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School cyberbullying lawsuit overview:
- Who: The Rockaway Township Board of Education has agreed to pay $9.1 million to resolve claims it was negligent in the death of 12-year-old student Mallory Grossman, who died by suicide in June 2017.
- Why: Grossman’s parents claim the school district ignored their pleas to stop a group of at least four of her classmates from bullying their daughter both in person and online.
- Where: The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of Morris County in New Jersey.
A school district in New Jersey has agreed to settle a cyberbullying lawsuit for $9.1 million after the family of a preteen student who died by suicide in 2017 after dealing with “ongoing and systemic bullying” from at least four of her classmates sued the district.
The parents of Mallory Grossman, who died by suicide in June 2017, accused the Rockaway Township Board of Education of ignoring their appeals to stop the middle school students from cyberbullying their 12-year-old daughter, Law360 reports.
Grossman had reportedly been the target of bullying both in person at Copeland Middle School and online — including on social media apps such as SnapChat.
The school district, meanwhile, was accused of doing little to resolve the issue and ultimately only exacerbated the problem by isolating Grossman, causing her emotional distress, according to the lawsuit, according to Law360.
Settlement amount largest ever for a bullying case in New Jersey
The settlement amount is the largest ever to resolve a bullying case in New Jersey, according to the family’s attorney, Bruce Nagel.
“This settlement is one more step in dealing with this avoidable tragedy and I hope that it sends a clear message to all schools around the country that our children must be protected from the horrors of school bullying,” Nagel told NJ.com.
The school and Rockaway Township were also accused of knowing about bullying of another student besides Grossman by one of the same students who was targeting her, according to Law360.
In total, the Grossman’s reportedly named Rockaway Township, its board of education and a host of school officials — including the Superintendent of Schools Greg McGann and Copeland Middle School’s principal Alfonso A. Gonnella — in their lawsuit.
New Jersey would later push through an anti-bullying statute called Mallory’s Law, in response to Grossman’s passing, Law360 reports.
For suicide help, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255 or visit the Suicide Prevention Lifeline website.
In another case over bullying, a class action lawsuit was filed against the Hawaii Department of Education in September 2018 by a group of families arguing public schools in the state ignored the complaints of bullied students.
Do you believe the school district was negligent in the death of Mallory Grossman? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiffs are represented by Bruce Nagel and Diane E. Sammons of Nagel Rice.
The school cyberbullying lawsuit is Grossman v. Rockaway Township Board of Education, et al., Case No. MRS-L001173-18, in the Superior Court of Morris County.
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