Sheldon invited his friends and family to his house in order to watch the new Star Trek film. Because of Sheldon's fear of germs, he required all of his guests to fully sanitize themselves prior to entry using an extremely powerful ultraviolet lamp that Sheldon's friend Howard built. The lamp was placed in the doorway of Sheldon's house and as each guest arrived they were asked to stand under the lamp for two minutes so that all bacteria and contaminants were killed. 

 

The first guests arrived without any incident and assembled in the living room of Sheldon's home, eagerly awaiting the start of the film. Sheldon's wife, Amy, was a little late to arrive and in her hurry she knocked over the lamp, causing it to fall into a table of hot chocolate drinks that Sheldon had placed near the door for guests to enjoy as they arrived. Upon contact with the drinks, the lamp exploded injuring many guests. Sadly Leonard, Sheldon's roommate, and Bernadette (Howard's wife) died as a result of the explosion. 

 

The following persons suffered psychiatric problems as a result of their experiences and seek your advice regarding their claims for psychiatric harms:

 

Raj, who was stood next to Leonard but who miraculously escaped serious physical injury, suffered a recurrence of a personality disorder that means that it has become impossible for him to speak in public. He had previously suffered from this condition but has, recently, found ways to manage his condition. He feels that this recurrence of his disorder might be a symptom of PTSD resulting from the shock of the explosion. 

 

Barry, a work colleague of Sheldon's, was in the adjacent room when the explosion happened. Hearing the noise of the blast he rushed to see what the noise was. He has since developed symptoms of PTSD, although his psychiatrist cannot determine whether these were caused by a fear for his own safety, or whether the scenes that Barry witnessed caused these. 

 

Penny, who was engaged to Leonard, was also in an adjacent room and only saw the aftermath of the explosion. She has suffered from a debilitating and severe grief reaction as a result of what she witnessed. 

 

Howard, who could not attend the party in person, used a piece of technology called a "Shelbot" to virtually attend. The "Shelbot" was described by uncontested expert testimony as a "multi-sensory virtual, instantaneous connection" that provided users with "a simulated participation experience that is virtually indistinguishable from being there." At the time of the explosion the "Shelbot" was positioned in such a way as to allow for Howard to see, hear and smell the explosion and its aftermath. Howard has been diagnosed as suffering from PTSD since the incident.