A report by The Associated Press published in the Star Tribune said that a New Jersey judge has finally allowed a lawsuit by a teenager against a dozen of students and their families over bullying to move forward. The online local paper said that the ruling would set precedent in bullied victims who wish for parents and legal guardians to be legally accountable for their children's crimes.
Lawyer Brian Cige for the 18 year-old plaintiff identified as VB said, "As difficult as it is for my client, we're very pleased with the message that the decision sends. There needs to be personal responsibility for both kids and their parents for their behavior."
VB and his mother claimed in the lawsuit that he suffered most of his years in school at the Hunterdon Central Board of Education when the defendants bullied him. Moreover, he claimed that the school did not defend him from the bullies, who allegedly tormented him because of his weight then, and for a belief that he was homosexual. VB also said that he had escalated the bullying incidents to school officials repeatedly, but the latter failed to act on his allegations. VB spent a lot of time in counseling, and was at one point sent to the hospital for anorexia.
Cige was quoted as saying that his client had difficulty transitioning from high school to community college as VB graduated early as recommended by school officials.
Flemington-Raritan Regional Board of Education's legal representative in the bullying case, attorney Jeffrey Schanaberger, was quoted by the online news paper as saying that his client was the one who suggested to include the schools. He said, "It puts us in a favorable posture because the districts' position was that they responded appropriately to all reported instances."
According to legal filings, the schools claimed to have notified the parents that they are also being sued by the plaintiffs aside from their children.
