Aunt sues 12yr old nephew after his 'hug' left her with a broken wrist. Seeks $127,000 in damages

What a horrible Aunt. 12-year-old Sean Tarala , whose mother died last year, appeared confused as he sat with his father, Michael Tarala, in court on Friday, October 9, while aunt Jennifer Connell, 54, (pictured above) testified against him at Connecticut Superior Court in Bridgeport.

The human resources manager from Manhattan is suing her nephew over a leaping greeting from the then-8-year-old that left her with a broken wrist. The woman believes little Sean Tarala, now 12, should have known better than to jump into her arms as a means of welcoming her to his birthday party in 2011.

She is seeking $127,000 in damages for suffering a broken wrist when the two fell to the ground in the rough reception. The aunt, who has no children of her own, said her life has not been the same since the 50-pound bundle of boyish energy bounded into her open arms. READ MORE AFTER THE CUT

"I live in Manhattan in a third-floor walkup so it has been very difficult," Connell testified in court. "And we all know how crowded it is in Manhattan." And if walking up stairs with an injured wrist wasn’t difficult enough, the after-effects on Connell’s social life have been disastrous.

"I was at a party recently and it was difficult to hold my hors d’oeuvres plate," she added. Connell’s troubles on started Mar. 18, 2011, when she arrived at her nephew’s Westport, Conn., home. Sean was outside playing with a brand new bike he had received for his birthday. The excited boy dropped his new set of wheels and ran toward his aunt to greet her, shouting, “Auntie Jen, Auntie Jen.”

"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 ctpost.com. "I remember him shouting, ‘Auntie Jen I love you,’ and there he was flying at me."

Although hurt, Connell said, she didn’t tell her nephew the extent of her injuries. "It was his birthday party and I didn’t want to upset him," she told the jury. A family member at the boy’s home declined to comment on the lawsuit. Connell, during her testimony, said Sean had always been “very loving, sensitive,” toward her, but she still feels the pre-teen is responsible for her injury.

"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," the lawsuit claims.