newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The next step in the case of troubled Rutgers student Tyler Clementi has taken place as the university has been notified that his parents intend to sue for damages. Clementi committed suicide in September immediately after an alleged webcam broadcast of his intimate encounter with another man.

An attorney for Joseph and Jane Clementi of Ridgewood and Clementi's estate sent the university a notice of tort claim Friday.

According to mycentraljersey.com, the claim, filed by Westmont attorney Stephen DeFeo, contends the university failed to protect Clementi against "unlawful or otherwise improper acts perpetrated against" the Rutgers freshman.

It lists the damages as Clementi's pain and suffering and the parents' loss of companionship and support and their financial costs. No dollar figure claim is listed in the notice.

A notice of tort claim must be filed within 90 days of an event to preserve a right to sue. A claimant must wait six months to file suit.

E.J. Miranda, spokesman for Rutgers, said the university sympathizes with the family but bears no responsibility for Clementi's death.

DeFeo also filed a breach of contract claim, contending that Rutgers broke its agreement with Clementi by not preventing what happened to him.

This is not the first legal action taken against the university since Clementi's September suicide. In October, Rutgers was asked by investigators to turn over e-mails exchanged between the institution and Clementi.

The Middlesex County prosecutor's office subpoenaed Rutgers for the e-mails, which may shed light on whether Clementi had requested a room change prior to the videotaping incident that was a precursor to his suicide, officials told ABC News.

Rutgers freshmen Dharun Ravi of Plainsboro, Clementi's roommate, and Molly Wei of Princeton, both 18, have been charged with invasion of privacy in the case. No court date has been set. Both have pleaded not guilty.

New Jersey lawmakers in November overwhelmingly approved legislation seeking to curtail bullying in schools through stronger rules and education programs. The bill was being developed many months prior to Clementi's death, but gained momentum after his suicide. Clementi has become somewhat of a face of the issue.

An Associated Press report in the Wall Street Journal says some experts fear that his death may have sparked copycat suicides among other vulnerable young people. President Barack Obama and celebrities including talk show host Ellen DeGeneres have talked publicly about his death and said that young gays and lesbians need to know that life gets better.

Miranda said in a statement that the Rutgers police department and the university are working with the prosecutor's office.