Jennifer Connell On ‘Today’: ‘Aunt From Hell’ Image Not Fair, Connecticut Insurance Law Is The Problem [Video]
Jennifer Connell has defended her lawsuit against her own nephew, and is fighting back against her “#AuntFromHell” and “Auntie-Christ” reputation that Connell says was gained unfairly online. As seen in the below Today video, Jennifer said the thought of suing her nephew, Sean, sounded hard and harsh from the beginning when lawyers advised her to do so, and Connell didn’t want to sue Sean in the first place after he jumped into her arms for a hug and caused the duo to topple instead.
As reported by the New York Daily News, Connell said she was forced to name someone in her lawsuit, because in Connecticut, an individual has to be named, they can’t name an insurance company. Jennifer was advised not to name Sean’s father, Michael, but to name her own nephew, Sean, in the lawsuit, because Connell and Sean were the two involved in the fall — not Michael. The way Jennifer says the whole nephew-naming thing worked meant it was just a technicality and it was merely the legalese of how the homeowner’s policy was written that forced Jennifer to sue her own nephew.
“If someone is hurt at your house or on your property, the liability provision of your homeowners’ insurance policy will typically kick in to cover any injury claim that is filed.”
As reported by Allstate, guest medical protection is something that can indeed help those hurt on another person’s property get monies to cover their medical bills.
“This type of coverage can help cover the cost of medical expenses for a person who’s injured on your property.”
Connell expressed her shock over how the public reacted to her lawsuit, with its little technicality on who must be named.
“I’m not a legal expert. I’m still in shock. It’s not been a pleasant experience since the beginning. I’m just confused. Perhaps it’s just the way the legal system has been set up the way the insurance companies aren’t taking responsibility for the claims.”
For this part, 12-year-old Sean says he loves his aunt and that she loves him. Jennifer’s nephew appeared nervous as he spoke on behalf of his aunt.
“We love each other very much. I felt like everybody was saying stuff that they didn’t know. She would never do anything to hurt the family and myself, and she loves us.”
It was an insurance formality that brought the duo to Today, fighting against her “worst aunt ever” moniker that Connell suddenly gained while Jennifer was still in court. After losing her $127,000 lawsuit against Connell’s nephew, Jennifer begged for security to accompany her outside of the courtroom in order to shield Jennifer from any backlash of those standing outside. It only took the six-member jury approximately 20 to 25 minutes to decide that Connell wasn’t getting any money out of her nephew or the insurance company.
“It was a complete shock to me. It was amazing how I walked into court that day and walked out all over social media. It was sort of heartbreaking and really painful and like walking into a film of someone else’s life and hadn’t been briefed.”
The case of Connell has shed more light about quirky insurance claim rules and other technicalities.
[Image via WCBS / Facebook]
