A young boy was hospitalized after he accidentally swallowed…
A young boy was hospitalized after he accidentally swallowed a coin while playing. The boy recovered, but his mother began suffering feelings of anxiety, worrying that her child might be injured again. The mother went to a movie to relax and ordered some popcorn. While handling her change, the concession stand attendant carelessly dropped a quarter into the popcorn, which the mother did not notice until she bit the quarter. She did not swallow the quarter, nor did she bite on it hard enough to injure her teeth or gums, but the feel of the coin brought back all her anxieties about the boy’s injury. The mother sued the movie theater for her emotional distress. If the jury finds that a reasonable person would not have suffered similar distress under the circumstances, is the mother likely to prevail?