Audrie Pott Case: Teens accused of sexual assault of girl who killed herself appear in Calif. court
(CBS/AP) SAN JOSE, Calif. - Three teens appeared in a California court for the first time Tuesday in the sexual assault case of 15-year-old Audrie Pott, who committed suicide after the alleged attack.
The three 16-year-old boys are each charged with sexual battery, dissemination of child pornography and possession of child pornography. The proceedings were not public, and lawyers involved in the case declined to comment.
Attorneys and family members of the defendants were seen entering juvenile court, the San Jose Mercury News reported. Relatives of Audrie, who hanged herself reportedly after a humiliating photo of her from the night of the attack circulated, were also there.
Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Jaron Shipp said he couldn't comment or provide any information on the case because the boys are juveniles.
Robert Allard, an attorney for Audrie's family, announced Tuesday that they have filed a claim with the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District over what they said was negligence by school administrators in addressing bullying that Audrie allegedly suffered while a student at Saratoga High School.
Filing a claim is a necessary step before a lawsuit can be filed against a public agency.
Allard claimed that school administrators did not act on bullying concerns brought up to the principal who preceded the school's current principal, Paul Robinson, and that Robinson proclaimed that bullying was not the cause of Audrie's Sept. 10, 2012 suicide despite having knowledge of the police investigation into the alleged assault.
"That caused a great deal of anxiety for the family," Allard said. "From the mother's perspective, it was extremely inappropriate and insensitive for the school to have announced to the student body Audrie's passing before the family even understood that she had passed."