BOSTON — In a landmark legal decision, a jury this week awarded $5.4 million to the family of a 15-year-old boy who took his own life. The verdict pronounced that negligence from his football coach and several school officials at Portsmouth High School led to the tragic incident. The jury concluded that these actions, which involved pressuring the teenager to disclose the identities of fellow students involved in harassing communications, directly contributed to his death.
Nathan Bruno’s life came to a tragic end in 2018 under distressing circumstances that his family attributes to Ryan Moniz, the football coach at the time. According to the lawsuit, Moniz had urged Bruno to expose other students who had sent harassing messages. Furthermore, it was alleged that Moniz enlisted other players on the team to exacerbate the pressure on Bruno.
As a result of the jury’s findings, Moniz is deemed solely liable for the monetary award that the school district is now obligated to fulfill. Richard Bruno, the decease’s father, has refrained from commenting on the jury’s verdict. Attempts to reach Moniz for a reaction have so far been unsuccessful.
This case is not isolated in its nature. Another similar case occurred in Utah in 2023, where a school district settled for $2 million after a lawsuit claimed that bullying contributed to the suicide of a 10-year-old girl.
In response to Bruno’s death, significant changes were implemented. Moniz was removed as coach by the School Committee, though he remains listed as a teacher on the district’s website. Moreover, in 2021, the Rhode Island legislature enacted a law named for Bruno that mandates all public schools in the state to develop suicide prevention policies and to provide related training for staff.
The lawsuit additionally named other local officials, including a former principal, an assistant principal at Portsmouth High School, and a detective from Jamestown who had been investigating the incident. All were found negligent by the jury. The case paints a grim picture of the events leading up to Bruno’s suicide, accusing the defendants of failing to notify Bruno’s parents about crucial matters including a police investigation and reassignment of his classes.
The legal representatives of the parties reflected differing views on the jury’s decision. While Peter Cerilli, attorney for the Bruno family, emphasized the severity of the bullying by Moniz, Marc DeSisto, representing the town, pointed out ongoing legal determinations that could affect the final outcome. Melody Alger, attorney for Detective Carlino and the town of Jamestown, acknowledged the jury’s conclusion on negligence but expressed relief that her clients were cleared of causing Bruno’s death.
The jury originally set the compensation at $3.1 million, but factoring in accrued interest since Bruno’s death, the figure reached $5.4 million.
This tragic incident and the subsequent legal actions highlight the deep and far-reaching consequences of bullying and harassment in educational settings. It serves as a sobering reminder of the responsibilities held by school officials and the legal implications of neglect in such cases.
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