WHAA? SUIT OVER MUSICAL CHAIRS
Chair-yank butt pain girl in court
What’s next — a ban on hopscotch?
An innocent game of musical chairs at an Upper East Side prep school is headed to court — because one of its students yanked the seat from under another kid and she landed on her duff.
Manhattan plaintiff Kate Liggett claims that she was injured when her York Prep high-school classmate pulled out her chair during what was supposed to be a fun class activity in 2016.
The exclusive West 68th Street school — which charges tuition of nearly $50,000 a year and counts Liv Tyler as a grad — is at least partly at fault because it forced her to participate in the game that led to her downfall, according to Liggett’s Manhattan court suit.
York Prep created a “danger- ous situation when it knew or should have known that the game of musical chairs as played by the students in the dance class was inappropriate for the students,” her suit says.
First, teacher Fiona Hutchinson “failed to properly educate participants” on safely playing a simple game of musical chairs during their “Expression Through Dance’’ class, the suit says.
Next, the school allowed students “who had disparate physical skills and builds” to play the game, court documents state.
Then Hutchinson forced Liggett, who has since graduated, to play despite her “specific request to be excused from playing,’’ the suit says.
The school compelled Liggett’s participation “under penalty of disciplinary action,” the suit states.
When the music stopped at one point during the game, Liggett claims, one of her classmates, Ethan Levy, suddenly pulled her seat out from under her, sending her crashing to the floor, according to the lawsuit. “Defendant Ethan Levy abruptly moved the chair upon which the plaintiff was about to sit causing plaintiff to fall to the ground,” court papers state.
The suit says Liggett “sustained serious personal injuries, pain and suffering, emotional trauma, distress and medical expenses.”
The case targets Levy personally for recklessness and negligence in pulling the chair out from under Liggett.
But she wants both him and her alma mater to cough up damages to be determined at trial.
Both Liggett and her lawyer, Bryan Schneider, declined comment to The Post on Tuesday.
Lawyers for Levy and York Prep also refused to speak about the suit.
They have denied any wrongdoing in court papers.
Lawyers for York Prep said they shouldn’t have to pay a dime because Liggett was responsible for her own actions.
Any damages were caused by “plaintiff ’s own negligence or other culpable conduct,” the school’s lawyers argued.
Levy’s lawyer, William Candiloros, demanded evidence of Liggett’s wounds in answering her claims against his client.
In addition to Liv Tyler, the Manhattan school also counts infamous “Preppie Killer” Robert Chambers as a graduate.
It made film fame, too, with its facade being shown in the 2003 Will Ferrell flick “Elf.’’
The school hosts grades 6 through 12.