Nearly a dozen students and their parents have been brought into a lawsuit filed by a New Jersey teenager who accused two school districts of not doing enough to stop eight years of bullying.
A judge last week allowed 11 teens and their parents to become third-party defendants, a novel ruling that could have broader consequences when bullying is litigated. The judge and lawyers say it is the first time a New Jersey judge has been asked by a school district to add students as defendants in a bullying case.
‘‘As difficult as it is for my client, we’re very pleased with the message that the decision sends,’’ said Brian Cige, a lawyer for the now-18-year-old plaintiff. ‘‘There needs to be personal responsibility for both kids and their parents for their behavior.’’
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In a lawsuit filed last year, the teen contended that he was tormented from fourth grade until last year, when he graduated as a junior. The teen says he was harassed first for being overweight, then for being perceived as gay.
Over the years in the Flemington-Raritan Regional district, he said, bullies dumped pasta and sauce on his clothes, poked him with their fingers, threw balls at his midsection, and made fun of him on Facebook.