VANCOUVER, WA (KPTV) -
A Vancouver city council member is seeking $500,000 from the city of Ridgefield, saying she suffers serious vision problems after Ridgefield's mayor hit her with a stress-relief ball.
Jeanne Harris filed the insurance claim this week.
According to the insurance claim, Harris suffered a partially detached retina when she was hit in the eye by a stress-relief ball thrown by Ridgefield Mayor Ron Onslow. The two were at the Association of Washington Cities meeting in Spokane last June.
Harris suffers from blurred vision after having six surgeries over the past year and may lose her vision permanently, her attorney, Joseph Daggy, told Fox 12.
"She has a serious injury. The injury has disabled her," said Daggy. "It's interfered with her ability to do all number of things she does."
Daggy said Harris now has 20/2200 vision in her left eye and is seeking the money to compensate for a major loss.
Harris was appointed to the city council in 1996 and has been re-elected four times.
She made headlines in 2010, when she was recorded yelling at a Vancouver resident and a fellow councilor during a public meeting. Harris later apologized, saying, "What happened was very inappropriate for an elected official."
Harris recently closed her insurance business. Daggy said that is unrelated to the decision to file the insurance claim.
Harris did not return messages left Friday. Daggy told Fox 12 he asked Harris not to discuss the claim.
Onslow told Fox 12 the city of Ridgefield's insurance company is now reviewing the claim. He gave no further comment.
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