his father. He was described to be quite confused about his situation and didn’t realize why he and has father were sitting in a courtroom. The boy had the added misfortune of losing his mother, who died last year.

PHOTO: Jennifer Connell, 54, leaving court after suing her 12-year-old nephew for wrist inj. She gets $0. pic.twitter.com/A8pWTMjFTA

— Kevin Galliford (@KallMeKG) October 13, 2015

The six-member jury wasn’t moved by her plight. While accepting the argument that the nephew’s actions may have injured his aunt, they strongly maintained it was no reason for him to be penalized, financially or otherwise. Interestingly, the woman’s lawyers, from the law firm of Jainchill and Beckert, did have an answer ready. They said the complainant didn’t intend to penalize the boy but had to file a case “for insurance purposes”

“Our client was never looking for money from her nephew or his family. It was about the insurance industry and being forced to sue to get medical bills paid.”

[Image Credit | Robert Daly / Getty Images, Twitter]