A civil jury in New Jersey awarded a man nearly $100,000 in a lawsuit he filed against his mother.

John Garrity was installing hardwood floors in his mother's home when she tapped him on the shoulder to tell him that lunch was ready. Garrity, who was using a miter saw at the time, quickly turned around, causing his hand to slip into the saw's path and severing his pinky finger.

Garrity filed the lawsuit against his mother, Nancy Garrity, seeking nearly $200,000 in damages in addition to nearly $40,000 in medical bills. Court records show that the mother admitted she was at fault. “It was very noisy from the machine which he was operating, so I tapped him on the shoulder,” read one court document. “He appeared to be startled and then held up his hand, which had blood on it.”

The jury in the State Superior Court found each party to be 50 percent at fault for the accident and thus awarded Garrity 50 percent of his claim.

—Source: NorthJersey.com, (CFIF thanks Liberty Update subscriber Jack G. for alerting us to this week's “Jester's Courtroom” lawsuit.)