Woman Stabbed at Anger Management Class Over Dr. Phil
The victim of an anger management class stabbing is suing the nonprofit that ran the class, accusing the company and its instructor of negligence.
What triggered the in-class stabbing? A dispute over the instructor's showing of a "Dr. Phil" DVD, KING-TV reports.
Luna Oraivej, 37, of Issaquah, Wash., filed suit Dec. 5, seeking damages for her stab wounds and emotional distress. She also wants a refund for the $180 anger management course.
The anger management class stabbing occurred in October, 2010, when a 19-year-old girl showed up late and threw a fit about having to watch an episode of the TV talk show "Dr. Phil" in class.
"What the [expletive] does this have to do with my life?" the girl yelled out in class, according to Oraivej.
When Oraivej told the girl to give the show a chance, things went south fast. 'Motherf- I know you ain't talking to me like that,'" exclaimed the anger management class participant before she plunged a knife into her classmate.
The girl leapt from her seat and attacked Oraivej with a 3-inch paring knife. The girl was charged with assault but failed to show up in court; there's now a warrant out for her arrest.
Oraivej blames not just the girl, but also the anger management class instructor and the nonprofit that runs the classes, Court Services Institute.
To prove negligence, Oraivej must show CSI and the instructor had a duty to care for her. She also has to prove a breach of that duty, and that the breach caused her injuries.
Oraivej's suit presents several theories of negligence: That CSI failed to take reasonable precautions to protect her from foreseeable harm; that CSI failed to reasonably manage the anger of students; and that the instructor, a former law-enforcement officer, failed to exercise the degree of care expected for a man with decades of experience.
Oraivej's claims against CSI are based on another legal theory, respondeat superior, which makes an employer responsible for employees' actions within the scope of their jobs.
More than a year after Oraivej's anger management class stabbing, she says she now better appreciates the irony of the attack. "Up until this point, I really didn't know what the word 'ironic' meant," she told KING-TV. "Now I know."
Related Resources:
- Woman Stabbed at Anger Management Training Sues Company that Ran the Class (ABA Journal)
- Faribah Maradiaga, Anger Management Student, Fails to Manage Anger, Stabs a 'Bitch', Inspires a Lawsuit (Seattle Weekly)
- Who Might be Responsible for Negligence? (FindLaw)
- Man Loses Right to an Attorney After Stabbing 3 Lawyers with Pencils (FindLaw's Strategist)