As someone who enjoys looking at the lighter side of the legal system, and especially fun judicial decisions, it was a real thrill to publish an Op-Ed, in USA Today, that examines the critical issue of whether a haunted house is liable for injuries sustained on account of a visitor being scared. Yes, several appellate court decisions exist addressing this issue.

It’s actually an interesting tort issue. All sorts of legal duties are imposed on businesses to ensure that their visitors are free of danger. This seems simple enough. Unless you run a haunted house – designed to frighten your guests. Those shelling out cash to tour such an attraction would be disappointed if steps were taken to remove all perils. But what if the fright goes further than planned and leads to an injury? Is the haunted house operator liable when the injured person gets exactly what they paid for and then goes from boo to sue?

I hope you’ll check out this USA Today piece, published on Halloween, that examines how some appellate courts have resolved these competing interests:

http://www.coverageopinions.info/USAToday.pdf