Maren Sanchez Estate Receives $5 Million From City Of Milford

MILFORD, CT — The city of Milford has agreed to pay the estate of Maren Sanchez $5 million after the former Jonathan Law High School student was stabbed to death by a fellow student at the school in April 2014, attorneys told Patch.

Christopher Plaskon, who was then 16-years-old, is serving a 25-year prison sentence after stabbing Sanchez on the day of their junior prom. Sanchez was fatally stabbed after she turned down Plaskon's prom invitation. Plaskon pleaded no contest to murder. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison but could be out of jail after 13 years. A civil lawsuit against Plaskon was settled for $1.6 million.

The city of Milford had hoped the case would be tossed earlier this year as it argued there was nothing that could have been done to prevent Plaskon from stabbing Sanchez to death at the high school.

The settlement was reached after a Superior Court judge refused to grant the City’s motion to dismiss the case, finding that the "Estate had presented substantial evidence to support its contention that school counselors had failed to comply with the mandatory provisions of school district policies adopted to prevent school violence."

"Maren had gone to her counselors to report her concerns about Plaskon’s behavior, but the counselors failed to follow the Board of Education’s policy for dealing with students with potential for violent actions. JLHS principal Francis Thompson testified in the case that the Board’s policy was intended to protect students like Maren and had been violated by the counselors’ failure to notify the school administration of Maren’s report, so that a Clinical Intervention Team could be convened to address Plaskon’s condition and any safety concerns," according to a news release by the law office of Silver Golub & Teitell LLP, who represented Maren Sanchez's estate.

"Former JLHS Assistant Principal Paul Cavanna testified in the case that the mandatory provisions of the policy had previously been invoked to deal with potentially violent students on over ten occasions and always been successful in preventing student harm," the news release states. "The Estate also presented expert evidence from Dr. Robert Kinscherff, a nationally-renowned psychologist experienced in addressing issues of student violence, that had the school system intervened with Plaskon in response to Maren’s report, proper treatment and medication would have alleviated his mental disturbances and prevented the murderous attack."

Attorney David S. Golub, who represented the Sanchez estate, said, “This settlement recognizes the importance of compliance with school anti-violence policies. Especially in these times where violence in schools is so prevalent, the school personnel’s failure to comply with the mandatory provisions of the District’s policy was inexcusable. This tragedy did not have to occur.”

See related: Maren Sanchez's Mother's Mission Is To Help Save Girls' Lives

One Year After Maren Sanchez Tragedy, Milford Turns Grief To Compassion

Maren Sanchez's Legacy Lives On With Mother's Mission

Donna Cimarelli, Maren’s mother and the founder and president of The Maren Sanchez Home Foundation, a foundation formed to educate and empower young women to defend themselves against physical and emotional violence and abuse, issued a statement concerning the settlement.

"It has been almost six long years since Maren was stolen from us. This journey has been one of insurmountable anguish and grief, as well as hope. The physical loss of such a vibrant, loving, magnificent magical soul that was Maren is something that no lawsuit can ever make up for. During this difficult time, we have chosen to focus our energies on the efforts of the Foundation that proudly bears Maren’s name, The Maren Sanchez Home Foundation.

"Our mission – then, now and forever – will be to educate and empower young women by helping to provide them with the tools they need to defend themselves against emotional, physical and psychological manipulation and abuse. Maren lives on through her Foundation, which will pay it forward by continuing its work in the hope that the events that led to her tragic and brutal death, which could have been prevented had mandatory reporting procedures been followed, never happen again," Cimarelli said in a statement.

The settlement was reached after two full days of mediation before retired Connecticut Superior Court Judge Antonio Robaina.