Jury: Boy Not Liable for Exuberant Hello That Injured Aunt

A Connecticut jury on Tuesday rejected a woman’s bid to sue her 12-year-old nephew for injuries she says she suffered from his exuberant greeting at his birthday party four years ago.

New York City resident Jennifer Connell claimed the Westport boy acted unreasonably when he jumped into her arms at his 8th-birthday party, causing her to fall and break her wrist. She sued in Bridgeport Superior Court for $127,000.

Connell, a 54-year-old human resources manager, had testified that she loves her nephew but thinks he should be held accountable. She said when the child jumped she tumbled to the ground as she tried to catch him.

“I remember him shouting, ‘Auntie Jen I love you,’ and there he was flying at me,” she testified.

Connell argued that her injuries severely disrupted her life.

Her lawsuit said: “A reasonable 8-year-old under those circumstances would know or should have known that a forceful greeting … could cause the harms and losses suffered by the plaintiff.”

But a six-member jury found that the boy was not liable. He appeared in court with his father, Michael Tarala; his mother died last year.

This article appeared in print on page 31 of the October 14th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.