Cement Company Negligence Charge Dismissed in Florida Teen Suicide Suit

May 27, 2015

A judge in Florida has tossed a portion of a lawsuit that alleged negligence against a cement company in the death of a 12-year-old central Florida girl who committed suicide after being bullied.

Rebecca Sedwick jumped to her death from a silo at Cemex Construction near Lakeland, Fla., in 2013. Circuit Judge John Radabaugh wrote in a recent decision that the company wasn’t at fault.

The Ledger of Lakeland reports the child’s mother Tricia Norman filed the lawsuit against the company and the Polk County School board last year. Her lawyer claimed the fence around the site was in disrepair, allowing unrestricted access.

“There are no allegations that there existed a trap, a hidden condition or an otherwise unreasonably dangerous condition on the property that caused the decedent’s injuries,” Radabaugh wrote in a recent decision.

The lawsuit against the school board remains, with mediation scheduled for June.

The family and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office blame bullying by the girl’s former classmates for her suicide.

Topics Lawsuits Florida

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Latest Comments

  • May 27, 2015 at 2:26 pm
    Agent says:
    Actually, the plaintiff attorneys should pay all court costs, legal defense fees and pay a hefty fine for bringing this frivolous lawsuit. Tort Reform would be in order as we... read more
  • May 27, 2015 at 1:40 pm
    Jack Kanauph says:
    It is a sad case, but attorneys should be held responsible for fees incurred in frivolous suits. The child trespassed onto the cement company's property. Why not sue the fen... read more
  • May 27, 2015 at 1:40 pm
    Scott says:
    Totally agree, Common. Nice to see some "concrete evidence" the cement company had zero involvement.

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