Five parties have paid a combined $875,000 to settle their part of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of a Silicon Valley teen who committed suicide after being sexually assaulted in 2012, according to recently filed court records.
Audrie Pott, 15, hanged herself in the Saratoga home she shared with her mother in September 2012. Audrie committed suicide several days after she drank and passed out a teen party without adult supervision. She woke up the next morning without her pants on and with crude remarks scribbled in marker on her body.
Her parents sued the three boys, their parents, owners of the house where the party was held and a teen girl who attended the party. The parents allege that Audrie was humiliated and terrified that the boys photographed the assault with their phones and shared the images on social media sites and elsewhere. The three boys pleaded guilty to felonies in juvenile court and served brief jail sentences.
One of the boys and his family agreed to pay $600,000 to settle. The other two boys deny they caused Audrie's suicide and are scheduled to stand trial Wednesday in San Jose.
The documents filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court on March 23 also show the owners of the house where the assault occurred paid $100,000. The family of an unnamed teen girl paid $150,000. The divorced mother of one of the boys facing trial paid $25,000.
Attorney Bob Allard, who represents Audrie's family, said the settlement disclosures should have been filed under seal. He called their public disclosure an ``underhanded attempt'' to "portray my clients as being motivated by money.'' Allard said Audrie's parents are seeking to call attention to cyberbullying, teen suicide and the misuse of social media.
Ian Frazer-Thomson, a lawyer representing one of the two boys still facing trial who filed one of the documents, said failing to keep the settlement figures confidential was a mistake. The court clerk filing the document should have noticed it required being filed under seal, he said.
