NJ School To Pay $9.1M To Mallory Grossman’s Family After Suicide

ROCKAWAY, NJ — A North Jersey school district has reached a $9.1 million settlement with the family of Mallory Grossman, a sixth-grade Morris County student who died by suicide in 2017.

On June 14, 2017, Mallory took her own life after what her family called "horrific" bullying at school and online. She was just 12 years old.

Her parents Diane and Seth filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Rockaway Township Board of Education, administrators, teachers, and faculty in 2018. Prosecutors did not criminally charge anyone in her death.

Bruce Nagel, the attorney for the Grossman family, told media that the district has settled with the family for $9.1 million, and said it is the largest settlement of a bullying case in state history.

"This settlement is one more step in dealing with this avoidable tragedy and I hope that it sends a clear message to all schools around the country that our children must be protected from the horrors of school bullying," Nagel said Wednesday.

Diane Grossman said she and her husband "are satisfied with the settlement," and "ready to put this part behind us and move forward" with their work against bullying and cyberbullying, which she called "the epidemic that is stealing our children’s future."

"Bullying and cyberbullying continue to be the foundation for children who self harm, making suicide one of leading causes of death," Grossman said. “We hope all schools, BOEs and administrators will take a look at their current policies & make the necessary changes to protect all students, as it pertains to bullying and cyberbullying."

The Grossmans thanked Nagel, and partner Diane E. Sammons of Nagel Rice LLP in Roseland.

"They took the time to unravel the evidence, piece together Mallory’s bullying experience at school and were instrumental in settling our precedent setting case," Diane said in a statement.

According to the lawsuit, a group of four girls bullied Mallory at home via social media, in the classroom, and in the lunch room, actions the family claims directly led to Mallory's death on June 14. The suit said the school district fell short of a legal obligation to prevent bullying.

After her death, Grossman's family pushed to get anti-bullying legislation passed in the New Jersey Legislature. Gov. Phil Murphy signed "Mallory's Law" into law in 2022, which was designed to strengthen and formalize schools' anti-bullying policies.

Diane and Seth Grossman began the Mallory's Army foundation and started the Mallory's Army Scholarship for Morris Knolls High School students.

Mallory's classmates graduated from Morris Hills this June, according to posts on the Mallory's Army Facebook group from Diane.

A graduating senior carried a graduation cap with him in honor of Mallory, and Mallory's Army passed out ribbons for the graduates to wear as they walked across the stage.

Related articles—

• Mom Shares 'Last Selfie' Taken With Mallory Grossman Before Death
• Mallory Grossman's Family Sues Rockaway Schools Over Bullying That Led To Suicide
• 'Mallory's Army' Fights Back Against Bullying After 12-Year-Old's Sudden Death

This article contains reporting from former Patch reporter Katie Kausch.