Women sues because of distracting ad

Dexter Scares Woman in the Subway

The Showtime television show Dexter was one of the biggest hits for that outlet, and one of the most beloved shows of the last ten years or so. It’s not often that you find yourself rooting for a serial killer, but they found it possible to make the character – who only killed bad people – charming and very likeable. At least to most people. However, a woman in New York City named Ajanaffy Njewadda doesn’t seem to have felt the same way about the beloved slasher.

What Happened to Njewadda?

The wife of Sheik Ahmad Tejan, a former Gambian diplomat, was walking down the stairs in the Grand Central terminal in NYC in 2013 when she noticed an advertisement painted onto the stairs that caused such a fright in her that she panicked and then fell and broke her ankle. The advertisement was simply an image of Michael C. Hall’s face. He played the titular character in Dexter. However, the image was enough to scare the woman and she and her husband have decided to sue.

In 2014, they sued the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, as well as Showtime, over the ad. They said that the lawsuit is aimed at the ad, as well as its placement. It wasn’t on a wall, as ads usually are. Instead, it was painted onto the stairs. They found the ad to be, per their attorney, “dangerous, hazardous, and shocking”. This included the subject matter as well as the placement of the ad in question.

The suit alleges that when she was waiting for her husband, she turned around and saw the oversized face of Dexter staring at her from the stairwell, and the she found the face to be “shocking and menacing”. It was at that point that she panicked and fell down the steps, which resulted in the broken ankle mentioned earlier. She also suffered a concussion. They believe that the MTA knowingly and deliberately placed a tripping hazard in a space for the public. Her attorney also said that she’s had nightmares about the incident that have persisted long after the physical injuries have healed.

Easily Startled

While it’s a shame that the woman suffered a broken ankle and a concussion, she was the only one to have suffered any type of injury due to this add in Grand Central Station, which is one of the busiest places in the world. Many feel she is too easily startled, and that it might not be good grounds for a lawsuit. However, as you are likely aware, people can and do sue over things far more outrageous than this! In this case, Njewadda did suffer from real injuries, and she does have the right to sue.

Of course, many would argue that there are quite a few other things in the NYC subway system that are far more distressing and dangerous than a large image of Michael C. Hall, the world’s most loveable fictional serial killer.