Family of Annapolis High School student who died by suicide files wrongful death lawsuit against district
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A Dearborn Heights Annapolis High School student's suicide has now led the family to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the school district and two district officials.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of 14-year-old Selena Perez's family names the Dearborn Heights School District, superintendent Tyrone Weeks and Annapolis High School principal Aaron Mollet as plaintiffs.
The lawsuit, which is seeking $25 million, alleges district officials failed to provide necessary care and intervention that could have potentially prevented Selena's death.
"They didn't do anything when there were signs of something imminent," said Ali Koussan, an attorney representing the family.
Perez died by suicide on May 1.
Koussan and fellow attorney Brooke Mathis are representing Selena's family.
They say before she died, Mollet was aware Selena was having suicidal thoughts.
The lawsuit claims Mollet knew she was under the influence of marijuana, but the family's attorney says the principal still allowed Selena to leave school early without getting her medical attention or notifying her parents.
"If it turns out that he knew she was intoxicated, he had a duty to report that to the parents, to the police, and he didn't," Koussan said.
Mathis and Koussan say the principal and superintendent visited Selena's family at their home 30 minutes after she died, where the principal allegedly admitted to the family of knowing Selena's marijuana use and concerns for her safety.
"If the school would have put in those preventative measures, notifying police, notifying the parents, or even keeping her on school premises, we don't think her suicide would have happened," Mathis said.
The lawsuit has been filed in federal court, but a court date has yet to be scheduled.
CBS News Detroit reached out to the Weeks and Mollet as well as the district but did not receive a response.
