A grieving mother announced in November 2013 that she planned to convince legislators to create some new anti-bullying legislation after fellow students allegedly drove her daughter to commit suicide in September. This new legislation may mean big changes for students attending schools in major cities in Florida like Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville. The mother also plans to file wrongful death claims against the bullies as well.
A month after the suicide, sheriffs from Polk County arrested a 12 and 14-year-old on charges of aggravated stalking. The charges were dropped by November due to insufficient evidence. An attorney for the 12-year-old said the family planned to eventually file a lawsuit against the Polk County Sherriff’s Office. According to the state law the mother and her attorney are proposing, children that are habitually bullying their peers may be sent to juvenile detention centers. Schools that are endowed with public funding would be required to implement and adhere to anti-bullying initiatives as well.
The bullying among the students started in 2012 when the 14-year-old began dating the victim’s ex-boyfriend. Despite being best friends, the older girl was then able to convince the 12-year-old to begin bullying the victim too. The mother’s attorney declined to divulge the legislators in Florida and Congress who were on board with the new anti-bullying laws.
Families may lean on legal counsel for support when trying to grieve and atone for the untimely loss of a loved one. Attorneys could help relatives assess the economic loss of a death in the family. Families that are successful in a wrongful death lawsuit typically pursue compensation to recover from lost wages, parental loss and medical expenses.
Source: CBS Miami, “Mother Of Bullied Fla. Girl Pushes For Tougher Laws“, Eliott Rodriguez, November 25, 2013
