BRIDGEPORT (Connecticut) • A New York woman who attempted to sue her nephew for injuries she said she had sustained when the boy leapt into her arms at his birthday party has been denied in court.

A six-member jury ruled on Tuesday that the 12-year-old was not liable for injuries that human resources manager Jennifer Connell, 54, said she had suffered from his exuberant greeting four years ago, reported media in the United States.

Dubbed by some in the news media as the world's worst aunt, Ms Connell claimed the boy, then aged eight, had acted unreasonably.

"I remember him shouting, 'Auntie Jen, I love you!' and there he was flying at me," she said in her testimony, according to the New York Daily News.

His actions had caused her to tumble to the ground as she tried to catch him, breaking her wrist in the process.

The injury had ruined her social life, said Ms Connell, adding that it was "difficult to hold (her) hors d'oeuvres plate". She also said it made it tough for her to climb the stairs to her third-floor apartment.

She testified that though she loves her nephew, he should be held accountable for his actions.

Thus, she claimed US$127,000 (S$178,000) in damages.

Her lawyer, Mr William Beckert, was quoted by the New York Daily News as saying: "We do not take great pleasure in bringing a minor to court.

"She is not here enjoying a moment of this."

But, he said, the boy "should have known better".

The jury at the court in Bridgeport, Connecticut, took only 25 minutes to throw out Ms Connell's bid, according to the New York Daily News.

The family of the boy, identified by the US media as Sean Tarala of Westport, Connecticut, has declined to comment.