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Newlyweds Sue for $300K After Sprinkler Mishap

By  JENNIFER MILLMAN

Updated 4:18 PM EDT, Mon, Jan 26, 2009

A Brooklyn couple is suing the place where they had their wedding because the sprinklers went off during the outdoor ceremony.
AP

A Brooklyn couple is suing the place where they had their wedding because the sprinklers went off during the outdoor ceremony.

 

A new husband and wife are suing the Staten Island hotel where they had their wedding ceremony because it rained on their big day. Well, it didn’t exactly rain – it sprinkled.

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Svetlana Orishchenko and her hubby, Yuriy, had an outdoor ceremony last summer at the Hilton Garden Inn. Everything started out great, but then the sprinkler system went off, wetting all the wedding guests and causing chaos, according to the Daily News.

Now the Brooklyn couple is suing the hotel for $300,000 – 15 times the amount they paid for the wedding. Why so much? Svetlana wants them to pay up for ruining her big day.

"I was the princess and this was everything I could have wanted," bride Svetlana told the Daily News. "We made sure of everything, I even asked them if there were generators in case the power went out. But the sprinklers?"

The groom told the paper he was halfway down the aisle when the sprinklers turned on. He watched the guests on the side where the water was coming down flee to the other side of the aisle. Then those sets of sprinklers went on as well – a total disaster.

It took about 15 to 20 minutes before the water was shut off and the wedding ceremony continued as planned. Hotel owner Richard Nicotra tried to pay the couple $5,000 for the inconvenience and had his employees run out there with towel to dry off the frazzled guests, but Svetlana said that wasn’t good enough for ruining the dream she’d since she was “a little girl.”

Nicotra attributes the couple’s lawsuit to more than a dream day gone array, however.

“This is blackmail,” he told the Daily News. “They just want a free wedding. They want to take us to the cleaners."

Comments (9)

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  • Liz Saturday, Jan 10 at 11:45 AM FLAG COMMENT Sara - when I say grand I mean large. Having a wedding at this SI Hotel is like having a wedding at a budget motel. Mrlliveon - The Hilton Garden Inn is a Staten Island Hotel because it is located on SI. It is also NOT a classy place and anyone who thinks it is please let me know what slum you come from. Also, you should be the last person to comment on spelling. What does "Yeh" mean?
  • Monica Friday, Jan 9 at 1:31 PM FLAG COMMENT Just another idiot trying to make a buck. Does this really warrant a lawsuit? I think NOT.
  • John Raml Thursday, Jan 8 at 5:52 PM FLAG COMMENT Dear Journalist John Raml 13718 Batchelors Dr Silver Spring MD 20904 This will be a fantastic news story. 12/21/08 My name is John Raml I live just outs ... MORE >
  • sara Thursday, Jan 8 at 4:37 PM FLAG COMMENT I wouldn't really consider any of the halls on SI "Grand". That goes for 95% of the halls in Brooklyn as well.
  • MrIliveonSI Thursday, Jan 8 at 4:35 PM FLAG COMMENT The Hilton Garden Inn is not the Staten Island Hotel so most likely the idiot who thinks so must have spent some precious moments (an hour) at the SI Hotel and got a flash back. The HIlton Garden is a classy place and so is Nicotra. Yeh I guess getting sprinkled was not the best, but so is them trying hose Nicotra. Hey you with names I can't spell stay in Brooklyn and have next party there.

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