Audrie Pott family to sue teens and their families for 'wrongful death'

Audrie Pott's family plans to sue the three boys charged with raping their daughter and texting photographs in a bid to curb an 'epidemic of sexual assault and cyberbullying amongst teens.'

By Amanda Paulson,?Staff writer / April 15, 2013

Sheila Pott, mother of Audrie Pott, who committed suicide after she was sexually assaulted and a photo of the act was shared in text messages, stands by a photograph of her daughter and message board during a news conference Monday in San Jose, Calif.

Eric Risberg/AP

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Audrie Pott took her life last fall as a direct result of a sexual assault at a party and subsequent cyberbullying, as pictures of the assault were passed around school, say Audrie's parents, stepmother, and attorney.

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Audrie's family spoke publicly at a press conference Monday to reiterate their claims about Audrie's death and to shed light on the issues of sexual assault, bullying, and harassment. They also announced plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit in the case against the three boys who were charged last week in the assault, their families, and the family of the girl who hosted the Labor Day party where the alleged assault occurred.

"This period has been difficult for us because the wounds are so fresh," Audrie's father, Lawrence Pott, said at the press conference. "We miss her every day, but now we must carry on and share her story so that this epidemic of sexual assault and cyberbullying amongst teens can be exposed and stopped."

Monday's press conference was the family's first public appearance since the three 16-year-old boys were arrested Thursday. Two were pulled out of classes at Saratoga High School, where 15-year-old Audrie also attended school, and one was taken from the school in Gilroy, Calif., where he had transferred.

The case has gained national attention in the past week along with two other situations in which electronic photos of sexual assault against a teen were apparently disseminated. Along with the Steubenville, Ohio, case, in which two boys were recently sent to prison for raping a girl ? and whose crime was largely uncovered due to social media and texting of photos ? there was this month's suicide by Rehtaeh Parsons, a Canadian teenager whose parents say she was driven to suicide after relentless bullying following a rape by four classmates.

In Audrie's case, her family and attorneys say that she drank Gatorade mixed with alcohol at a friend's party on Sept. 2. The friend's parents were away for the weekend. At some point, they say, Audrie fell asleep in a bedroom, and while she was asleep was assaulted by three boys whom she knew, who also took photos. At least one humiliating photo was posted online, they say, and others were circulated around the school.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/UXZGT6xXx_I/Audrie-Pott-family-to-sue-teens-and-their-families-for-wrongful-death

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