Carmel family files suit against school

CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) - The family of the victim in the Carmel High School bullying and assault case has filed a federal lawsuit against the school system, attorney Robert Turner says.

DOCUMENTS | Read the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks damages and points the finger at the school system, accusing Carmel Clay Schools of being "deliberately indifferent to the care and protection" of the victim.

Several then-Carmel High School basketball players were accused of assaulting another player on a school bus and in a school locker room. Some players struck up plea deals, and charges were dropped for one player.

The victim's parents, Rickey and Sheronda Davis, say their son, who was 14 at the time, was subjected to bullying, harassment and assault in a "highly sexualized nature" by four upperclassmen who were members of the basketball team.

The suit says the school knew or should have known about this and that no coaches or adults responded to their son's screams for help during the assaults. The suit also says their son suffered emotional trauma and has sought psychological counseling and has taken medication resulting in significant expenses.

In this lawsuit against Carmel Clay Schools, the family is requesting the court grant a jury trial and a judge to decide what amount of money, if any, should be awarded to the family.

Last February marked the end of the criminal cases in the high school assault case. Robert Kitzinger, Scott Laskowski and Oscar Falodun all pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the locker room incident. None of them will face any jail time.