Community Corner

Report: Clementi Family Elects Not to Sue Rutgers, Ravi

Family to focus energy on foundation created in name of their son, The Star-Ledger is reporting.

The family of Tyler Clementi will not be suing his former college roommate, Rutgers University or anyone else involved in the spycam scandal many believe played a role in Clementi's high profile suicide in 2010, the Star-Ledger is reporting.

"The Clementi family made a considered decision to not pursue civil suits," Clementi family attorney Paul Mainardi said, according to the Star-Ledger report. "They are devoting their energies to the positive work of the Tyler Clementi Foundation."

A gifted but shy 18-year-old violinist from Ridgewood, Clementi's fatal jump from the George Washington Bridge on September 22 of 2010 brought an international spotlight onto the issues of cyber bullying and challenges faced by the LGBT community.

Clementi's college roommate, Dharun Ravi, was convicted on 15 charges, including bias intimidation and invasion of privacy.

Ravi focused his webcam onto Clementi, filming him romantically involved with a man known only as "M.B." On another date, the Plainsboro computer whiz boasted on Twitter that he would be holding a though the "party" was never held.

Ravi served 20 days of jail time for his conviction, a sentence Clementi's family said was far too lenient.

The family in 2010 filed a motion in court notifying Rutgers they had the option to file a civil suit against the state school. The deadline has passed and no actions are forthcoming, according to the article.

In the original tort claim filing, the family accused the university of not acting in a timely and appropriate manner to prevent their son's death.

During Ravi's trial, testimony revealed Tyler voiced his concerns with Ravi's behavior to a resident assistant at Davidson Hall in Rutgers and wrote in messages to friends he felt the resident assistant took them seriously.

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The family has also held forums on bullying at the university since the creation of the foundation.

The attorney who represented Ravi during his trial reportedly told the Star-Ledger there are unanswered questions with the family's decision not to sue, but said little else.

Joseph and Jane Clementi formed the foundation named after their son in December 2011 to raise awareness of cyberbullying by "promoting responsibility in our children's personal lives and on-line presence...We want them to understand the importance of their words and actions."

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