'I'm simply trying to pay off my medical bills': Aunt who sued her 12-year-old nephew for breaking her wrist at a party claims she was FORCED to go to trial

  • Jennifer Connell lost her $127,000 lawsuit against her nephew Sean Tarala Tuesday
  • Tarala has been found not liable for the injuries Connell, 54, sustained 
  • Connell claimed Sean broke her wrist by leaping into her arms on the day of his eighth birthday in 2011
  • Connell, a human resources manager, claimed pain, suffering and mental anguish
  • After losing the case, Connell explained her only goal was to get her nephew's family's homeowners insurance pay her medical bills 
  • Under Connecticut law, homeowner’s insurance could not be identified as the defendant, forcing Connell to sue her nephew directly 
  • The aunt insisted she never meant to hurt her nephew, whom she said she loves   

The New York aunt who sued her 12-year-old nephew for breaking her wrist during a hug claims she was forced to take the boy to court in order to get her mounting medical bills paid.

Jennifer Connell, 54, filed a $127,000 lawsuit against her young relative, Sean Tarala, but on Tuesday a Connecticut jury ruled in her nephew's favor.

After losing her case, Connell's attorneys at Jainchill and Beckert released a statement explaining their client's motives. 

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Jennifer Connell, pictured, lost a lawsuit she filed against her 12-year-old nephew, who accidentally broke her wrist when he jumped into her arms at his eighth birthday party in March 2011 - causing her 'ongoing pain and discomfort'

Jennifer Connell, pictured, lost a lawsuit she filed against her 12-year-old nephew, who accidentally broke her wrist when he jumped into her arms at his eighth birthday party in March 2011 - causing her 'ongoing pain and discomfort'

Connell attended the birthday party in March 2011 in Sean Tarala's home in Westport, Connecticut, pictured

Connell attended the birthday party in March 2011 in Sean Tarala's home in Westport, Connecticut, pictured

‘From the start, this was a case was about one thing: getting medical bills paid by homeowner’s insurance. Our client was never looking for money from her nephew or his family,’ the press release cited by the station Fox CT read.

According to the lawyers, the insurance company had offered her one dollar before the trial, which obviously was not enough to cover the cost of the two surgeries she had undergone to repair her damaged wrist.

Under Connecticut law, the homeowner’s insurance could not be identified as the defendant, leaving Connell no choice but to file a lawsuit directly against her nephew, according to her attorneys.

‘She didn’t want to do this anymore than anyone else would. But her hand was forced by the insurance company,’ the statement continued. ‘We are disappointed in the outcome, but we understand the verdict.

‘Our client is being attacked on social media. Our client has been through enough.’ 

In her failed complaint, Connell, a human resources manager, described her nephew as 'very loving' and 'sensitive' towards her, but told Judge Edward Stodolink that the youngster should be held accountable for his behavior.

Sean looked 'confused' as he sat in the Superior Court in Bridgeport alongside his father Michael, according to the Connecticut Post.

The boy's mother, Lisa, died last year.

The court heard that on March 18, 2011, Sean had just received a red bicycle for his eighth birthday and was riding it when Connell arrived at the family's home in Westport, Connecticut.

According to her testimony, Connell claimed that Sean, who weighed 50lbs at the time, got excited when he saw her and shouted: '"Auntie Jen, Auntie Jen". All of a sudden he was there in the air, I had to catch him and we tumbled on to the ground, I remember him shouting, "Auntie Jen I love you," and there he was flying at me.'

Connell told the court that she realized she had been injured but did not want to raise the matter at the time because she did not want to ruin his birthday celebration.

However, she said the injury had had a massive impact on her life.

Connell, pictured in a pink cardigan with an air cast on her left arm leaving the courthouse Tuesday, insisted that her goal was to force the homeowners insurance company to pay her medical bills

Connell, pictured in a pink cardigan with an air cast on her left arm leaving the courthouse Tuesday, insisted that her goal was to force the homeowners insurance company to pay her medical bills

She said: '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. I was at a party recently, and it was difficult to hold my hors d’oeuvre plate.'

According to court documents: 'The injuries, losses and harms 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.'

It took jurors 40 minutes to decide the case in Sean's favor. After the hearing, Connell was seen leaving the courthouse. She did not talk to reporters.

She later spoke to CNN by phone, saying that it was meant to be a 'simple homeowners insurance case.' 

'I adore this child. I would never want to hurt him. He would never want to hurt me,' she told CNN.

Despite the 2011 incident, the family remained close. Just a few weeks before the trial, Connell said she took Sean shopping for his Halloween costume. 

The 54-year-old plaintiff blamed the Internet for blowing the case out of proportion and taking the facts of the lawsuit out of context.

'I'm certainly not trying to retire to some villa in the south of France,' she insisted. 'I'm simply trying to pay off my medical bills.'

 

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