Bullied to Suicide-Insurance Goes to Court So It Won’t Have to Pay Impending ($500,000) Insurance Claim
Emilie Olsen case: Allstate goes to court so it won’t have to pay insurance claim
Bullying led to teen’s suicide, parents say
HAMILTON, Ohio – An insurance company doesn’t want to pay damages in Emilie Olsen’s death so it’s suing the family of one of Olsen’s classmates accused of bullying the 13-year-old into suicide.
Allstate is asking a Butler County judge for a declaratory judgment that would take it off the hook if Olsen’s family wins its civil suit against more than three dozen students, teachers and staff, including the former Fairfield City Schools superintendent and middle school principal.
Eight unnamed minor classmates at Fairfield Middle School are being sued by the Olsens, and one of their families has $100,000 family liability protection with Allstate, the company said in a court filing. Because the student is cited in five counts of the lawsuit, Allstate is presumably worried that it could be on the hook for $500,000.
In its court filing, Allstate argues that its liability policy specifically “excludes coverage for bodily injury or property damage intended by, or which may be reasonably expected to result from the intentional or criminal acts or omissions of any insured person.”
In Allstate’s filing, the insurer says the Olsens’ lawsuit accuses the unnamed girl of engaging in a pattern of bullying, harassing, assaulting, battering and discriminating against Emilie. It says the girl contributed to Emilie’s death and intended to cause Emilie and her family emotional distress and mental anguish.
Allstate is asking the court to rule that the company is not required to defend the girl or indemnify her or anyone else from any claims arising from Emilie’s death.
A WCPO I-Team investigation discovered evidence that Fairfield Middle School students repeatedly told Emilie to kill herself and posted vulgar sexual messages about her on social media, created an “Emilie Olsen Is Gay” Instagram account, marked restroom walls with “Emilie is a whore” and battered her in school.
Emilie’s parents also sued school officials, teachers, guidance counselors and staff members, saying they didn’t protect Emilie or act to stop the bullying.
READ the lawsuit.
Four days after Emilie shot herself in December 2014, Fairfield City School administrators were confident enough to release this statement to parents and students:
