Practical Joke Gone Awry? Check If You Are Entitled To Compensation
Every office has a designated joker, somebody who is always playing pranks on his or her colleagues and friends. Playing practical jokes may be fun, but there should be a limit on the effects your pranks have on your friends. If you ever fall victim to a practical joke gone wrong, then rest assured that you can seek legal redress. For example, you may have a personal injury claim if a practical joke:
Causes You Extreme Emotional Distress
If a practical joke causes you severe emotional trauma, then you can sue the joker under the tort action for intentional infliction of emotional distress. To win such a lawsuit, you need to prove that the perpetrator's conduct
- was outrageous
- reckless or intentional
- caused you severe emotional distress
Consider an example in which you are struggling with claustrophobia and a colleague's prank ends with you locked up in a closet. Such an act can cause you severe emotional harm, and you can hold the prankster liable for your injury.
Inflicts Physical Injury on You
It's not just the emotional injury that you need to worry about when it comes to practical jokes; some pranks can even cause physical injury. Examples of pranks that have resulted in physical injuries include spreading instant glue on a toilet seat and shooting someone with a high-powered hose. If you fall victim to such pranks, then you can sue the prankster. He or she will have to pay for not only your medical bills but also other associated damages such as loss of earnings.
Damages Your Property
A practical joker whose antics lead to property damage will be held responsible for it; just like a motorist whose car causes an accident. It doesn't even matter whether the joker intended the damage, or it was just a prank gone wrong. The main consideration is that the damage stems directly from the practical joke.
Again, this is something that has actually happened. A prank call in Thomasville resulted in damage to more than a dozen hotel rooms after the prankster tricked the hotel guests into breaking off the sprinkler system. The damage was so great that a restoration company had to be called in to fix the rooms.
Ruins Your Reputation
Lastly, there are also pranks that can damage reputation. Consider an example in which you are a business person and somebody pranks you by claiming that you are about to file for bankruptcy. Such a practical joke can easily ruin your business relations with your business associates such as creditors and suppliers. This is also something you can sue for.
Share