There is a specific circle of h£ll reserved for people who think throwing fully clothed adults into swimming pools is the height of comedy. It isn’t funny; it is assault with a splash of chlorine. You ruin phones, you ruin outfits, and you ruin the vibe. But for one woman on Reddit, a family birthday party turned into a legal battleground after her “golden child” cousin decided to ruin her hair and, inadvertently, her ability to hear.
The OP (Original Poster) describes her twenty-five-year-old cousin as the family favorite—the classic boy amongst girls who gets away with murder because he’s “funny” and “outgoing.” OP, however, sees right through the charm and finds him irresponsible and childish. The stakes were raised significantly because OP suffers from hearing problems and had just purchased a pair of hearing aids worth a staggering six thousand dollars. That is not a small chunk of change; that is a used Honda Civic sitting in your ear canals.
During their grandmother’s birthday party, while everyone was eating on the patio, the cousin decided it would be hilarious to physically pick up the OP and toss her into the pool. She explicitly told him to stop, using her serious, “I am not playing” voice. But Mr. Prankster didn’t listen. Splash. He didn’t just ruin her blowout; he destroyed the expensive medical devices she relies on to function.
His reaction was a nonchalant “whoops,” claiming he didn’t know she had hearing aids. Here is the thing: it doesn’t matter. Even if she didn’t have hearing aids, she had a phone, car keys, or just the basic human right not to be manhandled into deep water against her will. When she presented him with the six-thousand-dollar bill, he freaked out. The family immediately rallied behind him, arguing that because OP out-earns everyone, she should just eat the loss because the cousin is a struggling student with a baby.
The OP wasn’t having it. She took him to court and won. When he still refused to make payments on the judgment, she went back to court and got his wages garnished. Now, the state is taking twenty percent of his paycheck. The financial strain was so severe that the cousin had to drop out of college and work extra hours just to pay rent and support his child. It is a harsh outcome, but it is a direct consequence of his refusal to take responsibility for his actions.
The family is absolutely fuming, blaming the OP for ruining his future and putting his child at risk. But the OP clarifies a crucial point: had he offered a sincere apology and asked for a payment plan—or even asked to wait until he finished school to pay her back—she would have been fine with it. She wasn’t out for blood; she just wanted to be made whole. Instead, the “entitled little prick” dug his heels in at every turn, refusing to admit he was wrong.
This is a masterclass in “actions have consequences.” The cousin thought his status as the fun, golden boy gave him immunity. He thought he could destroy property and laugh it off because “family helps family.” But he forgot that family also respects boundaries. He made a series of choices: the choice to throw her in, the choice not to apologize, and the choice not to pay. He is the architect of his own misery.
The OP feels a twinge of guilt because an innocent baby and girlfriend are affected by the loss of income, but that isn’t on her. That is on the partner and father who decided a prank was more important than his financial stability.
So, is the OP the ahole? Absolutely not. She was assaulted, her property was destroyed, and she used the legal system exactly as it was intended. Maybe next time he feels the urge to “prank” someone, he will check his bank account balance first.
What would you do if a family member destroyed $6,000 worth of your property and refused to pay? Would you let it slide for the sake of peace, or would you garnish their wages until they learned a lesson? Let us know in the comments if you think the OP went too far!