Michigan mom sues school district for negligence that allegedly led to her 14-year-old daughter’s suicide

The mother of a Michigan high school student has filed a lawsuit for wrongful death and gross negligence, following her 14-year-old daughter’s suicide shortly after being dismissed early from school.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the daughter Selena Perez’s family, names the Dearborn Heights School District, Annapolis High School, Principal Aaron Mollett, and Superintendent Tyrone Weeks as defendants in the suit.

On May 1, Mollett reportedly informed Perez’s family about her disruptive behavior near the end of the school day.

However, the lawsuit claims Mollett “willfully and intentionally” failed to inform the family or police that Perez was under the influence of marijuana and suicidal. 

“Defendant Mollett had personal first-hand knowledge that Selena was under the influence of Marijuana in the hours before Selena’s death on May 1, 2023,” the lawsuit reads. 

The district’s policy mandates a minimum 10-day suspension and police contact when a student is “found using, processing, under the influence of, distributing or selling marijuana.” 

Perez was sent home by school officials for misbehavior, and hours later, she was found dead in her home’s basement.  

“Mollett allowed Selena to leave school premises without seeking medical treatment, without advising her parental guardians of the actual circumstances surrounding her altered mental and physical state, or reporting anything to the local authorities,” the lawsuit claims. 

The lawsuit alleges Perez’s death was due to the negligence of the defendants and could have been prevented had they followed proper procedures. 

“Defendants’ acts or omissions were grossly negligence and were the proximate cause of Selena’s injuries because defendants’ act or omissions directly placed the victim, Selena, to be in harm’s way and provided her with ample opportunity to commit suicide while in an altered mental state, under the influence of Marijuana,” the lawsuit said.  

Thirty minutes after Perez’s death Mollett and Weeks allegedly went to the Perez residence to express their condolences, according to the suit. But the family hadn’t released a statement or notified the public of Perez’s death, leading the family to question how they came to learn of her passing.  

“The mere arrival of Defendants Mollett and Weeks at Selena’s residence, in such close temporal proximity to Selena’s death raises genuine concerns on how they developed the knowledge of Selena’s passing, who they obtained that information from, the content and substance of their electronic communications with Selena and the nature of their relationship with Selena,” the lawsuit said. 

Perez’s school-issued device was confiscated by the police and hasn’t been returned, which the lawsuit alleges may have some correlation to the negligence of all defendants. 

While at the family’s residence, Mollett allegedly admitted to knowing she was under the influence of drugs but later tried to backtrack his statement. 

Following Perez’s death, Mollett was suspended for two weeks while an investigation was launched. He was later reinstated only to be placed on leave once again while the Dearborn Heights Police investigates Selena’s death.  

The plaintiffs are seeking $25 million in damages, according to the suit.