AITAH for suing my cousin for 6K to pay for my hearing aides after he threw me in the pool?

A Redditor (30s, F) shares a family dispute after her cousin (25M) threw her into a pool at a family gathering, ruining her $6,000 hearing aids. Despite her repeated requests for him to stop, he dismissed the situation, saying he didn’t know about the hearing aids.

When he refused to replace them, she took him to court, eventually winning and having his wages garnished. Now, her family is angry with her for suing, arguing it’s causing hardship for his young family. The Redditor wonders if she overreacted and is seeking outside judgment.

‘ AITAH for suing my cousin for 6K to pay for my hearing aides after he threw me in the pool ?’

My cousin (25m) has always been the golden child of our generation. He’s funny, good looking, and out going, not to mention a boy amongst girls. He’s always loved to mess around and play pranks. For the record, I really dislike this cousin. I think he’s irresponsible, childish, and annoying.

I have had hearing problems for years. I recently got a $6,000 pair of hearing aides. Recently at my grandmothers birthday party we were all eating and drinking on the back porch. My grandmother has a pool. My cousin decided he was going to throw me in the pool because it would be funny to ruin my hair that I just got done that day.

I repeatedly told him to stop and put me down, in a very serious and not playful at all tone. He threw me in the pool, and my hearing aides were ruined. After words when I told him what happened he basically said whoops, didn’t know you had hearing aides now.

When I told him the cost of them and that he would have to replace them he freaked out, and said no way. My family didn’t want me to make him pay for them because i significantly out earn him and also everyone else in the family. He was in college at the time, barely making ends meet in a call center job.

His girlfriend and him have a baby and they live in a one bedroom apartment. He refused to pay, so I took him to court. I won. He refused to make the payments after, so I took him back to court and his wages are now being garnished for the maximum amount, which is 20% of his total wages.

It pushed him over the edge of what he could afford, so he’s had to work extra and drop out of college to be able to pay their rent. My family is absolutely fuming at me. I think he made one bad choice after the other, and he has never given a sincere apology during this whole ordeal.

Had he gave a real apology after the incident and asked if he could wait till he finished school to pay me back I would’ve been fine with it. But the entitled little p**ck is digging his feet in at every move. AITAH? The only reason I could see me maybe being the a**hole is because it’s affecting his child and girlfriend.

Take a look at the comments from fellow users:

Scary-Welder8404 −  NTA. A man fixes what he breaks. It’s basic eggshell skull theory m**herfucker, cope.

ElonsRocket22 −  NTA. Where he fucked up was not negotiating a payment plan with you that he could afford after he did it. A 20% garnish is a harsh way to learn his lesson, but he earned that lesson.

millymollymel −  So if he’d broken a wheel chair that someone needed to get around, he and the family would think it’s ok not to replace it? Because it’s hearing aids, equipment that you need to be able to hear and function in your day to day life they think it’s ok for him to just say whoops and get away with it.. NTA

But your family is the worst. I can’t believe they would enable him like that. If they all think it’s so hard on him, why are they not all chipping in to pay off his debt? I’m sorry you have a family of s**fish a-holes!

Lonely-World-981 −  NTA. Reminder, the courts sided with you. Toxic families always protect an abuser and blame the victim.

miasdeepertruths −  NTA. your cousin ruined your $6,000 hearing aids despite your warnings so it’s fair to expect him to pay for the damage while it’s unfortunate the situation affects his family he refused to take responsibility or apologize.

you gave him a chance before taking legal action, and the consequences are his own doing. you’re just holding him accountable for something that directly impacts your life

Pschulman −  NTA. He played a stupid game and won a stupid prize.

Trailsya −  FAFO. NTA for you. Hopefully that annoying cousin learns from this. I’d block and ignore any family that is pressuring you. Find nice friends to hang out with instead.

You actually did him and his family a favor. He hopefully learned form this so he doesn’t start destroying much more expensive stuff of people who don’t give a sh\*t about his golden status in your crappy family.

I_wanna_be_anemone −  If family are so concerned they can all pitch in contributions toward paying off the man-child’s debt that he owes you. NTA 

JanetInSpain −  NTA continue with the lawsuit. “Just a joke” is the rallying cry of every b**ly on the planet. Your cousin didn’t pull a “joke” on you. He bullied you. He FAFO and is now literally paying the price.

If the rest of your family thinks you are wrong, why aren’t they are chipping in to replace your hearing aids? His problems are of his own creation, not yours. Do not feel guilty. You are doing the right thing. At least for once in his life he’ll actually be held accountable for his poor choices.

Sorry-Analysis8628 −  NTA. Your cousin’s s**tty behavior is affecting his child and girlfriend. You did nothing wrong by utilizing the court system to be made whole. That’s what it’s there for.

Do you think the user was justified in suing her cousin for the damage to her hearing aids, or was she too harsh in her response? Should she have considered the impact on his family? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!