Sean Tarala says his aunt would never do anything to hurt him or his family. Photo / Screengrab / Today
Sean Tarala says his aunt would never do anything to hurt him or his family. Photo / Screengrab / Today
A New York woman who came under fire this week for unsuccessfully suing her 12-year-old nephew after his overly enthusiastic hug left her with a broken wrist is now defending herself against her critics.
Jennifer Connell, 54, said that she was forced to sue her nephew, who was eight-years-old when the accident occurred, because it was the only way to get her homeowners insurance policy to pay for the cost of her care.
Connell and her nephew, 12-year-old Sean Tarala made a joint appearance on the NBC News' Today Show to speak out after a wild week that thrust both of them - unwittingly - into the spotlight.
"It was a complete shock to me," Connell said. "It was amazing how I walked into court that morning and walked out all over social media."
Connell said that the case was explained to her as a legal technicality. According to her understanding of Connecticut law, an insurance company couldn't be named in a suit so Tarala, whose enthusiastic hug accidentally left her with a broken wrist, had to become the defendant.
"It sounded terrible to me, from the very beginning," Connell said. "I was never comfortable with that."
Connell's injuries stemmed from a mishap at the boy's eighth birthday party in 2011. According to the lawsuit, Sean was so thrilled so see his aunt when she arrived that he ran and jumped into her arms.
Jennifer Connell says US insurance law forced her to sue her nephew. Photo / Screengrab / Today
"All of a sudden he was there in the air, I had to catch him, and we tumbled onto the ground," Connell testified, according to the Connecticut Post. "I remember him shouting, 'Auntie Jen, I love you!' And there he was flying at me."
Connell broke her wrist and has complained that the injury has made her life more difficult. To wit, she testified in court that on a recent occasion, her injury had made it "difficult to hold my hors d'oeuvre plate" at a party.
On Wednesday, a jury in Bridgeport, Conn., declined to award Connell a $127,000 judgment against the 12-year-old. The Internet, though, awarded Connell a nickname: She was widely derided online as the "#Auntfromhell."
On Friday, Sean came to his aunt's defence.
Sean defended his aunt from the online abuse she has suffered. Photo / Screengrab / Today
"She would never do anything to hurt the family or myself and she loves us," Sean said.
According to Connell's attorneys, her insurance company offered her $1 to cover the medical bills that resulted from her injuries. She has had two surgeries so far and is potentially facing a third, they said in a statement this week.
The suit was intended to force the Tarala's home insurance company to cover the medical bills.
"I'm certainly not trying to retire to some villa in the south of France," Connell told CNN on Thursday. "I'm simply trying to pay off my medical bills."
Jennifer Connell, centre, is escorted to her car by marshals. Photo / AP
The online derision has been "painful," Connell told NBC. She added that people were eager to jump to conclusions without knowing the facts of the case.
Many speculated that the suit would put a rift in the familial relationship between Connell and Sean.
