‘Worst Aunt Ever’ Jennifer Connell Opens Up About Lawsuit Against Nephew Sean Tarala

Jennifer Connell, also known as the “worst aunt ever,” opened up about suing her nephew Sean Tarala for $127,000, during an interview on the Today Show on Thursday.

Jennifer Connell, ‘Worst Aunt Ever,’ Opens Up About Suing Nephew

Connell filed a lawsuit against her nephew earlier this month, after the 12-year-old boy accidentally broke her wrist, as a result of an over-eager hug on his birthday.

In an on-air interview with Today Show’s Savannah Guthrie, Connell and her nephew Tarala, appeared to say that the lawsuit was only an insurance “formality” to help cover her medical costs, and wasn’t meant to be a big deal.

While headlines have been bashing Connell for her decision, she explained that she and her nephew are completely fine. “We love each other very much,” Connell told Guthrie. “This was simply a formality with an insurance claim.”

Tarala also defended his aunt, hoping his statement would shut up critics. “She would never do anything to hurt the family or myself,” the boy argued. “She loves us.”

Connell later explained what it was like to walk out of the courtroom to all of the negative press, adding it was unexpected given the nature of her suit. “It was a complete shock to me… it was sort of heartbreaking and really painful but also like walking into a film of someone else’s life and I hadn’t been briefed,” the aunt admitted. “So, I’ve sort of just been in shock since that happened.”

People couldn’t understand how Connell thought suing her young nephew could be a good idea, and Connell agreed at first.

“It sounded terrible to me from the very beginning,” Connell said. “This was simply a case of formality with an insurance claim. I said at the start of this, ‘I don’t understand why. I don’t want to sue Sean.'”

In the end, the jury ruled against Connell in her lawsuit, leaving her lost about what to do with her medical costs. Luckily, there is no bad blood in her family.

“I love her,” Tarala said, “and she loves me.”