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Torts Keyed to Christie
Portee v. Jaffee
Citation:
84 N.J. 88, 417 A.2d 521 (1980)Facts
Renee Porter’s (Plaintiff) seven-year-old son became trapped in their apartment’s elevator door. The Plaintiff watched as members of the police department attempted to rescue him for four and a half hours. Her son died from his injuries. Subsequently, the Plaintiff suffered severe depression and became self-destructive. The Plaintiff sued the owners of the apartment building and two elevator companies that had designed, built, installed, and maintained the elevator (Defendants), arguing in part that they caused her mental and emotional distress by negligently failing to provide a safe elevator. The Defendants moved for summary judgment on this issue of mental and emotional distress.
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Topic Resources
Topic Outline
NegligenceTopic Refresher Course
Negligence: DutyTopic Charts & Notes
Emotional Distress