Aunt loses $127,000 suit against 8-year-old nephew who jumped into her arms
A woman who sued her 8-year-old nephew for $127,000 for jumping into her arms at a party, causing her to fall and break her wrist, will not be awarded any money, a Connecticut jury decided Tuesday, the New York Post reported.
The six-member panel took only 25 minutes to deliberate Jennifer Connell’s suit against Sean Tarala, who is now 12, ultimately ruling unanimously in the boy’s favor, the Post reported.
Connell, of New York City, blamed Tarala for causing the injury on March 18, 2011, while attending his birthday party in Westport, Conn. The 54-year-old Connell testified she loves the "very loving, sensitive" boy but thought he should be held accountable. The boy was the only defendant in the case. Connell, a human resources manager, said she has suffered since the injury, which she described Friday in court as the boy and his father looked on.
“All of a sudden he was there in the air, I had to catch him and we tumbled onto the ground,” Connell testified Friday at Connecticut Superior Court in Bridgeport, where she recounted arriving at the Tarala home to attend Sean’s birthday party, according to the Daily News. “I remember him shouting, ‘Auntie Jen, I love you!’ and there he was, flying at me.”