Jury awards man $122,400 for bite from sister's cat

FLUSHING, Mich. (AP) - A nasty bite on the hand from his sister's Siamese cat is worth $122,400 for one man.

A Genesee County jury on Friday awarded Michael Sabo, 57, of Flushing the money for an injury he sustained when the cat named Randy bit in March 2004. The bite had brought more than $20,000 in medical bills.

Sabo's fingers swelled so much that his fingers looked like "plump hot dogs," Sabo's attorney, Tom Pabst, told The Flint Journal, and an infection from the bite put Sabo in a hospital for three weeks.




Pabst said Sabo's sister, Jean Toney, had warned people not to pick up Randy because he had bitten people before. But the newspaper said the cat leapt into Sabo's lap before biting his right hand.


Sabo initially tried to get his sister's homeowner's insurance policy to cover the cost of the bite, but when that request was refused, Pabst said his client had no choice but to take the matter to court.

There was no answer Sunday at a telephone listing for Toney.

Reference:southbendtribune