Teen's Suicide Over Sex Video Leads to $250K Payment

Corey Walgren was 16 when he jumped off a parking garage roof
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 1, 2019 5:10 PM CDT
Suit Settled in Teen Suicide that Led to Law Change
This undated photo provided by the Walgren family shows 16-year-old Corey Walgren.   (Photo Courtesy the Walgren Family via AP, File)

The case of a suburban Chicago teenager who killed himself after being confronted at his high school about whether he made a video of himself having sex with a classmate raised uncomfortable questions about how aggressively school officials should question kids suspected of wrongdoing and whether they should wait until a parent arrives. A wrongful death lawsuit brought by the parents of 16-year-old Corey Walgren that focused on those questions has been resolved, with the city of Naperville expected to approve a settlement on Tuesday in which it and the local school district each agree to pay the Walgren family $125,000, the AP reports.

Walgren's death on Jan. 11, 2017, three hours after a dean and in-school police officer at Naperville High School told the honor-roll student he might face child pornography charges, also prompted a change in Illinois law. As of August, a parent, guardian, family lawyer, or designated advocate must be present before police can begin questioning students at school who are younger than 18 and suspected of crimes, unless they pose an imminent threat. The most sensitive question surrounding the tragedy—whether school authorities shared responsibility for what happened to Walgren—was addressed by the federal judge in the civil case. Her answer: They weren't legally liable for his death, partly because they couldn't have known Walgren was suicidal.

(More lawsuit stories.)

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