She died by suicide a few days after an attack at school. Now her family is suing the school authorities

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Almost exactly a year ago, 14-year-old Adriana Kuch was attacked by a group of teenagers in a hallway at Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township, New Jersey. No one expected that it would be the last week of her life.

Adriana was bullied leading up to the attack on February 1, 2023, her family said. The horrific attack was captured on video and immediately uploaded to social media, where Adriana became the target of even more intense criticism and cyberbullying.

Less than two days later, Adriana killed herself in her home “due to the emotional distress, humiliation and embarrassment she experienced,” according to a lawsuit her family filed this week against the school district’s Central Regional Board of Education, the former superintendent and other.

“Adriana was the light of our lives, and one year after her terrible and unnecessary death, we are still waiting for justice,” her father Michael Kuch said in a statement from the family’s attorney.

“It is clear that this school has a serious bullying problem that none of the principals want to admit or address.”

Defendants in the lawsuit include the Central Regional Board of Education; Triantafillos Parlapanides, who was the school district superintendent at the time of the attack; Irene Marousis, who was then principal of Central Regional High School; and Darryl Heale, who was then an assistant principal and “anti-bullying specialist,” the lawsuit says.

CNN has reached out to each of these defendants for comment.

Criminal charges were filed against four teenagers in connection with the attack. One was charged with aggravated assault, two were charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and the fourth was charged with harassment. CNN reached out to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday for an update on these criminal cases.

What the video shows

Video obtained and reviewed by CNN shows Adriana being hit in the face multiple times with a water bottle in a hallway. It also shows Adriana being punched and kicked. The first-year student suffered bruises and briefly lost consciousness, her father later said.

The footage was posted on social media platforms, including TikTok, the same day. A series of hateful comments and online bullying followed, leading to Adriana ending her own life, her father said.

“Adriana didn’t take her life because of TikTok,” said family attorney Bill Krais. “She was physically attacked, she was attacked online and the school failed to protect her.”

What the lawsuit claims

The civil lawsuit filed Monday accused the defendants of negligence, defamation and infliction of emotional distress. The lawsuit also alleges that the then-superintendent violated the family’s privacy by making false statements about their family history, including allegations of infidelity and drug use.

The school board “had a duty to supervise, monitor and train staff in relation to harassment, intimidation and bullying and was responsible for the development, implementation and dissemination of policies and programs to combat harassment, intimidation and bullying in accordance with “The New Jersey Anti-Bullying Statute,” the civil lawsuit says.

It also said the defendants “knew or should have known that the physical assaults and assaults at their schools, particularly at Central Regional High School, were recorded by other students and posted on various social media sites, which is inconsistent with the guidelines of the school authorities.”

And although school board policy allowed the defendants to “inspect and take possession of students’ cell phones used to record and publish such physical assaults and assaults, thereby minimizing the risk that such recordings would be widely shared on social media.” “I did not follow this policy,” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also alleges that the superintendent at the time did not file criminal charges against the attackers.

“Based on information and beliefs, the decision not to file criminal charges against the students who committed this attack was made, according to defendant Parlapanides, to avoid subjecting the students who committed the attack to a ‘double whammy.’ “that is, with possible disciplinary action.” Both school authorities and law enforcement,” the lawsuit says.

After Adriana’s death, Parlapanides resigned as principal as parents and students demanded that the school handle bullying better.

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, but does not specify the amount.

“Under New Jersey law, a party is not permitted to seek a specific amount of damages in the lawsuit,” said Krais, the Kuch family’s attorney. “Nevertheless, we are seeking punitive damages sufficient to address the egregious conduct of the principal and other school officials here, depending on how the facts develop.”

Why another family sued

More than a year before Adriana’s death, another 14-year-old was attacked at the same high school despite reporting threats against her to the school, according to a separate lawsuit filed in October 2022.

Although the teenager is not fully named in the lawsuit, her mother confirmed that her daughter Olivia O’Dea is the lead plaintiff in the case.

In January 2022, Olivia was physically attacked by two teenagers – one of whom had allegedly sent Olivia threatening messages, the lawsuit says. The attack was allegedly filmed by one of the teens, who threatened Olivia and later posted it on a social media platform, the lawsuit says.

Olivia’s mother, Racheal O’Dea, told CNN that her daughter was hit about 30 times in the back of the head, neck and back and suffered a severe concussion. She underwent PTSD counseling and six months of physical therapy, her mother said.

The defendants in O’Dea’s lawsuit include the Central Regional School District and the high school’s then-principal and assistant principal. Last year, an attorney for the Central Regional School District, the Central Regional Board of Education and the principal and assistant principal filed a response to the lawsuit denying the allegations. CNN has also reached out to the defendants for comment.

The O’Dea family’s civil case is currently in the discovery phase, attorney Jonathan Ettman told CNN on Tuesday. He said former superintendent Parlapanides was also added to the list of accused.

O’Dea expressed her condolences to Adriana’s family and said the tragedy they experienced should never have happened.

“It is devastating that parents are experiencing every parent’s worst nightmare,” O’Dea said. “This could have been prevented.”

CNN’s Emma Tucker, Nicki Brown, Celina Tebor, Sabrina Souza and Zenebou Sylla contributed to this report.

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