Teacher Raped 14-Year-Old, Who Then Committed Suicide
Oct 5, 2012
Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) October 4, 2012 – A 14-year-old girl was repeatedly sexually assaulted by her 48-year-old teacher.
“This was one of those cases where you shake your head and wonder what on earth possesses people,” said Bobby Lee, an Austin personal injury attorney of Lee, Gober and Reyna in Austin, Texas. “It involves one of the worst breaches of trust anyone could perpetuate – the abuse of a young teen by a teacher.” The young girl committed suicide just three weeks before her 17th birthday.The man was ultimately charged with three counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
Allegedly distraught and depressed, the young girl had confided the assaults to her church group leader, divulging details of three separate incidents. The leader called her mother and the police. The teacher was put on paid leave once the police investigation was launched, later resigning his teaching certificate. After the suicide, the girl’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit, which ended up being settled out of court.
The lawsuit listed six causes of action, sexual assault and battery, wrongful death, negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and survivorship. It also sought damages for their daughter’s mental pain and anguish, the family’s overwhelming grief, medical expenses for her treatments for depression, loss of companionship, funeral and burial expenses.
The suit further asked for punitive damages, stating that the man acted with malice toward their daughter. “The out of court settlement details were not released to the public, but one glaring fact still haunts the family – their daughter would still be alive but for her teacher raping her,” Lee added.
Wrongful death lawsuits are never easy for the victim’s family. This case was no exception. The only hope that kept the family going was making sure the teacher never raped anyone else.
To learn more, visit Austin personal injury lawyer and http://www.rwleelaw.com.
Lee, Gober and Reyna
11824 Jollyville Road, Suite 302
Austin, Texas 78759
Phone: 512.478.8080
