The family of Mallory Grossman, a New Jersey 6th grade cheerleader who committed suicide in June, announced that they plan to sue the Rockaway Township school district for gross negligence and not confronting or stopping Mallory’s cyberbullying.
According to her mother, for months before her suicide, Mallory was tormented by a number of schoolmates from the Copeland Middle School over social media, including texts, Instagram and Snapchat, as well as in person. The messages allegedly told Mallory that she was a “loser” without friends and suggested that she kill herself.
Her mother and father said that they begged for help from school administrators, including the principal, since October 2016, who told the family that they would investigate.
The attorney for the Grossman family advised that he may also sue parents of some of the other bullying students.
As noted in her obituary, Mallory enjoyed flowers and being outdoors in nature. She helped children who have cancer by donating money or making jewelry.
Rockaway Township School District’s website notes that the district has initiated procedures and personnel to focus on harassment and intimidation.
Attorney Neal Goldstein of Goldstein & Bashner said, “This is a terrible end for a young girl. Tragically, technology was used as a deadly tool to facilitate bullying from one student to another. There is also the issue of liability if the school was informed and did nothing.”
The lawyers at Goldstein & Bashner have experience and success at handling bullying cases which include physical and emotional bullying in personal as well as cyberbullying through social media and messaging.
The firm writes about school bullying, speaks to parents and the media about the rights of children who have been bullied; and has underwritten scholarships with the Long Island Coalition Against Bullying.
Goldstein and Bashner