Mom Sues Husband After Venomous Snake Bites Son At PA Home

MONROE COUNTY, PA — A mother is suing her estranged husband for $50,000 after one of his venomous snakes bit their son at his Pennsylvania home and caused the boy to develop anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.

In the lawsuit, Irina Mayman accused Gregory Johnson of Monroe County of making their 8-year-old son "swear on the Bible" not to tell anyone after a venomous snake wrapped around the boy's wrist and bit him.

According to the lawsuit, Johnson had a license to sell venomous snakes at the time of the incident. He kept the snakes on property owned by his parents, Robert and Maria Johnson, both of whom are defendants in the lawsuit.

According to court documents, the boy was visiting his father in August 2021 when Johnson gave his son a snake to hold. That's when the snake bit him, the lawsuit states.

"When the snake bit (the boy), it did not let go, but buried its fang in the minor child's right index fingers," court documents state. "The minor child became extremely upset and started to bleed."

According to the lawsuit, the boy didn't tell his mother about the bite until February 2022. Before telling Mayman, the boy began to show signs of increased anxiety and fear. He had nightmares and problems in school, all of which he did not have before the bite, the lawsuit states.

A psychologist later determined the boy suffered from "significant anxiety" and PTSD related to the snakebite and not telling his mother about it, the lawsuit said.

According to court documents, Mayman has accumulated more than $30,000 in medical bills for the boy's treatment. She is suing Johnson for negligence, claiming he knew the snake was venomous when he gave it to their son.

In the lawsuit, Mayman is requesting a monetary judgment of no less than $50,000.