The Curious Case of James Cialella, Jr.: Philadelphia Man Shoots Father in Front of Family for Talking in a Movie

A father and son were talking during the playing of the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button when James Joseph Cialella Jr., 29, became angry. Many people might sympathize with the complaint but Cailella threw popcorn at the boy and when the father objected he shot the father with a .380-caliber handgun. It was a horrific act in a movie with a tagline; “Life isn’t measured in minutes, but in moments.”

Thankfully, the unnamed father survived and Cialella is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and weapons violations. These cases of violence in theaters often raise questions of the liability of the businesses for failure to monitor or intervene in such confrontations. Obviously, the extreme action taken by this man is hardly foreseeable. However, restaurants, casinos, and movie theaters have been sued for such injuries in the past. However, such criminal acts generally cut off liability as a matter of proximate causation.

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