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Slidey Aphrodite: Family On The Hook For $132K After Son Topples Sculpture, Blames City

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (CBSLA) — This incident might put off this kid from hugging altogether.

A Kansas family is on the hook for more than $100,000 after their 5-year-old put his arms around an art piece at a community center and toppled it, and it was all caught by security cameras.

The incident happened during a wedding reception at the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas last month, WGN reported.

The boy can be seen hugging the base of the sculpture named "Aphrodite di Kansas City" by local artist Bill Lyons, the Kansas City Star said. He attempts to hold it up as it begins to lean forward but can't stop it from falling.

"This glass mosaic torso is laying on the ground and someone is following me around demanding my personal information," the boy's mother Sarah Goodman told WGN.

The family soon learned of the piece's hefty price tag.

"'Maybe this is like 800 or something.' No, it's $132,000!" Goodman told reporters. "I'm sorry, we're finished here."

The Goodmans said they received a letter from the City of Overland's insurance company accusing them of negligence for not monitoring their children, according to WGN.

In response, the mother said, "My children are well-supervised, but all people get distracted."

Goodman put the blame on the recreation center, saying there was no glass buffer around the sculpture or even a sign around it saying "Do not touch."

Sean Reilly, spokesman for the City of Overland Park, told WGN the statue was on loan to the city and that they were responsible for protecting "the public investment." He added that the display was never meant to be touched, saying, "There's a societal responsibility that you may not interact with it if it's not designed for interaction."

Lyons told The Kansas City Star the sculpture made of glass an other materials took him two years to complete and that it was his most ambitious work to date.

Still, Goodman maintains the $132,000 amount is "astronomical." She told WGN the family was waiting to see if the city will seek legal action.

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