Family of teen who died by suicide after video of her assault was posted online sues school - eviltoast

Adriana Kuch, 14, was attacked by other students in the hallway of her high school last year. She later died by suicide after video of the assault was posted online.

The family of a New Jersey teenager who died by suicide after video of her being assaulted at her high school was posted online is suing the Board of Education and school officials, their attorneys said Monday.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Adriana Kuch’s family against the Central Regional Board of Education and others, alleges that officials were aware of “a culture of violence at Central Regional High School” and failed to protect her, the lawyers said.

Adriana took her own life after she was attacked by at least one other student in her high school last year and after video of the attack was posted online.

The assault and the video “led to her public humiliation and ultimate suicide,” the family lawyers said in a statement.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    It’s more fucked up than just that.

    The school (for some reason) gave UK Tabloid The Daily Mail an interview.

    They said the father cheated on the mother and forced the daughter to move in with the mistress, that the victim was a drug dealer and was beaten for selling laced marijuana to her attackers, so the victim killed herself because of her unstable home life and drug addiction, not the beating the school ignored.

    So they’re not just being sued for not doing anything after the beating, they’re being sued for slander as well.

    Edit:

    Since OPs link doesn’t go into all that, here’s the article I read the other day so you don’t have to take my word on it

    https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/teens-suicide-after-school-beating-video-goes-viral-sparks-family-lawsuit-for-catastrophic-failure-and-cruel-treatment-by-school-officials/

    I also forgot the school brought up the victims mom died of suicide as well… Implying it would have happened anyways.

    “The mom killed herself two years ago. The girls that assaulted her were friends with her but thought she had laced the marijuana they had smoked together. The father is very upset and lost his only child so sometimes you just have to eat the s— sandwich,” an email from Parlapanides stated, according to the lawsuit.

        • deweydecibel@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          We’re really just going to lay a blanket statement down like this? Every single one, everywhere, run by sociopaths? No room for nuance here at all?

          Reminder that schools are often run by former teachers. You know, those severally underpaid and overworked people that do one of the hardest and most important jobs there is.

          • BlanketsWithSmallpox@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Remember what ACAB, landlord hating, anybody that’s not communist or fixing every world problem with the snap of a finger platform you’re on.

            Not only that, but there’s far fewer to literally no mod tools, bot detection, and vote manipulation detection either.

            It makes things make a lot more sense when you realize half your politics and news threads are about as extreme as you can get short of being straight up 8chan.

          • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Yes, sure why not? It’s not like what we say here has any effect on the situation. I’ve been trying to fix my issues since I left. I’m allowed to be bitter.

            Reminder that schools are often run by former teachers.

            From my experience, primarily gym and civics teachers. I’ve have so many little anecdotes about how my high school civics/history teachers pushed conservative ideology. Complaining about “welfare queens”, complaining about unions(even saying teacher’s unions were the only ones needed anymore). There’s a selection bias for the types of people that become administrators and it’s the same bias for why CEOs are mainly made up of sociopaths.

            • steakmeout@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              Got it, so you justify your ridiculous statement with even more ridiculous rhetoric, anecdote and not a shred of real evidence. Let’s say everything you said was true - you’re one person, how many schools could you have possibly experienced in ways that are meaningful to this conversation? You only mention one and that was as a student and that example is about fucking civics teachers not those who ran the school.

              Honestly, the stuff that people say here to justify stupid statements is hilariously inept. Just take a moment and stop to read what you write and really think about how it reads - it’s childish lying and only likeminded fools agree with it.

              • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                All you have to do is look at the end results. Holistically, sociopathy is the norm and the school system is a corner stone in supporting that. It’s just hard to see because of normalized it is.

                As far as proving it, I’m not going to dox myself and if I did, it wouldn’t be good enough for you. I’ve had enough experience with the education system at various levels and know enough of the good educators to know how it works.

        • cynar@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Bad schools tend to burn teachers and administrators out. The only ones who don’t are either hyper dedicated , or sociopathic. This concentrates them into problematic schools. The sociopathic ones also tend to get the most headlines, so we hear about them a lot more.

        • DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          I like how Abbott Elementary actually shows this aspect, but it handles the problem too lightly, but the principal is basically the villain of the show.

          • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            My friend was a teacher for a bit. He ended up leaving for multiple reasons, but one stand out story was when he stuck up for a student that needed to carry an epipen, but the school wouldn’t let them per their Zero Tolerance policy. The Gym Teacher turned Principle said he wasn’t worried about getting sued if the child was hurt, as he’s been sued before.

            The superintendent at my high school admitted that I “Fell through the cracks”, but refused to do anything about it when I confronted him about my difficulties getting out of the remedial classes. This will be a bit of a brag, but most people assume that I’m some engineering graduate instead of a drop out. This includes state university professors.

            • DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              There’s just too many bad administrators and teachers out there, just like in the private sector there’s too much bad management, we need to trim the fat and figure out what works and what doesn’t while also putting compassionate people in charge of students and people in general.

      • pearsaltchocolatebar@discuss.online
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        9 months ago

        Schools and students rights are a pretty wild legal topic.

        For instance, anything you say to the school administration can be used against you in court without you being read your rights.

        This is because the school is legally operating as the parents while the child is there, and parents don’t need to read kids their rights.

        But, the school is being sued for slander as well, so it could very well be that it was illegal to share that info.

    • Algaroth@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      “eat the shit sandwich” is unbelievably crass when talking about the suicide of a teenage girl who was their student. Fucking hell.

      • dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 months ago

        What does that even mean in this context? I’m pretty sure that dad has been eating shit sandwiches for a couple of years now. Why does he have to eat more? Sounds like an insensitive halfwit wrote that email.

        • Algaroth@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          I can only interpret it as “fuck you, deal with it”. My sister committed suicide over 20 years ago and if anyone talked like this to me today I don’t know that I would handle it legally. It’s so fucked up.

    • Chozo@kbin.social
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      9 months ago

      Jesus, that’s just pure malice on the school’s part. Not even through incompetence, it seems downright deliberate. Absolute sociopaths, I hope the family takes them to the fuckin’ cleaners.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Yeah, I was really surprised this article just ignores all that extra stuff. That’s the main reason for the lawsuit.

        Especially since it was for a tabloid from another country, like why wouldn’t you just ignore them?

  • dohpaz42@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    A friendly reminder for those in the US: you can dial 988 for access to mental health resources.

    As someone who has attempted suicide several times, let me just say that you’ve got nothing to lose by reaching out for help.

    • GONADS125@feddit.de
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      9 months ago

      Some hotline resources for our international brothers and sisters (courtesy of Psychology Today):

      Argentina Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 911
      • Centro de Asistencia al Suicida
        • In the greater Buenos Aires area, dial 135
        • Otherwise, call 5275-1135 or 0800 345 1435

      Australia Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 000
      • Lifeline Australia
        • Dial 13 11 14 for 24/7 crisis support
        • Text 0477 13 11 14 for 24/7 text support

      Austria Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency numbers: Dial 112 for emergencies (EU emergency number), 133 for police, 144 for an ambulance, and 122 for the fire brigade
      • Emergency psychiatric hotline: 01 313 30; 24/7 support is available
      • Suicide prevention hotline: 01 713 3374
      • Telefon Seelsorge
        • Dial 142 for 24/7 crisis support
        • For online chat support, visit Telefon Seelsorge’s website; available from 4 pm to 11 pm Central European Time

      Belgium Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: Dial 112 for emergencies (EU emergency number), 101 for police, and 100 for a medical emergency or the fire brigade
      • Zelfmoord 1813
        • Dial 1813 for 24/7 crisis support
        • For online chat support, visit Zelfmoord’s website; available from 5:00 pm to 12:am Central European Time

      Canada Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 911
      • Talk Suicide Canada
        • Dial 1-833-456-4566 for 24/7 crisis support
        • Text 45645 for text support; available 4 pm to midnight ET
      • In Quebec:
        • Dial 1-866-APPELLE (277-3553) for 24/7 crisis support
        • Text 535353 for 24/7 text support
        • For 24/7 chat support, visit suicide.ca Kids Help Phone
        • 24/7 text support: Text CONNECT to 686868

      Chile Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency numbers: Call 133 for police; call 131 for medical assistance
      • Teléfono de la Esperanza
        • Dial (00 56 42) 22 12 00

      Colombia Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 123
      • Teléfono de la esperanza
        • Dial (57-1) 372 24 25
        • In Medellín, dial (57) 604 604 27 84 Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social (Ministry of Health and Social Protection)
        • Visit the website for region-specific suicide hotlines

      Denmark Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 112
      • Medical Helpline 1813
        • For emergency medical help in the Capital Region of Denmark, dial 1813 on weekends, or after 4 pm Monday through Friday Livslinien
        • Call the crisis line at 70 201 201 every day.
        • Access online chat on Mondays and Thursdays between 5 pm and 9 pm, and on weekends between 1 pm and 5 pm.
      • Psykiatrifonden
        • Access mental health support every day by calling 39 25 25 25

      France Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 112
      • National suicide prevention number: 3114
        • 24/7 crisis support; visit 3114.fr to learn more
      • Suicide Écoute
        • Dial 01 45 39 40 00 for 24/7 crisis support SOS Suicide Phénix
        • Dial 01 40 44 46 45 for phone support between 1 pm and 11 pm Central European Time

      Germany Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 112 (EU emergency number), 110 for police
      • Hotline for Emergency Medical Counselling
        • 116 117
      • TelefonSeelsorge
        • Dial 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222 for 24/7 crisis support
        • For chat or email support, visit TelefonSeelsorge’s website

      Hong Kong Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 999
      • The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong
        • For 24/7 support, dial 2389 2222
        • For English-language assistance, dial 2389 2223
        • For online chat help, go to chatpoint.org.hk The Samaritans
        • For 24/7 support, dial 2896 0000

      Ireland Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 112 or 999
      • The Samaritans
        • Dial 116 123 for 24/7 mental health support
      • Mental Health Ireland
      • Text About It
        • For 24/7 text support, text 50808
        • On smaller phone networks (such as An Post or 48), text HELLO to 0861800280

      Mexico Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 911
      • Consejo Ciudadano
        • Dial 55 5533-5533 for 24/7 crisis support

      Netherlands Suicide Prevention Resources

      New Zealand Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 111
      • National mental health and addiction hotline: 1737
        • Can be reached by phone or text; learn more at 1737.org.nz Lifeline Aotearoa
        • Dial 0800 543 354 for 24/7 crisis support
        • Dial 0508 828 865 for the suicide crisis helpline
        • Text HELP to 4357 for 24/7 text support

      Singapore Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 999 (police) or 995
      • The Samaritans of Singapore
        • Dial 1767 for the 24/7 hotline
        • WhatsApp 9151 1767 for 24/7 text support

      South Africa Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency numbers: 10111 (police) or 10177 (ambulance)
      • South African Depression and Anxiety Group
        • Dial 0800 567 567 for 24/7 crisis support

      Spain Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency numbers: 112
      • Teléfono de la Esperanza
        • Dial 717 003 717 for 24/7 crisis support

      Sweden Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 112
      • Mind Självmordslinjen
        • Dial 90101 for 24/7 phone support; in cases of acute crisis, call 112
        • For online chat support, visit Självmordslinjen’s website

      Switzerland Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 112 (EU emergency number), 117 for police, 144 for ambulance
      • Die Dargebotene Hand
        • Dial 143 for 24/7 mental health support in German, French, and Italian
        • For help in English, dial 0800 143 000 between 6 pm and 11 pm, or visit heart2heart.143.ch
        • Online chat support is available in German, French, and Italian

      United Kingdom Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 999 or 112
      • The Samaritans
        • Dial 116 123 for 24/7 mental health support
      • Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)
        • Dial 0800 58 58 58 for crisis support; available between 5 pm and midnight, BST or GMT
        • Visit thecalmzone.net to access chat support
      • Shout
        • Text SHOUT to 85258 for 24/7 text support

      United States Suicide Prevention Resources

      • National emergency number: 911
      • Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
        • Accessible by phone or text
        • 24/7 support in English or Spanish
        • 24/7 support for deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals; learn more at 988lifeline.org. For TTY Users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988
        • Online chat: Visit 988lifeline.org
      • Crisis Text Line
        • 24/7 text support: Text HOME to 741741
    • I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      you’ve got nothing to lose by reaching out for help.

      Except for when they decide you are at risk and send an ambulance to take you to a hospital for a mental evaluation which consists of 5 flavors of questions that all boil down to “are you sad?”. Then, after the hold, you’re hit with a multi-thousand dollar ambulance and hospital bill that you have to take care of ON TOP of whatever issues were leading you to consider suicide.

      • dohpaz42@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Unless I’m mistaken, they can only put you on a 72-hour hold if they deem you are threat to yourself and others. In other words, don’t ever tell them you’re going to kill yourself; just that you have thoughts about killing yourself.

        • nomous@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          100% this, they’re not going to take you away and put you in a padded cell because you’re depressed.

          If you’re in-crisis, talk to someone. If you’ve ever made a plan, remove the things involved in that plan (gun, razor, drugs, etc). The goal is to remove the things that might let you act too rashly or quickly. Bad phases come and go, it’s important to remember that the bad will end and try to figure out ways to manage your depression when it escalates.

      • Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        If this is something that happened to you then I’m sorry for your experience, especially if it dissuaded you from seeking help in the future. The health care system in the us is disgraceful.

    • PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      As someone who hasn’t ever contemplated suicide but has always been curious about the hotlines, do they just sort of… Tell you not to?

      Maybe it’s the autism talking, but if I was in the middle of a mental health crisis, platitudes would sound (at best) dishonest or (at worst) outright condescending. And unless they can point me to some sort of mental healthcare option that I hadn’t already considered/didn’t know about, then it doesn’t sound like they’d be much help. Like if they tell you to go check yourself into a ward, that doesn’t seem like it’d be effective for someone who had already considered and dismissed the idea.

      • kandoh@reddthat.com
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        9 months ago

        I’ve never called myself but I’ve had a friend who did and they told me the person on the other line was really good at talking to her and that alone improved the situation

      • samus12345@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Sometimes all a person needs is to talk to someone who gives a fuck. Those lines are staffed by unpaid volunteers, they’re not doing it for money.

    • BargsimBoyz@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      I absolutely hate these sorts of comments and people who agree with them. Meeting violence with more violence just makes the problem worse not better. It’s a stupid revenge porn take.

      • HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        You’re mistaking your rational, logical brain with that of one who had just lost their little girl due to some little shits ego and a failing of those you trusted her safety with - including by the sounds of things making light of it and saying its not their problem.

        If you have ever lost your cool at anyone in your life, imagine what you would have done if this was your loss.

        • tooclose104@lemmy.ca
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          I’m about 50/50 on not wanting this happen to me because I want my kids to outlive me and because I’m legitimately scared of how I’d react being in that situation. I know how I’d want to react, which is cold calculating and devastatingly civilized. I fear it would be cold and devastatingly chaotically dangerous.

            • tooclose104@lemmy.ca
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              9 months ago

              I’d say obviously not but judging by the down votes it didn’t come across the way I intended. Definitely meant it as there are two reasons, split equally.

              I’d fear my reaction because I’m scared I’d react in a way that would prevent me from caring for my surviving children and spouse.

              • Tangent5280@lemmy.world
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                Yeah that makes sense. It’s hard to pick the sensible option of supporting your family when such injustice is done to someone you love.

          • HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Im not scared of how I would react, as if it did what would I have left? Suicidal as a teen and don’t think I’d be long for this world if I lost them, so what the worst that could happen to me?

        • BargsimBoyz@lemmy.world
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          I wouldn’t try to murder them, but again I don’t lose my temper. I guess people are irrational though.

        • BargsimBoyz@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Yes, a science fiction writer! That’ll show me the errors of my statement! I can’t combat that, you got me. Except for all the science fiction writers that write the exact opposite…

          😢

    • Kbobabob@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Because you would do what exactly?

      Edit: the lack of an answer is answer enough.

      • tooclose104@lemmy.ca
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        9 months ago

        Collective? Pretty sure they’re not going to corale them all into one room, seal all the doors, reveal there’s a knife under the rug in the middle of the room and that the doors will only open again when there’s only one survivor.

        Also the room is inside a faraday cage. And the only light is a single red bulb in the corner. And Norwegian Death Metal is blaring from in-wall speakers. Maybe spiders are dumped in through the ventilation ducts.

        Sorry I just spent the last hour playing DnD with an LLM.

  • peopleproblems@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    A culture of violence at the school? Something else is very wrong here and it’s not the parents or the students.

    • First@programming.dev
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      9 months ago

      Yeah, the sadistic psychopath students are blameless, as are the parents who raised them and the cutthroat individualistic society that favors narcissistic traits.

  • Jeff@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    This is why we homeschool. No thanks for this or a shooting gallery. Nope.