A lot of digital ink has been spilled this week detailing how the #AuntFromHell sued her nephew because she broke her wrist when he jumped into her arms at his 8th birthday party. Now there’s nothing wrong with putting out some good click-bait every now and then, but when reporters have the opportunity to tell the full story but choose not to, there is something fishy going on.  

 

What is missing from this story is an explanation of why the aunt sued her nephew. There is a lot of speculation that she sued for money or because she is a horrible person (and the emphasis on her ability to hold an hors d’oeuvre plate only fed the fire). The reality is she sued because she wanted to get the child’s parents’ homeowners’ insurance company involved, and her lawyer advised her this suit was the best way to do so.

 

Clearly, incentives matter. The structure of the legal system matters. The story behind the story matters. We at NJCJI hope that when you see us promoting crazy lawsuit stories you know that we are doing so because we think they are symptoms of the larger foundational issues in our legal system, not just click bait.