The last issue of Coverage Opinions, on Halloween-eve, included an article that looked at whether the visitor of a haunted house can sue for injuries sustained in the process of being scared. Based on the cases to have looked at the issue, the conclusion is No. You go to a haunted house expecting to (and paying to) be surprised, startled and scared by the exhibits. So, courts conclude, there is no complaining when you get what you asked for – even if you are a 10 year old girl that gets frightened when a character at a haunted house jumps out at her and she runs directly into a visqueen-covered cinder block wall.

Coming on the eve of Halloween, and involving a question that has perhaps never been given much thought, the haunted houses liability article grabbed the attention of some media and law blogs. That article was the subject of stories by Law360, The Wall Street Journal law blog, The ABA Journal tort law blog, Lexis, some legal blogs, including LawHaHa, and even a newspaper in the Philippines mentioned it.

It was very exciting to see Coverage Opinions, my sleepy little insurance newsletter, get some national exposure. A few of these articles are on the In the News page.