Lawsuit Filed Against Westfield BOE Over Son's Suicide Reaches Settlement

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield Public Schools has agreed to pay $250,000 to the parents of a former Westfield High School student who committed suicide in 2018.

The parents of Carter Uziel filed a lawsuit in June of 2020, claiming that the school district was aware that Uziel was repeatedly bullied and harassed but ignored all complaints. This bullying included racially explicit slurs and sexual assault, according to the lawsuit.

Read more: Parents File Lawsuit Against Westfield Schools Over Son's Suicide

In addition to the $250,000 that the district agreed to pay Uziel's parents, the school board and former Superintendent Margaret Dolan will pay another $1,500 to reimburse the parents for a mediator's retainer fee.

The settlement signed by both parents states there is "no admission of liability," meaning nothing in the agreement amounts to an admission of guilt by either party.

In the original lawsuit filed against the Board of Education, the town of Westfield and Superintendent Dolan, it states that from 2010 through 2018, "Carter Uziel was subjected to an ongoing pattern of harassment, intimidation and bullying by students of Edison, Roosevelt, and WHS, of which defendants were fully aware but deliberately indifferent to, resulting in substantial harm to him and ultimately in causing Carter to take his own life."

The suit states that Uziel was subjected to the following incidents of bullying and harassment:

• In or about Oct. 2013, several classmates hid Carter’s lunch box and threw it in the trash
• On or about Nov. 23, 2013, a classmate sexually assaulted Carter; said incident was reported in a June 10, 2014 email to Dolan and Assistant Superintendent Weissman
• Incidents of bullying and sexual harassment, as acknowledged in a letter dated June 17, 2014; these incidents were reported to Dolan
• In or about 2014, multiple incidents of bullying occurred including three (3) sexual assaults of Carter which were immediately reported to Edison Principal Matt Bolton and were further reported in a March 18, 2016 email to Dolan;
• In or about 2014, a fellow student threw an ice ball and hit Carter in the face, damaging his glasses
• On or about May 20, 2015, an incident occurred in which a fellow classmate, who had a prior history of bullying and other inappropriate behavior, pulled down Carter’s pants in class
• On or about January 14, 2016, an incident occurred in which another student without provocation pushed Cater against a cabinet, causing him to fall to the ground and knocking the wind out of Carter
• In a Dec. 22, 2017 email, Gene informed a school officials that “[d]uring the school year, at lunch a few of the students used racially and explicit curses against Carter. One of them called him a ‘Jewish ----’ and a few other choice words...”

Heidi Weintraub, the attorney for parents Gene Uziel and Frances Testini, told Patch in 2020, "This case is a very sad and tragic example of what can happen when a school district does not protect its students from bullying, harassment and intimidation, and what we have to do as lawyers and parents to fight for these children’s civil rights."

According to the lawsuit, Uziel was continually bullied, tormented, intimidated and harassed, which was in violation of the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act. The lawsuit further states that the district failed to take reasonable precautions for the safety and well-being of Uziel.

A tribute to Uziel in the Westfield High School student newspaper, the Hi's Eye, said that Uziel dedicated himself to the school garden, had a funny sense of humor, loved comic books and Fortnite and channeled his creativity in drama class.

“I was a better teacher for having known him,” Warren Hynes, Uziel's Blog Writing teacher, said about Uziel in the article.

Patch reached out to the Westfield Board of Education in regards to the recent settlement agreement. Spokesperson Mary Ann Mcgann said the district does not comment on litigation matters.

This article features reporting from Patch editor Caren Lissner.

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