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25-year-old woman sues cousin who knocked her brand new $1300 phone into a pool: 'I filed for wage garnishment'

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  • 01
    Unhappy woman talks on phone in front of large pool.
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  • 02

    Am I the j*rk for suing my cousin after he knocked my phone into the pool as a "joke"?

    I (25F) recently upgraded my phone to the latest iPhone Pro model. After taxes and AppleCare, it was about $1,300.
  • 03
    I paid for it myself and had literally just finished setting it up a week before this happened.
  • 04
    A couple months ago, we were at my grandmother's birthday party. Everyone was hanging out in her backyard around the pool.
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  • 05
    I was standing near one of the patio tables, texting and taking photos of everyone. My cousin (25M) has always been big on physical humor and pranks.
  • 06
    He loves being the center of attention. I've never found him funny, especially when the joke involves embarrassing someone else.
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  • 07
    At one point he came up behind me and started teasing me about being "glued to my phone." I rolled my eyes and told him to knock it off.
  • 08
    iPhone laying precariously close to water on pool edge.
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  • 09
    He kept hovering around me, pretending like he was going to grab it. I told him very clearly to stop.
  • 10
    Instead, he slapped the phone out of my hand. It bounced once on the concrete and slid straight into the pool.
  • 11
    We fished it out immediately, but it was de_d. Completely unresponsive. Apple said there was water damage and it wasn't repairable.
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  • 12
    When I confronted him, he laughed at first and said he didn't think it would actually go in.
  • 13
    Then when he realized I was serious about him paying for it, his attitude changed. He said it was an accident and that I shouldn't have been standing so close to the pool with an expensive phone.
  • 14
    I told him it cost about $1,300 to replace and that I expected him to cover it.
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  • 15
    He refused. My family immediately took his side, saying I make more money than he does and that he has a girlfriend and a baby to support.
  • 16
    They said I was being petty over "a mistake." What really bothered me wasn't even just the money, it was that I told him to stop.
  • 17
    He chose to ignore that. And instead of apologizing sincerely and offering to work something out, he acted like I was overreacting.
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  • 18
    After weeks of him refusing to pay anything, I took him to small claims court. I won.
  • 19
    He still dragged his feet on paying, so I filed for wage garnishment. Now 20% of his paycheck goes toward paying me back.
  • 20

    He made his own life difficult

    My family says I've gone nuclear and that I've made his life harder over a phone.
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  • 21
    If he had apologized and offered a payment plan, I would've worked with him. But he dug his heels in at every step.
  • 22
    Large outdoor pool and stone pool house.

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