You Be the Judge (page 3 of 3)

Verdict: The Case of the Bottle Rocket

The trial court in Mississippi determined that Kennon and Betty Peterson could be held liable if they had consciously disregarded a known serious danger and had done something reckless that caused Brandon harm.

But the weight of evidence was in the Petersons' favor. Kennon was unaware that Brandon was on the property, and he had no way of knowing Mae would ignite a rocket. The Petersons had not allowed the children to detonate fireworks at the party without supervision or to play with them the day after. Furthermore, only the adults were responsible for finding and disposing of the fireworks. Under the circumstances, the Mississippi court found that the Petersons had no liability for the accident.

Postscript: Michelle Keith also sued Mae Langston for her son's injuries -- and won a judgment of $350,000 because Langston didn't show up for the hearing and couldn't be located. Michelle Keith never collected any money for her son's injury.

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