Jennifer Connell and her lawyers insist the lawsuit was never about the money, only about getting the insurance compensation she deserved. Connell, 54, is the Upper East Side New Yorker who sued her nephew, Sean Tarala, in 2013 for breaking her wrist two years prior. She had “no choice” but to do so, according to the New York Post.
“From the start, this was a case was about one thing: getting medical bills paid by homeowner’s insurance,” Connell’s law firm, Jainchill and Beckert, said in a statement. “Our client was very reluctant to pursue this case, but in the end she had no choice. Her hand was forced by the insurance company. We are disappointed in the outcome, but we understand the verdict.”
The incident occurred in 2011 when Tarala got a brand new red bicycle for his 8th birthday. He was so excited he jumped into his aunt’s arms and accidentally broke her wrist. Unfortunately, Connell’s insurance company was only willing to pay $1 of the financial burden the treatment for her wrist required, according to Jainchill and Beckert. The law firm is one of the 81 percent of lawyer practices that have a website, according to data from the ABA’s 2010 Legal Technology Survey Report.
In fact, if you check their website, which 44 percent of respondents in one Harris Poll said they are very likely to do, you will find a large portion of the front page dedicated to a statement on the Connell case. While it does offer information and insight into the case and facts surrounding, the site doesn’t offer the ability to post legal questions for lawyers to answer. Almost half (49 percent) of Harris Poll respondents were likely to consult websites with this capability.
Jurors ruled unanimously against Connell. At this point her lawyers are simply asking for people to give her a break from the incessant negative reactions the case has elicited against her on social media.
“She suffered a horrific injury,” they said. “She had two surgeries and is potentially facing a third. Our client has been through enough.”