Weird Crazy Lawsuits: Haunted Houses That Are Too Scary

Haunted House Sued for Being Too Scary

When the Halloween season rolls around, the haunted attractions start popping up all around the country. They are set up in parking lots, farmers’ fields, and even at big name theme parks such as Six Flags and Universal Studios. Sometimes, the attractions can seem to get a bit out of hand. Some people might find them too frightening, and it’s a good idea for those folks to skip them altogether. However, you might have heard of the case of the family that sued for a haunted house being too scary. It sounds absurd and frivolous, but it is a good idea to take a deeper look at what really happened with this case to see why the suit went forward.

Lawsuit and Court Asked: Was It Too Scary?

Suing a company for doing exactly what it’s supposed to do may sound silly, and it would be under normal circumstances. Let’s look at the part of the story that many people know, and then the part that most of the media skipped. It’s more interesting to think that the house was so scary that it made someone decide to sue. Let’s get a closer look at what really happened though.

Cleanthi Peters decided that she would take her ten-year-old granddaughter to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. It was getting to be that spooky time of year, and it sounded like a fun idea. However, things took a bad turn once they were in one of the haunted houses. Most of the articles regarding this story end here, or with, “and then they sued for being too scared”. That’s not exactly what happened though.

What Happened to Lead to this Crazy Court Case?

During the walk through the house, the duo was frightened. In fact, they were frightened enough that they decided to run out of the house, all while being chased by an actor dressed up as Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. While they were running, they supposedly slipped and fell on a patch of water near the exit. Once they fell, the actor did not break character, and stood over them with his chainsaw. For this reason, their suit alleged that they were suffering from extreme fear and mental stress. Because this deals more with emotions than actual injuries, it can be difficult to prove or to disprove. Even though it may be hard to prove, that did not stop the plaintiffs from asking or $15,000.

If this is in fact true, it’s easy to see that they weren’t necessarily suing because of the attraction being too scary. Instead, they were suing because the company was negligent and didn’t ensure the safety of the guests properly, and that they did not get help and attention when they needed it. Many people in these attractions will jump, dive, run, and try to get through it quickly, and it is the job of the company running the haunted house to make sure it is as safe as possible. While they might not be accountable for all injuries that the guests bring upon themselves, they are responsible for providing a safe environment for the guests, as well as the actors working there.

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