Teen Settles Civil Suit Brought By Family Of Audrie Pott

The family of one of three teen males facing a civil suit alleging they sexually assaulted and humiliated 15-year-old Saratoga resident Audrie Pott and drove her to suicide in 2012 has reached a settlement with Audrie’s family, an attorney for the family said today.

The remaining two males’ case is scheduled to go to jury trial at the end of the month, attorney Robert Allard said.

“Every indication is that the two young men who remain will continue to insist Audrie voluntarily participated in the assault and that they were not involved whatsoever in the humiliation and shaming of Audrie in the subsequent weeks,” Allard said. “As long as that remains their position, they’re going to force the trial.”

• Related:
• Thousands Sign Online Petition To Expel 3 Male Students Linked To Sex Attack, Suicide of Audrie Pott
• ‘Audrie’s Law’ Toughening Juvenile Sex Crime Statutes Signed by Gov. Brown.

The three were 16 years old on Sept. 2, 2012, when they allegedly assaulted Audrie during a party at a friend’s home. Two of them were students at Saratoga High School and the third attended Christopher High School in Gilroy.

During the party, they allegedly removed Audrie’s clothing while she was intoxicated, drew on her body with a felt pen, sexually abused her and took pictures of her that they distributed to other students.

Audrie hanged herself eight days later at her mother’s Los Altos home. She went into a coma and was removed from life support after two days. The teen boys were arrested in 2013 and charged in juvenile court.

Records relating to the criminal proceedings were kept confidential because of the boys’ age, but Audrie’s family has said they were convicted. Also in 2013, the parents filed the civil suit, claiming the anguish over the events at the party and the photos distributed among her classmates drove Audrie to suicide.

Allard said today that the teen who settled with Audrie’s parents accepted responsibility for the events at the party.

He showed remorse for what happened to Audrie and accepted responsibility, setting himself apart from his co-defendants in the case, Allard said today.

Beyond the facts of the case, Allard said the family hopes to bring to light important social issues, which they have been working on since the assault. The family’s efforts including getting “Audrie’s Law” passed, a statewide law that stiffened penalties for sexual assaults where the victim is intoxicated or otherwise debilitated and unable to give consent.

“This case crosses so many societal issues that are important today,” Allard said, including teen suicide, the prevalence of social media and cyberbullying.

The first day of the trial is scheduled for March 30, with opening statements likely to start about a week later, Allard said.

--Bay City News

--Patch file photo

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